Travelling backpack

JohnCleary

Folks,
Need to get myself one of those proper big backpacks for, um, backpacking... the ones that when you see someone wearing one you know they're going to smell because they've probably been roaming through a forest for the past week.

I'm guessing Millets / Great Outdoors / River Deep will all stock these? Wondering if anyone had any experience re. best prices?

ben.schlomo

JohnCleary wrote: »

Folks,
Need to get myself one of those proper big backpacks for, um, backpacking... the ones that when you see someone wearing one you know they're going to smell because they've probably been roaming through a forest for the past week.

I'm guessing Millets / Great Outdoors / River Deep will all stock these? Wondering if anyone had any experience re. best prices?

We got ours in Portwest before we had our year away. Depends the type of travelling you will be doing and what your requirements are. We got the ones with the detachable smaller bag which is very handy.

biko

Aye, those shops you already know and also most luggage shops have them. Just walk around them and try a few/note prices. Packs are very individual so I'll not recommend anything, what suits me might not suit you.

JohnCleary

Thanks for the advise folks. I may be sorted already (god bless boards) but if not i'll do a bit of window shopping (I fcuking hate shopping)

JohnCleary

ben.schlomo wrote: »

We got ours in Portwest before we had our year away. Depends the type of travelling you will be doing and what your requirements are. We got the ones with the detachable smaller bag which is very handy.

Actually, can I ask what size the detatchable one was? I was planning on bringing an extra Lowe Alpine school-bag that I had from college for all the valuables to keep on my person at all times

Mrs OBumble

John, something to think about:

Are you actually going to get stinky roaming about in a forest for a week? If so, you'll probably care about it being really waterproof, so a top-opening "backpack" is the way to go.

But if you're actually just wanting a bag that you can carry on your back thru airports and similar, then these babies are a real PITA ... because to get something out of the bottom, you need to move everything that's on top of it.

So, if you're more of an urban traveller (note, lower case t, it's ok to be one of these ), you'll probably be interested in a travel pack with full-length zips.


Apologies if you know this already ... but the fact that you had to ask where to get 'em make me think it was worth saying.


Oh, and I see you're interested in detatchable "day" packs. One more thing to be aware of is that you want the main pack and the attached pack to wear out at about the same rate. It's a annoying (and expensive) to have a slightly used and still perfectly good main pack, and a day pack that's seen daily use for months and is wearing out. Quite often, you won't be able to get a replacement day pack of the same design where you are. So for that reason, I'd always recommend a main pack complete with attachable bit (that you can leave off when you don't need it), and a separate "day" pack which either is your carry-on baggage, or fits into it.

And while I'm in advice mode, if you're going to be going thru airports, make sure there's a cover or something that can be used to keep the straps out of harms way on luggage conveyor belts.

HTH.

dasium

JustMary wrote: »

John, something to think about:

Are you actually going to get stinky roaming about in a forest for a week? If so, you'll probably care about it being really waterproof, so a top-opening "backpack" is the way to go.

But if you're actually just wanting a bag that you can carry on your back thru airports and similar, then these babies are a real PITA ... because to get something out of the bottom, you need to move everything that's on top of it.

So, if you're more of an urban traveller (note, lower case t, it's ok to be one of these ), you'll probably be interested in a travel pack with full-length zips.


Apologies if you know this already ... but the fact that you had to ask where to get 'em make me think it was worth saying.


Oh, and I see you're interested in detatchable "day" packs. One more thing to be aware of is that you want the main pack and the attached pack to wear out at about the same rate. It's a annoying (and expensive) to have a slightly used and still perfectly good main pack, and a day pack that's seen daily use for months and is wearing out. Quite often, you won't be able to get a replacement day pack of the same design where you are. So for that reason, I'd always recommend a main pack complete with attachable bit (that you can leave off when you don't need it), and a separate "day" pack which either is your carry-on baggage, or fits into it.

And while I'm in advice mode, if you're going to be going thru airports, make sure there's a cover or something that can be used to keep the straps out of harms way on luggage conveyor belts.

HTH.

All really good advice.... they main thing is to figure out what type of traveling/ usage your doing, if its airport to bus to hotel/hostel, the backpacks with wheels are are handy, but if your roughing it in any way these are cumbersome and the wheels add weight if actually using it as a backpack... I've a front loading one (Zips all around the sides) from Low Alpine, been in Oz 4/5 times, South America, all over Europe etc and is indestructible, straps even have a zip around cover to hide them so never issues at airports (straps constantly get caught on baggage belts and go AWOL). If your traveling around, staying in places for short visits the access this bag gives over a top loading one is a priority. But as the previous poster said really roughing it backpacking you'll need a top loading one, lighter and waterproof...