Hello there,

My birthday is coming up, and I'm trying to get my family to help me pool some money for a rucksack.

I don't come from people with money, so spending more than forty on something for my back just seemed crazy. After spending six months and two broken bags studying and traveling around Europe, I now understand how crucial having one might have been. So I've been reading - books, websites, magazines, reviews - and visiting - stores, experienced friends, workshops - and saving, and now I'm stuck.

Two important points about me seem to be :
1. I'm a petite female (5'3.5", 125 lbs, 16.5" back, 32" hips)
2. I've become comfortable with sewing and hardware repairs since I wear hard on EVERYTHING I own, but I'm still learning a lot about outdoor materials.

Osprey (maybe the Aura or Xenon) and Berghaus (maybe one of the C7's) have been the two top suggestions (others being Deuter, Eagle Creek, Eurohike, GoLite, Gregory, Jansport, Karrimor, Kelty, Lafuma, Lifeventure, Lowe Alpine, MacPac, North Face, and Vango) here in the US and in the UK. Apparently both make long-lasting bags which accommodate female forms. I've mostly had male salespersons help me fit bags in stores, but the weights have felt the same no matter who was helping me load them. Girlfriends my size who have bought packs either travel hostel-to-hostel and don't worry about long-hauls or trek with regrets in the forms of bruises and aches. I'm not partial to either of these fates.

I would prefer a top-loader because I can't always afford the hostel life. I can only afford one pack. While on the move I tend to expand with souvenirs for my family. Something bigger can help with those oddly-shaped gifts or just bigger loads in general. I don't mind making use of the compression straps for short-hauls. Other features jump and fall in importance. I don't really know where my next travels will take me. All I know is that I'd love to travel on- and off-trail some more.

My passport's good for a while, I'm young and in-shape, I don't have any known allergies, so a sturdy pack is all I need.

Ouch, this was long. Thanks for reading. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated! I'm not looking for the right way -- just some help along my way.