No. I bought some highly rated no-name backpack on Amazon for $45 and it's lasted me multiple international trips with absolutely zero problems. I've even gotten compliments on it from people who had expensive bags. Just read the reviews and don't get one that looks like the backpack equivalent of an Indian scammer's YouTube channel.
I just checked and apparently the exact bag isn't made anymore, but the brand is "Tzowla" and it looks like their other bags get good reviews. I would just go on Amazon, search for "backpack", set the filter to 4 stars and up, set the price max to $50, and just sit there filtering through them for a while. That's basically my process for everything on there and I've never bought something that wasn't as good or better than I expected.
>i HAVE to consooom what other people have because I LITERALLY cannot think for myself
shouldn't you be watching the latest Disney star wars show right now
This, I got a $15 trolley from my parents nearly 20(!) years ago. Some cheap Chinese soft-shell one. $15 wasn't a lot of money even back then. I thought it was ugly af, but in the first years I couldn't throw it away as I was still living with my parents (and they would've killed me). I constantly plan on throwing it away since, but the only problem it has is a 2cm cut along 1 corner. It has been everywhere, it has seen all sorts of seasons, gravel paths etc. I get compliments on it from people with Rimowa and other expensive bags. I still don't know if they're all joking, cause I still think my trolley looks ugly af.
By now I just want to see when it finally starts to fall apart. Every time I get it checked in I'm half rooting for it to be destroyed, but no, it appears on the baggage belt just fine.
It's one of those transformer trolleys that can be worn as a backpack. Or carried as a shoulder bag. I went on a google hunt recently, and I haven't found anything similar.
“Worth it” is highly subjective, but I think it is if it has all of the features you want it might be. Budget plays a bigger role though. A $200 bag is always going to be more “worth it” to someone who makes $150k/year than it is to someone trying to travel on a $25k salary. Do you like it? Does it fit within your budget? If yes and yes, then it’s worth it.
If you’re just asking whether a $200 backpack is better than the $35 BezosBrand special, it depends on the backpack, but yes.
Agreed with this guy
Obviously a $200+ bag is going to be better than a $50 bag. The materials will be nicer. The design will be better. It will be more enjoyable to use and look more attractive.
Is this worth it? That depends if you can afford it. If the money means nothing to you there's no reason you shouldn't buy nice things.
Osprey packs go on sale for 50 percent on Amazon all the time. I bought one of those $200Osprey Porter packs for $70 on black friday. It's pretty fricking great.
Ive got a 48L Osprey Kestrel that I use for short backpacking trips but never taken it on a flight. Anyone know whether I'll be able to take it on carry on? I wouldn't pack it full, and you can strap it down pretty tight to make it smaller but I guess the frame is the deciding factor here.
because you have the fricking bag and you can look up the airline carry on max dimensions online. It'd be easiest for you to fricking determine whether it'd work, so why are you asking someone else to do the work for you, especially when they dont give a frick as much as you do
I brought a similar bag as carryon, was about two thirds filled.
The frame was slightly above the limits, but nobody cared because I was able to squeeze it into the overhead as opposed to all the suitcases on the same flight.
I got an Osprey Farpoint Trek 55L on sale which gave me plenty of room for a 3 month Eurotrip in the winter where I also packed shit I didn't actually need.
It's fantastic. I would never spend $200 on a backpack but if it's on sale then go for it.
I never tried to check it in though because it was too big according to airline measurements. However, I think I could've gotten away with it.
Nope, thanks to similar threads on SighSee I'm apart of the duffle bag master race. Way more convenient and compresses under the seat or into the other luggage if not needed. You can even find some with backpack straps.
one with backpack straps might be cool. I did that last trip with just a strap and it was uncomfortable to carry with the weight distribution and left a sore mark on my neck
I bought the Aer Travel Pack 3, could I have spent less? Yes probably, but I like this one, it's well built and i dont see it breaking any time in the next 100 years (buy it for lifetime)
OP all of the people in this thread are recommending backpacking bags.
These are NOT good for travel. They are large and unwieldy, far better for camping and storing fluffy shit like sleeping bags and sleeping pads, than they are for travelling.
