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

The Gorilla Boy Kong

The Kong is the biggest and baddest bag of the Gorilla Boy lineup. Part of GB’s Evolution Series, the Kong is an upgraded version of the original Gorilla bag. The Kong sells for $110 + $10 shipping, and like all GB bags it is made of 1000 D Cordura and ballistic nylon and comes with an internal frame. The PVC and corrugated plastic frame, while simpler than the Revo Roll Cage is no less functional and is undoubtedly tougher. According to the site, the bag can hold 18-20 discs; including the putter pouch, I was able to fit 21 discs into it snugly but comfortably (3 putters, 5 mids, and 13 drivers). Unlike the Carolina’s somewhat constricted U-shaped opening, the Kong is completely open on the top, allowing for easy access and visibility of your discs. If you needed to, you could even fit a couple more discs in if you slid them in perpendicular to the rest of your arsenal.

The Kong has two main pockets on the sides, as well as dual bottle holders. The pockets are smaller than the Carolina’s, but being approximately 150 cu. in. each, they still hold a good amount of gear. I’ve been able to squeeze in all the accessories I’d need for a round of unpredictable winter golf weather , including an anorak, rain hat, and thermal base layer, in addition to all the other crap I might carry on any given day. Granted, it was a tight fit, and I had to be creative in the way I piled all the stuff together, but it DID all fit. The tradeoff with having smaller storage capacity is that the side pockets, as well as the bottle holders are directly attached to the main compartment of the bag, meaning that the pockets themselves are not load bearing. This has a two-fold benefit, in that the bag rides more nicely having the heavy water bottles directly attached to the rigid side, and the pockets can remain open while you’re walking and not have a negative impact on the ride of the bag. Being able to keep the pockets open is a nice convenience, in that you can reach into the pockets with the bag on your back and pull out what ever you need. Also, while I’m on the subject of bottle holders and such, I should note that the Kong’s bottle holders are again just simple standard full-bottomed insulated bottle holders. Nothing fancy, but fully functional. The one small complaint I have is that I wish there were a grommet or something in the bottom to allow drainage. Having been caught in a couple rainstorms, I’ve noticed the bottle holders can hold standing water to an extent.

There are still more storage opportunities on the Kong. Again, my favorite “simple feature” of the GB bags are the extra mesh pockets on the outside of the main pockets. They provide an easy access pouch in which to drop things, and are in perfect reach for when you’re on the go. They also hold a lot more than you’d expect them to in the pictures. And there is another zippered pocket (~108 cu. in.) on the front side of the bag behind the putter pouch. Unfortunately, this pocket seems to be a better idea on paper than in real life. Similar to the pocket on the Carolina’s putter pouch, you can’t put too much into this pocket with out interfering with the putters’ sliding in and out. Though of course, if you just wanted to carry your putters inside the main compartment, this wouldn’t be an issue at all. I should note that although the Kong’s putter pocket is the same as the Spider Monkey’s, it’s much easier to get 2 putters into it since there is no rigid frame behind it.

The Kong has three slots in its pencil pocket, one of which, like the Spider Monkey’s, has a simple stitch in it to accommodate a golf pencil. Again, it’s a small detail but an awfully handy one. On the opposite side of the bag is a clear plastic window. I think this is intended for scorecards but I haven’t really found it useful as such (I usually use the aforementioned handy mesh pockets for cards). It did turn out to be the perfect size for holding our local bag tags though, so that’s where it sits. The Kong also has a rain flap that is large enough to cover the main disc compartment as well as the putters. Unlike the Carolina though, there is only one layer to the protection from the elements, so naturally, discs get wet more quickly. Also, the flap closes with Velcro–er, “hooks & loops”, which is a nice gesture, but can work against you too. For example, the following has happened to me in tournament time before: it’s raining out, so I have the flap draped over the top, one guy is in the process of teeing off, I reach to my bag to grab the disc I’ll be throwing, and not realizing that the bag has “sealed itself”, there’s a nice “RRRRRRiiiiipppp” as I pull the hooks & loops apart making me feel bad about possibly ruining a guy’s drive. The easy solution is to remember that you have Velc–I mean hooks & loops and plan accordingly, but oftentimes your rain flap isn’t the first thing on your mind in tournament play.