View Full Version : Gossamer Gear Mariposa vs. Z Packs Arc Blast
JumpMaster Blaster
11-12-2015, 19:32
Trying to decide between the two in an attempt to get a sub 2 pounds summer pack.
If I get the Arc Blast, I WILL get the optional hip belt pockets and possibly 2 of the upper side pockets along with the extra roll top closure, for a total weight of 25.1 oz.
If I go with the Mariposa, my size will be right at 28 oz.
Oh- I'm looking at the 52 L Arc Blast by the way.
hate to throw wrench in works but have you considered the gg gorilla? I went with it instead of mariposa and am happy. Have done 150 miles in three trips with it so far. Big enough for what I carry. Very light and comfortable. ....just a thought...
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jimmyjam
11-12-2015, 20:34
Or maybe the MLD Exodus or Prophet.
QHShowoman
11-12-2015, 21:05
Trying to decide between the two in an attempt to get a sub 2 pounds summer pack.
If I get the Arc Blast, I WILL get the optional hip belt pockets and possibly 2 of the upper side pockets along with the extra roll top closure, for a total weight of 25.1 oz.
If I go with the Mariposa, my size will be right at 28 oz.
Oh- I'm looking at the 52 L Arc Blast by the way.
Since you're looking for a summer pack, I will throw this in there:
The Mariposa rests right on your back. My back gets VERY sweaty under it, even in cooler temps.
The Arc Blast has more of a trampoline "air flow" design, which allows for better ventilation between the pack and your back.
I really like my Mariposa. The only issue I have with it is the top zippered pocket. If you put anything of weight in it, it makes getting into the main body of the pack. The weight pulls down the extension collar and you have to hold it out of the way with one hand and dig with the other.
Other than that it was a great pack for my CDT thru-hike this summer.
MuddyWaters
11-12-2015, 23:05
Is the mariposa water resistant?
Is it made in usa?
Is the vendor willing to customize? Or even capable of it?
Try rhem both and see which you prefer.
Kerosene
11-12-2015, 23:17
I bought the 52L Arc Blast for my 250-mile section hike last September, but had to go back to my 65L GG Nimbus Ozone as I didn't have enough capacity for the food bag to take me through the 100-Mile Wilderness along with late Fall clothing. Of course, the weather was nice enough by the time I got up there combined with a food cache at Jo Mary Road that I could've made it work, but I wasn't positive.
I'm hoping to use the Arc Blast on my JMT thru-hike next September, but I'm not convinced that it will accept a bear canister, so let me know if you want to take it off my hands!
MuddyWaters
11-12-2015, 23:37
I bought the 52L Arc Blast for my 250-mile section hike last September, but had to go back to my 65L GG Nimbus Ozone as I didn't have enough capacity for the food bag to take me through the 100-Mile Wilderness along with late Fall clothing. Of course, the weather was nice enough by the time I got up there combined with a food cache at Jo Mary Road that I could've made it work, but I wasn't positive.
I'm hoping to use the Arc Blast on my JMT thru-hike next September, but I'm not convinced that it will accept a bear canister, so let me know if you want to take it off my hands!
It will take bear can vertically fine
How much room you have left, and how much the can damages the pack are other topics. Lets just say cuben isnt abrasion resistant and hard items in pack can rub with every step as pack flexes.
Is the mariposa water resistant?
Is it made in usa?
Is the vendor willing to customize? Or even capable of it?
Try rhem both and see which you prefer.
The mariposa is water resistant but in a heavy rain it will soak through.
I believe they are made here in the US.
Not sure about the customizing.
Hangfire
11-13-2015, 02:35
I used a 52l arc blast for my thru hike in 2014. I over packed that thing regularly (left Uncle Johnny's at 42#) and my answer to more room was a 20l granite gear water proof bag stuffed into the webbing(nylon cord webbing option) on the back of the pack. I liked to keep my extra food back there as well as my rain shell so that I could get to it quickly if need be. Looking back I don't think it was the ideal set up, but I made it work and I never really worried too much about it once I got used to it. It's hard to beat a ultra light water proof backpack, just don't plan on bringing a lot of extra stuff with you.
MuddyWaters
11-13-2015, 07:40
The mariposa is water resistant but in a heavy rain it will soak through.
I believe they are made here in the US.
Not sure about the customizing.
They are made in china i believe, previous versions were made in mexico.
There is no customization.
saltysack
11-13-2015, 08:02
It will take bear can vertically fine
How much room you have left, and how much the can damages the pack are other topics. Lets just say cuben isnt abrasion resistant and hard items in pack can rub with every step as pack flexes.
I can't imagine a small cuben pack doing well with any rigid bear can. I had my weekender horizontal near the top of my circuit, it road perfectly on the carbon frame loop and wore the carbon down a little. I was concerned that it would wear into the pack itself but turned out to be a non issue. If the blast wears like their food bag I'd pass on using with a can.