A good travel backpack is durable, has sufficient space to store your laptop, jacket, chargers, water bottle, etc for like a DAY at most.
I highly recommend you check out Belroy for high end travel backpacks. I have the belroy shift and it's fantastic (and discontinued I believe)
if it's got an easy top loading mechanism and isnt a stuffpack like he described it's fine. though i still prefer just zippers. but I agree with that anon that a backpack duffle onebag thing should only be done if you really really have to, a smaller <30L proper backpack with good organization is just gonna be easier to use than a big full open duffle backpack and then just carry a small carryon or regular duffle bag for your clothing and toiletries etc.
>what do you use?
Aer SF Travel Pack 3 + the cheapest soft shell carry on spinner I can find. Bag for electronics and important belongings, change of clothes for 2 days, spinner for shoes and actual good clothes, suits, etc. so that I have stuff that's not wrinkled and lets me dress well anywhere I go.
>decent o
If you like to have some sort of refrigerator on your back and pose like a slave drone it will be a good choice. But i would prefer an Apollo program EVA supply unit because it's equal bulky but way more stylish.
>What do you use?
Have a $10 backpack from a well-known company (didn't know the brand when i bought) on a market in Ha-Noi and a $500 Samsonite from a shop over here (not know either - see next). Both are fantastic for their duties, are older than 15 years now and in pretty good condition.
But i know where to look for. Eg. i give a shit on the brand and look how it's made, how it's sewed and if it has soul (which means in this case the manufacturer did any effort to make it perfect).
Got this (kid size) backpack in japan, they were having a 30% sale and duty free so it was aight. has gotten a lot of questions and compliments. model NMJ82255.
enough for a couple athletic shirts, pants, underwear, and thin socks without being too full. Will probably take it as my primary on my next japan trip
It depends on your disposable income. I have the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 and it's a very well made backpack that's built to last. It's $243 tho.
If you use it a lot then it's not a bad investment. If not, just go with a decent $50-75 backpack. Like with everything, if you go too cheap you'll end up having to replace it and spend more in the long run. Is my backpack nice? Yes. Is it 5 times better than a $50 backpack? No.
how long do you go with a 25 liter? I'm going to go for 4-5 months, but I dont really need much outside of maybe 4 pairs of pants and 5-8 shirts if I can find laundry
Max I've done is a month, but I'd have a similar loadout if I went for several months. I don't bring a laptop.
I wear pants, a t-shirt, and a thin jacket on the plane. In my backpack my typical loadout is 5-6 t-shirts (I usually buy another t-shirt on the trip as a souvenir), 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of gym shorts, 8 underwear, 16 pairs of socks (I get sweaty feet), and an extra thin jacket. I still have room for food and small souvenirs. I do laundry about once a week. Sometimes twice a week if it's convenient.
It depends on your disposable income. I have the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 and it's a very well made backpack that's built to last. It's $243 tho.
If you use it a lot then it's not a bad investment. If not, just go with a decent $50-75 backpack. Like with everything, if you go too cheap you'll end up having to replace it and spend more in the long run. Is my backpack nice? Yes. Is it 5 times better than a $50 backpack? No.
do you have a different bag for your laptop and tech?
No. I don't bring a laptop. My tech is basic, phone, charger, power bank, bluetooth earbuds, and sometimes an e-reader.
If you're interested in that backpack specifically and want to put your laptop against your back then they sell multiple laptop sleeves for various sized laptops, kinda over priced tho. You can also just use any generic laptop sleeve to add additional protection.
You can also just put it in the front sleeve of the main pocket and cushion it against your clothes. I don't like having a bunch of sleeves and bags inside of bags. It's a waste of space/weight.
If you have a laptop that supports USB-C charging then you can get an aftermarket compact multi-port GaN charger to save space/weight.
