BRAND AMBASSADORS

“The One! I love The One tent shelter. It's great, and it is key to have a good shelter. I also hike with the G4-20 Ultralight 42 Backpack.”

“It’s the reason I’ve never stopped hiking: because of the lightweight gear. I can’t carry 50- to 60-pound packs, but I can carry a 12-pound pack. I suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder and want to make sure I can continue to hike well into my eighties and nineties.”

• Los Padres Forest Association

• Instagram: @beemancron

• Why We Never Stop Hiking: Tales from Our Trail Blazers

• Read about Rik: here

“It's hard to pick! But if I had to choose just one, I'd say the Gorilla 50. Durable, able to handle a variety of load sizes, and comfortable.”

“In an age of consumerism, those who live without by choice are rare. I never really had a lot, by modern sense. My family never had enough money to buy superfluous things or keep up with trends in fashion and thingamabobs. I learned frugality from day one. However, it wasn't until I began long-distance hiking that I understood and took to heart that having less could also be a choice, rather than a financial necessity. As a young woman, I was impacted by the lightness of the trail experience. I purged many of my belongings after my first hike. And again and again. The more I hiked, the less I wanted. The less I needed. I realized that accumulation of material goods held me pinned to a life that was less—a life spent in an effort to afford the things and a place to hold them. The more closely my possessions matched the contents of my backpack, the happier I became. I found a richer, more fulfilling life by having less.”

• ALDHA

• Instagram: @_wordsfromthewild_
• Facebook: facebook.com/AnishHikes 
• YouTube: @WordsFromTheWild
• Website: wordsfromthewild.net

• Celebrating Trails With a Calendar Year Triple Crown
• Reflections From the First Woman to Complete the Calendar Year Triple Crown
• Heather Anderson Talks Mental Health and the Trail
• New Book “Adventure Ready” Is Your Dream Adventure Buddy
• New Film Chronicles Heather “Anish” Anderson’s FKT Thru-Hiking Journey
• Heather “Anish” Anderson Talks About Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail

“The Kumo backpack for summer and the Silverback pack for winter. The latter is a beast when it comes to carrying a bit more weight comfortably.”

“Going lighter allows me to go farther longer without putting a lot of stress on my body. Being lighter on my feet also helps when navigating tricky terrain and it's easier to keep my balance when rock hopping. And sometimes having a low base weight allows me to help carry other people’s gear and make their journey easier. This comes in handy when I’m guiding in the White Mountains or hiking with my mom.”

• Ice Age Trail Alliance

• Instagram: @arlette_laan
• YouTube: @arlettelaan4567
• Website: arlettelaan.com

• Arlette Laan Sets Women’s Fastest Known Time for White Mountain Direttissima
• Top 5 Moments I Totally Lost It On the Trail
• Life Changing Experience of Thru-Hiking: Brand Ambassador Arlette Laan
• Brand Ambassador Gear List - Arlette "Apple Pie" Laan

“I see a product as a collection of functions. Gossamer Gear mesh (you know what I’m talking about) serves a critical function for a range of Gossamer Gear products. I’ve found the mesh unparalleled in its execution, performance, and utility. I particularly love how the mesh is applied to the back of the Murmur (my 80% use case pack) and the Kumo shoulder mesh pocket. The best products are ones that I forget about, inherently because they serve their purpose so well I am immersed in the experience they enable. Gossamer Gear’s mesh enables that.”

“The state of my being when I am in and with nature and learning from people who have something to say and nothing to prove. It is an integral part of the mindset of essentialism, which guides my decisions as an explorer in the wilderness, in business, and in life. It is my daily mantra to always choose to do the right thing. ‘Take less’ isn’t just about being ultralight, it is also about minimizing resource consumption and my ecological footprint. ‘Do more’ starts with us being our badass selves out there, and extends to doing more good for the trails, our communities, and the environment. By taking only the essentials, I get to focus on belonging, rather than my belongings. The same mindset applies to business and life. By letting go of the unnecessary, I become freer from distractions and more able to focus on what really matters. It gives me the requisite clarity to recognize the abundance around and within, and that we are never limited by the lack of resources, only our resourcefulness.”