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MuddyWaters
11-13-2015, 09:10
I can't imagine a small cuben pack doing well with any rigid bear can. I had my weekender horizontal near the top of my circuit, it road perfectly on the carbon frame loop and wore the carbon down a little. I was concerned that it would wear into the pack itself but turned out to be a non issue. If the blast wears like their food bag I'd pass on using with a can.
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If you wrap it in something its OK. Im too lazy for that. hassle.
I expected some damage, and got it. Im OK with it, I dont expect gear to last forever. I like buying new stuff occassionally.
It was simple to fix with some patches of 1.43 oz self adhesive cuben that Joe sells.
Pre-emptively laminating the contact areas would be intelligent .
JumpMaster Blaster
11-13-2015, 09:13
hate to throw wrench in works but have you considered the gg gorilla? I went with it instead of mariposa and am happy. Have done 150 miles in three trips with it so far. Big enough for what I carry. Very light and comfortable. ....just a thought...
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Actually, yes, I have considered the Gorilla, but I'm not comfortable having a pack without load lifters. I don't know why GG didn't go with them.
QHShowoman
11-13-2015, 09:28
Actually, yes, I have considered the Gorilla, but I'm not comfortable having a pack without load lifters. I don't know why GG didn't go with them.
Other than the sweaty back issue, the other things I don't like about the Mariposa are:
The "load lifters" on the Mariposa are pretty much useless as they don't actually attach to the frame.
I don't like the top zip pocket. The zipper opens backwards (from bottom to top), so that if you're trying to get into it when the lid is closed or if you ask someone to get something out of it while you're wearing it, your stuff will fall out.
It doesn't carry well when it's not full and the pack is HUGE. I am constantly amazed at how much stuff I can get in it and have used this for travel in addition to backpacking. I pack my Duplex inside the pack to help fill it up and there's still plenty of room. BUT, if you want to dump your stuff and slackpack, even if you've added shock cord to it, it doesn't compress well and doesn't ride correctly.
saltysack
11-13-2015, 09:37
They are made in china i believe, previous versions were made in mexico.
There is no customization.
That's sad....i assumed all cottage gear was made here locally.....other than zpacks, ula are any others US made? As I type this I'm driving my Toyota Tacoma down a road made by a foreign company...... Uggggg...
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I spoke to a few hikers using the Mariposa on the PCT this spring. My impression is that it doesn't carry the load nearly as well as the Circuit. I tried on a Mariposa loaded with about the same weight I had in my Circuit and found it pretty uncomfortable.
Actually, yes, I have considered the Gorilla, but I'm not comfortable having a pack without load lifters. I don't know why GG didn't go with them.
Yeah, if I were carrying a heavier load I'd probably want lifters too. I'm a big guy (6'4" 225) and my current 3 season kit comes in around 12 lbs. I hope you find a pack you love!
Dochartaigh
11-13-2015, 10:52
I can only comment on the GG Gorilla and the ZPacks Arc Blast.
The GG Gorilla, in large, came in 31.3 ounces instead of the listed 28 ounces (most likely meaning the larger Mariposa you're looking at will probably be 4+ ounces more than the listed weight). The pack felt exactly like my frameless GoLite Jam with only a CCF pad in the back acting as a "frame". The GG may have a U-shaped piece of metal wire as a frame (which probably does help distribute load), but I hated how it felt. No matter how I packed the bag the back panel always bowed out in the middle like a cylinder (since there's no frame in the middle at all) which in no way was comfortable for me. The Mariposa
Arc Blast was a dream. External frame with mesh lets you pack the bag however you want and you have a nice flat yet flexible surface floating on your back with great airflow. I had mine customized (longer pdded hip belt, lumbar pad, shoulder straps moved an inch apart and longer padding - I'm a big guy –, a couple add-on pouches, whatever you want really). With my 9-10 pound base weight and a couple days worth of food and water and I couldn't be happier.
I can only comment on the GG Gorilla and the ZPacks Arc Blast.
The GG Gorilla, in large, came in 31.3 ounces instead of the listed 28 ounces (most likely meaning the larger Mariposa you're looking at will probably be 4+ ounces more than the listed weight). The pack felt exactly like my frameless GoLite Jam with only a CCF pad in the back acting as a "frame". The GG may have a U-shaped piece of metal wire as a frame (which probably does help distribute load), but I hated how it felt. No matter how I packed the bag the back panel always bowed out in the middle like a cylinder (since there's no frame in the middle at all) which in no way was comfortable for me. The Mariposa
Arc Blast was a dream. External frame with mesh lets you pack the bag however you want and you have a nice flat yet flexible surface floating on your back with great airflow. I had mine customized (longer pdded hip belt, lumbar pad, shoulder straps moved an inch apart and longer padding - I'm a big guy –, a couple add-on pouches, whatever you want really). With my 9-10 pound base weight and a couple days worth of food and water and I couldn't be happier.
