Hi all,
I'm new here so I'm going to introduce myself. I'm a guy from Italy that is going to do the first backpacking in his life. I'm going to do a backpacker in Australia for 2 weeks (40°C ...)so I'm looking for a backpack. I would like to have something lightweight but really durable in order to have a lifepartner.
I like Granite Gear blaze A.C. 60 style but I think it's not so durable.
Thanks to everyone for any answer
Best,
Nicola

Hi, Nicola - welcome. I've not hiked in Australia, but we've got several persons here who have (Franco pops to mind immediately.)

To get better answers to the question "which pack?" it would help to know what the rest of your load looks like, perhaps by giving us your gear list. If you know, it would also help to know how much capacity the load takes up and how much it weighs.(Will the Blaze be too large? too small? or do you know?) It might also lead to suggestions on what not to take, which would affect the type of pack you'll want.

Thank you Roberts!
I was thinking in a 40liters pack. Considering that I'll carry of 5 t-shirts, 2 pants, a pair of shoes, a sweatshirt and not more. I don't know about size and weight but I was thinking to UL pack looking forward for my mountain trekking. But I'm worry about the resistance of the materials that I don't know anything about this matter.
I don't know if I answered correctly to your questions. If not please tell me
Nicola

Hi, Nicola. Now I'm confused. I read (and perhaps misunderstood) your first post as looking for a pack to hold a load that you were taking wilderness camping. You specifically mention a 60 liter pack (the Blaze AC 60.)

In this post, it now appears that all you're carrying is clothing, which implies this is more "adventure travel," where you'll be utilizing some form of lodging each night (perhaps a hostel or a hotel?) and relying on restaurants or other eating arrangements that do not require you to carry a stove or cooking gear.

If you are looking for advice on "wilderness" travel, please give us a more complete list of gear (tent, stove, how many days' food you'll carry, etc.), and you'll probably get a lot of good advice.

If you're seeking "adventure travel" tips, you will get some general advice here, but most of it will end by directing you to websites and forums (like Lonely Planet) that deal with that type of travel.

As far as durability of materials, the only way to judge that is to actually look at a pack. Often, it's not just the material itself that you need to be concerned with, but also the way the pieces are joined. If the seams are not well-sewn, the pack material may resist wear quite well - but the pack will fall apart at the seams.

For whatever it's worth, I'm currently using a Deuter pack; I've also used Osprey and Gregory packs, as well as Granite Gear packs, in the past. I've found all of them to be quite well-made and durable in the woods of the eastern United States. All 4 manufacturers make packs of various sizes. The best pack for you is the one that fits. (Check out the manufacturers' websites, which all have instructions for how their pack should fit.)

Trust me, it's durable. At least to this point!!! Here is my review of the pack: http://mtmusings.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/gear-review-granite-gear-blaze-60l-backpack/

Let me know if you got any specific questions about it.

This site is about backpacking in terms of wilderness trekking. You want a budget travel website. Lonely Planet seems to be dying, but Let's Go and Rough Guide are good sources. Rick Steves has excellent info on packing light, although I've found a lot of his other travel info to be inaccurate.

A pack that will hold up to airline baggage handlers (ever see them at work? It's horrifying!) is going to have to be a bomber style pack, not lightweight. If you want to travel light, take a pack that is small enough to use as a carry-on. Take lightweight clothing of synthetic fabrics that can easily be washed in sink or shower and dries rapidly. That way you need only one change of clothing and don't need a big pack. I've traveled for three months at a time that way.

thanks to your advise guys I'm orientating to buy a Deuter backpack or similar. But as you all already understood I don't know almost anything about backpacking. So I would like to know what brand is the best one regarding quality and price. I would like to keep the pack with me as longer as possible.
Thank you again to all of you
Best from Italy
Nicola

What is the best pack? The one that fits.

Nowadays, it's hard to buy junk if you stay with proven brands, like Deuter, Osprey, Granite Gear, Kelty, Gregory, and others (which other members here will name; those are the names that came quickly to mind.) In terms of price and quality, all of these are top-notch.

But, within that group, the only thing that matters is fit. The pack must be comfortable, period.

You'll probably end up trying a number of packs on to find the one that's best for you. Ideally, you'll be able to take your typical load of gear to the dealer, pack it in the pack, and try it on that way. (Loading sandbags into the pack, which is how most stores do it, doesn't give you an accurate idea of how the pack carries, because the weight isn't distributed the same as it will be when you pack it. If you can't load your gear into it in the store, the next best thing is to deal with an online dealer who will let you return it for a full refund (assuming you haven't actually taken it out on a trip.) This lets you order several, load them up and try them on a walk around the block at home, and return the ones you don't like.

Alpina is a durable brand, as well as Deuter. Both should be available in Italy.

I have a Deuter Futura Pr 38L that I like very much - it's a good durable pack. I use it for weekend/day trips, though. I would go 50+ for week trips if you can pack light.