Revolution vs. Gorilla Boy - The Best Bag for the Buck?

About the Companies

With either of these companies, their products should last for years on end, and the only reason you should be buying another one would be through desire, not necessity. Both brands are made in the USA, and are made out of 500-1640 denier Cordura and/or ballistic nylon–in other words, hardcore fabrics that will hold up through a battlezone, properly assembled to take all the abuse a disc golfer and rugged course can dish out. In addition to being built from rugged materials, Revo and GB incorporate an internal frame in all their bags, which further sets them apart from the competition. Both companies are more expensive than most of their competitors, costing twice as much as some comparable models. But, I am of the mindset that it is better to pay more at one time and have something of quality that will live up to expectations, rather than go cheap and end up paying more down the road when you have to spend money on replacements or repairs.

For those not familiar with the brands, Revolution is king of the hill in the world of disc golf bags. It has been known for years as the top of the line bag for disc golf, and is often seen carried by the top level pros.  Started in 1997 by Dave Hendrickson, Revolution has become the gold standard of quality disc golf bags which can be purchased directly from their website, or from other retailers such as Marshall Street, Prime Discs, and Gotta Go Gotta Throw..

Revo’s website has a nice presentation, but some bugs that could be sorted out–like not all color swatches being viewable and different prices quoted on their main page and product details. But, you are able to make purchases with a secure shopping cart as well as pick up other schwag like t-shirts, hats, and Revolution’s own disc line, 1080 Discs (no guarantee on what’s actually in stock though).

Gorilla Boy, on the other hand, is a small company out of Wisconsin that, mostly through word of mouth, has been gaining in popularity the past couple years. It is largely the labor of love of one guy, Chris, who designs and sews the bags in his free time from his “real” job. One thing that Gorilla Boy used to do that set his bags apart from the others, was making the bags one by one, allowing you to choose your color combinations depending on what kind of fabric he had on hand at the time. The drawback to that of course, would be that if you wanted a Gorilla Boy bag, you would have to wait for it to be made, and cross your fingers that there weren’t many people in queue ahead of you. As the popularity of Gorilla Boy increased though, Chris decided to quit making the bags to order, and instead built up an inventory of pre-made bags. So, while it’s a bit disappointing to not have the customization options from before, it makes good business sense for him to have stock, and it also means that we, as the consumer, can receive the products that much more quickly.

The Gorilla Boy website is short and to the point, nothing particularly fancy, but it does provide you with most of the necessary information. Unlike Revolution, the only place you can buy Gorilla Boy bags is directly through the site, and there is no cart/checkout system (it’s all through PayPal). One feature I’d like to see is a list of what colors are available and swatches of those colors. Also, the site was recently updated, showing new changes to the models that weren’t advertised before. So while you’re asking what colors are available, you may as well ask if any changes have been made that aren’t mentioned on the website.

While I feel both companies could use improvement on their websites, their products are of impeccable quality. I’ve already stated how durable and well made they are–either product will stand the test of time. The major difference between the two products is that Revolution has a more polished, assembly line look to it, and Gorilla Boy has a slightly rough, handcrafted presentation. While a rougher look may seem like a detriment to some, I believe there is an invaluable aspect to having something that looks like it was handmade by a person, and also with Revolution’s popularity, having something that doesn’t look like everyone else’s bag on the course.