Arc Blast looks awesome and I want one. Will you sell me yours? ;-) I got lucky; the GG Gorilla sits perfectly in the small of my back on top of my hips. Rides in there really nicely. I use the large back and medium belt. The bulgy ccf pad doesn't bother me. I sometimes kneel on it to flatten it out before I put it on but if I don't overload the pack it's not a problem. That's why I got the Gorilla -- it's small and it makes me pack light and smart.
Rex Clifton
11-13-2015, 13:15
I would include the ULA Circuit to your list. I bought both the Circuit and Mariposa, to see which one I liked, and I returned the Mariposa. The competition wasn't even close.
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"The "load lifters" on the Mariposa are pretty much useless as they don't actually attach to the frame." -QHShowman
This is true. Unlike my ULA Catalyst the load lifters didn't really do much on the Mariposa. As a result it didn't carry weight at it's maximum capacity as well. If you stayed closer to 25 lbs. it was fine.
saltysack
11-13-2015, 13:35
I would include the ULA Circuit to your list. I bought both the Circuit and Mariposa, to see which one I liked, and I returned the Mariposa. The competition wasn't even close.
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Over 2lbs....I love my heavy circuit!!![emoji123]
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JimmyTheSaint
11-14-2015, 01:50
I use a previous gen Mariposa (the dyneema model) and I really like it. In a medium size with medium hip belt it weighs right at 27oz. When carrying light loads, or when using it on a dayhike, I'll go without the frame and hipbelt, knocking the weight of the pack down to 18oz. The back sweat issue someone mentioned earlier is true, my back does sweat quite a bit with it. The removable foam back pad is something I use very often as a sit pad, rolled up inside a zpacks pillow sack, and in very cold temps I'll use my stove on it to insulate it from the ground. I personally like the zippered pouch on top, but it is a pain if you put anything heavy in it. I usually just put stuff like my headlamp, 1st aid / hygiene sack, and stake sack in it. The pack does have a lot of room in it, the 60L is just to the extension collar, I think it's something like 70L total. I can get a Zpacks triplex, a 6'6" 30* down bag, a 5'6" 0* down bag, a L Xlite, a L Xtherm, cookset, etc all in it if I want and still have room to spare. I considered getting the Gorilla, but at the time it was only a couple ounces lighter and I wanted the extra space so I wouldn't have any concerns about carrying gear for my son, but I'll probably be getting a smaller pack soon, and plan on staying with GG. I have their Type II daypack and really like it as well, but I can't quite fit all of my gear in there so I've been trying to decide between the Murmur or the Kumo
cycle003
11-15-2015, 00:45
I have a large Mariposa with XL hip belt, and it weighs 31.9 oz. I like how it carries, and it seems to transfer weight to the hips well. I really like the huge exterior pockets for wet gear, etc.
Other manufactures have similar huge outside pockets, but I particularly like that about my Gorilla. It is my shelter storage--I don't bother with a stuff sack. Makes for very fast packing in the morning and can air out while I'm moving.
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Heliotrope
11-15-2015, 21:30
Loving the gorilla! Very easy to organize needed items in outside pockets Keeps the load close to the back for better stability. Frame transfers weight to hips very well. The best pack I have owned!
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MuddyWaters
11-16-2015, 21:56
Arc Blast was a dream. External frame with mesh lets you pack the bag however you want and you have a nice flat yet flexible surface floating on your back with great airflow
The two reasons i got arc blast:
1. Water repellency
2. No need for ccf against back in pack. I keep piece of cccf on top to sit on and use under lower leg with torso inflateable.
The reason i keep using my arc blast:
1. Perfect custom torso length
2. Carrries 20-22 like a dream. Load lifters not needed, pack rides vertically and doesnt lean away.
3. Just works for me.
poolskaterx
11-17-2015, 23:29
I can say that I really love my 52l Arc Zip, I have carried up to 30lbs and is just wonderful. I am in bear country so I regularly use a BV450 and squish one of my down socks that I use sleeping behind it so it does not wear on the cuben/carbon center stay... so far so good. More room than I know what to do with and that is coming from my Osprey aptmos 65( a great pack too, just heavy compared to the zpack) Customer service is via email with zpacks and is awesome, the crew there are very accomodating and have been very helpful hooking me up with a couple sitckers :) and getting my carbon tent pegs out to me quick for a last minute trip.
There's an Arc Blast (large w/medium belt) on Ebay right now for $265. It's EXACTLY my size! Arghh! Can't do it. I just got my Gorilla this year so I'll have to "suffer through" with it a little longer. Hiker trash problems. Oh my.