Gorilla Playsets

Honestly, we don’t know. But the following is not specific to Gorilla Playsets. When COVID-19 hit, the entire swing set industry was turned upside down (along with home gym equipment, trampolines, etc.). Many parents had their kids at home but wanted them outside so the parents could work from home. Most swing sets across the industry sold out very quickly in spring 2020. The supply chain has been strained ever since. Due to the large spike in demand, many manufacturers have been trying not to overreact and order too many swing sets. Production is back up, now shipping is backed up, and it just seems like there may be an issue with stock until 2022. Seasonality would typically dictate a slow down in fall 2021, but there could still be a lot of demand as companies build inventory for Christmas 2021.

That’s the $5000 question! Literally. The answer is generally yes. This is a high quality product that will last for many years with the proper care. We can’t speak to your potential resale value, but the Gorilla product has been known to outlast homeowners in a particular home!

Boxes. Lots of them of many sizes. Hardware. Lots of it and in many sizes. Seriously, the Gorilla Playset is designed for sturdiness and not ease of installation. Unless you hire out someone who can meet you when the product arrives, expect quite a bit of work to accept the delivery, take inventory, and stage out installation. Some sets have up to 20+ boxes, all coming off a freight truck. It is definitely a big to-do.

The cons of purchasing a Gorilla Playset primarily revolve around the stuff you have to do before your kids start playing: tons of boxes, hours upon hours of assembly, and lots of cash. It can be hard to wrap your head around the amount of work required for a child’s toy. Obviously if you build one yourself, you’ll likely find yourself planning for much longer, cutting corners or leaving out fun features, and possibly end up with something less than sturdy. The Pros of the Gorilla Playsets are that you really get the benefits of a full-blown design and engineering team backed up with years of experience putting together a nice playset. Your kids will enjoy the elements for many years to come.

I’m not sure any brand has straightforward naming conventions, and Gorilla Playsets is no different. Great Skye, Treasure Trove, Chateau, Outing, etc. If you spend much time checking out their pictures, your head will start spinning. Most of the pictures you’ll see online are renderings, and the primary reason for this is so that you can compare the items side-by-side from the same angle.

Gorilla offers a vinyl canopy roof option, a standard wood roof option, and a gabled wood roof option that they refer to as the “Malibu” roof. I think you go with a vinyl or wood roof and save your dollars on the Malibu option -- it doesn’t seem to add much to the playset features and seems a little gaudy on some of the smaller playsets. The Malibu does come standard on the Empire Extreme, but most every other item offers options. Gorilla used to offer a branded Sunbrella canopy option, but it looks like they have phased that out recently.