I honestly think tom bihn bags look like shit
but I'll order one and test it out
it looks significantly more ugly than bellroy bags and I doubt that guy uses as durable or waterproof of fabrics as bellroy does. the general design of the bag doesn't lend itself well to rainproofing, with so many zippered pockets
but I'll test it out
7 months ago
Anonymous
I agree I think the tom bihn bags are super ugly for the price. The AER travel pack has an X pac version that's made of waterproof material and has waterproof zippers. I read that they go on sale on Black Friday, so im hoping that's true and ill snag one up
For me, the AER Travel Pack 3 Small is the perfect travel bag. It has everything I was looking for and can fit under the seat when needed. I use it mainly for domestic business travel, but also have traveled internationally with it as my only bag. It fits everything you truly need and offers plenty of pockets for organization. If you don't need to fit it under the seat, the regular size version would probably be ideal for longer term travel.
I might just buy both of them and see how each one fits what I want to bring then return the one that's too small or too big. I didnt feel like the osprey was all that unwieldy, so dont think the large 35 liter AER will be bad. What other backpacks have you tried? I feel like its pretty much the perfect bag with the features I want but dont want to feel like I have to baby it because of the price and my autism
7 months ago
Anonymous
also why would you need it to fit under the seat? I figure you could just keep like a little tech/plane pack inside of the larger bag and keep that in the little pocket on the seat in front of you on the plane
I own several other bags and while each of them functions well for their specified purposes, but I like the aesthetic, size, and functionality of the Aer best. What really sealed the deal was the luggage loop. But my requirements are not yours, so just consider all elements you really care about. I looked at nearly every well known bag out there, including go ruck, peak design, and minnal.
I want to be able to fit it under my seat or smaller overhead bins when flying with smaller regional carriers. I never want to waste time checking a bag or risk the airline losing it. It also works well when I need to bring a suitcase, which I can put in the overhead and then put my backpack under the seat. These are edge cases, I usually put my backpack in the above bin as it is my only bag, giving me more leg room.
7 months ago
Anonymous
Do you think the regular travel pack might not be accepted as carry on in some airlines?
I was gonna bring my laptop but I think it may just be an extra thing to worry about. I was thinking about getting a kindle scribe as a cheap way to read big textbook like books and comics but dont know if it'd be too big for just reading books
Thinking about getting the AER travel pack. Was going to go for a 25-30 liter backpack, but I tried the 40 liter osprey fairpoint and it was way smaller than I expected. Thought I didnt want the hip straps because you look like a homosexual, but its insane how much they take the load off your back. The load lifters on the straps seem like a must too. I didn't like the shitty outer pocket that was always open and only securable with the straps. The AER seems a bit sleeker and less bulky and it has a nice admin compartment, a padded laptop sleeve, and outer sleeves for easy passport access. I also like that the hip strap is detachable. Anything that has all of that that is cheaper? Was thinking about getting a 5.11 tactical backpack, but feel like it might be weird if I want to go in the Middle East or wherever. I also dont know how bad wearing a backpack be in hot humid climates
For me, the AER Travel Pack 3 Small is the perfect travel bag. It has everything I was looking for and can fit under the seat when needed. I use it mainly for domestic business travel, but also have traveled internationally with it as my only bag. It fits everything you truly need and offers plenty of pockets for organization. If you don't need to fit it under the seat, the regular size version would probably be ideal for longer term travel.
also why would you need it to fit under the seat? I figure you could just keep like a little tech/plane pack inside of the larger bag and keep that in the little pocket on the seat in front of you on the plane
I usually just take roller-luggage on longer trips. When I was younger and actually "backpacked," I had a 35L or 40L bag from Field & Stream that I'd bought for about $60. It wasn't perfect, but it held together for quite a long time.
Nowadays, if and when I do bring a backpack for my electronics and my clothes, I'll usually just stuff everything into--again--a 35L or 40L school backpack.
IMO you don't need anything expensive or heavy-duty unless you're ACTUALLY backpacking, meaning you're hauling your shit through a forest or the jungle or the mountains. If you're at the point where you're going to drop hundreds on a bag just to move from one hostel to the next, you may as well just get luggage with fricking wheels.
Depends on how you like to travel.
