Granite Gear Dagger 22 Review

COVID19 has drastically altered life as we once knew it. Stores are shuttered, restaurants that aren’t closed are only offering takeout. National parks, state parks and campgrounds? Closed. What is open, however, are plenty of trails for day hikes and the lightweight Granite Gear Dagger 22 ($99) is all you need to carry essentials for short- to medium-length day hikes.

What I liked

Lightweight and Minimal for Short to Medium Day Hikes

Or in my case, birding! It’s become my passion since COVID19 has me working from home since early March and I got to witness the many migrating birds that stop at my bird feeder. The Granite Gear Dagger 22 weighs in at a petite 1 pound, 8 ounces making it the lightest pack I own in this size range.

Organizational features aren’t too plentiful but for short- to medium-day hikes, it carries everything I need: Water (both a CamelBak Chute and a 70oz CamelBak bladder), snacks, a North x North Kerchief, sunglasses case, phone, sun block, birdwatching binoculars case, Birds of Minnesota Field Guide, bird sketching journal, colored pencils, lightweight jacket.

Front-loading Design

Front-loading vs top-loading will almost always be a subject for debate, even among the best of friends. There’s merit to each depending on the objective of the mission. For short- to medium-dayhikes, I like the simple front-loading design. It’s more convenient to access the contents than a roll-top.

Comfortable

As long as you don’t overload the pack with weighty objects, I found it plenty comfortable. The soft polyethylene foam shoulder straps are just the right amount of thickness and are curved just enough for a comfortable fit.

Inside the pack is a removable frame sheet—a thin piece of plastic separated from my back by foam padding—that works well in preventing hard or pointy objects poking through the pack. It also helps to balance and distribute the load so that all the contents aren’t pooling at the bottom of the pack.

The Granite Gear Dagger 22 also comes with standard load lifters that move the pack forward or aft from the torso when you need to for balance and comfort. This is kind of a rarity in a pack of this volume so plenty of kudos to Granite Gear for their foresight.

Deep Side Pockets for Water Bottles

The pack comes with some nice standard features that you can find on just about any pack in its class and size. But what made the Granite Gear Dagger 22 stand out for me was the depth of the two stretch woven side pockets. Not only are they deep enough to snugly secure a 32-ounch CamelBak Chute. When I compare these side pockets to that of my Osprey Mira AG 26L and Deuter Airlite 26L, the Granite Gear Dagger 22 crushes them both in terms of depth and security. Don’t judge, but I even carried a bottle of wine.

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What I didn’t Like

Webbing Strap in Lieu of a Real Hip Belt

Instead of a hip belt, the Granite Gear Dagger 22 comes with a removable webbing strap. It is not load-bearing at all. This is not an issue if you’re not loading anything on the heavier side (like a 70-ounce bladder of water) and a couple cans of beer. But for me, it makes all the difference in terms of comfort and preventing lower back fatigue if I have a hip belt.

Final Thoughts and a Parting Shot

I’ve always liked Granite Gear because their packs are durable and comfortable and pretty forward-thinking. It also helps that they’re a local Minnesota company. Mostly I have used their canoe packs, which are just bomb-proof. In fact, my current Granite Gear canoe pack is at least 15 years old and I’m still using it when I go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

But this is my first tango with a Granite Gear daypack. I think the Dagger is an excellent pack for short- to medium-dayhikes. For its size, it offers the user plenty of nice features that aren’t over the top, comfort* and versatility.

*Just leave the really heavy items in the car and you’ll be fine!