This is what Carrot Quinn wrote about the Mariposa
Gossamer Gear Mariposa Backpack
This one is hard for me. I’m a Gossamer Gear trail ambassador, and I got the pack for free, so I should be waxing poetic about how the pack is perfect in every way. But the pack just never fit me right. Even a size small was too long for my torso. A pack should sit at a person’s natural waist, but this one always sat farther down, on my hips. I would put on Spark or Instigate’s ULA packs, and they would sit at my natural waist. Everyone around me was wearing these packs that sat at their waists. But mine was always too low and it made me walk funny sometimes, sort of scooting it around to try and make it sit right. And I’m 5’7”- it’s not like I’m a Shorty McShorterson. I do, however, love everything else about the pack- the lightweight fabric, minimalist style, the fact that it had a frame and was still so light, and the way I could take the water bottle in and out of the side pocket without taking the pack off. I think for my next thru-hike (CDT 2015!!!!!) I’ll order a few other Gossamer Gear packs and try them on, to see if one of them fits me better. Or maybe by then they’ll have a shorter size? Come on, Gossamer Gear. Are you all, like, six feet tall? Don’t make me go with ULA.
Pros: Lightweight even with a frame and yet holds up to the rigors and specific demands of long-distance hiking.
Cons: Super long. Everyone I talked to on the trail ended up needing a size smaller than was recommended by the size chart on the site and in my case there wasn’t a size short enough to fit me. This probably makes it harder for women in particular to rock these packs. Come on, GG. The current speed record holder for the PCT is a woman, and the smallest packs I saw on the trail were on women. It seemed like around 35% of the thru-hikers this year were women. You’re missing a huge opportunity here.
Bottom line: Still better than ULA. I’ll try again in 2015.
This is what Carrot Quinn wrote about the Mariposa
ReplyDeleteGossamer Gear Mariposa Backpack
This one is hard for me. I’m a Gossamer Gear trail ambassador, and I got the pack for free, so I should be waxing poetic about how the pack is perfect in every way. But the pack just never fit me right. Even a size small was too long for my torso. A pack should sit at a person’s natural waist, but this one always sat farther down, on my hips. I would put on Spark or Instigate’s ULA packs, and they would sit at my natural waist. Everyone around me was wearing these packs that sat at their waists. But mine was always too low and it made me walk funny sometimes, sort of scooting it around to try and make it sit right. And I’m 5’7”- it’s not like I’m a Shorty McShorterson. I do, however, love everything else about the pack- the lightweight fabric, minimalist style, the fact that it had a frame and was still so light, and the way I could take the water bottle in and out of the side pocket without taking the pack off. I think for my next thru-hike (CDT 2015!!!!!) I’ll order a few other Gossamer Gear packs and try them on, to see if one of them fits me better. Or maybe by then they’ll have a shorter size? Come on, Gossamer Gear. Are you all, like, six feet tall? Don’t make me go with ULA.
Pros: Lightweight even with a frame and yet holds up to the rigors and specific demands of long-distance hiking.
Cons: Super long. Everyone I talked to on the trail ended up needing a size smaller than was recommended by the size chart on the site and in my case there wasn’t a size short enough to fit me. This probably makes it harder for women in particular to rock these packs. Come on, GG. The current speed record holder for the PCT is a woman, and the smallest packs I saw on the trail were on women. It seemed like around 35% of the thru-hikers this year were women. You’re missing a huge opportunity here.
Bottom line: Still better than ULA. I’ll try again in 2015.