Gossamer Gear Type 2 Utility Backpack

MSRP $99.00

Weight Medium Size 15.65oz

Allgood’s Recommendation-If you are looking for a solid day/small overnight pack this one is sure to fit the bill.  The new Robic fabric is water resistant and tough as nails.  The pack carries well and with features such as an ice axe loop, hip belt pockets, and top lid-this pack is a great go to when hitting the trail for a day's adventure.

 

Background:

TheType 2 is Gossamer Gear’s(GG) newest day pack.  I was provided one before they hit the online store to test out and review.  I have been busy this past month traveling to Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, attending hiker weddings and trying to put some fresh salmon in the freezer before winter sets in-so this past weekend I had my first chance to really use this pack, so we loaded up and headed to Goat Rocks Wilderness in WA to Climb Old Snowy Mountain.

 

The pack is designed for day trips, or a quick overnight-the volume of it was impressive and I think given the right weather I could easily use this pack for weekend overnights.  With all the space I wanted to see how well it would carry a decent sized load, so I decided to carry all of Karluk’s gear, my gear and 4 liters of water. 

 

The Pack:

 

The pack is made from a new fabric called Robic, it’s a Codura fabric and seems tough as nails.  The material has a slick feel to it, sheds water great and is comfortable against the body.  The pack has all the features one would expect in a high quality day pack they include:

 

• A large interior pocket for holding a hydration bladder, my 3 liter platypus fit perfect

• Two integrated hydration hose ports so you can run your hose right by the shoulder straps

• Top lid with a pocket-was big enough to hold my compass, headlamp, small booklet, car keys, etc…

• Draw cord top closure-this makes getting in and out the pack a breeze

• Front stash pocket with zipper, this made a great spot to hold my map and guide book pages

• Two large mesh side pockets-the mesh is stretchy and tough, even my deuce of spade trowel could not tear the fabric.  The pockets worked great for holding Kalruk’s water bottle and other essentials I needed throughout the day.

• Should Straps-are made form a breathable foam that helped keep me cool and also provided a very comfortable form fitting feel.

• Sternum Strap and Rib Strap-I am sure these work great if you are inclined to use them-I personally haven’t used a sternum strap since 1996

• Daisy Chain on the front and Ice Axe Loop-both of these features will come in handy during winter treks when I need to carry my ice axe or strap my crampons to the outside of the pack

• Hip Belt with Pockets-the hip belt did great to transfer the load-also the pockets are made from the same mesh as the side pockets and were perfect for holding sunblock, snacks and my camera

 

Field Report:

 

The pack was loaded up full with food and gear for man and dog.  We set out on what was to only be 15 miles, but a few additions brought our trip closer to 18 miles.  I used my platypus and ran the hose through the hydration port which worked great. I never had any kinks and the large port was great and easy to pass the screw cap hose connection through. 

All day I wore the pack its shape fit perfect against my body; the shoulder straps and hip belt hugged me and kept the pack secure.  I am a sweaty guy and even though my back sweat was pouring onto the pack all day the moisture never entered the pack itself.  I would give this fabric and very high rating of water resistance.  Throughout the day the hip pockets made for easy access to my lip balm, sunblock and other sundries I needed while hiking.  The weather went in and out of the clouds and wind, so I constantly had to take off my wind shirt, the side pocket was great for stashing the top without having to open the pack up.

 

I am generally pretty rough on gear, I tend to flop my pack down in rocks and sand etc….even after doing this throughout the day the fabric looked great and held up well.  The side pockets never got a hole despite me shoving a sharp trowel in them.  The position of the pockets is great too, even my little T-rex arms could easily reach around to access things in there with the pack on-a first on many levels.

The carry of the pack was great-most of the day I never even noticed the pack on my back.  The only issue I had was during a hand over hand scramble- the pack lacks any kind of bungee system for storing my poles, and I would have preferred to of stashed them during this part of the climb.  My other GG packs all have this in one fashion or the other.  There are 4 loops though on either side of the pack for this purpose and going forward I will be adding this on.

 

Conclusion:

 

Overall I am very impressed with this pack-GG’s new packs have the fit and finish one would expect from a pack maker.  The new fabrics are durable, well thought out and a huge improvement from previous generations.  One major thing I noticed was how much the stitching has improved in their packs, the stitching is now bombproof and I have no concerns of it working loose.  I am very impressed with this new pack and look forward to many day trips with it in the future.