Choosing the Right Backpack

Finding the right backpack for a trek through Europe can be a very difficult challenge. So many different factors can go into making this choice and it's important to do your research so that you find the best fitting backpack for your needs and body.  I interviewed a few of the people going on our honey(group)moon to see what it is that made them pick the bag they'll be traveling with for 2-4 weeks.

I'll start with my backpack. My husband, our friends Dana, Bree and I all have the same bag. Super Nel and I have already done two weeks in Europe with our bag: The Osprey Porter 46 (46 liters). Now Super Nel and I purchased our bag 1-2 years ago. Dana and Bree bought theirs recently for this Eurotrip adventure. Since we've purchased our bags, the Osprey Porter 46 has been upgraded. The biggest change is that there is now an additional zippered pocket that has an area for your ipad/laptop, pens, travel book, passport, a key attachment and more. I personally love that Osprey has added this zippered section and it almost makes me want to upgrade my own bag. But since our bags are in near mint condition we can't justify purchasing a new one. I did score an Osprey Porter 30 at the REI garage sale for a great price but that bag will not be going with us to Europe. One downside about this new upgrade, is that the zippered section DOES take away from the overall space in the main section of the bag. So if you are not utilizing the zippered pouch you do lose out on space. The main reasons this bag is our personal favorite: 1). It is extremely comfortable. When this bag is fully loaded and weighed down it doesn't hurt your back, nor do the straps start to dig into your shoulders. The weight distributes evenly and with the padded straps and additional hip belt you can still maintain appropriate body mechanics to prevent any sore muscles or injury from occuring. I suffer from sciatica so it was very important that I choose a bag that helps prevent any type of strain on my  low back area. 2). This bag is like the cadillac of bags. It has an area to put away the backpack straps and convert the bag into a suitcase with a padded handle attached-this is useful when carrying onto budget airlines in Europe (because they are usually on the lookout for backpacks and will measure/weigh to ensure you meet their carryon specificiations-but when you convert the Osprey into a suitcase you walk right on the plane without any difficulties). 3). Osprey is a company that is dedicated to the quality of their product. I have a friend who told me he inherited his dad's Osprey that was purchased over twenty years ago and it's still in good condition. These are the three main reasons why we chose this bag over any others. The Osprey Porter 46 works best with packing cubes/packing envelopes. When I purchased this bag I went to REI with a duffel bag full of stuff that I planned to take with me to Europe. I loaded the backpack and walked around the store for an hour to ensure that the bag was a good fit. Also, before our first Eurotrip I wore my Osprey while walking around town for an hour with all the items I planned to take. This let me do any last minute adjustments on my belongings before departure. Ideally, you don't want to take more than 10kg worth of weight on your back. This is also the total weight allowed on some budget airlines we'll be using in Europe. We aim for less than 10kg because we hope to make purchases while on our trip. A few other features about the Osprey Porter-Super Nel likes to attach an S-Caribeaner clip to the outside of the bag-this can be used to hold a flashlight, a towel, shoes or a lunchbox and my fun feature of the bag is that it has a built in whistle on the front chest clip-just in case anyone tries any funny business you can blow on that sucker to call for help.

(My first Osprey Porter 46-this bag has already been on many adventures and is ready for more!)

(The inside pocket of the NEW Osprey Porter 46) 

A handful of our friends purchased the TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible through ebags. I'll be honest...I was tempted to buy this bag too. One thing I personally love about this bag is the ingenious way all the compartments have been placed inside the bag. One friend, Ariana, said she loves all the compartments built into the bag and the compartments in the front zippered area give her easy access to your accessories rather than digging through an entire bag or having to stop and unpack to find something. Some of the guys in our group have purchased this bag as well. One of the guys, Shane, agreed that all the pockets/compartments makes packing easier and helps to keep him organized.

(The TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible is a popular bag with our group)

Another friend, Jose, will be taking the REI Mens LookOut 40L Backpack. His biggest reason for choosing this bag was the price (the price is right!). Also, he said the bag didn't compromise quality even though it was on sale. The bag is comfortable on his back when loaded up with materials-especially the hip belt. The structure of the bag is shaped so that the sides are not bulky and the bottom of the bag maximizes space. This means you can fit more items inside and the weight is distributed evenly on your shoulders and back. This bag is accessible from the top and through an additional zipper on the bottom-there's no need to waste time taking everything out of the bag to find the one item you're looking for. There are plenty of zippered pockets inside the bag which allows the owner to seperate and organize as needed. The outside of the bag allows you to attach external items such as a day pack or clip on water bottle.

(Jose wearing his REI backpack)

The last bag we'll review in this section was chosen by a friend named Chris. She'll be packing a Kelty Redwing 40L. Her biggest incentive to choose this bag was based on her height (5'2") and the fact that the Kelty Redwing is specifically designed to a woman's build. This is a front loading bag which allows easy access to all the goodies you pack inside. The straps and hip harness are cushioned which distributes weight evenly-this makes the Kelty Redwing an ideal backpack if your trip includes walking/hiking for long periods of time.

(Chris shows off her Kelty Redwing) 

There are a couple friends who have still not decided on a bag for Europe. One is hoping to find something that meets the carryon requirements that has wheels and no matter what size bag I show Darius he says it is "way too small!" Backpacking isn't for everyone and for those that must travel with their favorite 10 pairs of jeans, my advice is to try stepping out of your comfort zone and give packing light a try. I promise you won't regret it once you arrive in Europe or anywhere else your adventurous spirit leads you. 

*All names have been changed to protect identities 

**I am not sponsored by any of the companies represented in this blog-however, if anyone WOULD like to sponsor me please feel free to do so!

