For the last two years, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 has been my favorite backcountry pack. Gossamer Gear’s best-selling backcountry pack, the Mariposa 60 comes with a removable internal frame, load lifters, multiple built-in pockets, a removable hipbelt and weighs in at just 2 pounds.
But did Gossamer Gear just make my favorite pack even better?
Gossamer Gear just released a brand-new version of the Mariposa 60 for 2024 and they’ve made some pretty cool changes to the pack that I’m really excited about, and I think you will be too.
Since discovering the Mariposa 60 pack for the first time two years ago, I’ve had not one, but TWO Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 packs. If you’ve been watching my YouTube videos for a while, you’ll probably remember seeing both of my Mariposa 60 packs in multiple videos here on my channel.
In April 2022, I purchased my first Mariposa 60 pack in green. For reference, I’m 5’7” and my torso length is 17 inches, so I ordered my pack in a size medium.
I ended up taking this pack out on trail with me to some pretty awesome places like the Ozette Triangle in Olympic National Park, which was actually the very first group trip I led for the students in my online backpacking program for women, The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System.
A couple months later, I loaded up all of my gear and hard-sided bear canister into my Mariposa 60 and took it with me to hike the John Muir Trail for 28 days.
Shortly after hiking the JMT, I took my Mariposa 60 to hike 250 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail by myself in Washington for 17 days. I started from Snoqualmie Pass and finished my hike going over the Bridge of the Gods into Cascade Locks, Oregon.
I ended up putting over 500 miles on my Mariposa 60 in 2022!
In March 2023 (a year from when I purchased my first Mariposa 60 pack), I bought a second one, which was the limited-edition Mariposa 60 in Vaporwave. This is the purple and black pack you’ve probably seen me using in all of my recent backpacking videos.
I brought my purple Mariposa 60 with me for all of my early season backpacking trips in 2023 where I led multiple group trips for students from The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System.
Then I took my purple Mariposa 60 pack with me on my big solo backpacking trips including:
- Hiking over 900 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone from Oregon to Yosemite last year
- The Trans Catalina Trail which I did by myself this year in January.
In February of this year, I brought my Mariposa 60 with me for a few days while I backpacked for the first time out in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.
Since I got my purple Mariposa 60 pack back in March 2023, I’ve managed to put over 1,000 miles on it!
Here are a couple fun facts you might not know:
One, I purchased BOTH of my Mariposa 60 packs with my own money. Back in 2022, Gossamer Gear had no idea who The Hungry Hiker was. In the spring of 2022, I was in the market for a new, lightweight backcountry pack and was first introduced to the Mariposa 60 on a group backpacking trip. As soon as I saw all of the pockets on this thing along with the removable sit pad located on the back panel, I couldn’t get home fast enough to buy one of these packs for myself.
Two, none of the videos on my YouTube channel where I featured either one of my Mariposa 60 packs out on trail over the last two years have been sponsored by Gossamer Gear. Gossamer Gear and I only officially met in January of this year, in 2024.
THAT’S how much I love the Mariposa 60! I bought both of these packs with my own money, took both of these packs out on trail with me for 100s of miles and showed all of you how much I love this pack without getting paid to do so.
Why Do I Love the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Pack?
The Removable Pad on The Back Panel
It all started with the removable pad on the back panel. Up until I first discovered the Mariposa 60, I had been packing out a separate butt pad to use as a seat for all of my trips instead of using a camp chair because their heavier and bulkier.
The back panel of the Mariposa 60 comes with a removable SitLight Pad. This means no more having to find a place to store a butt pad in my pack!
For both of my Mariposa 60 packs, I switched out the sit pad that the pack has originally came with and replaced it with a Gossamer Gear Air Flow SitLight Camp Seat. The SitLight Camp Seat provides better airflow between my back and the back of the pack for when I start sweating. The SitLight Camp Seat also provides slightly more cushioning when using it as a butt pad while sitting on the ground.
The Pockets
This pack had me at all of its smartly designed pockets. Throughout the Mariposa 60, there are 8 pockets, 7 of which offer easy access to gear and snacks I need throughout the day, including:
- Two smaller, external pockets on one side, which is where I would store my Water Filtration System and Poop Kit.
- 1 larger, exterior pocket on the other side, which is where I would store backup drinking water. I’d also store in this pocket tentpoles, stakes and the footprint for my tent when I was carrying a freestanding tent. This pocket is also where I store my ultralight sun umbrella.
