Backpack recommendations?

[ytrebil]

I am looking for a backpack for when I go abroad later on this year for a small bit of travelling - any recommendations at all?

I was thinking about one with a detachable 'day' bag for carrying around more valuable items but the main bag will need to be big enough to hold all my gear! Only travelling for say 2-3 weeks so not too long.

Also whilst I'm at it, also a good place to buy some light, durable trousers and walking boots.

TIA.

[1]

No real advice on the make of bag, just make sure you get a good one thats comfordable. Take a trip to your local outdoor shop and they will give you plenty of advice.

What I would say it think long and hard about the size of bag. I have been travelling severals times and the first time I took a fairly big backpack (about 80 Litres) which is what you will see most "backpackers with", and it was a complete pain the arse. You will be surprised how much you are moving it around, even if you get taxi's etc.

Since then I have managed to keep it down to a day pack (40 Litres) and that will take everything I need for upto 6 months. You will be surprised how little you actually need, If I get stuck I just go shopping, I will often throw a couple of t-shirts away and buy something new, especially in Asia where you can buy a whole new wardrobe for under £5!!!

[mechsympathy]

1 said:

No real advice on the make of bag, just make sure you get a good one thats comfordable. Take a trip to your local outdoor shop and they will give you plenty of advice.

What I would say it think long and hard about the size of bag. I have been travelling severals times and the first time I took a fairly big backpack (about 80 Litres) which is what you will see most "backpackers with", and it was a complete pain the arse. You will be surprised how much you are moving it around, even if you get taxi's etc.

Since then I have managed to keep it down to a day pack (40 Litres) and that will take everything I need for upto 6 months. You will be surprised how little you actually need, If I get stuck I just go shopping, I will often throw a couple of t-shirts away and buy something new, especially in Asia where you can buy a whole new wardrobe for under £5!!!

Particularly if you plan to use public transport.

[Holst]

I took my dads old Karrimore backpack with me when I went traveling, he bought it to take on his honeymoon a year before I was was born (1981)
As its looking a bit tired now I have now bought a 60L karrimore of my own, Its probably not as well built as the 1980's version but its pretty good, the new one is alot lighter.

I agree with 1 about keeping everything to a minimum. I threw away 50% of my clothes after the first month away as I wasnt wearing them enough.
Pick out everything you want to take and then get rid of half of it.

[playerone]

Ive had a Macpac day bag for almost 10 years and it still looks like new. You can fit enough in there to easily last 2 weeks. I can even slide a laptop down the back of it.

Its a New Zealand brand so its not as expensive as some of the European or North American outdoors stuff.

[Emsman]

For boots, go to Uttings countrywear

I used them for the first time at Xmas for a shooting jacket for my other half.

Superb service.

[VxDuncan]

Holst said:

I took my dads old Karrimore backpack with me when I went traveling, he bought it to take on his honeymoon a year before I was was born (1981)
As its looking a bit tired now I have now bought a 60L karrimore of my own, Its probably not as well built as the 1980's version but its pretty good, the new one is alot lighter.

I agree with 1 about keeping everything to a minimum. I threw away 50% of my clothes after the first month away as I wasnt wearing them enough.
Pick out everything you want to take and then get rid of half of it.

Just to be a pain I'd say the opposite! If you're taking walking boots, a sleeping bag and maybe a roll mat that's a 60-70 litre bag pretty much full by the time you've added a couple of t-shirts and the usual travel detritus - bog roll, basic first aid kit, camera charger etc.

I would seriously consider buying an old bag off ebay. You bag will get chucked it in the hold with the chickens, dragged across the floor by the airline staff, get wet, damp and muddy. I'm still not sure what the sticky brown substance was that leaked all over mine in a train in Vietnam was...

Plus, a tatty bag SHOULD get less interest from those after a rummage once checked in...

The removable day-sack type bags are okay, but only if they aren't too small, which many are. Plus the day pack sticks out a long way, pulling you backward. Usual thing to do is to sling the daypack over your front (ie backwards), that way it's more secure and helps to balance you.

Last thing is the "sack" type backs are probably preferable as you can stuff the crap down into it. The fold out flat type, with a long zip round the perimeter is easier to get things from, but you can't compress it so easily.

[1]

VxDuncan said:

If you're taking walking boots, a sleeping bag and maybe a roll mat that's a 60-70 litre bag pretty much full by the time you've added a couple of t-shirts and the usual travel detritus - bog roll, basic first aid kit, camera charger etc.

Unless you are camping then you dint need the roll mat and providing you wear your walking boots then you wont have any problem fitting all that and more into a 40l bag.

I can get all that plus a decent book, flip flops and a fleece into a 40 l bag and still have a bit of room.

[ytrebil]

Thanks for the advice guys - I wanted to ideally take 2 bags. I know various lodges do have lock ups so I don't have to take my clothes, underwear, toiletries etc around with me (bulky stuff) and just keep my valuables on me in a smaller bag. Plus plenty of water.

So recommendations are that a 40L bag should be just fine for 2 weeks and pack as lightly as poss? I won't need a sleeping bag, tent or roll matt as we should *hopefully* be finding accommodation when we're there.

