choosing a backpack is a big decision when you’re going to be living out of it for weeks at a time and carrying it around wherever you go. a good backpack is an investment and usually has a price tag to prove it, so you want to ensure that you pick the right one for your needs.
it should be noted that there are different kinds of backpacking, and backpacking europe in the way that we did [staying in hostels all over the cities of europe] is much different than backpacking in the wilderness, camping outside, making your own food, etc. “roughing it” wild-style would likely require a backpack with different attributes than one used for backpacking in urban areas and staying in hostels [for example, it might include straps for latching on a sleeping bag] – although you might be able to use them interchangeably. i don’t know a lot about choosing a backpack for wilderness backpacking, so this guide for choosing a backpack is designed specifically for travelers who are wanting to travel from city to city but are staying in hostels or hotels and just wish to pack lighter and avoid dragging around a suitcase or roller bag.
the first thing to do if you’re shopping for a backpack is to check out this site and this one – they really helped give us an idea of what to look for. for christmas last year, i had given mike some money to go towards a backpack for a trip, so i also made him this handy little one-page guide for picking out a backpack, sort of for fun but also for practical purposes, based on the research i’d done:
we really wanted front-loading [a.k.a. panel-loading] backpacks, which open more like a suitcase rather than opening at the top because they stay so much more organized and are easy to get into. you definitely want a sturdy internal frame, not an external frame [do they even make those anymore??], and it’s nice if there are some outside pockets. well-padded straps and a padded hip belt are important – the hip belt, when adjusted correctly, is a lifesaver when you’re having to carry it for long periods of time and it starts getting heavy, because it takes the strain off your back. it’s also ideal if the backpack has ventilation [trust me, it can get hot], and make sure that it has holes on the zippers big enough to slip a lock through.
the best thing to do is to go to a place like R.E.I [where mike and i both got our backpacks] and plan on spending some time trying on lots of different packs. the salespeople are generally very knowledgeable, and they have sandbags and other space-fillers to put in the backpacks so you can see how they feel when they’re full.
comfort, capacity, and convenience are probably the three most important things to consider when selecting a backpack. comfort is KEY – i can’t stress this enough. even when it feels fine in the store, you’re inevitably going to get tired of having it on your back at some point, so if it doesn’t feel fine at the store, don’t buy it or you will be miserable.
capacity is something to think about too. backpacks come in a variety of different sizes – we wanted something in the 35-50 L range and both ended up getting something close to 50 L. i wouldn’t recommend going over 60 L, as it could be a bit unmanageable and you’re likely to either have a ridiculously heavy pack or wasted space. it’s also important to take note of how heavy the backpack is when empty – i would definitely choose a lighter one over a heavier one when empty, if possible.
the last thing to look at is convenience – what special features does your backpack have that you can utilize? mike got a backpack with a zip-off day pack [a little mini backpack] that he carried around while we were out and about. this would have been pointless for me to have since i carried around my camera back and wouldn’t have wanted something additional, but it was perfect for mike. my backpack had these “wings” that clipped in front – they compressed the pack and protected it. i didn’t really understand the purpose of them at first, but as the trip went on, i was glad to have them because i did feel like they made my bag more compact and secured it from pickpockets, and they also padded the stuff in my bag when i set it down. when you go shopping, make sure to ask the salesperson what the features of the backpacks are that you try, because sometimes they can be the deciding factors in picking one out.
here’s what mike and i ended up with:
{my backpack.}
{i believe this is the one mike has…in black, sans flower. ;) haha.}
we loved our backpacks and really thought they were the perfect packs for us. as you probably noticed in the pictures, mike’s was a bit larger/taller, and mine was more short and fat. we both were able to fit what we wanted in them. most importantly, we could carry them on the flights, which is what we wanted to be sure we could do. mike got asked to put his in the carry-on “tester” on one or two of the flights to see if it would fit, but it did, and they never even asked about mine. carrying on really important to us because we didn’t want to have to deal with lost luggage as we were traveling around. thankfully, we had no problems fitting them in the overhead compartments, but it’s something to think about when you’re choosing your pack.
i hope this provides a starting point if you’re shopping for a backpack for europe. next up, packing! :)