Best type of bag for interrailing?

justified

I'm going interrailing for the first time this summer and am wondering what bag would be best.. wheely or rucksack or what?! Any help would be much appreciated from people who have experience of this

Victor

I suspect backpack, as you never know when you are going to be faced with steps / stairs that the wheelycase can't handle. Consider a separate day bag where you can just throw in a few things.

Maybe someone should come up with a hybrid - a backpack with large diameter wheels that don't squeak.

Pack light - while you may not want to wear the same top twice in the one weak, nobody else is really going to notice.

Whitehawk

Its got to be a rucksack, just easyer to move around with...

justified

I'm just slightly worried it will be a total deadweight on my back, I'm not one of those people who packs my whole wardrobe in I would try and be as economical in my packing as possible but still wouldn't want to be hurting my shoulders and back has it been an issue for you if you've experienced this?

Whitehawk

Get a good rusksack, you want one that has side straps and that fits you, when bag is loaded the side straps should put 80% of the weight on your hips you should nearly be able to put ur hand under the sholder straps,
Now after all the weight is on your hips make sure to set up the sholder straps so the lock on to you as well but there so the ag sits nice on your back not to take all the weight.

flash1080

Lots of people seem to use HUGE rucksacks, about 65 litre capacity. I went with one half that size and had some room to spare, could've brought less tbh, it weighed less than 10kg so there were no issues with my back/shoulders.

Whitehawk

Ya max a bag should be is 15kg for confort, mind you i have travled many times with a bag of 25kg on my back, and its all how the rusksack is set up that makes the diff.

flash1080

Whitehawk wrote: »

Ya max a bag should be is 15kg for confort, mind you i have travled many times with a bag of 25kg on my back, and its all how the rusksack is set up that makes the diff.

I didn't so much do it for comfort reasons, I wanted to bring my bag as hand luggage to avoid airline fees on a few flights so that limited the size and weight.

Whitehawk

Ah yes there is allways that to think about overall i think the limit for most as hand luggage is now 7kgs! but not sure the avg on that.

whatsyourquota

I wouldnt say 65 litres is huge, mine is 60 and when I was in Asia it usually weighed less than 10kg and was full. Was at its max coming home and still only 13kg. Clothes dont weigh a lot so its nice to be able to fit a good bit in

mhairesa

Personally I would say a wheely case. Myself and my bf had rucksacks and they were awkward. We said we'd just take a regular case next time. We weren't in any situations where a rucksack was needed and also I found it a pain with clothes as I had to take everything out of the rucksack to find things. For me living out of a suitcase is far easier.

E.E.T

My €0.02:
I was interrailing for 6 weeks last summer.
Myself and my two friends had rucksacks.
I took the time/money to invest in a good one/that suited me...I was perfect/loved it!
My friends got any old ones via a website/aldi...they were sick of their rucksack by the end/always complaining!
We had a friend join us for a week of our trip with a wheelie bag...christ what an awkward thing! We were able whiz up and down stairs/read a map while walking etc..

Civilian_Target

whatsyourquota wrote: »

I wouldnt say 65 litres is huge, mine is 60 and when I was in Asia it usually weighed less than 10kg and was full. Was at its max coming home and still only 13kg. Clothes dont weigh a lot so its nice to be able to fit a good bit in

I would say 65 litres is massive.
Don't get a wheelie bag - even a good one is just going to be a drag. Get a rucksack - it's vital that it sits well on your hips (hip-straps are great) and I would definitely stay under 50 litres. Most of the things you think you need (like a sleeping bag or 3 pairs of shoes) you actually don't need.

dory

It depends on what kind of traveller you are. If you're going to insist on bringing around 65litres (and filling it) then maybe you should bring a wheelie. If you need to have new clothes every few days, also a wheelie. I had a wheelie for a 6 month trip and I swore never again.

But if you think you'll manage to pack light I would go with a well fitting backpack. Just this weekend my hostel in Bulgaria had lots of stairs - couldn't have stayed there with a wheelie.

But as you can see from the differing posts above, it really is a personal thing. You'll just have to guess which might suit you better.