• Off Trail On Track: “My own nonprofit backpacking academy, along with many others.”

• Instagram: @duncan_offtrail_ontrack
• Facebook: facebook.com/offtrailontrack
• Nonprofit Backpacking Academy: offtrailontrack.com
• True Nature Leadership and Personal Coaching: truenature.io

• Off Trail On Track: Duncan Cheung Shares What It Means to Hike With a Cause

"My Vaporwave Mariposa, love all the storage compartments and the purple color! I carry a lot of water in the desert and the Mariposa handles it well."

• Grand Canyon Conservancy

• Grand Canyon Trust

• Glen Canyon Natural History Association

• Climbing in Color

• Instagram: @desertsirena

• Website: sirenarana.com

• Tips and Techniques for a Successful Dry Camping Trip
• Where Do Trails Come From? - Part 1: Trail Development and Design
• Where Do Trails Come From? - Part 2: Trail Building and Maintenance
• Sirena Rana Talks Best Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail
• Women and Diversity at Summer Outdoor Retailer
• A Personal Connection to the Diversify Outdoors Coalition's Mission
• Beauty, Adventure, & the Right Gear on an Off-Trail Grand Canyon Route

“I am loving the Gorilla 50 backpack. It really forces me to ‘think light’ when packing for a trip, and I am constantly amazed how lightweight and comfortable it is.”

“Over time, I have learned the freedom simplicity affords, especially in the outdoors. I have always loved the idea that everything ‘I need’ is on my back. Packing good lightweight gear that fits, works, and is comfortable makes getting outside on a regular basis a pleasure. I plan on being out there hiking for a long time in the future and great lightweight gear is my insurance policy.”

• Pacific Crest Trail Association

• Instagram: @christyrosander
• Facebook: facebook.com/LadyOnARock 
• YouTube: @christyrosander
• Website: ladyonarock.com

“I like the Gorilla backpack for the compact shape and the comfort.”

“For me, it means two important things: 1.) For 23 years of my life, I lived surrounded by a materialistic society where the most important thing is to have money and a good job to excel, but since I met the thru-hike, I saw my life change and I learned that living with the essentials makes you happier; 2.) ‘Take less, do more’ means for me to do things with the essentials, to learn to solve challenges in the mountains with what you have. It is doing more with less equipment, generating confidence in ourselves and growing our survival skills.”

• My project in Baja https://bajasierratrail.org/
• Leave no trace https://lnt.org/
• Organization that provides drinking water https://oneattatime.org/about-us/
• CDT https://continentaldividetrail.org/
• Foundation for Education in Mexico https://fundacionlorenaochoa.org/
• https://www.trailmixedcollective.com/
• https://everybodyontrails.org/

• Instagram: @zelzin_aketzalli
• Facebook: facebook.com/unquetzalennorteamerica
• YouTube: @zelzin.aketzalli
• Website: zelzinaketzalli.com

• Welcoming Zelzin Aketzalli to the Gossamer Gear Family

• “My favorite piece of Gossamer Gear is the hiking umbrella. I find this to be so useful on a long thru-hike, and use it as much for the sun as for rain and storms. I have napped underneath it during very hot weather conditions in the desert and huddled underneath it during severe rain downpours. I have hiked for miles holding it or tucking it underneath my chest strap on my pack. It gives me a sense of security to have it along as it becomes a quick shelter when it is needed, making what could be challenging weather comfortable and safe. I like that it’s lightweight, easy to tuck away, and a piece of gear that can serve more than one purpose.”

• “This phrase and philosophy means to me that as we trek through our personal journeys in this life, we can put energy into taking less from the environment and other's energy, while putting a focus on giving back to that which moves us.”

• “I support the long distance trail organizations, locally for me this means the Pacific Northwest Trail Association and the Pacific Crest Trail. I think accessing natural places is important and I want to be a volunteer that helps keep this possible.”

