Dear Gossamer Gear,

Late in 2010 I took my GG trekking poles to New Zealand, and someone at GG asked if I could send any photos of my GG trekking poles in action in New Zealand. In response to that request, please find the attached photos. They were taken in late September of 2011 on my 3 night/4 days hike (“tramp” as we call hiking here in NZ) of the Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway. The tramp takes you right around a good chunk of the top of the north island of New Zealand.

The poles continue to work flawlessly, and my Kiwi tramping partners are amazed at how light they are.

Thanks for making a fantastic product at a reasonable price, and know that your products will continue to be used down here in NZ.

If the rich could hire other people to die for them, the poor could make a wonderful living. – Yiddish proverb

Sarah, Shelley and Trinity are las Tres Chicas (Locas).  They are currently on their adventure of a lifetime.  Thier goal is to walk, as much as possible, the entire length of South America.  They have been keeping a very active blog of their travels at eathikesleephike.blogspot.com.  What a great story!!

Their mission is “We will hike, as much as our guiding principles allow, from Ushuaia to the Columbian border over the course of a year.”

Their guiding principles are Safety and Health, Fun, Unity, Growth, Opportunity, Flexibility, Tranquility, Optimism, and The Other.

Hi!

I just wanted to send in a picture where I’m using the Mariposa Plus in the northern Swedish mountains in ‘Sarek’ above the arctic circle, summer this year.  We had perfect weather most of the time, as you can see, and we’re keen UL hikers, even if we’re way above treeline while hiking most of the trek.  I tried hiking in mesh shoes, which worked surprisingly well with a pair of gore-tex socks instead of the heavy boots.  We even tried my home-made tarp a couple of nights, Ray-Way style, but the mosquitos tried to get to us a few times.

Cheers from northern Sweden!

/Magnus

Hello Glen,

Attached is a photo of me at the end of an 87 mile hike at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I am sporting my G4 which served me very well – providing the capacity and comfort  to handle the bulk of Philmont’s food at our resupplies, and scale down nice and light when we worked the food down. The pot hanging off the back is actually a Philmont issued one that someone left behind at a campsite (probably couldn’t bear to carry it any further) and I felt light enough to do a good deed for the day.

We did a good job keeping our scouts (and adults) base weights down in the teens and the advantages of this were really on display as we repeatedly passed troops sitting and sweating on the trail side our boys flying by not even breathing hard. It really made a huge difference – we saw boys and their leaders lugging around unwieldy packs and looking miserable and exhausted at the end of the day – our group was quite the opposite we would get into camp with plenty of energy to enjoy the programs offered at the different camps.

It was a memorable experience and the G4 and the Ultralight philosophy were keys to our success and enjoyment.

Jeff McHenry

Attached is a picture of me in Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness as I finish my 2010 thru hike of the Appalachian Trail with my Lightrek 3C trekking poles.  These poles were one of my most vital pieces of equipment and kept me from serious injuries many, many times.  I got laughed at a lot early in my hike because the Lightreks seemed so flimsy but no one was laughing after my poles held up through 2000+ miles and the rugged White Mountains while other poles bent or broke.  These are the best trekking poles I have ever owned and I’ll be taking them on the Pacific Crest Trail next year.

Dave Greenwood

Hey Guys!  Just got back from a 3 nighter in Grand Canyon.  We had just started heading down the South Kaibab trail (Sept 4) on our way to Bright Angel where we stayed for 2 nights before heading to Indian Gardens a little ways up the Bright Angel trail.  It was beautiful weather for Sept in the Canyon, and the trip was amazing!

I got my Gorilla from y’all about a year and a half ago, and it’s still going strong as you can see here.  I had spinal surgery a few years back, so going light is about the only way I can still get out in the back country.  Thanks for making some awesome products to help keep me on the trail!

Best,
Chris Koehler

Hello Gossamer Gear-

Happy Thanksgiving.  I wanted to send a shout out for the awesome Mariposa Plus pack!

This past summer I went on a long walk which started at the Lost Coast in Northern California and ended at Mt. Whitney.  Overall the adventure consumed 52 days and about 1000 miles, give or take, with nearly 1/2 million feet of vertical gain and loss…at least according to the TOPO software.  My girlfriend and hiking partner, Sage Clegg, designed the route.  She even took it a bit further and continued walking from Whitney all the way to the Badwater Basin in Death Valley when I bailed to go to work!  We called it the Japhy Ryder Route in honor of Gary Snyder’s character from the Dharma Bums.  It still has some work and re-routes in order to make it a more doable route for other folks, but that’s the goal for the future .

ps-  I’ve attached several photos of Mariposa in action.  Enjoy and use them as you like!

My wife, Kitty, and I walked the Camino in 2006 using G5s, which worked out great. Very few “peregrinos” were using light weight gear, many struggling with large packs and blister-producing boots. I highly recommend walking (it’s not a hike) the Camino.

Good recommendation in the GG Buzz of the movie The Way , which captured much of the experience (if only a few of the many sunny days we enjoyed) on our Camino in the early spring.

Buen Camino

Tom Bohr

Cindy (and camera man Mike) at SoulSurviorX2 did this awesome video review of our G4.  Check it out along with some other great videos.  Also if you would ‘like’ to, visit their Facebook fan page…

Description:  Review of the Gossamer Gear G4 Ultralight Backpack. Durable, lightweight value priced. Took this hiking on the Appalachian Trail for 3 days in freezing temps and snow on Blood Mountain and it performed flawlessly. Very good ultralight backpack. Just our 2 cents…

We all live for, look for, and experience water while we are on the trail.  Steve Burgess put together this cool short video that puts some more meaning into this most important substance.  Make sure to enlarge to full screen to enjoy this in all its High Def glory!