Monday, May 5, 2014

Best Travel Backpacks

Big Bag

When planning a trip, one of the big decision is: what backpack will I use? A lot of travelers swear by larger 60 or even 80 liter backpacks. As a minimalist, I tend to disagree with them. I recommend getting a smaller pack (35-50 L) for various reasons. First of all, you will have to carry the thing on your back for a whole year! Once you go over the 50 L mark, you will not be able to carry your bag for long distances as it will simply be too heavy. By getting a smaller bag, you will also avoid baggage fees at airports. When flying shorter distances, a lot of airlines will charge you fees for checking in a bag. You can avoid this by getting a smaller bag and taking it on as a carry on. This will save you money that you can spend on all the amazing experiences and activities you are traveling for anyways! Please, for the love of God, buy a smaller backpack.

With backpacks, there are hundreds of choice. Well what an awesome thing that you read this blog because here, I will narrow those down for you. Make sure your backpack opens up like a suitcase. Since you whole life is packed in the thing, you don't want to have to get through everything in order to get to the bottom. Makes sure the zippers are sturdy as this is the part of bags that tends to break the most and can cause you pains in the future. Make sure the dimensions of the backpack don't go over the carry-on maximums for major airlines—you will thank me later. Make sure the bag is made out of some kind of water resistant material as you will likely be caught in the rain as some point of your trip.

Here are a few great options that I HIGHLY recommend:

Osprey Porter 46 - $99
Tortuga Travel Backpack - $199
EagleCreek Digi Hauler Backpack - $120
Minaal Carry-On Backpack - $299

Either one of these options will work great as they all fulfill the requirements I talked about earlier in the post. I personally carry around the Osprey Porter 46 and am very satisfied with it. Which backpack do you swear by? Let's further discuss in the comments section!
 

2 comments:

  1. I find that during a winter camping trip, it's more difficult to pack especially my bulky jackets and things. That's why it's important to make a list and make sure everything I bring are just the essentials, nothing more. For a list of what to bring and to learn more tips, check out this site I stumbled into: http://myoutdoorslife.com/basics/cold-weather-camping-tips.html

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