• Instagram: @OBALunbranded
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathy.vaughan.7

• UP North Loop: Brand Ambassadors Complete Over 2,600 Miles on New Trail
• Mother and Daughter Forever Connected Through the Trail
• Women’s Whispers: Potty Talk and Other Trail Tips
• Following the Change of Seasons in Life and the Outdoors
• Sharpie Permanent Markers: An Unexpected Backpacking Essential
• Hike the Drakensberg Grand Traverse Through South Africa and Lesotho

• Steven: “The Fast Kumo 36 Fastpack”

• Grace: “I love the LT5 Three Piece Carbon trekking poles. They are so light yet durable, and comfortable to hold with the cork grips. I don't go on any hikes without them anymore!”

• Steven: “To live minimally with the ability to do more in life, and be of better service to others in the wilderness when needed.”

• Grace: “To take less and do more means that I look forward to backpacking. There's a sense of gratification and achievement when you're able to carry all your belongings on your back, and do that with minimal discomfort or suffering. It makes me excited to get out every weekend and feel free to do big days because I know I can go fast and enjoy the experience. Many thanks to Gossamer Gear for making that possible!”

• Steven: Continental Divide Trail Coalition - “They’re doing great work to make the trail a more inclusive place, specifically with their ‘Faces of the Divide’ initiative.”

• Grace: SheJumps - “I really like this organization, as it’s designed to get girls in the outdoors through different classes and camping adventures. They teach girls about survival skills, leave no trace, navigation, first aid, and more through instruction from female mentors to help them spark a lifetime of passion for the outdoors.”

• Instagram: @Shattuck311 & @mrsgraceshattuck

• Website: stevenjshattuck.wordpress.com

• What Camera Should I Take on My Thru-Hike? How to Choose.
• Peak Bagging in the Weminuche Wilderness With the Kumo 36 Superlight Backpack
• Ringing in the New Year at Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bears Ears

"The Silverback 50 is my favorite piece of Gossamer Gear. It's my go-to for backpacking trips. Other than it being light as a feather, it has just the right amount of compartments that are easily accessible, and holds everything I'd need on a quick weekend trip to the mountains. It was my first UL backpack that changed my life completely. I also love the Shoulder Strap pocket. You can literally attach it anywhere. I've even strung it through the laces on my boots before when I didn't want to carry a pack and just needed something to hold my phone and essentials."

"Because a lot of my objectives are long, endurance adventures (whether it's a hike or a run), taking less really does equate to doing more. It means only packing the essentials, and leaving the unnecessary things behind. It allows you to enjoy the experience more, without distractions."

• Instagram: @ChelleTraveled

• Outdoor Content Creator Series: Being a Brand Ambassador

“I am loving the Gorilla 50 backpack. It really forces me to ‘think light’ when packing for a trip, and I am constantly amazed how lightweight and comfortable it is.”

“Scaling down to just the essentials makes literal and mental room do more with less.”

• Greening Youth Foundation: “I love the work they’re doing. Their mission is ‘to engage under-represented youth and young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation,’ and I am passionate about that, as well.”

• Instagram: @outdoorgearandbeer
• Facebook: facebook.com/outdoorgearandbeer
• YouTube: @outdoorgearandbeer9762

• Nick Brooks on Everything You Need to Know About Beer and the Outdoors
• Passing the Torch: A Dad Reflects on Three Generations of Outdoorsmen
• Scoutmaster Nick Brooks Reflects on Troop 1906’s First Backpacking Trip

“My Kumo is the pack I grab the most these days, and I love how it balances a light weight design with robust features. I also use it for search and rescue operations and it holds up great in rugged off-trail terrain that we’re often covering. My Liteflex Umbrella, however, gets my MVP award nearly every single hike. Whether I’m using it for rain or sun protection, it’s my secret weapon for saving my sanity. It also works great for deterring insects from dive-bombing my face!”

