I’m in the market for buying a good backpack, and would like to know what people here think. I’ll be using it for backpacking around Europe as well as hiking and camping in my home state of Alaska. I have a $400 budget, but spending that much isn’t a priority. I’d like something fairly large, as I’ll be living out of it for about a month in Europe. A sturdy pack with places to attach things on the outside, a well-constructed frame, possibly waterproof would be great. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m pretty small, a small or medium when it comes to packs. I realize that the best thing to do would be to go to a store and just try on every pack there until I find something that fits perfectly, but I won’t have time to do that before I’ll need the pack, unfortunately.
You might think about a travel-pack, which aren’t the best for hiking, but they handle being trundled about by professional baggage manglers when travelling by air, which I suspect you might be doing. Straps, zippers/zipper pulls and all that typical with regular packs tend to get caught or ripped on the conveyor belts
Heck, I didn’t even think there was a market for external frame packs anymore. I actually prefer them for carrying heavy loads on more standard, well maintained “groomed” trails, but for any off-trail hiking or rock scrambling, forget it. I suspect an external frame pack would be ill-suited for travelling via air as well. They are stout, but I would be afraid of the frame being broken or bent by being thrown around.
Oh, I thought I mentioned that I’m looking for an internal-frame pack. It’s at lot easier to deal with. And a travel pack definitely is out of the question, not big enough, nor does it have the frame I need. I’ve traveled with my current Kelty pack for 5 years now and have never had anything rip from it, as long as I tuck in all the extra cords it’s good. It’s just getting a bit small, and if I’m going to be living out of a pack for a month, I’d like something bigger, and I’m willing to spend the money on something that will last for years.
There is a new type of pack, one with a ‘bungee cord’ supporting the load. What this seems to do it ‘float’ the load, which means you don’t have to move the load up and down with every step. IIRC it increases the weight you can carry by 20%.
My first thought is that you need different packs if you want one that is good for backpacking and one that is good for travel. I would recommend an Osprey, if you need something for both. The designer is my buddy I backpacked with when we were teenagers. They aren’t cheap, but they feel like a dream and there are sizes to fit different sized people. I believe they are the best designed, most durable packs you can buy. Not just because I know the designer… Ospreys have been voted the best pack you can buy numerous times by consumers and by the mountaineering industry. You should definitely try on a pack before you buy it, anyway.
No backpack should really be considered “waterproof,” partly because of the seams. You need a cover for it while you’re hiking and/or a duffle bag for it when it’s being used as a suitcase. Putting it in a separate bag is especially a good idea if you’re going to check it in airports.
Some people like lots of pockets, but I find, myself, that it’s better to have one large sack so that you can be more flexible about how you load it (you can always sort things into smaller bags or containers inside the big compartment). Another design feature you will need to consider is whether you want a top loader or a side/zip-open loader. There are benefits to each.
Gregory offers the widest range of sizes – if you are of non-standard dimensions (I am 5’2") it is virtually the only company that offers a well fitting pack. I have the Shasta, its a big, no frills pack, it gets the job done for me, and I took it to Europe too!
If you are of average dimensions, you probably have your pick, and Backpackers Magazine reviews this kind of stuff every year.
It used to be common for long distance hikers (hiking the appalachian trail, pacific crest trail, &c) here in the US to drop-ship supplies, equipment and food care of general delivery to post offices along the way, and mailing out equipment no longer needed for that part of the trip. Not sure how well that would work in Europe, but the idea is sound - w/out resupply, two weeks worth of supplies and provision is about the limit that can be comfortably carried.
Go to a couple of good camping places (REI, etc) and try a bunch out. Load them up and wear them around the store for a bit, see how they feel. Fit and comfort are critical - you shouldn’t feel like you are hauling a load on your back, you should just feel heavier (that is, no sensation that the load is concentrated anywhere, just feels like part of your body).
