txtech
Full Travel Member
Posts: 31
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Post by txtech on May 12, 2006 17:39:22 GMT -5
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Post by LHR02 on May 12, 2006 18:15:11 GMT -5
I moved you over here to the packing section  Couple of thoughts, right off the bat regarding packs. You can never go wrong with any Eagle Creek....I know others will offer other brands that are great as well, but EC always garners rave reviews from folks on this board as well as most any other. This is one area you DO NOT want to play cheap on. A sturdy, reliable pack is a necessity. My own personal rule of thumb on packs...regardless of the size you decide on...is the weight. Again..can you pick it up off the floor and get it on your back without much trouble? Can you lift it over your head, as in to put it on the overhead rack on a train? If so...it's fine for you generally speaking. Being a winter traveler myself I can say you are right...you will need a bit bigger pack than the average summer traveler does. There is no getting around the fact that winter type clothes are just heavier and more importantly, bulkier, than summer wear. But that does not mean you need a giant size pack to accomodate. Weight, not size, is the factor you need to be most concerned with.  ging |
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Post by Eagle on May 14, 2006 13:53:06 GMT -5
txtech, I'm also a big fan of Eagle Creek packs, and that's what I would buy if I were buying another pack at this time. The quality and features are excellent, and they offer a great warranty.
The fact that you're going to be travelling in winter doesn't necessarily mean that you will need to buy a huge pack. You'll need to travel with a warm coat and some type of winter footwear, but you'll likely be wearing these most of the time so won't need to store these in your pack. Therefore, the clothes that will be in your pack will probably be similar to what you would carry in summer. Long sleeve shirts don't take up much more room than short sleeve shirts, and you'll probably need 2-3 pairs of pants regardless of time of year, a Sweater for "layering" and perhaps gloves and a toque or other headwear. I couldn't tell from your profile whether you're male or female, so hopefully my suggestions fit the situation?
You might find it helpful to try a "test pack" of all the kit you'll be taking with you. This will give you some idea on how much room it will require, but as Dustoffmom mentioned the weight will probably be a more important factor than the size. Once you've decided on a pack, you can try loading it up and trekking around your neighborhood for a few hours. This will give you a good idea if you're hauling around too much gear, and also if the pack "feels" right for you.
Whichever Backpack you choose, the most important criteria is to be properly fitted according to your torso size! I beleive the EC model in your link has an adjustable suspension system, so that's a great feature to have. A few other things you might want to consider are a detachable Daypack (works great for carry on when the main pack has to be checked) and a zip-away harness system (keeps the straps from getting torn-off by airport conveyor systems - there was yet another warning in the "travel" section of our morning paper today about that very problem).
You might find that since you're only travelling for a month, you can get by with a smaller pack than the 90L model shown. I try to travel using the rule that one should "pack the same for three weeks as for three months".
Hope this has been some help. Good luck with your decision!
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