Why Travel Light?

One question we keep encountering during the planning process is "Why do you insist on packing light?" It's an understandable question. Some people that backpack through Europe pack more for one person than Super Nel and I combined. So why is it that we choose to take one carryon bag for a two week or in this case, one MONTH trip to a foreign country? I honestly have no simple answer to that question. All I know is that once you've traveled light it's really hard to go back to checking bags, lugging luggage up stairs or through trains and I don't ever want to experience running through the airport with a backpack, purse and two roller luggages only to realize that I missed my flight by thaaaaat much. Never again.

There's something exhilarating and adventurous about packing a bag, one bag, and knowing that this bag will sustain you for several days and everything you hope to need must be packed inside it. It's pretty easy to pack light once you get the hang of it. The trick is to plan ahead. You have to be willing to let go of the mentality that allows you to say "I want to bring all these clothes just in case I want to wear them." How many times have you traveled somewhere and at the end of the trip when it's time to pack up you say to yourself "Oh, I forgot I packed these pants. I never wore them." This is usually the case. So when it comes to packing light, you want to keep this from happening.

The first step is to decide on a color palate. Every single item of clothing-tops, pants, shoes, socks and accessories have to be a part of the same color scheme. Guys, you're not exempt here. Find clothes that work together. If you're traveling in the colder months you have to layer and invest some money in a good base layer that will help keep your core warm.

Now that you've decided on a color schematic work on numbers-for a month long trip you should bring 3-4 pants/bottoms. This should also include the pants/bottoms that you will wear on the airplane-most people forget to count these. You should bring 4-5 shirts/tops. This should include a shirt to wear to a dressy function as well as the shirt/top you wear on the plane.

Shoes take up the most room in your luggage so it pays to limit the amount of shoes you bring with you. It's hard to say exactly how many or what type of shoes to bring because it really depends on the terrain and weather you'll be traveling to. Our Groupmoon will take place during some chilly/colder temperatures but it will warm up towards the end of the trip. That being said, I'm planning to take a pair of shoes that are made for day to day wear-walking many miles, standing for long period of of times in a museum and made to survive the cobble stones of Rome. Also, these shoes will ideally let me ride bikes in Amsterdam and Provence (France). I've done a ton of research on shoes and I had my heart set on a pair of Birkenstalks, however, due to the cold weather at the beginning of our trip I decided against them. Yesterday, I found what I think will be the best fit-a pair of Clark's originals, the faraway fields in a gray color.

I aimed to find a shoe that wouldn't scream "I'M A TOURIST!" Another great option is any comfortable tennis shoe with support-yet this will identify you as a tourist and more importantly from the USA. If this is acceptable to you I encourage you find a comfy pair of Nike's or other similar style of shoe and use this as your primary everyday walking shoe. Whatever style of shoe you choose to wear the majority of the time-it should be the shoe you wear on the plane. The theory behind this is that it will more than likely be your largest, heaviest, bulkiest shoe and by wearing it on the plane you won't take up as much space in your luggage. My other shoes for this trip are going to include a skinny tennis shoe option-probably going to be Sketchers brand-to hike the Cinque Terre or for any other hiking, trekking option. I know friends who will pack a hiking boot as their everyday shoe and wear these during the majority of their trip. The last two shoes I'll have is a fancy shoe-I'm going with a pair of silver Tieks-these are my fancy flats. They are hands down the most comfortable flats I've ever worn and I'm not a huge fan of flats because they don't usually have support. These have really nice padding and are made of leather (no stinky feet!) so they don't hurt my feet after wearing them for hours. I know some ladies have to pack heels. However, it's almost impossible to wear these in some parts of Europe-Italy especially. If you plan to go to Rome and you have to wear some kind of heel choose a shoe with a wedge bottom or else you'll spend the rest of your trip using crutches for your sprained ankle(s). I'm more about comfort so I'll stick with my fancy Tieks. The last shoe I'm bringing is a flip-flop. Nothing fancy-these will be for hostel showers, hotel floors, the beach or any other quick slip on situation. I live in San Diego and we live in our flip-flops the entire year. We go to fancy dinners in flip-flops, shop in them and no one gives you a second glance. That will not be the case in Europe-especially for men. Ladies, in the summer you can get away with wearing fancy flip flops with your outfits but you will not see men wearing flip-flops anywhere except the beach. I spoke with Super Nel last night and he said he'll be packing a pair of Nike's as his everyday shoe, a pair of flip flops and a dark colored pair of Toms or Vans-like shoe to wear to fancy dinners.

Now that the bulk of your packing is complete, all that's left are you toiletries and accessories. I encourage you to find toiletry products that do double duty. I have discovered Lush products-they have face wash scrubs that also double as body wash. One product is shampoo, face wash and body wash in one. You can also avoid going over your max carryon liquids by using a shampoo bar (solid) or a shae butter bar (solid) in place of lotions. If you are traveling with friends that you'll be bunking with discuss who will bring which products before packing. If one person brings toothpaste to share and another person has floss you can decrease how much you pack in your toiletry bag.

The last step is to get everything into your bag. Your luggage should NOT be full. You want to have plenty of space for souvenirs or anything else you pick up on the trip. Before I start putting anything into my luggage I always lay everything I plan to take with me on the bed. Then I try to decrease my total belongings by 25%. This allows me to have space in my luggage for any items I purchase while on vacation.

I know this can be hard. Some of us are ingrained to want everything we own with us "just in case" while on a trip. Remember: anything you MIGHT need can be bought while abroad. You can find shoes, shirts, toothpaste and shampoo in any country in Europe. You will be ok if you leave a few things behind or pack small amounts of something.

Good luck and happy packing!