Granite Gear Virga 2 Backpack - 52L

I bought this pack in April of 2017 from Amazon. This was my first frameless ultralight pack that I owned. Generally you see reviews that are submitted soon after purchase and with little usable knowledge of the product purchased. So, I thought I would give a review after nearly five years of use. I think the most impressive aspect of this pack is its price to weight. This pack is a GREAT value. This is a 52 liter pack that weighs on my electric scale at just under 1.2 pounds for 150 bucks! Before purchasing I looked at a lot of packs in this size range as I was preparing to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail. Buying ultralight equipment can be an expensive endeavor. A very popular manufacturer of ultralight equipment charges 425 dollars for a similar sized pack that weights 1.24 pounds. These expensive packs are made with materials like dyneema which are highly water resistant (nearly waterproof), so that is an added advantage. I use a 25 cent contractor bag to line the inside of this Granite Gear pack and voila, waterproof! Is this pack as "good" as the 400 dollar packs? Well, that's difficult to say, but I can tell you that hikers LOVE their gear and can justify any purchase. I can also tell you I have hiked over 150 miles on the Appalachian Trail with this pack and it's never let me down! This pack is extremely light for the price (try to find a lighter pack at this price) and hauls everything I need with room to spare, comfortably. Some people love hauling 50 pound packs (but not very far). That's not for me. I've learned over time that less is more. I carry a base weight in this pack right at 11 pounds. That weight includes clothing, tent, sleeping quilt, and accessories. It does not include consumables (water, food, snacks, t.p. etc.). Fully loaded my pack is right around 17 pounds for a 5 day trip. I wanted to include my weight carry because I cannot speak about the comfort level of this pack loaded with a lot of extra gear and weight. I believe you could carry 25-30 pounds relatively comfortably. As far as durability goes this pack has been solid. The seams have held up and this pack has had a lot of use in all kinds of weather. I also bushwhack (going off trail through briars, scraping saplings etc, with minimal abrasions and wear. I said this was my first frameless ultralight pack at the beginning. I've been looking at the fancier expensive dyneema packs for years, and just keep enjoying this Granite Gear pack. So, if you like ultralight backpacking this is a great deal. Use the extra dough you'll save to buy some other ultralight gear to lighten the load in your pack! I hope this has been a helpful, and I was not paid by Granite Gear for this review. I bought this pack with my own hard earned cash. Happy hiking!

How did Granite Gear manage to make a backpack this light, this cheap, and this GOOD? At 19oz and 52L capacity, this backpack has no business being sub-$250. And yet, it stands out as being durable and foolproof. It's large enough to hold all of my ~10lbs of gear inside, with no need for the exterior pouches or latches - including both my trekking poles and rolled sleeping pad. Its hip and chest straps effectively distribute weight across my back and shoulders to help with longer hikes.And best of all? This backpack somehow lasted through a 5-mile downpour with everything inside still as dry as when I packed them. I keep trying to push this pack to its limits, but thus far I simply can't. It's an amazing pack. I really, truly cannot recommend it enough. For the price and weight, there's simply nothing else that comes close.

I like this backpack. If you're looking for a super durable, lightweight, large capacity backpack, this one is hard to beat – particularly at this price point. I also love that you can get this in a tall size. My only negatives are as follows:- There is just one big compartment, which can make finding your gear difficult. This is solved if you get a set of ultra lightweight ditty bags. I use one for clothing, one for toiletries, one for cooking supplies, one for food.- It's so big that if you actually filled this bag to capacity, it would likely be uncomfortably heavy. (I'd wager anything over 20 lbs would be unsuited for a multiday hike as the frameless pack means the hip belt doesn't lighten the load.) Most of the time, mine is half empty.Otherwise, just a great backpack. Again, nothing on the market at this price point is as well made. I also have a Arc'Teryx pack, but I grab the Virga 2 for quick weekend adventures. It would also be great as a crag bag.

Excellent price to feature ratio. Very lightweight. Excellent side and front pouches that hold water bottles secure without flipping around or sliding out when you bend over. I have only gone on 2 backpacking trips so far so can’t say how it will hold up over time. Only drawback is that at 54L it is way too big for a frameless pack and I can’t roll the top down tight enough to keep it from shifting around even with straps sinched all the way. If you were to fill this all the way up it would be brutally uncomfortable without any frame stays. I don’t know why there isn’t a 40L version. (There is a 26L version I intend to get for a day pack or summer UL pack.) maybe if you are using a CCF sleep pad rolled up inside it would be just right, but at my age an inflatable mat is a must have. LOL. Highly recommend it and if they make a 40L version it would be perfect!

Very light and holds all of my ultralight equipment. I haven't loaded more that 15lbs in this because I've been using it around scout camp and at overnighters with the scouts/webelos. It developed a 1.5" tear at the seam that connects the main body of the bag to the roll top enclosure. This is after 3 overnighters and occasional use during 1 week of summer camp, only carrying in and out equipment and then loading less than 5 lbs of equipment as a day bag for emergencies with the scouts. This is not a well built product since I've never used it in its original use case at capacity for a long duration and it has developed a tear. Would not recommend again. Yes I'm aware of the limitations of this bag and I baby it.

I've now taken this backpack on two hiking trips to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Each time it was a 2 night/3 day trip covering approximately 13 miles up and down the mountain. I had this pack loaded at 34 pounds the first year and 32 pounds the second year which included about 15 pounds of water when the trip first kicked off. I'm sure that weight was much heavier than this pack was rated for and this pack performed great!! On a trip where weight is such a big factor, I could not be happier with how this pack has performed, even overstressing it compared to how it would normally be used. Highly recommend!

軽量で丈夫そうでいいです。今まで色々なザックを使ってきましたが、現時点でベストです^ - ^

とにかく丈夫で軽量ザックを探していたところ、グラナイトにたどり着きました。今年の夏に日本海から太平洋への日本アルプス縦走（約40日間）に使用します。

思ったより早く届きました。夏のテン泊が楽しみです

この手の軽量ザックは、肩に全重量がかかる、ということを初めて知りました、、、たくさん物は入るが、それを支える重量を肩で背負うのは私には出来なかった、、、ちなみに、ウルトラ、トレラン、登山をやってますので、初心者ではないつもりですが、、

テント泊用に購入。パッキング後、背負うと異常に気づき確認。ショルダーハーネス及びロードリフトストラップの左右計4箇所のスライドバックルへのストラップの通し方が違っていた。時間がなかったので、自分でストラップのエンド部をカットし正しく通してから使用。商品はとても軽く使いやすそうなのに残念。