Last time I went to Europe I brought my cute vintage suitcase and a lovely satchel but they were both a big fat pain to carry around. I know rolling suitcases are easiest, they are just not my style. I'd love to fit everything in this backpack, but I've been told the canvas on army packs makes them super heavy. Suggestions for a stylish but realistic suitcase??
P.S. Love these (via Kate), though I think the prettier one is too small and they don't seem to have a U.S. retailer. Love that they look like the army packs but are made of nylon!
Hi chelsea,
well i get t travel a lot. i love back packs because your hands are free. I would suggest checking out rei for a lightweight back. i love being a girl our clothes are thin and alot could fit. I am sure you might have to purchase somesort of bag for you purchases. again a backpack leaves your hands free!and lot of them can fit in the over heads!
I stand behind the Walkabout Travel Pack by Canadian company MEC (www.mec.ca, product number 5000-997).
This pack has shoulder and waist straps that hide away (so they don’t get caught up on overhead storage compartments) and a detachable strap for the option of carrying it over the shoulder. It comes in dark neutrals that wear well. And it doesn’t have a million extra straps to make you feel “backpacker-y”.
It comes with a smaller day bag that is removable and I recommend doing exactly that. Remove the day bag and take along a hip and stylish satchel instead.
I’ve taken mine throughout Mexico and Central America, backpacking in the U.S. and abroad in Europe for a year and know that when I need a new pack, I’ll buy the same one (but maybe in black to spice it up a bit).
Wow! Thank you so much Holly! I like the look of it too.
Thanks, Nadia. I think I am definitely going with a backpack.
yay! backpacks are the way to go! i would definitely suggest looking for one with multiple pockets and dividers. i have one that doesn’t have many–just one huge sack. it feels like mary poppin’s bag–but not in a good way–too much fishing, not enough finding!
I almost always travel with my north face base camp duffel. It’s a duffel and can fit everything you’ve ever wanted (I once crammed nice clothes along with bulky ski boots for a trip to the mountains of Italy without a problem). But then it has convertible backpack straps to make it easy to walk around with. Definitely not something that you want to walk for long distances with, but great for travel. Comes in a bunch of different sizes too…
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/base-camp-duffel.html
Thank you so much, girls!! This is all really helpful!
What about filson? I know that a rollie is not cool but theirs is about as cool as it gets. Much cooler than having a hurt back.
Here is a link
http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2092417&cp=2065674.2065687.2065706&parentPage=family
EMD: I do love that! I am afraid it is way out of my price range:)
Okay, so, I’m absolutely not suggesting you would buy these (because hey, wow, expensive!) but…as something to drool over — could you get a rolling suitcase any cooler and prettier than this? I seriously doubt it. If I were independently wealthy, I would so buy a set of these. *sigh*
*quiet laughter* including the link might have helped…
http://alstermobruk.jetshop.se/
Army pack is really heavy weight. I always travel with small bag, i don’t like to carry big packs.