Hi All-
I bought a used mariposa here on BPL and it fits ok but maybe a tad short torso wise. So when GG had their sale recently, I ordered the large and figured on selling the medium. But on the new large pack the shoulder straps are sewn closer together by almost a full inch and they rub my neck...the first pic is the the medium, the second pic the new large..

Anyone else have this problem?
I emailed michael at GG and he admitted trying to get the sewing team to be more consistant on their palcement of the straps... I was hoping to exchange it for a large with a wider gap, but he said to just return it for a refund....now Im stuck with the return shipping and no large pack....Im bummed!

Edited by sandylwes on 10/01/2012 11:20:04 MDT.

It's very standard for companies to not refund your shipping cost, think of break even compared to driving because you ordered online.

I bought mine during the sale as well, and noticed the same thing- the straps are much closer than on my 2012 Gorilla. Not only that, but the reason they are closer together is that one of the straps is much closer to the center of the pack than the other, most likely affecting the balance.

I spent the weekend walking around the house with it loaded with my winter gear to decide if it was worth the hassle of returning.

The funny thing about it is this were a 'brand name' pack I'd take it right back to the store, as it's clearly defective. But since it's a cottage company, I had been thinking much more leniently about it.

Seeing this thread makes me realize that this really should be something that's covered under warranty as a manufacturing defect, and I'll box it up to send back when I get home from work tonight. I didn't realize that I'd have to eat the shipping costs. It would make sense to me that I would have to pay those costs if I just "didn't like it", but I do like it! It's just that it's not really going to function as intended. I think I wouldn't really mind if the pockets weren't sewn square, or the lid was slightly asymmetrical or the like. But the harness is arguable the most important part of the pack to be sewn properly.

I'd follow up and tell GG, that, after thinking about it, you decided you would really like to exchange and hope that they can look over their stock to see if something might suit your needs." My experience with GG has been that they are an accomodating company. I've had special mail and shipping requests met with no issues and always received a quick reply to calls and emails. All that said, I recall the Gorilla 2012 being on sales for $150 with the older shoulder strap design (early 2012 or something). Maybe they have actually moved the straps.

The thing is they admitted there is inconsistancy amoung the different batches. I wouldnt mind paying the return shipping if I just didnt like it. But since I have the exact same pack with just a differnt torso size,they should be at least be close to the same.
I have emailed them back and told them nicely I was bummed and hope for an exchange...
Sandy

Im about to order 2 Kumo superlight packs for my wife and me in the near future. Is this something I should be concerned about? Ive had my eye on this pack for a while and would hate to rule it out for this reason.

I usually recommend GG stuff highly. But the last pack (2012 Murmur) had some issues with the shoulder straps slipping. (After an hour, it would end up sitting on the waste belt with only a slight bit left on the adjustments for the straps.) It appears that the buckles were designed for a different strap, or, just incorrectly moulded.

Not real sure what is going on with them. I have heard reports of odd placement of shoulder straps (see above for examples) and waist belt slippage, too.

I think I might hold off till spring giving them time to sort out the problem packs from the good ones. Or request ones that have proper placement of the shoulder harnes. I believe the Kumo's have a heavier strap and belt along with heavier padding and pack body.

some companies will refund you the shipping cost for stuff which is obviously their fault ... others wont

which is why you see me repeating like a robot to try on packs before you buy, buy from a retailer with no questions asked warranty, and be prepared to lose out on shipping if you order a pack online

some no questions asked retailers may send you return shipping labels ... REI even sent someone i know free shipping return from Canada =D

you take a certain amount of risk in buying from smaller name brands that may not have the same amount of quality control and retail presence ... if you want to see how much time someone like say dead bird spends on quality control, just go to their factory outlet and see what constitutes a "second" ... i suspect most other larger brands do the same

> But on the new large pack the shoulder straps are sewn closer together by almost a full inch and they rub my neck.

Hi Sandy,

Yes, I discovered the same problem.
I ordered a medium mariposa for my girlfriend and a
large for myself. Like you I discovered that the straps
on the large were sewn almost touching on the large.
This caused the straps to rub badly on my neck.

I chalked it up to either a bad design on the large or
shoddy quality control by GG. I thought my case was unique
so I ended up ripping out the shoulder straps and resewing
them wider like on the medium size pack. If I had known
lots of other folks were having the same problem, I would
have considered contacting GG and point out their
quality control problems with the mariposa large pack strap
placement.

George- I thought of resewing mine, but I dont trust my sewing skills enough to jeopardise the integrity of such a nice pack...
Im still hoping GG will come thru to the rescue. I sent the large pack back to them yesterday..
sandy

> I would have considered contacting GG and point out their quality control problems with the mariposa large pack strap
placement.


Unfortunately the QC problems aren't limited to just the larges; mine is a medium.

This is worrisome. I gave my wife some very broad hints about the recent Gorilla sale and my upcoming birthday, so I may find myself in the same situation. I would expect that, in the case of a manufacturing defect, the return would not be at the customer's expense. I would also expect that, since they apparently know about problems with the strap spacing, they would be checking this before shipping out the packs.

Recently I bought a new shelter from a cottage manufacturer that bridges the gap between tarps and tents; when I discovered that one of the door tiebacks had been left off the owner/designer promptly offered me the choice of a return shipping label or the missing tieback, along with thread and sealant. That's customer service.

I have the same problem. The 2012 Mariposa straps start outward at the inside edge of the hanger loop. The 2012 Gorilla straps start outward at the outside edge of the hanger loop. Both are mediums. They are both centered..but...Which is correct GG? I have a "feeling" that the Mariposa is off.

I just got my 2012 Gorilla today and the straps are perfect. Aligned just to the outside of the carry loop and centered on the pack. So hopefully the QC problems are limited...

Jennifer,

Which size did you order and if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you?

thanks,

Susan

Was your shipping cost refunded?

And do your harness straps slip, as per the other GG QC issues?

It is THE ONLY pack that fits the needs of my wife for a replacement pack for her current Flash 45. ...Don't want a pack that rubs the neck and/ or slips under weight, though...


I hesitate to order b/c these QC issue threads.


EDIT: Looked at the pack a million times but didnt see that the small is STILL unavailable... guess I have to wait out the QC issues anyway cause she needs a small... ah well

Edited by WoodenWizard on 10/04/2012 10:59:10 MDT.

Susan, I'm 5'7 and ordered the medium. It's ever-so-slightly too big, but works very well for me because I have just a bad problem with pack straps on my bony collarbones. So the way the straps sit is actually perfect.

The straps are kinda stiff right now, too, so we'll see how it fits after taking it for a quick spin this weekend.

And just walking around my house with the full kit inside no, no slippage. So far they are the most comfortable straps I've ever used. But as I mentioned the fabric and foam seem a bit stiff right out of the box, so ill update when I get back from a weekend trip in northern MI this weekend.

Edited by Jenmitol on 10/07/2012 11:13:42 MDT.

I bought a medium Gorillia in July of this year and the straps do not have the described problem. Granted, my Gorillia may not be indicative of the problems people have described for the Mariposa. I did have the bladder pocket tear during a week long trip. I don't know when it tore. It could have been my agressive packing. It could have been a GG flaw. GG repaired it under warranty. I paid to ship it to them and had no expectation that they should pay for the shipping to them. They paid for the return shipping to me.