“For me, taking less and doing more equates to less stress and more energy in my everyday life. I’m a mom to an active family with three teenagers, and my time in the backcountry allows me to shed that stress and take less of it home with me. As a result, I am able to accomplish more with a happy heart as a mom and wife. Because we all know that if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! Taking less in a literal sense has also empowered me to tackle ambitious hiking goals, such as attempting and accomplishing local FKTs. As the years pass, every ounce in my pack counts when walking on aging joints. Taking enough in my pack to stay safe, but not too much to slow me down, has been a game changer with my endurance. My Kumo is the pack I grab the most these days, and I love how it balances a light weight design with robust features. I also use it for search and rescue operations and it holds up great in rugged off-trail terrain that we’re often covering. My Liteflex Umbrella, however, gets my MVP award nearly every single hike. Whether I’m using it for rain or sun protection, it’s my secret weapon for saving my sanity. It also works great for deterring insects from dive-bombing my face!”

• Friends of the Smokies: “This is a nonprofit that provides funding for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the United States. I have the honor of working with them through hiking-based fundraisers I've created for trail restoration projects and preventative search and rescue programs.”

• Instagram: @nancypeast
• Facebook: facebook.com/nancypeast 
• YouTube: @nancypeast
• Website: nancyeast.com

• A Mother’s Reflections on Sharing the Great Outdoors With Our Kids
• How Search and Rescue Changed My Survival Mindset
• 5 Tips for Writing an Adventure Story of Your Own
• "Chasing the Smokies Moon" Is More Than the Story of Setting an FKT
• Nancy East and Chris Ford Set the Fastest Known Time for the Smokies 900
• Nancy East Prepares for Smokies 900 FKT to Support Preventative Search and Rescue Efforts
• Enjoy Spooky Season With These Smoky Mountain Haunts
• 45 miles. 11,000’ elevation gain. 24 hours. Meet the Tour de LeConte Challenge.

“My Gorilla backpack is my favorite pack! It fits so well, is so cushioned, and can even fit a bear canister. It is my go-to utility pack.”

“For me, it means that I don't have to worry about ‘extra’ items I've brought along—I just get to enjoy nature and where I'm hiking. Taking less also means my pack generally weighs less, so strenuous hikes become more enjoyable.”

• SheJumps

• Outdoor Journal Tour

“I believe the outdoors should be a safe space and empowering for everyone! That's why I really support these organizations that are passionate about getting girls and women of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations outside, and using the outdoors for personal growth and healing.”

• Instagram: @backcountryemily
• Facebook: facebook.com/backcountryemily
• Website: backcountryemily.com

• A Mother-Daughter Duo on the John Muir Trail and Beyond
• 3 West Coast Thru-Hikes Under 100 Miles to Bring Joy After the Storm
• Hiking Into 2021 With the NorCal Six Pack of Peaks Challenge

“My Gossamer Gear Lightrek hiking umbrella is my favorite piece of gear. In sun, rain, or snow, it goes with me and gets a workout, both on trail and in town. My super comfortable Gorilla 50 has been a faithful companion on my section hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon. I have a bit left to finish this year, and my new G4-20 backpack will be big enough for three days and 60 miles.”

“The fewer needless things I carry, the less weight I have to haul around—that just makes me happier! I’m able to comfortably cover more distance with less energy and more agility and grace. This is starting to apply more to the rest of my life, as well, not just on the trail.”

• Pacific Crest Trail Association: “Long trails need our moral and vocal support. They also need our dollars to lobby, pay staff, organize volunteers, and make investments in securing private land to keep the trail intact.”
• American Long Distance Hiking Association–West: “I support ALDHA–West’s mission of promoting connections and interest in long-distance hiking. This group welcomed my sweetie (Jill ‘Bright’ Duncan) and me into the world of long-distance hiking with enthusiasm and a feeling of belonging. We’ve made lifelong friends, and even got married at an ALDHA–West event under an impromptu archway of trekking poles!”  
• U.S. Forest Service in Central Oregon: “Both my wife and I have been volunteer wilderness rangers since 2019. It’s a great way to give back to the wilderness and our community.”

