The rucksack/backpack megathread - all you need to know!

S.M.B.

Hi,

I'm leaving for a 3-6 month trip in SE Asia in 3 weeks time and I'm struggling to find the right backpack. Anybody got any advice on what type bag I should get?

I'm looking for one between 35 and 50 litres. Having a pack that is front loadable instead of from the top would be a big advantage I'd imagine. The ability to lock the backpack with padlocks also seems like a necessity (although the pacsafe mesh seems like an alternative option.)

I'm looking around shops at the moment and a lot of shops are either designed for hikers or day pack sized bags.

What sort bag did everyone else who did a similar journey use? Where abouts did you buy it?

After reading a lot about getting the right bag am I thinking too much about my backpack? Maybe I should just go in and get the one that seems the most comfortable and hassle free to wear?

Glowing

Well firstly, forget about the pac-safe idea, they're heavy, bulky, and scream 'i've got something worth nicking!'.

I got a fantastic 55L rucksack in the Great Outdoors - its a Deuter - it was front loadable and top loadable, but lockable at the same time. It also has a removable day pack - it was handy at times, but probably wouldn't bother with that again. If you're worried about security, like being able to lock the bag to something, get some twisted cable and get loops made at the ends (like they use in sailing!?) - that is light and small and you can thread it through your bag to lock it to something if perhaps you're on a train/bus. Me and my boyfriend used to lock the bags together sometimes, preventing anyone doing a grab and run. If they could actually take the two of them at the same time, then they probably deserve it!

Most importantly, make sure the back system fits you and that there is a good strong waist belt, that will save your shoulders when you have to drag the bag miles!

Eascha

Im going on a similar holiday, and im bringing an 85 litre rucksack, but its because i want to do lots of long hikes, and trekking etc, where ill want to bring overnight gear...

i guess it comes down to what you anticipate bringing and carrying around, how man changes of clothes you want to bring.

i havent started packing myself, but what else other then clothes and a camera should be going in the bag?

Ideo

id seriously consider not buying a backpack here and wait to get on in bangkok, whivh is where i presume your flying into? you'd save a good bit, bags are 1/4 of the price as in ireland. bring as little as possible and buy it all over there!

S.M.B.

Thanks for the replies.

Think I'll do a bit more searching for a 50/55L backpack that's as comfortable as possible and ideally I'll find one that's front loading.

Glowing

I'll give up on the pacsafe idea then. Was your cable used to seal the bag as well as attach it to a frame/other bag. I'm a little paranoid of things been put into my bag as much as stuff been taken out!

Ideo

Can high quality gear be bought in Bangkok for that little. I thought it might be only inferior quality backpacks I could get there. I have a lot of liquids to bring over with me so unfortunately I won't be able to just arrive over with a toothbrush and the clothes on my back and sort everything out over there. I'd love to do it this way but it's not really an option for me.

Glowing

No S.M.B, we used zip-ties or small padlocks. At least then you'd know if the bag was tampered with. Zip-ties are very handy actually.

I wouldn't imagine the bags over there would be extremely good quality - they might do for a few months, but you won't get a years wear out of them. ... many of my friends did the same thing and had broken straps, holes etc They're grand for a bit but just not as durable.

S.M.B.

I ended up buying a front loadable 55L backpack with an attachable 15L day pack. Might not be the best quality backpack you can get but it should do for now. Easy to lock, the straps can be easily folded away so hopefully it won't get mislaid while traveling by plane and big enough to carry as much as I intend to bring over plus a little more. Just have to get my hands on some combination padlocks and that should be everything.

Thanks for the advice,

cormon

Hi Lads,

Heading off travelling in January , South East Asia , Aus etc. and I am currently in the market for a rucksack. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to where they can be bought , had a look on 53degrees and they look pretty expensive. !!!

Thanks in advance.

