Guide’s Gear Award No. 1: Gossamer Gear Mariposa Backpack

My comments were all about desing features, not weight

I guess I just get hung up on saying any pack (especially a 2lb 60liter one) isnt UL.

What if I pack my 2lb Mariposa and my baseweight comes in at under 10lbs or 12lbs or whatever. Its still not a UL pack even though in within the magical number?

My pack is 2lbs and I can make 10lbs. UL or not?

I guess what I am getting at is yeah, you can have lighter than 2lbs pack, but at that volume (60L) … IDK that a lot of pack for only 2lbs

seems silly to label any one item as non-UL (or UL, for that matter) After all, its the baseweight that determines whether or not you are UL, right?

And I guess that yea, its heavier than other packs. It has external pockets, Tha Harra' Tha Harra'!

I am intriguing myself because I think defining UL and that stuff is pointless. Why I care what "class" a pack is beyond me. Its just for the sake of argument, I suppose…

evs

While everyone else has focused on the Mariposa Pack — which is very useful discussion — I would like to add that I like the concept of the Guides Gear Awards. Giving attention to the tried and true and explaining WHY it is "tried and true" has great merit and I appreciate trying this new direction in rating equipment. The additional comments, such as those above, should be plentiful on items earning this kind of award. They add a great deal to the initial information justifying the award and improve the whole process.

Great job! Keep it going.

No, he ran out of money, closed the magazine, closed the gear shop, added other adds to make the site a paying concern, and worked other jobs to make a living. He scrambled when the economy fell apart in 2008 and it is still alive today thanks to some pretty good decisions. Bloggers, other lists, other publications have failed, expanded advertisement drastically or are virtually no cost to their owners. Our interests here are a limited market without a huge population base. It works.

I don't think anything needs to be rewritten or changed. The people involved chose the Mariposa. It has been in continual development since about 2006/7. Modern materials, newer philosophies, put this pack on top for a one pack hiker. Yes. It is a compromise. But, it remains true to the lightweight goals of the site. I don't understand the furor about updating the definitions page. Nope, it is not a SUL or XSUL pack. (Categories come in handy for discussions.) It works for UL and Lightweight packers. It even works for UL people on long distance hikes where food, fuel, and water become the vast majority of the weight. Example: 2pounds per day (food and fuel) for 2 weeks comes up to 28 pounds, more than the maximum recommended weight, but doable.

"Guide's Gear should represent products that are at the very top of their category in terms of their performance-to-weight ratio. Such products should be versatile and adaptable to a very wide range of environmental conditions and activity contexts, durable enough for rigorous use over an extended period of time, and embody state of the art design, materials, and manufacturing techniques. Guide's Gear should reflect a simple and beautiful design aesthetic, address core functionality through exceptional performance, be intuitive to use, and contain no significant flaws or deficiencies. Guide's Gear should reflect the unequivocal recommendation of experienced guides that is based on proven, long-term experience with the gear, complete with an understanding of the limitations of that gear."

It fits just fine.

I was using the opening provided by Kenny's comment to ask the question and your response James was the type of history I was looking for. Even though I have been checking in here at least once a day since '06 I never knew the story.

I love the outside pockets on my Mariposa Plus. I can pack all my stuff in the main pack body then pack the tent/poles in the long outside pocket, on-the-go snacks and extra water bottle in the other two pockets.