I bought an Osprey Farpoint (biggest pack that still fits within carry on limits on most airlines) and used it for mountain climbs and for weekend trips and it's extremely convenient even if it doesn't really have a proper pouch for a water bottle. It's also nice to have over a suitcase cause frick paying for checked baggage and then waiting forever for your luggage to come when I can just get off the plane and go to wherever I need to go.
But if you mostly do week-long trips and not any extensive backpacking/hitchhiking you can probably get by with a 35L inexpensive pack as long as you don't buy Made in China cheap trash. Try to spend at least $150 if you can from a good manufacturer.
I bought the farpoint recently and I'm pretty happy with it. Using it on its first trip rn. With some packing cubes it's made staying neat and organized easier than it's ever been before. Plus the daypack is a very nice touch. Been using it a lot.
Most travel gear is expensive junk, it's not even about the cost this shit is genuinely less useful than the generic equivalent.
Do you need full hiking back support? Well how heavy is your bag, how fit are you, are you actually hiking?
Do you need an ultralight pack or are you more likely to damage your bag?
Do you need compartments or will that just reduce the usable space in your pack?
Don't think I'm being pejorative here, some people genuinely need or benefit from all these things, but think serious about if YOU need them. Forget about what everyone else needs.
if you are just using a suitcase you at least need a sling or tech bag for holding your stuff that you use while flying/on train etc. personally I double use my backpack for travel, college and commuting so it's kinda a jack of all trades. but I never onebag it so it doesn't have to exceed 30 L
They're almost always worth it if you plan on hauling a lot of stuff in 40L+ bag and don't mind checking it. A thick 800-1680D nylon is simply gonna hold up much better than some thin polyester bag when being thrown around by airport personnel. The organization and clam shell opening just makes travelling so much more pleasant than a top loaded bag and they're so much easier to transport than suitcases.
It gets a little bit more cloudy with carry-on bags under 35L though. Because international flights usually only allow 7 kgs and some of these bags in order to be worth their price in the mind of the low IQ consumer and bag reviewer, are so over-engineered with hip belts and padding and a ton of pockets that you don't need and only eats up both space and weight. So when all is said and done you could be stuck with an expensive bag that weighs close to or over 2kgs and comes with a hip belt etc, which is stupid when you're only carrying 7 kgs, and those extra 600-700 grams you lose compared to a cheaper polyester bag or a thinner nylon bag just isn't worth it because that's like an extra set of clothes. It all adds up quick when you've only got 7 kgs to work with.
There are some good carry-on bags though. Just as an example Thule Aion gives you 40L capacity in a 35L foot print because it's just one big space with a few pockets. It's polyester but P600 and vaxed so strong enough and water resistant. And only weighs 1.45 kg which is passable.
Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L is also a good example because it's space and weight efficient and expands to 33L on an even smaller footprint than the Thule. Also has tuckable shoulder straps which is a god send on public transportation.
Most Aer bags would be bad examples. They weigh a frickton but offer very little usable space.
It all depends on what type of travelling you're doing though.
The simplest observation is that money doesn't necessarily get you anything, you just paid too much for your bag.
The second observation is that little has changed over the years. Maybe back padding is better ventilated, maybe you can get better kevlar edging. Usually you can buy an old quality bag for like $30 from an old person who's just happy for someone to have it. Passing the torch and all that. Remember you can buy waterprpofing spray for like $10 to rewaterproof a bag. Make sure you get the right spray for the material of your bag
The third observation is that expensive gear can work against you, because it makes you look rich. It can also give away which country you're from etc.
A school bag and a day pack are the same thing. The day pack is a meme. I used a laundry sack from a hotel as a day pack for two years, it was also my laundry bag.
You might also get a waterproof roll up type bag, but the point here is that we're talking $30.
Full size pack? 75L? You want an internal frame, needs a front cover to protect straps in transit. Water cover can be seperate, clam shell preferable, single or double compartment doesn't really matter with clam shell but I'd go double.
No. I bought some highly rated no-name backpack on Amazon for $45 and it's lasted me multiple international trips with absolutely zero problems. I've even gotten compliments on it from people who had expensive bags. Just read the reviews and don't get one that looks like the backpack equivalent of an Indian scammer's YouTube channel.
what backpack?
