Blog

I have been fortunate enough to hike almost 300 miles with this pack, I first took it out on The Great Outdoor challenge, a coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland, and also the Cleveland way, so it’s fair to say we are well acquainted. It’s American in design, rather than the more classic European style, so at first, it appears bulky as it has no compression straps, though you won’t notice this once the bag is on. Its main compartment is vast, easily swallowing the majority of your gear, but it also has 7 external pockets, so gear can be organized to suit your style of hiking, and is always close at hand.

Firstly, this pack excels at transferring its load, large shoulder straps, and a well-padded hip belt spread the weight of the pack efficiently over the whole of the upper body. I have used many expensive bags from market leaders and have suffered from chaffing and bruising, especially on my hips numerous times. I didn’t have this problem with the Mariposa, in fact, once it’s on you seldom need to stop and adjust the bag. Your back is cushioned by a large foam sheet, which is remarkably breathable, and also doubles as a removable sit pad (A pad that provides additional airflow, the  Sitlight Camp Seat can quickly be removed and is simple to store again, once you are moving.

My favourite feature of the pack, is the elongated side pocket on the left-hand side, which I have always used for my shelter, it is brilliant to be able to access the tent quickly, especially in the event of a storm, but also if you are putting your tent away wet, it won’t dampen the rest of your gear. The tent, therefore, isn’t taking up space in the main compartment of your pack. I was able to fit an entire 2-man tent, the  Hilleberg Anaris, in the pocket easily. The right-hand side pockets are “double deckerd”, one large pocket sits above the other, the lower can easily be reached whilst wearing the pack, and this is a natural place to store your water, I could fit two 1.5 litre bottles in one pouch with room to spare. The pocket above this I used for things I need close by, but not necessarily to hand;  Versa Flow water filter, loo roll, The Deuce of spades.

The mesh pocket is VAST, it swallows gear, perfect for drying clothes or as I did, storing my wet weather gear, it was Scotland after all, also my rain cover, which this bag does not come with, so you need to provide one yourself, I took the  Osprey Ultralight Waterproof Raincover which fitted the bag well. Both hip belt pockets are of a good size, not the largest I’ve seen on a pack, but certainly generous enough for; phone, snacks, sun cream etc. The final external pocket is located on the lid, which, to be honest, has very little room for storage, especially if the pack is full. It’s the perfect size for a first aid kit or documents that you would need close at hand if you were abroad, but it’s not as generous as other storage lids in the 60L range. 

All these pockets leave the main compartment of your bag free for a sleeping bag, clothes, food, cookware, and water bladder if you choose to use one (drinking tube keeper loops, are located on both shoulder straps if you are a bladder user). As you can see this bag almost naturally organizes itself, a place for everything, and everything in its place so that even the most shambolic of hikers (as I am) have a good level of organization thrust upon them

I’ve found very little to complain about with this pack, but the “trekking pole hardware”, 2 plastic clips that seat your poles, are not fit for purpose. Unless you attach an additional cord or bungee, they become unseated very easily and become far more hassle than they are worth, unless properly secured. Even if they worked as intended, they are unusable if you have a lot in your rear mesh pocket, as it protrudes further out than the clips. I ended up storing my poles in the large side pocket along with my tent when not in use, and this worked just as well.

For a 60L pack that weighs under 1k, it’s incredibly robust, made from 100 and 200 denier Robic nylon, I have put this pack through a lot, and it shows no sign of wear or tear, the mesh pocket has lost a little of its original elasticity, but if anything, I find it easier to access my gear.

This is now my go-to pack for weekend trips and long-distance trails. I haven’t used every pack on the market, so I can’t say it’s the best pack available, but I can say, it’s the best pack I’ve had the pleasure of using and I look forward to our next outing

A smaller 50L pack, the  Gorilla 50 is available, and an even smaller, 36L pack, the Kumo 36 is also available for the hard-core minimalists. 

Andy Neil
Andy has been a keen long-distance hiker and wild camping enthusiast since he completed the Cleveland Way in 2015. Since then, he has walked thousands of trail miles all over the UK and is an active member of the Wild Camping UK community, being an admin of the largest wild camping community on Facebook. He strongly advocates for responsible wild camping and believes it is important to leave no trace when camping in the wilderness. He joined the UOG team in 2021 and works as a website developer and content creator. Read more from Andy Neil