(excited) Kevin !!!!!

masseyno9

I got 1 in aldi/lidl (can't remember which) along with 3 other mates for an inter-railing trip this summer. Lasted the whole trip and no signs of problems with any of them. Conversely another mate spent €150 on a fancy specimen from great outdoors and it fell apart 2 weeks into his trip to S. America.
Doubt lidl/aldi will be doing them soon, they tend to have seasonal specials, but i guess just don't be afraid to buy something thats a bit cheaper. Once it feels good and solid i'd say go for it.
Army surplus stores or any number of shops on capel st might be your best bet.

supermouse

i got mine in lidl last week!!! €50! and its 2 bags, a little rucksack and a big one with wheels!! also has shoulder straps! its quite heavy with not LOADS of room but with most flights oly allowing 20kgs it will do the job! really sturdy with loads of pockets!!

try them, my fingers are crossed for you that they still have them!!!!

mac123

if your flying to se asia first id say you should just bring the clothes your wearing for the flight and maybe one change of clothes and buy all you clothes and a rucksack for the trip over there. evrything like that is only a fraction of the price and decent quality! also if u have tshirts etc that cost €2each you wont care too much about them getting damaged,stolen etc.

breadmonkey

mac123 wrote: »

if your flying to se asia first id say you should just bring the clothes your wearing for the flight and maybe one change of clothes and buy all you clothes and a rucksack for the trip over there. evrything like that is only a fraction of the price and decent quality! also if u have tshirts etc that cost €2each you wont care too much about them getting damaged,stolen etc.

People often say this but I think it would be a bit of a pain in the ass to arrive with next to nothing, especially a rucksack.

OP, I got a great one for about €50 in a small shop off Henry St I think. You definitely don't need to spend a fortune.

Brods

Pockets are good and so are the ones that zip all the way around, as opposed to the draw-string openings at the top... pain in the hole finding stuff.

cormon

Thanks for the replies lad,

In relation to shopping over there I intend to bring an empty rucksack but as I am travelling with the missus she wants the whole rucksack thing sorted out , I will check out said German shopping outlet tomorrow. I might pick p something in the January sales here , that shop on Henry st. deserves a look me thinks

Thanks again

tywy

There are three shops down 'off Henry St' on Mary St. If you walk down past Toymaster on the corner towards Capel St, there are 2 shops side by side, Rambler's Way and Millets. Rambler's Way is cheaper and you can haggle. There's another store on Capel St called Capel Camping, the guy in there is really sound and haggles too.

Don't get a bag with wheels, not worth it, it adds a lot of extra weight to the bag. Try and get a smallish bag so you don't end up carrying 70L on your back.

http://www.travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm This website lets you know what you should and shouldn't bring and how much. Also has recommendations on what kind of backpack to get as far as I remember.

Good Luck!

breadmonkey

Yep I think Rambler's Way is the place I got mine!

CantGetNoSleep

I'd stay away from the Lidl one with wheels

It weighs nearly 5kg when empty which is far too much

Mine ripped after one weekend away
(In fairness to them they took it back despite the mud on it)

finkaboutit555

A friend of mine owns a sports shop and does all that sort of stuff.. I'm heading away at the start of the new year, and I bought my rucksack from him, it one of these expandable ones that goes to 100L, I doubt I'll fill it and it only cost €75 on the tag..

breadmonkey

Seriously make sure that 100l bag doesn't get more than 2/3 full or you'll regret it big time.

RyanAsh

My friends and I are going travelling, a round the world trip for 8mths, we're doing a bit of research into what backpacks to buy & i was wondering if anyone had any advice on the two which we've narrowed it down to. Theres a Berghaus one, its 55 + 15L ladies one and has a biofit system for the back, thats E160. This was originally the one we were going to buy until one of our other friends said she got one for her 3month travelling trip last year and it was only E60. Its a Gelert 55 + 15L one and we can't find much information on it but the girl who had it said it was great, it looks like new after her 3mths using it and she has a troublesome back & didn't find it bad for her back or anything like that. Now obviously we dont want to cheap out on the backpack but we can't find any evidence that the cheaper one is necessarily worse. The cheaper one is from a small shop in a small town rather than those big ones like The Great Outdoors or whatever so we're wondering if thats the reason but we can't be sure so i was hoping someone here would know anything that would help us decide. Id really appreciate it as we've ordered the Berghaus ones and if we're not getting them we'd wanna let them know! Thanks a million!

cormon

Lads thanks for all the replies ,

Myself and the missus got two 70 L +15 L in Ramblers way yesterday. Cant remember the make but they are class. Lifetime guarantee fully waterproof , well designed craps and strap covers aand we got twenty quids of each by haggling
(cheers to previous poster ) so it turned out to be 60 Euros each. In my opinion 55l is too small , if you get a well laid out narrow bag a 70 is perfect..

