Backpacks
Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Review
Last updated:
The Mariposa 60 earned OutdoorGearLab's top comfort score and has seven outside pockets. Here's where its load ceiling sits, and who should pick a framed pack instead.
OutdoorGearLab gave the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 a perfect 10 for comfort and fit a whole watermelon in its front mesh pocket. That's the pack in two facts: it carries well, by its reviewers' accounts, and it swallows things. You'll want both.
My call, once. Buy it if you carry 20 to 30 pounds on long trips and want pockets for everything. Skip it if your loads often run past 30 pounds, or if you want a waterproof fabric. I give it 8.5 out of 10.
By Brooke5 min read
Share this post
Send it to someone who's planning a trip.
How much can it carry?
Gossamer Gear says 30 pounds for comfort and 35 pounds max. The reviewers split on where the ceiling sits, and that's the most useful thing in this review.
OutdoorGearLab calls 35 pounds more than reasonable, says its lab and field tests confirm it, and never had to pull gear out to carry it comfortably. It credits the shoulder straps, the hipbelt and the back pad working together, and an upside-down U-frame that kept the bag from bulging into the back.
Switchback Travel found the line at 30. On a desert food and water carry it overloaded the pack, and above 30 pounds it lost stability and pulled on the shoulders. It also found the new pivoting belt sways with heavier loads and moves nicely once the load drops.
So I read 30 as the everyday number and 35 as the short-carry number. If your long water carries push past 30, plan on a little sway.
How do you pick a size?
Measure your torso from the C7 vertebra to the top of your hip bones. Gossamer Gear's sizes: Small 16 to 18 inches, Medium 18 to 20, Large 20 to 22. Between sizes, it says to size down for more shoulder wrap and a higher belt, or up for a lower belt.
The belt is its own choice. Don't skip it. A Small ships with the S/M Curved belt, a Medium or Large with the M Straight. Gossamer Gear sells five belts. To swap, you add the second belt to your order and return the original for a 25-dollar refund. Switchback Travel calls that a little convoluted, and still found the custom fit worth it.
Here's the weight math from the spec table. A Medium pack body is 18.5 oz, the frame 4.3 oz, the SitLight pad 2.3 oz, and the M Straight belt 9.0 oz. That's 34.1 oz, which Gossamer Gear rounds into its 34.2 oz total. OutdoorGearLab weighed its Medium at 34.3 oz. Three numbers, 0.2 oz apart. I love that.
What about the pockets?
Seven outside, per Gossamer Gear, holding 24 of the 60 liters on a Medium. Switchback Travel counts them: a zip pocket on each hip and one on the top flap, two drop-in pockets stacked on one side, one tall one on the other, and the big rear mesh.
OutdoorGearLab measured them. The three side pockets held over eight liters of water, or 10 Smartwater bottles. The center mesh held about 6.75 liters, the top flap pocket about 3.4, and each hip pocket almost a liter, or six Clif Bars. With its 54-liter main compartment, that's over 62 liters by OutdoorGearLab's count. Gossamer Gear's 36-liter main body figure is measured to the collar seam, which is why the lab number runs higher.
One caution from Switchback Travel: the two stacked side pockets felt less secure, so it keeps bars and gels there, not anything precious. A BV500 bear can fits inside upright, both reviews say.
Will it keep your gear dry?
Line it. Always. Switchback Travel, in its October 2025 update, calls the Robic nylon decently adept at shedding moisture, and still suggests a pack liner or cover for long rain. OutdoorGearLab says it isn't as waterproof as Ultra or DCF fabrics, and points to a liner, which Gossamer Gear sells. One owner on Gossamer Gear's page put it plainly: the pack isn't built of waterproof material. A trash compactor bag inside is the cheap fix I'd pack.
Why a liner over a cover? Switchback Travel names both, and both work. Just know the limit of each. The mesh and side pockets sit outside any liner, so a rain shell or fly you stash there sits outside its protection. That's fine. It was wet anyway. A cover keeps those dry too, and it can catch wind on an exposed ridge.
Will it last?
Gossamer Gear updated it to a more durable 100D and 210D recycled Robic nylon, PFAS-free. Switchback Travel tested it through the Canadian Rockies and off-trail in the desert, and calls the Robic quite durable and puncture-resistant, an upgrade over the abrasions it has seen in thinner Dyneema builds.
OutdoorGearLab is a little cooler on it. It says Robic isn't quite as durable as Ultra or DCF materials, and its tester noticed a few cuts and scrapes on the pack body after packing it full in the Mt. Evans Wilderness. I read both as normal wear for 34 oz of pack, and Robic as the right call for the price.
Owners on Gossamer Gear's page add the long view. One washed theirs in a machine after the PCT, in a clothing bag, and it came out fine. The same owner wished for more shoulder padding by the end. That's 1 voice, not a pattern, but it's the kind of detail I go looking for after a full thru-hike on someone else's back.
What do owners say, and what else to look at?
Owners love it. Gossamer Gear's page showed 4.8 out of 5 from 708 reviews on October 16, 2026, with every size and color in stock at its 315-dollar list price.
