Symbiosis Gear

United States
https://www.symbiosisgear.com/

• Booth: 306

Symbiosis Gear is a women-owned, trail-tested company born out of necessity. We are fueled by a mission to empower adventurers with femme bodies. We create backpacking gear designed with a deep understanding of what fits and performs best for those who often struggle to find comfort in standard gear. Symbiosis Gear began when our founder, Sarah Berkeley, faced a challenge on the Pacific Crest Trail that is all too familiar to femme-bodied people in the outdoors: finding a pack that truly fits. As an experienced thru-hiker, Sarah spent countless miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail and Vermont Long Trail, with uncomfortable and restrictive backpacks. She reached out to an existing company with design suggestions, only to be met with silence. Determined to change the industry, Sarah launched Symbiosis Gear in 2024 to make high-quality, outdoor gear specifically designed to meet the unique needs of femme-bodies people.

 Press Releases

• Best Women’s Ultralight Backpack 2026 by The Trek (Mar 31, 2026)

  Symbiosis Gear describes the Aspen as “the backpack for people with boobs.” This isn’t the only backpack designed specifically with female bodies in mind, but it is pretty much the only true ultralight women’s pack. The Osprey Eja is a great female-specific pack, for instance, but it weighs almost three pounds. The Aspen weighs barely more than 1.5, and our reviewer says it’s the most comfortable pack she’s ever worn.

• Symbiosis Gear Aspen Backpack Review (Mar 31, 2026)

  The Symbiosis Gear Aspen UL backpack is an ultralight, frameless backpack designed for women by a woman. This makes it unusual in the world of ultralight backpacks, where most packs are unisex. This mostly means they are made for men.

• Symbiosis Gear won at Pitch Competition (Mar 31, 2026)

  Sarah Berkeley, Symbiosis Gear: $5K Kiva crowdfunding campaign contribution from Startup Colorado

  Using the $5,000 contribution from Startup Colorado, Berkeley will launch a crowdfunded loan campaign on Kiva. She aims to raise $20K to create new prototypes and build brand awareness. Startup Colorado will be launching her Kiva campaign soon. Stay tuned for the announcement!

• The Aspen Wins Cottage Gear Innovation Award (Mar 31, 2026)

  The Symbiosis Aspen is a 38L frameless backpack for women engineered to accommodate various bust sizes, featuring uniquely contoured S-curve shoulder straps and a three-point adjustable sternum strap to adjust fit and load distribution. Constructed from 420D Extreema fabric, it integrates a bottom stash pocket for quick access and a roll-top closure with a Y-strap for external gear carry. At 1 lb 9 oz (708 g) with a 20 lb load limit, it optimizes comfort and weight distribution in a way rarely addressed in ultralight pack design.

 Additional Info