- 1 spacious rear mesh pocket, which is where I would store my food for the day, rain gear, a pair of microspikes, my camp shoes and if my tent was wet, I’d store it here so I didn’t have to get everything inside my pack wet.
- 1 zipper pocket on the top of the Over-The-Top closer system, which was the perfect place to stash my permit or a paper map for my trip.
- An internal hydration pocket that you could use to store a hydration reservoir in, but I rarely, if ever, used this pocket.
- PLUS, the two large functional hipbelt zippered pockets that are large enough to put an iPhone and extra snacks in. This is also a place where I like to keep my knife handy along with a pair of liner gloves, sunscreen and bug repellant, all things you want easy access to without having to take your pack off for.
The Cushy, Easily Adjustable Hipbelt
Speaking of the hipbelt, the Mariposa 60 comes with a removable hipbelt. Both of my Mariposa 60 packs are a size medium and came with a medium belt installed.
It’s Comfortable
The Mariposa 60 is comfortable, even when my pack is fully loaded with all of my gear, food and water. It can even carry a hard sided bear canister like the BV500 comfortably inside the pack.
Both of my Mariposa 60 packs have a lightweight, removable aluminum frame on the inside, which help give the pack added support and structure. If you’re looking for an ultralight option, you can remove the frame, turning this into a frameless pack.
It’s Light
The Mariposa 60 is a light pack. The medium sized Mariposa 60 with a medium belt weighs 31.2 ounces, which is less than two pounds.
Why Did I Buy a Second Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60?
The reason why I bought a second Mariposa 60 pack after only owning my first pack for a year was honestly because of the color.
I was over the moon when Gossamer Gear came out with the Mariposa 60 in their limited-edition Vaporwave style in 2023, where the body of the pack was purple and black. If I could have all of my gear in purple, I would. Purple is my favorite color!
How Did Gossamer Gear Make My Favorite Pack Even Better?
Gossamer Gear just released a brand-new version of the Mariposa 60 for 2024 and they sent me one of the brand new Mariposa 60s to try out before they launched the new pack to all of you.
This time around, I got the Mariposa 60 in grey, size small, with a small/medium Curved hipbelt. This pack with the hipbelt, sitpad and frame weighs 33.4 ounces.
Full Disclosure: Gossamer Gear was generous enough to send me one of their brand-new Mariposa 60 packs to try out before their official launch.
Yes, after loving the life out of my Mariposa 60 packs out on trail for the last two years, Gossamer Gear and I are finally BFFs. Thank you, Gossamer Gear!
New Updates to the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60
Tougher, More Durable Material
Starting with the material. Gossamer Gear is now using recycled fabrics! The new Mariposa 60 is made with a 100D + 210D Recycled Robic Nylon. The change in material for the new Mariposa 60 does give the pack a slight weight change, but this tougher, more durable material is designed to help resist cuts and tears in the fabric of the pack.
My pack often gets snagged by nearby trees and bushes like all of the overgrown bushes in Northern California along the PCT and all of the spiky bushes in The Superstition Mountains out in the desert in Arizona. I love this new material because I’m pretty rough on my pack. The tougher, more durable material on the new Mariposa 60 will mean less blemishes on my new pack.
No More Internal Hydration Pocket
The internal hydration pocket was removed on the new Mariposa 60. This was to match the rest of Gossamer Gear’s backcountry packs and to help save a little weight.
Since I don’t use a hydration reservoir to carry my filtered water in, I never needed to use the internal hydration pocket on either of my Mariposa 60 packs. I honestly don’t miss this pocket because out of all the pockets on this pack, this was the pocket I used the least.
S-Curve Harness & Load Lifters
Another new feature on the brand-new Mariposa 60 is the S-curve harness for a more comfortable fit and the new and improved load lifters to help provide even weight distribution.
The load lifters on the new Mariposa 60 have been redesigned with improved functionality, making this pack even more comfortable than it was before. This is going to be a huge, noticeable difference for whenever I have to carry heavier loads in my pack like a fully loaded, hard-sided bear canister.
Signature PVT Frame + Belt
Both the frame and hipbelt on the new Mariposa 60 have been updated with Gossamer Gear’s new Signature PVT Frame + Hipbelt.
The new Mariposa 60 still has a lightweight aluminum frame, but now comes with their Signature PVT Frame + Belt System. The closed, aluminum frame sits inside the pivoting hipbelt’s center pouch, which allows the pack to move with your natural gait.
If you’re looking for an ultralight version of the Mariposa 60, you can still remove the frame and hipbelt, turning this into a frameless pack. The new PVT Frame + Belt design now makes it even easier to remove the aluminum frame than before.
