Backpacking: Traveling Made Easier
If you’re a busy bee or a go-with-the-flow type of traveler; you know hauling around our wheeled luggage can get tedious, especially if you’re traveling during the winter. One of the things I’ve learned while traveling is that the carry-on bag is your best friend. A good travel backpack is more than enough for your adventures into new cities or countries.
Here are some tips I’ve gathered from backpacking.
How to choose the right Backpack?
First things first, choosing the right backpack.
When backpacking the recommended size is a 30-40L type (for longer trips like 3-4+ months recommended size is 40-50L). This size can typically carry your belongings for up to a 2-month long trip. Brand and style are completely up to you! What I did prior to traveling with my backpack was some research on brands and the different style backpacks they had in a 40L range. The features to always keep in mind are the straps for your shoulders, chest, and hips, zippers, water resistances, and inside layout.
Straps: It’s always good to try out the backpack prior to leaving on your trip. The straps are super important because the weight of your pack will be on your back. This is why hip straps are important, if it sits comfortably on your hips then that’s a good sign. A good rule of thumb I learned from campers is if I can feel the weight evenly distributed on my hips and little to no weight on my shoulders then that’s the backpack for me. It’s always a bonus if you have breathable padding on the backpack.
Zippers: A little detail that you should take into account are the zippers. A recommendation from frequent backpackers is that it’s always good to have zippers that lock. This is for safety precautions for those walking around town with the backpack or the leaving it in hostels.
Water Resistance and Interior Layout: There are some countries and cities where the weather is unpredictable and getting your belongings wet is not ideal. Keep in mind when looking for your backpack is to look waterproof and not water resistant. If you do find a backpack that’s water resistant always check if it comes with a rain cover. As for the interior layout that’s up for discussion. Some of you like more organization some of you don’t have a preference. Whatever you feel comfortable with just keep in mind that you might travel with laptop or other electronics.
I myself travel with two different types of backpacks. For months long trip I travel with an Osprey Farpoint 40L backpack. For shorter trips (days to a month) I travel with a Deuter Trail 28L SL backpack. Recently I’ve been challenging myself to travel with just the Deuter backpack so that I can travel light and with less material things. Do keep in mind that quality is an important factor so the price can range depending on material and brand.
Perks of Backpack Travel
Traveling with a backpack has been one of the easiest ways to travel around since its made getting around easier in crowded cities and public transport. Here are 5 quick perks I’ve learned from backpacking
No checked bag!
Packing cubes are a blessing to keeping the backpack organize
Prevents me from carrying unnecessary items
It’s lightweight compared to a suitcase and reassurance that I won’t lose my things
The only souvenirs I purchase now are patches to put on my backpack!
Happy Travels!
//Monica Casillas