Backpacking Newbie

Hi Guys

This isn't really a backcountry question but I couldn't find the appropriate forum. I am going backpacking through hostels in Eastern Europe over 2 months and will need one of those big backpacks. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking in a backpack so any advice is appreciated!

If it helps I'm about 79kgs and 170cm male with an athletic build. I plan on using hostels so I won't be walking or camping too much so expensive lightweight stuff doesn't appeal too much to me.

Cheers

The general consensus for getting a backpack is to get all your gear first, then go find a pack that will carry it and is comfortable. The main thing is comfort, and that's a personal judgement.

There are so many kinds of packs that it's difficult to recommend one. Most of us here do go backcountry (exclusively), so what we use is specific to where, when, and how we take our trips and we all have our personal preferences.

Since you don't mention any personal preference I'd suggest you take your gear and go to a retail store and load and try on a few packs. I'd suggest you start with an old style external frame Kelty type pack, and then try on some of the newer frameless and internal frame type packs.

If you can rent a pack from your outfitter then take advantage of that and do some trial runs with what's available before you commit your cash.

Hi, sheep! We get quite a few budget travelers coming to this forum without checking that we are really a wilderness trekking site. I'm so glad you checked! Some things we do have in common, and most of us have traveled at one time or another.

What you really want is a budget travel site like Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree (although it's not as good as it used to be). There are other sites with great information, mostly related to the various popular travel guides (Let's Go, Rough Guide, Rick Steves). While I very much disliked Rick Steves' guidebooks, his suggestions about packing light are excellent. In fact they agree with the lightweight backpacking philosophy espoused here. Most of going lightweight is not about buying expensive gear but about taking less "stuff."

You'll find that thanks to modern quick-drying fabrics, you really don't need an enormous backpack for traveling. Traveling light is a lot more fun and means you usually don't have to check your bag, thus saving the extra fees, waiting at baggage claim and possible pilfering. It also avoids some of the horrible things baggage handlers do to checked baggage! I looked up this excellent article for you: Pack Smart and Travel Light.

There are articles on backpack selection on the home page of this site, left hand column which should help you. Just remember that a travel backpack, unlike the lightweight packs many of us use while hiking trails, must be stout enough to stand up to those baggage handlers (I've seen them throw bags to the pavement, missing the people and cart that was supposed to catch them).

The most important aspects of any backpack are fit, fit and fit. The pack must fit your body, it must fit what you carry inside it, and it must be comfortable for you to carry with the load you put in it. You'll find fitting suggestions in those home page articles I mentioned.

I personally prefer a convertible travel pack for what you're doing. I have one with internal stays and a hip belt which, when on the back, carries like a regular internal frame backpack but whose belt and shoulder straps can be zipped out of sight behind a fabric panel. This not only protects the straps from getting caught on baggage machinery, but also allows me to walk into a hotel carrying a normal-looking suitcase should I decide I want a break from the hostel routine (or find, as frequently happened to me, that all the hostels are full and a hotel is the only choice).

As we often say here, Your Mileage May Vary.

Best wishes for a great trip!

Thanks for all the excellent info! I have read over a few times even if I haven't replied until now.

I went to a store today and the man recommended a pack around 70L+ of which he had none in store. I will be travelling for about 2.5 months, what kind of size do most people use?

He also mentioned that some bags can be locked while others can't be locked. It didn't seem like a big issue to me as I've never had any problems with baggage handlers but is a lock something that bags should have?

I'll be doing lots of things from swimming to clubbing to outdoors trekking so I feel like I need to fit a long into this bag! (Travelling light seems to be a problem!)

You may want to stop by the Lonely Planet forums, or other European-style backpacking forums for advice. I'm sure many of us here might give you a gestalt insight, but the technical details elude me as well as potentially many others here, too.

Seeing as you are across the pond, I would advise looking up Jack Wolfskin as a brand. I'm unsure if they make products for your kind of backpacking, but a buddy of mine used his JW pack for real backpacking and loved it. Good build quality, and lots of utility.

As far as a "lockable" pack, I think that's just a guy trying to upsell you something. Think about it: why "lock" a cloth strap that can be easily cut with a knife? That's patently ridiculous.