• Facebook: facebook.com/robert.curzon.18 
• Instagram: @storyhikes

“I love my Fast Kumo 36 backpack—the security and weight of a running vest, seemingly bottomless storage, and the pockets! Oh my, the pockets. Best thing to stuff in the mesh: fresh veggies from town.”

“A lighter pack made the outdoors so much more accessible to me. I could make it farther into the backcountry on shorter trips. And mentally, the simplicity of paring down your gear, everything with its purpose and place, aligns with the peace I find being out in the world. Wake up, walk around, complain about the conditions, sleep!”

• Unlikely Hikers, Summits in Solidarity, and Unfilter the Outdoors: “I’m all about getting more folks outside and making it easier and more fun to do so! These are rad intersectional organizations working to make the outdoors more inclusive and equitable.”

• LGBT Outdoors and Venture Out Project: “These are great queer organizations that plan local trips.”

• Website: glacialerraticblog.com
• Instagram: @marmot.princess

• Kumo vs. Fast Kumo: Which Superlight Backpack Is for You?

“Gossamer Gear’s LT5 trekking poles are ELITE and The One shelter has been incredible on the Eastern Continental Trail.”

“Every ounce counts with chronic pelvic pain, so lightening my load was my best bet to have a good time and hike farther. With ADHD, it’s also much easier to have fewer things to keep track of, and it helps me pack up so much faster!”

• Hike the Good Hike: “I love their support of mental health outdoors.”
• EndoArmy: “They work miracles for people with endometriosis.”
• Fabled Farm: “I support their work rescuing animals.”

• Instagram: @trailsparks

• Kumo vs. Fast Kumo: Which Superlight Backpack Is for You?

“I adore my Mariposa 60 backpack. I’m 4 ft 9 in, and it’s so light it doesn’t feel like a bag of bricks on my shoulders. It’s the first backpack I’ve owned that feels like it truly fits my frame.”

“For years, I filled my pack with anything there was a remote chance I might need. I hiked in pain, sometimes even in tears. I couldn’t appreciate the trail and couldn’t wait to get to camp. Packing less means less focus on how I’m feeling and more on my purpose in being out there—and fulfilling that purpose.”

• Texas Master Naturalists: “I am a member of Texas Master Naturalists, whose mission is to create a corps of volunteers to work in conservation and public education. That’s basically the same mission as master naturalist organizations across the country, so any of them is worthy of support.”
• Red Cross: “I am a Red Cross disaster volunteer, and that’s an organization that I personally know provides tangible benefit to people in dire situations.”

• Instagram: @ruth.nasrullah

• Trek Author Page: thetrek.co/author/ruth-nasrullah

• Website: ruthnasrullah.com

• YouTube: @ruthnasrullah

“Hands down, the Mariposa 60 backpack. This pack is a workhorse that has been my faithful companion through Alta Via I, sections of the Appalachian Trail, the Tour Du Mont Blanc, and trails in the Pacific Northwest and western North Carolina. For me, this bag is an essential part of my hiking gear. Its lightweight and practical design makes it the perfect option for all my trail adventures.”

“To me, ‘take less, do more’ means doing things with only what you need. Being on trail allows me to trust myself and let go of unnecessary weight. For me, that is my Gossamer Gear Mariposa bag—found in every photo, either on my back or by my side.”

• Trust for Public Land: “Since 1972, this nonprofit has been dedicated to improving, protecting, and preserving green space and equitable public land access in the United States. It has protected nearly four million acres of land, allowing more access to outdoor recreation.”

• Instagram: @trailadventurer

• Let’s Take Steps Toward Greater Outdoor Equity

“Gorilla 50: I am in LOVVE with the yellow color, and the fact that it is a dream size for all of my long-distance hiking adventures.”

“For me, taking less and doing more means being thoughtful about the way I consume. It means shedding so that there is space (quite literally), for more movement and quests!”