I just checked and apparently the exact bag isn't made anymore, but the brand is "Tzowla" and it looks like their other bags get good reviews. I would just go on Amazon, search for "backpack", set the filter to 4 stars and up, set the price max to $50, and just sit there filtering through them for a while. That's basically my process for everything on there and I've never bought something that wasn't as good or better than I expected.
>i HAVE to consooom what other people have because I LITERALLY cannot think for myself
shouldn't you be watching the latest Disney star wars show right now
This, I got a $15 trolley from my parents nearly 20(!) years ago. Some cheap Chinese soft-shell one. $15 wasn't a lot of money even back then. I thought it was ugly af, but in the first years I couldn't throw it away as I was still living with my parents (and they would've killed me). I constantly plan on throwing it away since, but the only problem it has is a 2cm cut along 1 corner. It has been everywhere, it has seen all sorts of seasons, gravel paths etc. I get compliments on it from people with Rimowa and other expensive bags. I still don't know if they're all joking, cause I still think my trolley looks ugly af.
By now I just want to see when it finally starts to fall apart. Every time I get it checked in I'm half rooting for it to be destroyed, but no, it appears on the baggage belt just fine.
It's one of those transformer trolleys that can be worn as a backpack. Or carried as a shoulder bag. I went on a google hunt recently, and I haven't found anything similar.
No, but I bought one anyways.
Same. There is also no need to buy $300+ Yeti coolers but I have four of them
“Worth it” is highly subjective, but I think it is if it has all of the features you want it might be. Budget plays a bigger role though. A $200 bag is always going to be more “worth it” to someone who makes $150k/year than it is to someone trying to travel on a $25k salary. Do you like it? Does it fit within your budget? If yes and yes, then it’s worth it.
If you’re just asking whether a $200 backpack is better than the $35 BezosBrand special, it depends on the backpack, but yes.
Agreed with this guy
Obviously a $200+ bag is going to be better than a $50 bag. The materials will be nicer. The design will be better. It will be more enjoyable to use and look more attractive.
Is this worth it? That depends if you can afford it. If the money means nothing to you there's no reason you shouldn't buy nice things.
Osprey packs go on sale for 50 percent on Amazon all the time. I bought one of those $200Osprey Porter packs for $70 on black friday. It's pretty fricking great.
Ive got a 48L Osprey Kestrel that I use for short backpacking trips but never taken it on a flight. Anyone know whether I'll be able to take it on carry on? I wouldn't pack it full, and you can strap it down pretty tight to make it smaller but I guess the frame is the deciding factor here.
You have the bag. You can look up the max dimensions of a carry on. Frickface
edgy
That's not edgy you're just a lazy fricking moron
what's your fricking problem
moron fatigue.
because you have the fricking bag and you can look up the airline carry on max dimensions online. It'd be easiest for you to fricking determine whether it'd work, so why are you asking someone else to do the work for you, especially when they dont give a frick as much as you do
I brought a similar bag as carryon, was about two thirds filled.
The frame was slightly above the limits, but nobody cared because I was able to squeeze it into the overhead as opposed to all the suitcases on the same flight.
just returned my Osprey for an Amazon Basics, thanks thread
I got an Osprey Farpoint Trek 55L on sale which gave me plenty of room for a 3 month Eurotrip in the winter where I also packed shit I didn't actually need.
It's fantastic. I would never spend $200 on a backpack but if it's on sale then go for it.
I never tried to check it in though because it was too big according to airline measurements. However, I think I could've gotten away with it.
Nope, thanks to similar threads on SighSee I'm apart of the duffle bag master race. Way more convenient and compresses under the seat or into the other luggage if not needed. You can even find some with backpack straps.
one with backpack straps might be cool. I did that last trip with just a strap and it was uncomfortable to carry with the weight distribution and left a sore mark on my neck
I bought the Aer Travel Pack 3, could I have spent less? Yes probably, but I like this one, it's well built and i dont see it breaking any time in the next 100 years (buy it for lifetime)
OP all of the people in this thread are recommending backpacking bags.
