I'm leaning towards one of these two packs, but I am torn between the durability of the Gorilla versus the light weight of the Blast.

Any thoughts?

I think this is a little bit of an apples to oranges comparison as the Gorilla is a framed pack and the Blast is frame less. I have both a GG Mariposa Plus and a Gorilla and they are great packs, but are obviously heavier than the blast. If you don't need a frame less pack and are concerned about durability, Joe is making the Blast packs with a Dyneema option now that would make them very durable. If you decide to go with the GG, you won't be disappointed in what it gives you for the weight though.

Edited by Mocs123 on 02/04/2010 15:12:05 MST.

Brad - not to thread drift, but I have a quick question for you. Since you have both the Gorilla and the Mariposa Plus I was curious to see if they both had a similar fit since they have a similar design, but different capacities.

I have used the ZPack for a week on the AT. It was very comfortable. I opted for the pockets on the belt and found them ample size and very useful. Great pack.

There is an option to get the Blast with stays. = Apples to apples

But they are straight stays and not contoured like those of the gorilla.

Yes the Gorilla and the Mariposa Plus have a near identical fit. They have the same hipbelt, shoulder straps, backpanel, and suspension. The only real differences are the materials, size of the pack bag, and a slightly different pocket layout.

Charles - I was not aware that the Blast was available with stays. I should have looked before I opened my mouth.

Thank you Brad.