• Diverse Nature Collective
• Lets Hike TO
• Black Canadian Hikers
• Black people who hike
• BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library

• Instagram: @just.zee
• Website: Coming soon!

• Carolyn: Liteflex Umbrella - “This umbrella is such a sturdy, light, and versatile piece of gear. It provides shelter in the rain, shade in the sun, and more!”
• Jeff: LT5 Trekking Poles - “They are the lightest and most comfortable poles I have ever used.”

“By traveling light, with only what we need on our backs, our connection to what we value more than our stuff feels like it grows. When we backpack with less, we find ourselves getting closer to each other and the living, breathing world around us. It is a privilege to experience the outdoors in this way. It allows us to work at unlearning the over-consumption of resources mentality from the society we both grew up in, and gives us the opportunity to reconnect with abundance of another kind. It clears a little more space for us to be in relationship with the places we inhabit both in and out of doors.”

• Melanin Base Camp
• Outdoor Afro
• Brown Girls Climb
• Flash Foxy
• Unlikely Hikers
• Native Women's Wilderness
• Queer Nature
• Outward Bound

“We are immensely grateful to these and other individuals and organizations that are working to create more equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces. We encourage people who can, to give back to folks in their communities doing this kind of important work.”

• Instagram: @jeffpod

• When Your Hiking Partner Is Your Romantic Partner: 8 Things We’re Learning
• Forming a Marriage Along Two Long Trails: The Journey Begins
• Daily Habits as a Couple While Thru-Hiking Long Trails
• AT vs. CDT: Making the Transition From One Long Trail to Another
• Reflections From the End of 5,000 Miles

"My favorite gear would be the Gold Dome Umbrella and the trekking poles."

"While serving in the Marines, we lived by the saying “leave it better than you found it.”  After 8 long years in the Marines, I got out and still live by that motto today.  I just want to leave this place a little better than I found it.
 
Noticeable in both my gear and my day-to-day life, I exemplify the “take less, do more” motto.
 
The way I take less is by minimizing my carbon footprint. On trail, I will be the hiker who has the used gear that looks like it won’t make it to the finish.  That’s because I will use my gear until it’s no longer usable. I own two tents and each one has one door that is sewn shut because the zippers are broken, just like the zipper on my sleeping bag.  I’m also the hiker who will have two times the amount of trash after a section because I was picking up trash on the trail along the way.  While not a very ultralight way of thinking, doing my part is important to me. Lastly, when not hiking, I am on foot as I do not own a car thus once again minimizing my footprint.
 
So, the way I do more is by doing as much as I can for my community. I'm not just out there hiking for myself, I never was. I found a way to bring awareness to injured veterans. In the beginning of my outdoor career, in between my trips, I would go to different Veterans’ groups around Austin and share with them my outdoor experience and the peace I found outside. Honestly, I just want my friends to stop killing themselves. So, if that means another 22,000 miles, I will hike."

• The Semper Fi Fund - "They are a nonprofit for injured veterans and their families. They are run by an amazing group of people, and they have helped out so many of my friends."

• Instagram: @forinjuredveteran

• Facebook: facebook.com/forinjuredveterans

• Email: forinjuredveterans@gmail.com

• This Marine Veteran Has Adventured 24,000+ Miles to Support Veterans’ Mental Health

"I love my Mariposa! You get pretty attached to your gear when thru-hiking and your pack is like an extension of yourself. I missed it so much when I first returned from the PCT because I got used to the feel and fit of the pack and everything in it.  My Mariposa held my house, clothes, food…it was the most important part of my trip."

"I want to enjoy the outdoors and I’ve found I do best on the trail (and for the environment) by showing up as authentically me as I can —and that usually means stripping down to the necessities."
 

"Through Blackpackers I have worked with some incredible people doing incredible access work. Latino Outdoors, Brown Girls Climb, are two great national orgs. Locally, I really dig Catamount Institute, Kids on Bikes, and Food to Power."

• Instagram: @patriciacameronco or @coblackpackers
• Website: http://blackpackers.org
• Twitter/X: @coblackpacker