Gossamer Gear G4-20
The Gossamer Gear G4-20 packs all the features I want on trail into an ultralight, frameless backpack good for multi-day trips.
Gossamer Gear G4-20 Specs
MSRP: $195
Weight: 24.7 ounces (medium, the size I carried)
Capacity: 42 liters, including outside pockets
Fabric: 70D and 100D Robic nylon DWR coating
About the Gossamer Gear G4-20
The G4-20 is the pack I’ve been looking for to hit the sweet spot of a 10-pound base weight. But the G4-20 is about more than light weight. It’s a well-designed ultralight pack that doesn’t sacrifice quality for ounces. The Robic pack fabric is durable, and the hip belt and shoulder straps are comfortable. And it has generous front and side pockets.
Gossamer Gear G4-20 Features
Capacity: The main compartment’s capacity is 30 liters, and the three pockets are 12 liters total. Gossamer Gear says the maximum carrying capacity is 30 pounds, 25 pounds for comfort. The most I packed it with was 22 pounds, which was comfortable for me. Above 25 pounds is beyond my comfort range for any pack these days.
Main Compartment: The expandable inner compartment holds my heavy gear: tarp, sleeping bag, air pad, air pillow, bear can, clothes, and other trail necessities. Even with that gear packed there’s room for more.
Front Mesh Pocket: This is a big pocket that can hold rain gear, a water filter, and almost anything else you might need during the day. But I use it only for wet clothing, a wet tarp, or rain gear, and stay away from filling it with everything I might want within easy reach during the day because too much weight in the pocket pulls the pack away from my back.
Side Pockets: The solid fabric side pockets are large enough to hold two 1-liter water bottles in each one, but the most I carry is two bottles, one on each side to balance the weight. The right pocket (with the pack on) is about three-quarters of the depth of a Smartwater bottle, and I can take the bottle out and put it back with the pack on my back. That’s a first with any pack for me. The left side pocket is deeper and can hold another water bottle, a wet tarp, or tent poles.
Hip Belt: Comfortably padded 1.5-inch fixed belt with two zipper pockets big enough for a phone in one and snacks in another.
Roll-Top Closure: I gave up on top backpack pouches (also called brains) years ago when I was loading too much into the pouch, causing the top of the pack to pull away from my shoulders. Now I pack my bag high and thin, and close it with a roll-top closure. The G4-20 has two side straps and one center strap that pull down and tighten the roll top. The side straps can be removed, with only the center strap holding down the roll top. Or the center strap can be removed and the side straps used to close the pack’s top.
Side Compression Cords: These tighten the sides of the pack with easy-locking tabs, or expand to fasten trekking or tent poles to the side of the pack.
Shoulder Strap Rings: These can hold a water bottle pouch or clip-on gear such as a satellite communicator.
Comfort: It takes some tweaking with the waist belt, chest strap, and shoulder straps to get the right fit, but once I’m dialed in I’m good to go. The foam pad fits the contour of my back
Pack Material: Gossamer Gear uses Robic nylon with a DWR coating. The 70 denier main pack material and 100 denier bottom material are thick, and can be expected to handle heavy use.
Fit: I’m 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weigh 160ish, and the medium G4-20 is a good fit for me. The pack comes in small, medium, and large, and Gossamer Gear has a guide to finding the right size for you.
Rainy Days: Robic nylon is not waterproof, but the DWR coating helps shed some moisture. Small holes in the bottom of the outside pockets let out water that might get inside and I line the main pack compartment with a trash bag.
Robic vs. Dyneema: The G4-20 uses Robic nylon with a DWR coating, and costs about half the price of a water-resistant Dyneema pack.
Packing the G4-20: On my first hike I loaded the front mesh pocket with almost everything I thought I’d need during the day. But I felt as though all that gear was pulling the pack away from my body. Now I pack the main compartment high and thin, avoiding a bulge in the pack’s back pad, and only put light gear and water bottles in the outside pockets. My tarp goes at the bottom of the pack’s inside, followed by my BearVault 450 packed horizontally (it could also pack vertically). Then I pack my clothes and sleeping bag compression sacks side-by-side vertically at the top, creating a solid, straight wall that rests comfortably against my upper back.
Upper Pocket: This wide zippered pocket is where I stash my car key, driver’s license, credit card, cash, reading glasses, paper map, and compass. When the main pack is full it can be difficult to get things in and out of the pocket.
Pack Colors: Electric blue and titanium grey.
Removable Back Pad: The back pad can be removed to use as a sit pad during breaks.
Gear Loops: Many small loops on the sides of the pack to clip gear.
Manufactured: In Vietnam.
Gossamer Gear G4-20 Pros
Ultralight, Not Skimpy: The G4 rides lightly on my back but doesn’t scrimp on what I want: useful outer pockets, padded shoulder straps and hip belt, and the right number of straps to hold it all together.
Comfort: The padded shoulder straps and hip belt don’t bite into my shoulders and hips, while the cushioned back pad fits the contour of my back.
Pockets: Handy storage for lightweight gear I want easy access to.
Gossamer Gear G4-20 Cons
Tight Fit: It’s hard to access the top pocket when the pack is full.
Overall Value
Gossamer Gear cuts weight without getting rid of the features I expect in a backpack, making the $190 price a good value for an ultralight pack of this quality.
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This product was donated for purpose of review.