Gorilla vs. Mariposa for JMT

if you can fit all your gear + the weekender in the gorilla, I'm impressed.

I have a pretty darned toned down base weight (9 lbs) and I can fit the weekender in mine…and not a whole lot else. I ended up getting a different pack for the JMT.

I have both packs and while I might (and have) gotten by on on a long trip with my Gorilla and a bear canister, I will be bringing my Mariposa on a JMT thru later this year. Disclaimer: I am a Trail Ambassador for Gossamer Gear, but I had the Gorilla long before I became a TA. The photo shows my Gorilla with an Expedition Bearikade on an 8-day trip in Olympic NP. When the canister was full of food, I found the carry was most comfortable with the canister lashed onto the top of the pack's contents. This allowed it to be canted forward a bit for a center of gravity closer to mine. This was truly pushing the limits of the Gorilla, but it and I did just fine.

Jennifer: I have the large size Gorilla which is a bit longer than the shorter torso Gorillas. That gives it some more length for the bear can. I also found that putting by 20 degree EE quilt in a zpacks medium dry/pillow bag reduced the volume/height it takes in the pack quite a bit. Also, my wife is thinking about joining me. Can I ask what pack you took on the JMT and if you were happy with the results?

Robert: Thanks for the feedback. Do the Gorilla and Mariposa have the same torso sizing/feel? In other words, does a large Gorilla pretty much feel the same as a large Mariposa (with a bit more volume, of course)? Also, thanks for the coupon code for GG a few weeks ago, I used it to switch out my slightly-too-small-for-me medium Gorilla for a large Gorilla.

Paul, I ended up buying the circuit, which was OK but too much pack – I'm one of the few people who did not like the frame. I had Chris Zimmer build one for me after I got back…and it's literally perfect. So that's what I'll be carrying this time.

My problem with packs like the gorilla is simply the depth – it's only 6" deep, yet the bear canister is 9" in diameter. So in order to fit the canister, the pack has to pull outward quite a bit in order to accommodate the width, which then rides funny on your back, and pulls away more than it's designed to, etc etc.

So the pack Chris made for me is basically a deeper gorilla….with ULA's side pockets. I'm super happy…..

Difficult to beat ULA's pockets so that's nice you were able to keep that aspect of the pack. Will the canister fit horizontally?

Nah, it's still a vertical fit. But the quilt goes in the bottom packed loosely, the can rests vertically on top, then my cook set and insulation are packed around it – my shelter can fit in one of the side pockets really nicely…it's a perfect fit.

On a superficial level, that looks similar to a Circuit. What kind of frame do you have in it and what does it weigh?

It's got a gorilla-type frame, I use a cut down piece of 1/8" thinlite pad between the aluminum inverted U and my back.

I definitely took some ideas from the circuit that I liked, combined with elements of the gorilla and a few tweaks of my own to come up with this.

With the frame it's 27 oz. I really, really like it.