[VxDuncan]

1 said:

VxDuncan said:

If you're taking walking boots, a sleeping bag and maybe a roll mat that's a 60-70 litre bag pretty much full by the time you've added a couple of t-shirts and the usual travel detritus - bog roll, basic first aid kit, camera charger etc.

Unless you are camping then you dint need the roll mat and providing you wear your walking boots then you wont have any problem fitting all that and more into a 40l bag.

I can get all that plus a decent book, flip flops and a fleece into a 40 l bag and still have a bit of room.

I guess ideally, you'd have different bags for different trips, I know recently my 65 ltr rucksack was only just large enough, but that did include the aformentioned sleeping bag, boots etc but I was treking in Papua and didn't see any shops etc for 8 days! I've you're in hostels and hotels then you can get away with less space. Basically get something big enough for all your stuff, leave half behind, and use the extra space for all the stuff you'll buy when out there...

Also worth getting one with a built in rain cover, or buying one in addition (few quid from "go outdoors"- take at look at them btw). Not only will it keep the rain off, but keeps the little hands out of the various different pockets when walking through urban areas.

[smifffymoto]

Eagle Creek stuff is brilliant,life time gaurantee.We have a couple of Switch back

[lanby]

VxDuncan said:

1 said:

VxDuncan said:

Basically get something big enough for all your stuff, leave half behind, and use the extra space for all the stuff you'll buy when out there...

+1

[Bec]

Can anyone recommend decent online places to buy rucksacks? I'm going on a trip in the summer that is an organised tour, but in small groups, so they recommend taking soft, rucksack type bags. As I won't be carrying the bag round myself any more distance than from hotel to minibus, I'm not so worried about fit?

[nutta29]

after 14 months of traveling, i recommend the karrimor bags that open like a clam shell. they are much easier to pack and re-pack and therefore easier to get to stuff when you're in a hurry. 60 - 80 litres is enough.

[rsv gone!]

nutta29 said:

after 14 months of traveling, i recommend the karrimor bags that open like a clam shell. they are much easier to pack and re-pack and therefore easier to get to stuff when you're in a hurry. 60 - 80 litres is enough.

I chopped in my top-loading North Face bag for a Berghaus 60+15 travel pack. So much easier to live out of and generaly easier to lock.

But pack light. On my first trip to Asia, my rucksack weighed 22kg. I didn't make that mistake again - next time it was 12kg. Andon a recent trip down the the Thai islands, I left my rucksack with a mate in Bangers and just crammed what I could into the 15L daysack. It was so liberating.

[Don]

ytrebil said:

Also whilst I'm at it, also a good place to buy some light, durable trousers and walking boots.

http://www.rohan.co.uk

All you need to know for travelling clothes. The gear is very light, packs very small, and dries very, very quickly. You can hand wash in your room and get the trousers dry overnight over the bath...or, if feeling adventurous, you can hand wash in the river and dry overnight under your tarp Ray Mears style. They do everything from "almost formal" to "jungle adventure"...

The boots are light and very comfortable...but they don't do heavy leather "mountain" boots.

I like Lowepro backpacks...but that's because the bottom half is filled with camera gear and they do specialist stuff for that.

http://www.lowepro.co.uk


HTH

[Holst]

VxDuncan said:

Holst said:

I took my dads old Karrimore backpack with me when I went traveling, he bought it to take on his honeymoon a year before I was was born (1981)
As its looking a bit tired now I have now bought a 60L karrimore of my own, Its probably not as well built as the 1980's version but its pretty good, the new one is alot lighter.

I agree with 1 about keeping everything to a minimum. I threw away 50% of my clothes after the first month away as I wasnt wearing them enough.
Pick out everything you want to take and then get rid of half of it.

Just to be a pain I'd say the opposite! If you're taking walking boots, a sleeping bag and maybe a roll mat that's a 60-70 litre bag pretty much full by the time you've added a couple of t-shirts and the usual travel detritus - bog roll, basic first aid kit, camera charger etc.

I would seriously consider buying an old bag off ebay. You bag will get chucked it in the hold with the chickens, dragged across the floor by the airline staff, get wet, damp and muddy. I'm still not sure what the sticky brown substance was that leaked all over mine in a train in Vietnam was...

Plus, a tatty bag SHOULD get less interest from those after a rummage once checked in...

The removable day-sack type bags are okay, but only if they aren't too small, which many are. Plus the day pack sticks out a long way, pulling you backward. Usual thing to do is to sling the daypack over your front (ie backwards), that way it's more secure and helps to balance you.

Last thing is the "sack" type backs are probably preferable as you can stuff the crap down into it. The fold out flat type, with a long zip round the perimeter is easier to get things from, but you can't compress it so easily.

I think it depends on what you are doing.
If you are taking a sleeping bag and stuff then your going to need alot more space. For traveling in a fairly urban enviroment in warm weather you need hardly any space for clothes.

I do agree with looking at second hand stuff.
I felt much more secure leaving my very tatty looking bag in hostels. If somebody was going to walk out with a bag they were unlikely to take mine as it looked old and tired.

I also took a smaller bag as a day pack. Which was a £5 record bag from Ikea. I kept everything expensive in this bag.