20% Off All Gossamer Gear Packs

Not throwing dirt at them, but it's no surprise to me.

I didn't like the new pack line when it came out. Sometimes with new iterations of a product, it grows on me over time. This time, nope.

I haven't seen many reviews of their new packs, so I assume others feel the same way??????

I hope I'm wrong and everyone else loves 'em. The prior generation of packs were nice, IMO.

the only reviews I've really seen so far are from their trail ambassadors. not that these are bad people, but they have an incentive to not talk shit about GG gear.

I'm a big fan of my last gen Murmur & Kumo. and am looking at possibly replacing my MLD Exodus with a Gorilla, but am not convinced that the new version is actually better.

that said, with so many pack options out there, it's tough for small shops like GG, they may have saturated their market and can now only hope to get their existing customers to upgrade, who will only do so if they feel they are getting a deal on the new version.

If they are still making money after 20% off, we may see a permanent reduction in price in the future too.

OR, this is all because the holiday season is coming up and they need to get as much profit in before the end of the year to offset the design costs for the new packs.

The ambassador review issue is an intersting one. There's definitely an inexorable element of bias. In my experience, not so much because GGear (or another company) takes negative feedback poorly (they're really good about it), but because having a personal relationship with some good folks makes me more closely consider what I say and why. In any case, there should always be a disclosure.

I haven't used a new Gorilla (I got too many packs), but did buy the Type 2 rucksack on discount. It's a great little pack, and the new fabrics are impressively durable and waterproof (though the 100D is really loud in temps below 10F).

All I've seen are trail ambassador reviews too. I haven't seen anyone on BPL post pictures or a brief review of one of the new packs.

Market saturation is possible. Maybe also people don't see a reason to upgrade. Why would anyone want a new Gorilla that weighs more, is uglier (IMO), and carries about the same? But maybe also lots of competition from SMD, ZPacks, and HMG.

I know that they’ve had their older, Dyneema packs on sale a lot which makes sense that they’d want to clear out the old product line. That’s a pretty darned good coupon code if they’re doing an across the board sale.

BTW, I am a GG Trail Ambassador, not that that fact makes me an insider to the inner workings of their business strategy. I haven’t seen their new line of Robic fabric packs yet, so I can’t comment about them except to say that the other Trail Ambassadors I’ve spoken to speak highly of them. I’m super happy with my GG Mariposa, that’s all I know.

Will Rietveld as a review of the new GG Murmur. Will is a GG Trail Ambassador.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Yes, the coupon code seems like a great deal, and if I wanted a new lightweight pack, I would probably take advantage of it.

I'm sure the new packs are fine, I just find it curious how little information is out on them yet (aside from Trail Ambassador reviews).

Maybe, and I’m just speculating here, it’s because they’re still pretty new? I’m sure Will Rietveld got one of the first ones, and his review is only a couple of months old.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

I would prefer to see GG take 20% off the weight of their packs. Over the last few years their packs have been getting a little heavier and a little more fussy. I have owned an original Murmur, a G4 and currently have a sil Mariposa. Nothing in their product line appeals to me any longer. Their price points are not exactly a deal either. My Mariposa is now too large for my kit, but I am not considering any GG product as a replacement. I will most likely buy an MLD Exodus this off season and sell the Mariposa. Then the only GG product I will have left are my pair of LT4's.

Will R. is a long time fan of GG and an Ambassador, but he writes excellent and balanced gear reviews. His review of the new Murmur is a case in point, as he spots a number of short comings.

I'm not a Trail Ambassador, but I really like my 2013 Mariposa. I also have the older (original? around 2008) Mariposa with the mesh net pockets and the roll top. The older one has been great, but I've always missed the convenience of a conventional top pocket and I do like that with my new Mariposa. No regrets. The opaque black stretchy pocket fabric is a tradeoff– less likely to snag than the original mesh, but it's much harder to visually locate a small item than the see-through mesh. I also prefer the built-in belt pockets and the other improvements the newer version offers.
I don't find a couple of ounces matters. YMMV.

I see there's another NEW Mariposa on the GG website (new to me anyway). The look reminds me a little of an Osprey. I haven't seen or handled one in person. I guess this is 2014 vs. 2013. What I think of as the 2013 model (the one I have) is also still listed.

I also have an earlier G4 in Green I bought used off the gear swap Forum. I see the current G4 is now also available in Black, which I prefer. Nice. The G4 has huge capacity for bulky winter gear. I realize it's a very old frameless design but I still like it.

The “2013” Mariposas (I’m not sure exactly what year they came out) were a light gray Dyneema fabric. The 2014 Mariposas have a darker gray Robic fabric. I haven’t seen the new ones in person.

Here’s my Mariposa this past Friday before my last trip. This is about as full as I’ve had it with gear for two inside (my daughter’s and my gear).

I love that I’ve got enough room for my gear and my daughter’s in a pack that is less than 2 lbs. Yes, I am a GG Trail Ambassador, but I actually do like the pack. Anything that gets me out with my daughter without killing me on weight scores high with me. I carry 100% of both our gear (well, except for the clothes on my daughter’s back).

My prior pack was a GoLite (RIP) Pinnacle which was frameless. I could carry about the same amount of gear, but the frameless design did not handle the weight well. The Mariposa’s frame is pretty minimalist, but it makes the pack a lot more comfortable.

I have no knowledge or experience with the 2014 Robic model(s).

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

It's awesome, I'm dragging it all over the desert southwest and its holding up well.

I don't personally have the new GG packs but have gone out on two multiday backpacking trips with others who had the new murmur and gorilla packs. I was a a great opportunity to see how they would perform without having to actually buy one.

I can say after a mixture of climbing down many large boulders, moderate rain and a couple chest high water crossings they held up very well. The new fabric took a beating on the boulders but didn't show any signs of damage at all. In the rain I noticed the water beading off the new pack material very well. The hip belt did fall off the murmur once or twice and this could use some work. After the water crossings the contents remained dry, I did not see if the seams had been sealed. After a slip one pack did take a 3 second plunge without taking on water.

I can't comment on fitment but I didn't hear any complaints.

For the record I am not a GG trail ambassador nor did I have a GG pack on these two outings

Hope this info helps

My wife has a new gorilla and I an old gorilla. She loves the new hip belt. No complaints here.