Granite Gear Virga Rucksack - any opinions on this ultralight sack?

[hertsboy]

I am considering buying this sack - details here: http://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/granite_gear_virga_rucksack.html

I am attracted by its very light wieght of only 550 grams - thats a whole kilo less than the 65litre bag I use now.

And it looks like I can if necessary strap a tarp/rollmat/bivvybag to the outside of it.

M trips are normally three nighters into mountainous areas (going to the Swiss Alps for a week in July) so I want something fairly rugged, especially as it will have to go through the airoplane hold on international journeys.

Does anyone have any experience of this rucksack, and any opinions and tips.

Many thanks for your help!

 

[blacktimberwolf]

A lot of money for very little in my opinion. I'm not a light weight fan & this is the first time I've seen this bag & brand so my comments are worthless but I'll tell you what I think of it anyway.
It looks pretty fragile to me & I wouldn't even chance it to the end of my garden let alone the Swiss alps. The back system ( for want of a better desciption) looks very rudementary & uncomfortable.there is no back padding so you will feel everyhing in your bag against your back.The straps are very weakly attached to body with only minimal contact( only a few millimetres looking at the photos) & with only simple single stitching. The webbing looks very flimsy too.
I doubt this bag could carry more than a few kilos comfortably & structually (ie. without falling apart).
For 90 quid you can find much better but don't choose a bag uniquely for it's weight or you will end up with nothing better than a supermarket carrier bag.
Sorry I can't be more helpful, hopefully other members can put you onto a better alternative or persuade you to get this one as they have had good experiences with it (though I can't imagine that someone could).
Let us know what you decide..................cheers.


just noticed the airport thing, I think there is little chance this bag could survive such trauma.

 

[beamdune]

I wouldn't chance sticking that in the hold.

Your 65L pack doesn't sound too shabby at 1.5kg. Why not spend the cash on lightening some other items.

 

[Shewie]

I looked at quite a lot of lightweight packs recently having started to head for the hills again instead of the woods, I considered GoLites, Gossamer Gear, Six Moons and Mountan Laurel Designs, the one which got me spending though was the Osprey Exos 46. Not super lightweight at 850g but much more comfortable than a minimalist pack, good for up to 12kg and some clever features to boot. I'd say try as many on as you can but finding lightweight gear isn't very easy.
Colin Ibbotson is working on some pack designs at the moment which should be available some time this year, those in the know who've had prototypes to test have only good things to say about them, maybe one to look out for anyway.
As you mentioned rugged then I'd try and stay away from silnylon and go for a dyneema ripstop or cuben fibre, they'll stand up to rock grazes and bushwacking much better than sil.

 

[Highbinder]

May I suggest the golite packs. I have a pinnacle, and there's also the jam2. A bit heavier than that one but more rugged from what I can see. The golite packs are made from dyneema ripstop (which is amsteel fibres iirc). I do a lot of off trail 'bushwhacking' I guess you could call it and mine has held up really well with all the abrasions, jaggy rocks and thorny things here. It's really well designed too, and carries the weight well (for a frameless pack)

 

[hertsboy]

Thanks to Shewie and Highbinder especially. i'll look at both your suggestions.

I'be just packed up for a 4 day trip starting tomorrow morning. Even with the 1.5 kilo bag I have, 2 days food and 650 mil of water, I've managed to keep the wieght down to 10 kilos. I'm trying out the snugpak bivibad which weighes in at 35O grams. Much lighter than the Terra Nova discovery lite (super bag!) ay 650 grams.

 

[Highbinder]

That's the kind of weight I pack. 7kg base, food and usually 3l+ water (not much water in the lowlands here) and the golite carries the weight well.

 

[jungle_re]

good suggestions so far but also worth a look are OMM, i have a villian 45 which has proved to be an excellent adaptable lightweight pack