granite gear: dishonest advertising (pack weight)?

[Ashley Brown]

I just received my new GG Nimbus Meridian pack. Overall I'm pretty happy with it — seems to be a great fit, and the panel loading feature I wouldn't be without.

However, I just weighed the pack and am pretty annoyed it is significantly over the weight in the specs. I have a regular pack, with medium waistbelt etc… basically the "standard" pack. It clocks in at over 1750g whereas their specs say it should be 1600g.

It may be common practice for gear manufacturers to exaggerate light weight claims, but that doesn't make it right. I'm just posting this here so that others who might be interested in buying this pack can make an informed decision. I'll be writing to GG also. Perhaps if they receive enough bad publicity through word of mouth and internet they will stop doing this sort of thing.

I guess it is possible I have received a mysteriously "over-weight" pack, but I very much doubt it… it's over 10% heavier than it should be, so you can't really put that down to manufacturing tolerances can you? If anyone else can post their experiences with the weight of GG packs that might be good… maybe I am the odd one out??

[Dale Wambaugh]

I've sent a couple items back because they were off by more than 10%. One sleeping bag was a fat 30% over the published weight. I'd chalk up some to sloppy copy writing, some to sizing issues and there my be some that are dishonest. There's really no excuse for any of it.

It is frustrating to shop on line with items that have no published weight– and the inaccuracies. I've notice that GSR has started putting the actual weights of their products on the label. The cost is next to nothing for the manufacturer and it makes purchasing decisions much easier. And you don't need to look like a gram weenie hauling a scale to the store :)

Point at hand– I just listed some size 9 Asolo boots for sale and they weigh 2 pounds 13 ounces on my digital scale. I read several on-line listings that reported them as 2 pounds per pair– even with differences due to sizing, that is a BIG variation.

Caveat emptor!

[Greg Mihalik]

Same issue with Northern Lites snowshoes.

I called the owner. He said "Well, I guess we need to update our website." He wasn't concerned that the "worlds lightest snowshoe" 10% weighted more than stated.

[Joshua S]

That is a bit discrepancy between posted and actual weight. I hate when that happens.
I have a nimbus ozone, regular size, with a small weight belt. It was advertised as 3lbs. Mine weighs in just under that.
If you can live without the panel loader, you may want to consider this backpack. They supposedly have the same capacity. The ozone is cheaper too. The nimbus frame is the most comfortable medium weight frame I've used. I've carried up to 50 lbs with it with no problems other than tired legs.

[Mike W]

…

[Ashley Brown]

I just came across a user review for this pack and it seems they've found the same problem:

"It's advertized as being 3lbs 8oz for the medium. All three Meridians I weighed were 5oz or more heavier and they ALL weighted 3lbs 13oz for the medium."

(http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_517083_granite_gear_nimbus_meridian_pack_reviews)

That's exactly what I found. I wouldn't complain about an ounce or two, but 5oz over is pretty ridiculous. If I had known I may have bought a different pack (probably the latitude vapor).

I'm in Australia, so it's not really worth sending it back for an exchange. I'll probably just try and cut away extra straps etc to bring the weight down. If you're thinking of buying this pack — be warned! It will probably be 5oz/150g heavier than specs.

I do like the pack though. It is surprisingly compact, but there is a ton of space if you loosen the straps and use the extension collar. Feels very comfortable and supportive.

I'm not sold on the lid which converts into a fanny pack ("bum bag" here in Australia). The lid itself is very handy, but the pack it converts into is kind of awkward because there are extra straps and things hanging off it. Plus the convertibility doesn't come for free… you're carrying an extra (small) belt around inside the top of the pack, and there's an extra hidden compartment to hide the belt! I'll probably cut off all that stuff because I can't see myself using it.

If I really want to cut down on the weight I can remove the lid altogether. I tried that this morning and it weighs around 1550g… not much under the listed weight with lid! I've read that removing the lid was meant to get you down to about 1350g. D'oh.

Oh, by the way, this "overweight" issue isn't related to sizing. The GG website gives different weights for the small, regular, and large versions of this pack.

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