Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 vs Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50
Quick take: The Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 costs $40 less; the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 carries more (60 vs 50 liters); the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 is lighter (1.99 vs 2.14 lbs).
Which one to buy
There's an ultralight cliché about this pair: buy the Mariposa, shrink your kit, then buy the Gorilla. It holds up as advice. Both share Gossamer Gear's removable sit-pad back over an aluminum stay, Robic fabric, hipbelt pockets, a hydration sleeve, and torso and hipbelt sizes picked separately for a semi-custom fit. The Mariposa 60 costs $40 more and weighs 0.15 lb more, and for that you get 10 L, a 5 lb higher load rating and its well-known pocket layout.
That layout is the deciding difference. The Mariposa has seven pockets, including a tall side pocket that holds a full tent apart from dry gear, and fans say they open the main bag twice a day. It's also asymmetric, which is polarizing because balancing weight takes practice. The Gorilla's symmetric pockets fix that. If organization is why you're looking at Gossamer Gear, the Mariposa is the one.
Volume and canisters are the other split. A BV500 fits horizontally at the top of the Mariposa, which many 60 L ultralight packs can't manage, while in the Gorilla a BV450 fits cleanly, a BV500 goes in vertically only with careful packing, and long food carries get cramped. Load comfort tracks the ratings: long-term reviewers say the Mariposa carries 30-35 lbs before its single stay starts to twist, and the Gorilla's 30 lb ceiling is real, with water-heavy desert carries overloading it.
Both foam backs ventilate poorly and soak sweat on climbs, both have mesh pockets that wear in brush, and Mariposa thru-hikers report the hipbelt foam softens by the end of a full season.
Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60
Best if you hike in canister country, carry long food loads near 35 lb, or want every item reachable from an outside pocket.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50
For hikers whose kit has already shrunk to fit 50 L and 30 lb, and who prefer symmetric pockets for $40 less.
| Spec | Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 | Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $315 | $275 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Ultralight Pack | Ultralight Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | Internal Frame |
| Capacity | 60 L | 50 L |
| Weight | 2.14 lbs | 1.99 lbs |
| Max Load | 35 lbs | 30 lbs |
| Torso Fit | Sized S-L: S 16-18 in, M 18-20 in, L 20-22 in | Sized S-L: S 16-18 in, M 18-20 in, L 20-22 in |
| Material | 100D and 210D recycled Robic nylon | 70D and 100D recycled Robic nylon |
| Back Panel | Aluminium hoop with removable SitLight foam pad | Removable SitLight foam pad with aluminium stay |
| Adjustable torso | No | No |
| Ventilated back | No | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | Yes | Yes |
| Removable lid | No | No |
| Hydration sleeve | Yes | Yes |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Gossamer Gear one-year warranty against manufacturing defects | Gossamer Gear one-year warranty against manufacturing defects |
Pros & cons
Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60
- ✓The seven-pocket layout is the best organization in ultralight — fans say they touch the main compartment twice a day, morning and night.
- ✓The tall side pocket holds a full tent separately from dry gear, the single most-praised design choice.
- ✓The removable back pad doubles as a sit pad, saving carrying a separate one.
- ✓Robic nylon at 100/210 denier hits a durability sweet spot documented across thousands-of-miles reports.
- ✓Hipbelt sizing is independent of torso sizing, giving semi-custom fit from stock parts.
- ✓Carries 30-35 lbs comfortably with the stay in — honest rating per long-term reviews.
- ✓The Austin-based company's customer service and repair culture draw consistent praise.
- ✓Fits a BV500 horizontally at the top of the bag, which many 60L UL packs can't.
- ✗The asymmetric layout is polarizing — packing balanced weight takes practice and annoys symmetry-lovers.
- ✗The foam back pad ventilates poorly and soaks sweat on climbs.
- ✗The single aluminum stay twists under 35+ lb loads; it's not a heavy hauler.
- ✗Mesh pockets abrade in brush faster than solid-face rivals.
- ✗No top lid and a floppy over-the-top strap system that takes fiddling to compress well.
- ✗Fixed torso sizes with online-only sizing risk.
- ✗At $315 it's priced above the Circuit while carrying slightly worse at max load.
- ✗The hipbelt foam softens noticeably after a full thru-hike, per multiple finishers.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50
- ✓The archetypal 'graduation pack' — the usual ultralight path is buying a Mariposa, shrinking your kit, then buying a Gorilla.
- ✓Under 2 lbs with a real stay and hipbelt, it carries 30 lbs honestly — better than frameless rivals at similar weight.
- ✓Symmetric pockets fix the Mariposa's polarizing layout while keeping generous capacity.
- ✓The removable sit-pad back panel remains one of the smartest dual-use designs in UL.
- ✓Robic fabric durability matches its big sibling's strong track record.
- ✓Mixed torso/hipbelt sizing gives semi-custom fit off the shelf.
- ✓A BV450 fits cleanly; careful packers manage a BV500 vertically.
- ✓Gossamer Gear's service reputation applies here too.
- ✗50 liters is tight for bear-canister trips or 5+ day food carries — buyers routinely wish for 5 more liters.
- ✗Same sweaty foam back as the Mariposa.
- ✗The 30 lb ceiling is real; water-heavy desert carries overload it.
- ✗Fixed sizes, online-only fitting.
- ✗Mesh pockets remain the wear point in brush.
- ✗The hipbelt is minimal and divides opinion at the top of the load range.
- ✗No lid, no organization beyond the pocket array.
- ✗Price sits close enough to the Circuit that many first-time buyers default to ULA's bigger volume instead.
Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 vs Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50: common questions
Is the Mariposa 60 worth $40 more than the Gorilla 50?▾
It is if you need the room or the pockets. It adds 10 L, a 35 lb rating against 30, a horizontal BV500 fit and a seven-pocket layout. If your kit already fits 50 L comfortably, the Gorilla rewards a dialed setup.
Which of the two handles a bear canister better?▾
The Mariposa. A BV500 fits horizontally at the top of the bag. In the Gorilla a BV450 fits cleanly and a BV500 goes in vertically only with careful packing, and long food carries get cramped.
Is the Mariposa's asymmetric pocket layout hard to live with?▾
Balancing weight across the uneven layout takes practice, and symmetry-lovers find it maddening. The payoff is a tall side pocket that holds a whole tent. The Gorilla's symmetric pockets avoid the issue entirely.