Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50
The updated Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 continues to be a solid, lightweight backpack that combines lots of space and plenty of features at an affordable price.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 Specs
MSRP: $275
Weight: 31.9 ounces for a medium with a medium straight hipbelt
Capacity: 50 liters total; 32 liters for the main pack body, 18 liters for the outside pockets
Fabric: PFAS-free recycled Robic nylon
About the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50
The Gorilla 50 was already a standout among lightweight backpacks, and Gossamer Gear took that reputation further with a redesign focused on function, durability, and light weight. The Gorilla 50 frame has been redesigned and load lifters have been added to increase carrying comfort. The hipbelt comes straight or curved, and in multiple sizes. Through all the changes Gossamer Gear has stuck with one hallmark of its packs: strong Robic fabric that’s durable and much less expensive than the new ultralight fabrics that push backpack prices higher and higher.
Carrying Capacity
Main Compartment: The 32-liter, top-loading main compartment holds all my gear for a five-day hike: tent, sleeping bag, clothes, accessories, and bear canister with food. If I need more space the extension collar adds 2 to 3 liters more.
The external pockets add 18 liters of storage:
Front Mesh Pocket: This is a large pocket where I stash gear that I want to get at without digging through my pack. I put a rain jacket and rain pants in the expandable pocket, along with my water filter, lunch, extra warm clothes, and cat hole trowel. The pocket has a solid fabric bottom with a drain hole.
Side Pockets: One shallow, solid fabric pocket on each side of the pack, and each pocket is capable of carrying two one-liter Smartwater bottles or a Nalgene bottle. It’s also possible to put tent poles in the pockets and snug them against the pack with the side compression straps. These pockets also have drain holes for water.
Hipbelt Pockets: These pockets are big, and hold snacks, my phone, a small container of hand sanitizer, just about anything I want to get at quickly without taking off my pack. I like that the cords attached to the pockets’ zipper pulls let me me open or close the zippers while wearing gloves.
Top Flap: The over-the-top closure is a cross between a standard pack brain and a roll-top pack. It has a large side zipper that makes it easy to stuff maps, a phone, glasses, car key, and driver’s license inside the pouch. And there’s a small gap at the bottom of the pouch for a headphone cord to run from your phone inside the pouch to your ears.
The top flap snugs down with easy-to-connect green straps, making it simple to avoid trying to connect a green closure flap strap to one of the black compression straps. (Surely someone at Gossamer Gear has done they same thing as me on other packs: trying to connect a black side compression strap with a black top closure strap.) Gossamer Gear’s theme of different-colored straps shows me the company pays attention to small details.
Water Bladder: New in the redesign is a loop inside the pack’s main compartment that can hold a water bladder, replacing a bladder pouch. The bladder tube can run through the same hole in the top pouch that the headphone cord runs through. The tube and bite valve are held in place by cross-webbing on the strap, and an elastic part of the sternum strap can hold the bite valve.
Bear Canister: My BearVault 450 fits horizontally or vertically inside the main body of the pack, with clothing tucked between the canister and the frame pad for extra cushion against my back. A bear canister can also be strapped to the top of the pack.
Comfort
New PVT Frame: Gossamer Gear’s redesign includes the PVT (short for pivot) closed-loop frame that fits into a pocket on the hipbelt and pivots as you move. The new frame is comfortable and lightweight. The PVT frame and PVT hipbelt cannot be used on pre-redesign Gorilla 50 and Mariposa models that use a U-shaped frame. Gossamer Gear has a deeper dive into the pivot frame here.
Hipbelt: The hipbelt is available in straight or S-shaped configurations, depending on the pack’s size. The size small pack comes with a curved belt, and the medium and large packs have a straight belt. I have a straight hipbelt and it’s comfortable for my slim build. To get a different size hipbelt Gossamer Gear recommends including the belt you want in your order, swapping it out at home, and returning the belt that came with the pack for a $25 refund.
Shoulder Straps: The curved shoulder straps wrap around the chest and breasts, making them comfortable for men and women, unlike straight shoulder straps that are more comfortable for men with slim bodies.
Shoulder Strap Cords: Thumb loops at the end of the cords let you rest your arms with a bend at the elbows, avoiding so-called sausage fingers caused by arms hanging loose at your sides. The loops are new with the pack update and I’m not sold on them yet.
