Re: My back is shot from too large a pack. I want to go lite,

--- In [email protected], Dennis Phelan <dennis.phelan@...> wrote:
>  If
> you can keep you total pack weight to 30 lbs; look at the Gossamer Gear
> Mairposa pack with the double pocket hip belt.. 

I have the Mariposa (old style, without the aluminum stays, though I made some of my own out of old sections of aluminum tent pole) and like it. It's just the right size to carry my usual gear. It is by no means the lightest possible pack, but for me it's a nice compromise -- mine comes out around 23 ounces including my home-made aluminum stays and the Z-rest backplate, which also serves when deployed to insulate my lower body from the ground while my upper body is cushioned by a shortie air pad (or if I need more insulation between me and the ground I can put it under my air pad and have my feet sit on my pack with a little gear in it as less than satisfactory insulation, less comfortable that way but doable). I find the Mariposa to be a bit large for summer camping where a minimalist quilt is all you need to stay warm, and a bit small for winter camping where you need a righteous sleeping bag that simply is too big to fit in the Mariposa and still leave room for your gear, but it's easy enough to have other bags for those conditions if it's a problem.