I ll post the name tomorrow...

Kevin....

mac123

75+15 is too big imo, id say you will get sick of luggin that around if its full anyway. had a 65l bag for my last trip and that was too big so im taking a 45l next time.

One Cold Hand

Lads, I'm going to shamelessly hijack this thread instead of starting a new one!
I'm basically wondering what the biggest rucksack you can get is? I've seen 80+15L ones, but get you get ones that are over 100L?

breadmonkey

One Cold Hand wrote: »

Lads, I'm going to shamelessly hijack this thread instead of starting a new one!
I'm basically wondering what the biggest rucksack you can get is? I've seen 80+15L ones, but get you get ones that are over 100L?

I;m sure there are but they would be so heavy as to be practically useless.

One Cold Hand

Well I'm going away for 18months, so it probably won't be even nearly full when I leave, but will probably fill up over the year and a half. Also I'll be living in one place for 12 months of that (hopefully!).
Other thing is I'm 6'4", so all my clothes are pretty big, so I need a bit more room.

Brods

I have a berghaus bag, the guys version of the one mentioned above. Dont know about yours but mine has wheels. its quite heavy but i liked having the weight off my back every so often.

langerdan79

well whatever you decide on make sure it isn't a suitcase you bring like a girl i know, talk about a disaster every step of the way!!
as a fwe people have said already on the thread you don't need too big a bag, is was given a good piece fo advice by someone who travelled for ages and its when you pack your bag for the first time take all your stuff out and get rid of about 40% of it. alot of the time you might pack stuff that you really dont need but you think you will and believe me the extra kilos will drive you crazy as you lug the rucksack around the place!! i paid about 100 euro for mine in a cork shop and its a 75l and worth every penny

Neamhshuntasach

having lived abroad twice and travelled much of the world for over a year twice and going for a third time this coming summer. I can only advise not exceeding 65L. You seriously will regret it as i learned on my first time. I had a 75L + 15 i think and you always somewhow end up putting extra stuff in it along the way as you have the space. the bigger packs also make you more vunerable to theifs who slice bags according to the stories i've heard.

i'd advise anyone going traveling for a year to bring a 55L bag. All you need is about 2-3 sets of clothes on departure and pick up cheap clothes along the way. just wash everything or discard when finished with and pick up new stuff. buying clothes that the locals wear also makes you look less affluent than if you brought expensive looking clothes from here. and believe me thats a look you want to go for if you will be spending time in central or south america.

mrDuke

im doing exact same thing, bought this really cool backpack, its called galazy and has a smaller bag attached to it that you can sdisconenct for a day bag, really coolq

Maggie Moo

Hiya All,

Planning a trip around the world, Need advise desperately on a backpack, went looking at a couple and their are so many i dont know what to go for! Is their much of a differance between Men and Womens Rucksacks? Was looking at one called the Highlander TX1 55 + 15 can anyone give advice if this is good bad standard???

Thank so much :-):D

Neamhshuntasach

Maybe there's a place for them to put their purse and GHD or something.

Nah just kidding. It's to do with the shape of their bodies. Women have narrow shoulders and smaller torsos and more defined hips than men. So it's to do with how the pack is shaped to suit their smaller frames.

I've read a fair bit about backpacks lately because i'll need a new one soon enough myself. While i haven't settled on a particular brand or model what i have learned is that you really shouldn't settle on a particular brand or model. You should go in and try as many backpacks on as you can and ask them to put weights in it. it's all about how comfortable it feels on your back.

from experience i wouldn't go too big either. 55 + 10 or 55 + 15 is grand. Any bigger and i think you will regret it. you just give yourself more space to throw crap in to. Also get one that zips right down the sides rather than a toploading one. Because you know the thing you'll be looking for at borders or when you're in a hurry will be buried on the bottom and you'll have to go through everything.

steo123

highlander are top notch bags!go for decision made

enjoy ur trip:eek:

dory

Smaller the better! And I wholeheartedly agree with the getting one that zips the whole way down thing.

tywy

Maggie Moo wrote: »

Hiya All,

Planning a trip around the world, Need advise desperately on a backpack, went looking at a couple and their are so many i dont know what to go for! Is their much of a differance between Men and Womens Rucksacks? Was looking at one called the Highlander TX1 55 + 15 can anyone give advice if this is good bad standard???