External Essentials
Side Compression Cords: These cords do double duty to compress the pack and hold equipment such as trekking poles to the side of the pack. The straps are long enough to lash bulky gear to the sides of the pack, and though the buckles are small and the straps thin, the buckles are easy to connect and disconnect, and the straps slide easily and don’t slip loose.
Shoulder Strap Rings: Two rings on each shoulder strap can hold Gossamer Gear accessories: a shoulder strap pocket, bottle holder, and umbrella clamp. The shoulder straps do not have daisy chains.
Emergency Whistle: The sternum-strap emergency whistle has become ubiquitous on most packs.
Additional Attachment Loops: Small loops on the sides and back of the pack can be used to add cords to hang gear. The loops are orange, making it easy to see them against my pack’s gray fabric. Gossamer Gear sells shock cords to attach to the loops.
Trekking Pole Cords: Slip the pole tips into a bungee cord—new with the redesign—at the bottom of the pack and tighten the cord to hold the poles in place.
Ice Axe Loop: Learn how to attach an ice axe to your pack here.
Other Features: Gossamer Gear has more information on the Gorilla 50’s other features here.
Weight and Fit
My Take: The Gorilla 50 rides comfortably on my hips, held securely by the straight hipbelt. The padded shoulder straps, with breathable mesh, hold the pack loosely to my back, and the back pad provides plenty of cushion. The load lifters keep the pack from pulling back on my shoulders.
Going Ultralight: The medium pack’s body weighs 16.3 ounces, and the frame (4.3 ounces) and back pad (2.3 ounces) can be removed to shed a few ounces. The medium pack and back pad, with the frame and hipbelt removed, weigh 18.6 ounces, compared with 31.9 ounces for the pack with frame, pad, and hipbelt. If you want a lighter hipbelt than the one that came with the pack, Gossamer Gear has a Fastbelt (3.3 ounces) that attaches to loops on each side of the pack’s bottom.
Removable Back Pad: The back pad can be removed to use as a sit pad during breaks.
How Much Weight: The Gorilla 50 is extremely comfortable at about 20 pounds, the weight that I usually carry. Gossamer Gear recommends a maximum load of 30 pounds, and 25 pounds for a comfort weight.
Fit: I’m 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weigh 160ish, and the medium Gorilla 50 is a good fit for me. Five feet, 10 inches tall is on the dividing line between wearing a medium or large pack for most brands, and it took wearing several large packs before realizing that a medium is a better fit for me. Gossamer Gear has a guide to finding the right size for you.
Pack Material
Fabric: Gossamer Gear uses recycled Robic nylon. The 70 denier main pack material and 100 denier bottom material are thick, and can be expected to handle heavy use.
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 vs Ultra: Gossamer Gear stayed with Robic nylon for its updated backpacks because of its proven strength, weight, and cost. The Gorilla costs about $100 less than comparable backpacks made from Dyneema and Ultra.
Recycled Robic: The Gorilla 50 is made from recycled Robic nylon.
Pack Colors: Gray and yellow.
Warranty: Gossamer Gears warranties its gear to be free from manufacturing defects within one year of the purchase date, for the purchaser only.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 Pros
Lightweight, But Not Skimpy: The Gorilla 50 rides lightly on my back but doesn’t scrimp on what I want: useful outer pockets, padded shoulder straps and hipbelt, and the right number of straps to hold it all together.
Comfort: The padded shoulder straps and hipbelt 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 Gorilla 50 Cons
Not Waterproof: If there’s one knock against the Gorilla 50 it’s that the Robic fabric isn’t waterproof. But spending pennies for a plastic trash bag to line the inside of the pack seems like a much better move than spending hundreds more for a pack with waterproof fabric.
Overall Value
The Gorilla 50 is an excellent value for a pack that’s comfortable and feature-rich, and won’t empty your bank account. I like Gossamer Gear’s attention to the small details: color-coded straps so I’m not trying to connect the wrong straps; orange cord loops that are easy to see; and a headphone cord portal in the back of the pack. And then there are the big details: comfortable S-curve shoulder straps; an improved pack frame; and lightweight and comfortable.
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This product was donated for purpose of review.