I bought a Dana Designs ArcLight Glacier pack years ago and I’ve been completely satisfied with it. Wore it for a month straight backpacking around New Zealand, no complaints. It’s been through rain, snowcamping, regular backpacking, up Whitney, etc. My cousin has borrowed it many times. Another cousin borrowed it for his first backpacking trip in the Sierras and the first thing he managed to do was drop it right into a river. It floated and he said that only one item in an external pocket got wet. Dana is expensive but if you’ll be using it a lot it is well worth paying extra for a quality piece of equipment.
Never used an external frame pack but internal frames are generally narrower and taller. This was handy when I was hiking through narrow trails surrounded by bushes - my friend with an external frame kept getting caught on branches, I was OK.
I also have a slightly smaller ArcTeryx pack as my backup/short trip pack, it’s quite nice as well.
I have strong feelings on this subject, being an habitual backpacker. My backpack criteria are not for long-distance hiking, but for international travel - though you can definitely hike with the one I have. Here are my criteria for success:[ul][li]Light internal aluminum frame (usually just two strips).[]Adjustable lumbar height - different people have different distances between their lower back and their shoulders, and a one-size-fits-all approach can lead to serious discomfort.[]Adequate hip support - this is where most of the weight should rest. The shoulder straps are just to stop it toppling over backwards.[]Twice-adjustable shoulder straps. One for the length, the other to adjust the horizontal distance between the top of the pack and your shoulders.[]No side pockets - having the backpack wider than you are is a total pain.[]Straps zippable inside a cover to make it like a suitcase: invaluable on planes when you have to load it into the hold, or lugging around trains, or for moving short distances on foot.[]Durable: it doesn’t matter if it weighs an extra lb or two to get a good outer material. The weight gets you fit, and nothing’s worse than a ripped pack when you’re on the road. And very strong stitching.[]The biggest one of all: Side opening, NOT top loading. I hate having to unpack everything to get at something in the bottom.[/ul]Wish list items: [ul][]Zip-off day pack.Onboard rain cover.[/ul]I have a fake Lowe Alpine that fulfils most of the above, but my wife has a Berghaus, which is a bit heavier, but is one of the best backpacks I’ve ever seen, and the price reflects this.[/li]
I have to say, I’m quite interested in kanickbird’s bungee thing. Anyone got a link?
You are right: most European cities (indeed, most of the world I think) have a “poste restante” service that operates exactly as you say. However, make sure you get your timings right: I mailed a load of winter clothes from China to Australia last year, but when I got to Sydney Poste Restante found they only held them for a month, and since it was three months since I’d mailed them, they had sent them back to Ireland.
Mr.stretch swears by his Osprey, so I’m going to second JillGat’s recommendation. Mr.stretch is also on the smaller side (he’s 5’6" and currently around 135 lbs)–neither of his Lowe Alpine packs could never be adjusted to fit him quite right. The Osprey makes him very, very happy.
As someone who doesn’t have an intrinsic bias toward Osprey, let me confirm JillGat’s claims; Osprey makes some of the best designed, most ergonomic packs with just the right features (rather than just glomming features on for the sake of extending the feature list). They’re also fairly modular, so you can add on additional pockets easily and securely. And they were the first (and still the best, I think) at making female-specific packs. Their hip-belt system is the best I’ve seen, too, and the have a patented system where they double back the belt tensioners so you actually pull them forward to tighten rather than sideways.
I also agree with the one big sack (or one big main compartment and a lower sleeping bag compartment). You can put stuff you need to access on top, or clip it onto the side. I dislike side loaders for the simple fact that all it takes is a broken zipper to ruin your trip. You can stuff a well-made toploader tight and not worry about having the closure break or jam. Simple and robust is best when it comes to packs.
I don’t know that there are any commerically availble, and at any rate I think they’d exceed the $400 budget of the OP, but in any case it seems more like an idea for carrying very heavy loads (100+ lbs) across level ground, not for mountain hiking or such, where you need a pack that is tight and stable for balance. You’re better off paring down the stuff you think you need; a couple of sets of durable, easily washed and dried clothes like poly/Cordura hiking gear and a small bottle of Woolite is much preferable to carrying five changes of clothes. If you’re going to be on the move for a month, the less you carry, the better. Trust me.