Thank so much :-):D

Boyfriend has one and loves it, go for it! I hope you're buying in Rambler's Way.

Maggie Moo

I saw it their first alright, but im have been checking the net and i can get it much cheaper on the net thanks for the advice.

denismulcahy

Maggie Moo wrote: »

I saw it their first alright, but im have been checking the net and i can get it much cheaper on the net thanks for the advice.

Hi Maggie,

I have heard mixed reports on the Highlander Tx1 70L.

I see you can pick them up on the net for £40 thats preety good

Ninja_scrotum

Hi Maggie,

I have heard mixed reports on the Highlander Tx1 70L.

I see you can pick them up on the net for £40 thats preety good

70litre is way too big.

45-55 would do just fine.

YOu should also check the bootsnall.com travel forum for backpack advice.

mac123

i got a 45l and its the perfect size and its comfortable. i had a 65l before but the 45l is much better, it is a bergauss from millets but i got a 30% discount from a friend who works their. think it cost €75 without. i definately wouldnt go for a 70l, you dont wanna be carrying that around...trust me!

Keano1

Hi All,

Was looking at this one myself (Highlander TX1 55 + 15)has anyone bought one and if so would you reccommend to buy 1 ?

Cheers

Glowing

I wholeheartedly recommend the ladies Deuter 55+10. I bought mine in the Great Outdoors a couple of years ago. I've taken it around the world twice and it's still strong as ever. Not even a scuff.

http://www.deuterusa.com/products/productDetail.php?packID=quantum55&sub=travel&tert=travel

The handiest thing about it was the rain cover which turns into a nifty travel bag which you can lock - and it protects the bag when being thrown into an airplane hold, or the roof of a bus.

My boyfriend has since bought a mens Deuter bag, and has also loved it.

joeyjoeie

I'm heading away very soon back packing and just looking to see what peoples views are on what backpacks are the best????

dogmatix

Good brands - Lowe Alpine, Berghaus, North Face.
Gelert if you are on a budget.
Avoid Regetta.

Meathlass

For security the least amount of pockets is a good idea. Some backpacks can be opened out like a suitcase which makes packing and finding things so much easier. Get one with a dust cover so it won't get destroyed on buses.

ro1798

i have the "north face galileo" L4600, it is the best backpack i have used and dont think i will ever need another, cost me a more than i could afford, but after the cheap 50 euro ****e i had to endure around europe it was money well spent...

try to get the best you can afford and add 100 on to that... then you have a pack for life..

ronan

junior_apollo

dogmatix wrote: »

Good brands - Lowe Alpine, Berghaus, North Face.
Gelert if you are on a budget.
Avoid Regetta.

Personally never had a problem with Regetta gear..
I have a Berghaus and a LAlpine but also have a Regetta Survivor rucksack, (and have had numerous other packs, and bits and bobs) and wouldnt trade it for the world... took me around Oz, Korea, Japan, and parts of Europe.. still going strong and cost me half nothing...
Do quite a bit of hiking etc as a scout leader and would always recommend regetta as a base to start from.

But do agree deff go for a proper brand name and although they are expensive they more than make up for it...

The-Baron

Hey all,

I'm travelling around Asia/America for 3 months and was hoping to pack pretty lightly.
Can anyone recommend a decent schoolbag or slightly larger sized backpack that won't fall to bits while im travelling? Im just gonna stuff it full of travel cubes then dump them wherever I stay the travel around with it.
The only decent backpacks I can really find are laptop ones and having one myself it can't really hold much stuff what with all the padding.

Thanks in advance for the help!

biko

Haglöf

ebay

The-Baron

biko wrote: »

Haglöf

ebay

I just bid on that ebay auction one you linked to, looked grand.
Cheers

The-Baron

And I won it. Sweet!

Thanks again

spinandscribble

this is my problem too, im packing real light but want space to bring back stuff for myself and family/friends (not huge things, just bits and bobs). should i just post a few things i cant fit in my bag back home OR buy one of those bigger backpacking bags?

biko

The-Baron wrote: »

I just bid on that ebay auction one you linked to, looked grand.
Cheers

Ta failte romhat