Switchback Travel's rivals, with its weights:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55: 1 lb 13.7 oz in waterproof Dyneema, fewer pockets, and a higher price.
ULA Circuit 68: 2 lb 5.3 oz.
Zpacks Arc Haul 60: 1 lb 5.4 oz, lighter but more compromised on storage and comfort.
REI Co-op Flash 55: 2 lb 13 oz, and cheaper.
OutdoorGearLab adds the Durston Kakwa 55, which it weighed at 31.0 oz, and the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 if 60 liters is more than you need. My pick rule: pockets and comfort, the Mariposa. Waterproof fabric, the Southwest. Lowest weight, the Arc Haul.
Pros
- OutdoorGearLab's top comfort score, 10.0, and a hipbelt it calls super comfortable
- Seven outside pockets; over 62 L measured in total by OutdoorGearLab
- Spec weights line up: 34.2 oz listed, 34.3 oz on OutdoorGearLab's scale (Medium)
- Five hipbelt options and a removable frame and pad
Cons
- Above 30 lb it lost stability in Switchback Travel's overload test
- Robic isn't waterproof: pack a liner
- Belt swaps happen after purchase, by return
- A few cuts and scrapes after OutdoorGearLab's full-load trips
Key Specifications
- Load
- 30 lb for comfort, 35 lb max (Gossamer Gear)
- Fabric
- 100D & 210D recycled Robic nylon, PFAS-free (Gossamer Gear)
- Weight
- Small 33.4 oz, Medium 34.2 oz, Large 36.2 oz, each with its included hipbelt (Gossamer Gear)
- Capacity
- 60 L total (Medium): 36 L main body to the collar seam, 24 L in 7 exterior pockets (Gossamer Gear)
- Suspension
- Removable aluminum PVT frame, pivoting belt, SitLight foam pad
- Torso sizes
- S 16-18 in, M 18-20 in, L 20-22 in
If this isn’t your pick
If this isn’t your pick
Here are a few options that might fit better based on what you just read.
Review
Osprey Aether 65 Review: 4.9 lb of Load Hauler, and Who Should Skip It
At 60 lb the pack is a twelfth of the load, and CleverHiker says the frame stayed controlled there.
Read the Osprey Aether 65 Review: 4.9 lb of Load Hauler, and Who Should Skip It review →Review
Osprey Exos 58 Review: The 2 lb 13 oz Pack That Carries 35 lb
A weekend kit in the 25-35 lb window is exactly what it's built for, and BetterTrail fit a two-person tent, a 15-degree bag and a pad in the base.
Read the Osprey Exos 58 Review: The 2 lb 13 oz Pack That Carries 35 lb review →Review
Osprey Rook 65 Review: The Budget Pack That Does Most of an Atmos
A budget price, a rain cover in the box and an adjustable torso. OutdoorGearLab calls it a great choice for those starting out.
Read the Osprey Rook 65 Review: The Budget Pack That Does Most of an Atmos review →Comparison
Osprey Atmos AG 65 vs Atmos AG LT 65 vs Gregory Paragon 60 vs Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60: Best Multi-Day Backpack, Compared
Gregory Paragon 60 wins for the majority multi-day buyer. It pairs the best balance of the four: 56 oz measured weight, a FreeFloat hipbelt that adjusts to a wide range of torsos and waistlines, comfortable carry up to about 45 lb, and the lowest street price band ($280-300) of the three framed finalists. You trade the Atmos trampoline back panel and the Mariposa lighter-kit weight, but neither matters more than a belt that fits when the trail goes long.
See the full comparison →Get one honest gear take every Friday.
One email a week: new reviews, one gear pick with my reasoning, and nothing sponsored. Confirm your address and you get my printable 2-page backpacking gear checklist.
You'll get a confirmation link first, and nothing else arrives until you click it. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe. How your email is handled
More from Backpacks
Osprey Aether 65 Review: 4.9 lb of Load Hauler, and Who Should Skip It
The Aether 65 weighs 4.919 lb by Osprey's figure and is rated to 60 lb. The math on what that costs you at 30 lb is the whole review.
Brooke Wilder
9 min read
Osprey Rook 65 Review: The Budget Pack That Does Most of an Atmos
The Rook 65 is a 3.7 lb budget pack with a mesh back panel and a rain cover in the box. Buy it for 30-40 lb trips; skip it for heavier loads.
Brooke Wilder
8 min read
Osprey Exos 58 Review: The 2 lb 13 oz Pack That Carries 35 lb
The Exos 58 is a real frame and a ventilated back at 2 lb 13.4 oz, for 25 to 35 lb loads. Buy it in that window; skip it for ultralight kits or heavy hauls.
Brooke Wilder
9 min read
Why trust BestForBackpacking
Honest gear advice for backpackers, researched, weighed, and recommended.
Every pick is based on deep research: a synthesis of long-term owner reports, independent reviewer tests, and manufacturer specs, weighted by source independence, specificity, and use-case match. Brooke Wilder is our gear editor, the editorial persona who turns that research into a clear recommendation.