More Customizable Fit Options
With the Signature PVT Frame + Belt System, there’s now more customizable fit and size options available for the Mariposa 60. With the previous version of the Mariposa 60, the only option to customize the fit of the pack and hipbelt was to purchase separately the Straight Hipbelt in either a size small, medium or large. Now, you can purchase separately multiple fits and sizes of the brand-new PVT Hipbelt for a more customized fit.
The new PVT Hipbelts are available in two different fits: Straight and Curved.
The PVT Straight Hipbelt comes in sizes small, medium and large and the PVT Curve Hipbelt comes in sizes S/M and M/L. More fit and size options mean the better chance for you to get a perfect fit for this pack.
With the new PVT Hipbelt, you still get those two large, zippered hip pockets, big enough to store items you need easy access to during your hike.
The PVT Hipbelt has foam-cushioned support around the hips and is designed to hug your body to help with optimal weight distribution of the pack, making the overall fit and feel of the new Mariposa more comfortable than ever before. The PVT Hipbelt is also made of a tough recycled Robic fabric, which helps makes it even more durable than Gossamer Gear’s previous hipbelts.
The new Mariposa 60 comes in three sizes: small, medium and large.
The small Mariposa 60 comes with a small/medium Curved hipbelt. The medium and large Mariposa 60 comes with a medium Straight hipbelt.
Your backpack size will vary greatly depending on your body type and how you wear your pack. Both of my previous Mariposa 60 packs were a size Medium and they always felt a little long on my body, sitting a little lower on my hips than I would’ve liked. For my new Mariposa 60, I decided to go with a small size instead of a medium.
For reference, I’m 5’7” and my torso length is 17 inches.
After wearing my new Mariposa 60, fully loaded with gear, out on trail a couple of times now, I feel like the small size with the small/medium Curved hipbelt is the perfect fit for my body.
Color & Weight
The new Mariposa 60 comes in three different colors: Green, Tropical Mist and Grey. Since my first Mariposa 60 was Green, I decided to get my new pack in grey. I like it! Maybe it will help hide some of the dirt I’m about to put on this pack.
The total weight for the brand-new Mariposa 60 size small pack with the hipbelt, sitpad and frame is 33.4 ounces, with the small/medium hipbelt weighing in at 9.6 ounces.
My previous Mariposa 60 in a size medium with the sitpad, frame and medium size hipbelt weighed in at 31.2 ounces. There is a slight increase in weight with the new Mariposa, but that’s because of the upgrade to the tougher, more durable material of the pack.
Totally worth the extra 2.2 ounces if you ask me!
The new Mariposa 60 is still considered a lightweight backcountry pack, weighing in at just 2 pounds with the pack body, aluminum frame, Sitlight pad and PVT Hipbelt.
How many miles am I going to put into my new Mariposa 60 pack this year? I’m getting ready to take my brand-new Mariposa 60 out with me on a super special group trip with some of the students in my online backpacking program for women, The Confident Solo Female Backpacker System.
Stay tuned for more details about that upcoming trip along with a bunch of other fun trips I have planned for this year.
CLICK HERE to visit the Gossamer Gear website to check out the brand-new Mariposa 60 packs.
Thank you again to my new BFF, Gossamer Gear for letting my check out the brand-new Mariposa 60 before their official launch.
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I recently upgraded to the Mariposa 60 based on your original reviews, and am looking forward to using it on my first trip in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I purchased it just before this new version was launched. I am hoping that I will be able to buy some of the “parts” included in this brand new version to change out on my brand new pack. Thanks for championing such a great brand!
Thanks! Hope you’ve been loving your Mariposa 60 out on trail! Even if Gossamer Gear didn’t update the Mariposa 60 this year, I’d still be head over heels in love with my old pack.
Hi, thanks for the sharing info on the Mariposa 60. The fact that they removed the hydration sleeve in the 2024 version is one of the blockers before picking this one up. Are there any kinda hooks or options for me to hang the hydration bladder inside, even without a sleeve? I don’t want that bladder to get buried deep in the bag and posing challenges retrieving it quickly.
Thanks
No, there aren’t any hooks or options inside the pack to be able to hang a hydration reservoir inside so the new Mariposa 60 is probably not going to be a great option for those wanting to use a hydration reservoir. Most Mariposa 60 users will either store their water in bottles in one of the outside pockets and/or attach a a sleeve strap on the outside of the pack for them to store a water bottle in.