These are NOT good for travel. They are large and unwieldy, far better for camping and storing fluffy shit like sleeping bags and sleeping pads, than they are for travelling.
A good travel backpack is durable, has sufficient space to store your laptop, jacket, chargers, water bottle, etc for like a DAY at most.
I highly recommend you check out Belroy for high end travel backpacks. I have the belroy shift and it's fantastic (and discontinued I believe)
what do you mean for a day at most? a backpack that is only top loading seems like too much of a pain in the ass to get anything out of it
if it's got an easy top loading mechanism and isnt a stuffpack like he described it's fine. though i still prefer just zippers. but I agree with that anon that a backpack duffle onebag thing should only be done if you really really have to, a smaller <30L proper backpack with good organization is just gonna be easier to use than a big full open duffle backpack and then just carry a small carryon or regular duffle bag for your clothing and toiletries etc.
>what do you mean for a day at most
simply that you aren't trying to stuff a sleeping bag, food, and camping gear into it.
>what do you use?
Aer SF Travel Pack 3 + the cheapest soft shell carry on spinner I can find. Bag for electronics and important belongings, change of clothes for 2 days, spinner for shoes and actual good clothes, suits, etc. so that I have stuff that's not wrinkled and lets me dress well anywhere I go.
I'm thinking about buying a pakt v2 45 liter
Is it decent or nah?
>decent o
If you like to have some sort of refrigerator on your back and pose like a slave drone it will be a good choice. But i would prefer an Apollo program EVA supply unit because it's equal bulky but way more stylish.
bought a mountaintop bag 65l for like 45 dollars 6 years ago on Amazon. been thru 40 countries with it
osprey is overpriced
Bumping this thread for input from other travelnons
>What do you use?
Have a $10 backpack from a well-known company (didn't know the brand when i bought) on a market in Ha-Noi and a $500 Samsonite from a shop over here (not know either - see next). Both are fantastic for their duties, are older than 15 years now and in pretty good condition.
But i know where to look for. Eg. i give a shit on the brand and look how it's made, how it's sewed and if it has soul (which means in this case the manufacturer did any effort to make it perfect).
Got this (kid size) backpack in japan, they were having a 30% sale and duty free so it was aight. has gotten a lot of questions and compliments. model NMJ82255.
enough for a couple athletic shirts, pants, underwear, and thin socks without being too full. Will probably take it as my primary on my next japan trip
It depends on your disposable income. I have the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 and it's a very well made backpack that's built to last. It's $243 tho.
If you use it a lot then it's not a bad investment. If not, just go with a decent $50-75 backpack. Like with everything, if you go too cheap you'll end up having to replace it and spend more in the long run. Is my backpack nice? Yes. Is it 5 times better than a $50 backpack? No.
how long do you go with a 25 liter? I'm going to go for 4-5 months, but I dont really need much outside of maybe 4 pairs of pants and 5-8 shirts if I can find laundry
Max I've done is a month, but I'd have a similar loadout if I went for several months. I don't bring a laptop.
I wear pants, a t-shirt, and a thin jacket on the plane. In my backpack my typical loadout is 5-6 t-shirts (I usually buy another t-shirt on the trip as a souvenir), 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of gym shorts, 8 underwear, 16 pairs of socks (I get sweaty feet), and an extra thin jacket. I still have room for food and small souvenirs. I do laundry about once a week. Sometimes twice a week if it's convenient.
do you have a different bag for your laptop and tech?
No. I don't bring a laptop. My tech is basic, phone, charger, power bank, bluetooth earbuds, and sometimes an e-reader.
If you're interested in that backpack specifically and want to put your laptop against your back then they sell multiple laptop sleeves for various sized laptops, kinda over priced tho. You can also just use any generic laptop sleeve to add additional protection.
You can also just put it in the front sleeve of the main pocket and cushion it against your clothes. I don't like having a bunch of sleeves and bags inside of bags. It's a waste of space/weight.
