I'm on the look for a new lighter pack and it's between these two and the GoLite Jam. Since I can't get the Swift or Mariposa in a store I plan on ordering just one. Does anyone has experience with either of these packs? I'd like to hear the good and bad.

thanks

I have a Mariposa Plus and have carried it with up to 30 lbs - the comfort zone is around 25 lbs and it has to be really well balanced to be comfortable above that (at least for me). With the new stay it works very well and is more comfy with a bear canister than before. I have light but bulky gear (some of it anyway) and the capacity is pretty good - light stuff I use during the day goes in the mesh pockets, the rest inside.

One of the things about these packs - if you order and try around home, it's likely they will let you return it if it doesn't work. If you do use it on trail and it doesn't work out, there's a pretty good secondhand demand for ultralight gear, especially over at the Backpacking Light forum.

Thanks for the info! I just started looking at the Golite Jam pack. Any reviews on this pack?

I use Golite's Pinnacle for winter backpacking, both packs are pretty much identical except for capacity. I love mine and woudn't hesitate to purchase another one. There are lots of field reviews on the Jam if you use Google and search.

I have a Jam2, the earlier version w/o the hip belt pockets. I use it almost exclusively for hikes of up to five days.

I have used it a couple of times with all my gear and a Bear Vault 500. It worked but it was a little more than the pack seemed designed to handle in terms of volume; it is fine with the BV-200 "weekender". I generally get about 15 lb (10 days) of food in the BV-500 and the jam is OK with the 17.5 lb food and canister weight

I performed some surgery on the Jam and got the weight down to 18.5 oz. It is durable and comfortable to carry.

I just finished making a G-4 pack for longer trips where I will need to carry the larger bear can. Still working on the best way to load that pack but it is also comfortable.

I've got the Swift 10 and have used it 3 tjmes this spring. Twice for about 5 1/2 miles with up to 24# and no problems. The 3rd time I used it as a daypack with about 12# and 14 miles. It did great. I use 2 gossamer gear sit pads for the frame. I think it will handle up to about 27# with ease. I will try it next using just one pad.