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#195645 - 06/03/16 04:21 PM Opinions on Granite Gear Virga
Ken S Offline
member

Registered: 10/26/12
Posts: 32
Loc: Saint Charles, MO
Any personal experience with the Granite Gear Virga. Let me know good and bad.

Thanks.

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#195649 - 06/03/16 09:43 PM Re: Opinions on Granite Gear Virga [Re: Ken S]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Great ultralight pack, especially in its current incarnation, with the lightly padded (and supportive) hipbelt. Emphasis on "ultralight" - to use it successfully, you need to keep your load under 20 pounds, in my experience. You might be able to stretch that to 25,if you use a stiff back pad (stiffly inflated Neoair or Prolite, for example). Over 25, the back pad is irrelevant - the weight will begin to collapse the hipbelt, doubling it over.

I experimented with the original Virga, when it first came out (in the 90s?) and as long as you followed the above advice, it was a nice little pad; the hipbelt was just a narrow piece of webbing and not supportive at all, but you could make the pack work.

I also experimented last summer with the updated version, which had a padded hipbelt; it made the pack a real joy with a 20-pound load. In the end, though, I came to the conclusion that the pack was not suitable for me: my summer weekend load is about 17 pounds (including the weight of the pack) carrying only one liter of water and two days of food. So, if I needed to add more water (to handle a dry camp), or food for a couple extra days, or clothing for colder weather, I blew past 20 pounds quickly - and the hipbelt started collapsing.

If your style allows you to resolve that problem, this is a great pack for you. If you can't, then look for something else. (If you can keep you load below 30 pounds, take a hard look at the Granite Gear Crown VC 60; it's the next step up from the Virga.

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#195674 - 06/06/16 08:02 AM Re: Opinions on Granite Gear Virga [Re: Glenn Roberts]
Ken S Offline
member

Registered: 10/26/12
Posts: 32
Loc: Saint Charles, MO
I purchased the original virga with a front pocket added on by bearpawdesigns. My 4 season baseweight is under ten pounds so it sounds like it should meet my needs. Thanks for your input.

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#195678 - 06/06/16 05:46 PM Re: Opinions on Granite Gear Virga [Re: Ken S]
Glenn Roberts Offline
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
I'd forgotten that the original didn't have a shove-it pocket. The Virga 2 (better hipbelt) does, and it's a very nice additional feature. The only other improvement I could think of would be a pad sleeve (either inside or outside) to make it easier to keep the pad in place.

I hope you enjoy the pack - sounds like your base weight is in the right range.

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