If you have a laptop that supports USB-C charging then you can get an aftermarket compact multi-port GaN charger to save space/weight.
I honestly think tom bihn bags look like shit
but I'll order one and test it out
it looks significantly more ugly than bellroy bags and I doubt that guy uses as durable or waterproof of fabrics as bellroy does. the general design of the bag doesn't lend itself well to rainproofing, with so many zippered pockets
but I'll test it out
I agree I think the tom bihn bags are super ugly for the price. The AER travel pack has an X pac version that's made of waterproof material and has waterproof zippers. I read that they go on sale on Black Friday, so im hoping that's true and ill snag one up
I might just buy both of them and see how each one fits what I want to bring then return the one that's too small or too big. I didnt feel like the osprey was all that unwieldy, so dont think the large 35 liter AER will be bad. What other backpacks have you tried? I feel like its pretty much the perfect bag with the features I want but dont want to feel like I have to baby it because of the price and my autism
I own several other bags and while each of them functions well for their specified purposes, but I like the aesthetic, size, and functionality of the Aer best. What really sealed the deal was the luggage loop. But my requirements are not yours, so just consider all elements you really care about. I looked at nearly every well known bag out there, including go ruck, peak design, and minnal.
I want to be able to fit it under my seat or smaller overhead bins when flying with smaller regional carriers. I never want to waste time checking a bag or risk the airline losing it. It also works well when I need to bring a suitcase, which I can put in the overhead and then put my backpack under the seat. These are edge cases, I usually put my backpack in the above bin as it is my only bag, giving me more leg room.
Do you think the regular travel pack might not be accepted as carry on in some airlines?
I was gonna bring my laptop but I think it may just be an extra thing to worry about. I was thinking about getting a kindle scribe as a cheap way to read big textbook like books and comics but dont know if it'd be too big for just reading books
Thinking about getting the AER travel pack. Was going to go for a 25-30 liter backpack, but I tried the 40 liter osprey fairpoint and it was way smaller than I expected. Thought I didnt want the hip straps because you look like a homosexual, but its insane how much they take the load off your back. The load lifters on the straps seem like a must too. I didn't like the shitty outer pocket that was always open and only securable with the straps. The AER seems a bit sleeker and less bulky and it has a nice admin compartment, a padded laptop sleeve, and outer sleeves for easy passport access. I also like that the hip strap is detachable. Anything that has all of that that is cheaper? Was thinking about getting a 5.11 tactical backpack, but feel like it might be weird if I want to go in the Middle East or wherever. I also dont know how bad wearing a backpack be in hot humid climates
For me, the AER Travel Pack 3 Small is the perfect travel bag. It has everything I was looking for and can fit under the seat when needed. I use it mainly for domestic business travel, but also have traveled internationally with it as my only bag. It fits everything you truly need and offers plenty of pockets for organization. If you don't need to fit it under the seat, the regular size version would probably be ideal for longer term travel.
also why would you need it to fit under the seat? I figure you could just keep like a little tech/plane pack inside of the larger bag and keep that in the little pocket on the seat in front of you on the plane
how do you keep your laptop safe in this?
padded sleeve separate from everything else
Yeti makes great backpacks surprisingly. Just look for em on sale.
500 or more or its not worth
Why would it be?
Tote bag it
I usually just take roller-luggage on longer trips. When I was younger and actually "backpacked," I had a 35L or 40L bag from Field & Stream that I'd bought for about $60. It wasn't perfect, but it held together for quite a long time.
Nowadays, if and when I do bring a backpack for my electronics and my clothes, I'll usually just stuff everything into--again--a 35L or 40L school backpack.
IMO you don't need anything expensive or heavy-duty unless you're ACTUALLY backpacking, meaning you're hauling your shit through a forest or the jungle or the mountains. If you're at the point where you're going to drop hundreds on a bag just to move from one hostel to the next, you may as well just get luggage with fricking wheels.
Depends on how you like to travel.
I bought an Osprey Farpoint (biggest pack that still fits within carry on limits on most airlines) and used it for mountain climbs and for weekend trips and it's extremely convenient even if it doesn't really have a proper pouch for a water bottle. It's also nice to have over a suitcase cause frick paying for checked baggage and then waiting forever for your luggage to come when I can just get off the plane and go to wherever I need to go.
