Choosing the Right Back Pack for Travel

The countdown continues.  We know that the trip is fast approaching when we finally got around to buying our new backpacks this weekend.

We would have loved to save the money and not buy new packs, but Africa really took its toll on our other packs and I don’t think that they would last for very long into the trip.  So we set out to find 2 shiny new packs for our upcoming travels.

• After several long travels and several mistakes in our previous choices, I think that we have finally found the perfect pack to go around the world. (but then again, the real test will come when we start traveling)

The Deuter 70 +10 L Backpack for Dave and the 55+10 L Backpack for me.

Our Pack the Deuter 70 Litre

The +10 is a great little feature.The bag has a zipper that when unzipped expands the bag 10 extra litres for extra room.

We are hoping to pack very light other than our electronics, so we really didn’t want to go any larger than 70 L. Although there have been times on our travels that we have done a lot of shopping and had to carry around our extra stuff until we made it to a larger city to send things home, so the expandable zipper is a bonus.

We like the comfort and design very much.  We bought our bags at Europe Bound.  It is a great store across from Mountain Equipment Co-op and we always find that they have a wider variety and better prices.  The store is a little cluttered, but if you have a little patience and ask for some help, you will always find what you need.

We weighted down the bags and walked around to check for comfort and fit and then it was that easy…we bought them.

It is very important to get proper fit.  Have the staff adjust the straps and settings for you.  They can adjust everything so that it fits your body perfectly for added comfort.

Here are the qualities that we were looking for in a backpack…

The Deuter is a nice hybrid between travel pack and an expedition pack. We will be traveling in both cities and trekking in the mountains and jungles, so this fits our needs perfectly.

They have a very solid and comfortable frame with adjustable shoulder straps and thick well padded hip straps.

Day Pack Zipped up

Day Pack Expanded

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Both Backpacks have an easily removable 18L day pack.  We like the day packs that just clip off rather than having to zip them on and off. The zipper can be a pain if the day pack is full.  What we also like about this daypack is that it is expandable. You can keep it zipped up while it is on your pack and then you can unzip the back to let out more room for day hikes.

They have an excellent fully zipped transport cover. When you are traveling by bus and bags are piled on the roof, it is good to have a good waterproof cover to protect your contents and we have found that it helps with the life of the bag.

One thing we noticed about a lot of travel packs is that the zippers weren’t very secure. They simply had nylon ties on them.  We need metal toggles so that we can lock the zippers shut. With the ties, someone can easily just cut them off even if you have the zipper locked. Plus, I feel that metal is more durable than nylon.

We also like the large front zipper loader. For travel, I don’t like a small opening, I want to be able to see everything in my pack. This bag gives me the option of loading from the top too though which is nice.  The many different compartments are a plus to store separate items as well.

The last thing that sold us was all of the straps and pockets on the outside of the packs. We like to be able to hang things on to the outside of the pack.  If we buy a beach mat, it can be strapped to the outside. If we decide to bring or buy a tent, it can be strapped on the outside. Boots can be clipped on the outside too.  We found that some packs didn’t have anywhere to hang anything off of and sometimes your hiking shoes are just too dirty to put in the bag or you just want to have the option.

So, we are pretty happy with our Dueter Quantum packs. I think that we will be traveling in comfort and they will be durable and able to handle the elements of Asia and beyond.