But if you mostly do week-long trips and not any extensive backpacking/hitchhiking you can probably get by with a 35L inexpensive pack as long as you don't buy Made in China cheap trash. Try to spend at least $150 if you can from a good manufacturer.
I bought the farpoint recently and I'm pretty happy with it. Using it on its first trip rn. With some packing cubes it's made staying neat and organized easier than it's ever been before. Plus the daypack is a very nice touch. Been using it a lot.
i wanted to get an osprey but wh*te women ruined it. so now I have a vaude
Most travel gear is expensive junk, it's not even about the cost this shit is genuinely less useful than the generic equivalent.
Do you need full hiking back support? Well how heavy is your bag, how fit are you, are you actually hiking?
Do you need an ultralight pack or are you more likely to damage your bag?
Do you need compartments or will that just reduce the usable space in your pack?
Don't think I'm being pejorative here, some people genuinely need or benefit from all these things, but think serious about if YOU need them. Forget about what everyone else needs.
if you dont use a suitcase i guess
i have a $200 huge travel backpack but it's only for moving between rooms and planes
was also 50% off during covid so
it's a lululemon bag hella fashionable, not advising to look redard
?
if you are just using a suitcase you at least need a sling or tech bag for holding your stuff that you use while flying/on train etc. personally I double use my backpack for travel, college and commuting so it's kinda a jack of all trades. but I never onebag it so it doesn't have to exceed 30 L
yes i would say so
They're almost always worth it if you plan on hauling a lot of stuff in 40L+ bag and don't mind checking it. A thick 800-1680D nylon is simply gonna hold up much better than some thin polyester bag when being thrown around by airport personnel. The organization and clam shell opening just makes travelling so much more pleasant than a top loaded bag and they're so much easier to transport than suitcases.
It gets a little bit more cloudy with carry-on bags under 35L though. Because international flights usually only allow 7 kgs and some of these bags in order to be worth their price in the mind of the low IQ consumer and bag reviewer, are so over-engineered with hip belts and padding and a ton of pockets that you don't need and only eats up both space and weight. So when all is said and done you could be stuck with an expensive bag that weighs close to or over 2kgs and comes with a hip belt etc, which is stupid when you're only carrying 7 kgs, and those extra 600-700 grams you lose compared to a cheaper polyester bag or a thinner nylon bag just isn't worth it because that's like an extra set of clothes. It all adds up quick when you've only got 7 kgs to work with.
There are some good carry-on bags though. Just as an example Thule Aion gives you 40L capacity in a 35L foot print because it's just one big space with a few pockets. It's polyester but P600 and vaxed so strong enough and water resistant. And only weighs 1.45 kg which is passable.
Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L is also a good example because it's space and weight efficient and expands to 33L on an even smaller footprint than the Thule. Also has tuckable shoulder straps which is a god send on public transportation.
Most Aer bags would be bad examples. They weigh a frickton but offer very little usable space.
It all depends on what type of travelling you're doing though.
The simplest observation is that money doesn't necessarily get you anything, you just paid too much for your bag.
The second observation is that little has changed over the years. Maybe back padding is better ventilated, maybe you can get better kevlar edging. Usually you can buy an old quality bag for like $30 from an old person who's just happy for someone to have it. Passing the torch and all that. Remember you can buy waterprpofing spray for like $10 to rewaterproof a bag. Make sure you get the right spray for the material of your bag
The third observation is that expensive gear can work against you, because it makes you look rich. It can also give away which country you're from etc.
A school bag and a day pack are the same thing. The day pack is a meme. I used a laundry sack from a hotel as a day pack for two years, it was also my laundry bag.
You might also get a waterproof roll up type bag, but the point here is that we're talking $30.
Full size pack? 75L? You want an internal frame, needs a front cover to protect straps in transit. Water cover can be seperate, clam shell preferable, single or double compartment doesn't really matter with clam shell but I'd go double.