When Derek and I first decided to travel, one of the first purchases we made (on our brand new travel credit card!) was our backpacks. It is, of course, one of the most important purchases to make before you leave. If you spend a lot of time on the road, your backpack will quite literally become an extension of yourself, so it’s important that it’s comfortable and fits you well.
But I don’t just mean fitting you physically. The bag needs to also fit your style of travel, your budget, and your personality. We spent countless hours reading blog posts about selecting the perfect backpack and watching product reviews on YouTube. But even with all of the research behind us, we were still clueless. After 3 trips back to the store, close to 10 hours trying on different packs, and 4 returned backpacks, here’s what we learned about shopping for the most important piece of gear for any trip.
1. If at all possible, go to the store.
This is probably the number one piece of advice you’ll find online about looking for a backpack. And that’s because it really is the best practice. Until you try the pack on, with weight in it, and wear it for a little while, you’ll have no way of knowing if it’s the right backpack for you. It won’t take long for you to realize that not all packs are created equally. We decided to go to the nearest REI store, even though it was a 2 hour drive away. It was one of the few things we did right on our hunt for the perfect backpack.
2. Get help right away.
When we arrived at REI, we found the backpack department and went straight to trying them on. The employees offered to help us several times, but we politely declined because we thought we knew what we were doing. It’s a backpack. How hard can it really be, right?
It wasn’t until the employee started helping another customer that we realized we were in over our heads. Reading a thousand blog posts will not replace the practical expertise the staff can provide.
If you’re ever not sure where to start, I highly recommend going to your nearest REI store, even if you have to travel a bit. They have a highly trained staff and weighted fillers to simulate a loaded bag. They also have a one year return policy that can’t be beat. When it comes to fitting you with a backpack, they are your experts.
3. Know yourself.
Some backpacks come with really elaborate features, but be honest with yourself about what kind of a traveler you are. Those cool features won’t be worth the price tag if you never use them. Derek originally purchased a bag with a solar panel charger in it, but after having to return it because of a broken zipper, we realized just how ridiculous that really was.
This is the man who can sunburn by thinking too long about the sun—the one who constantly seeks shade to stand in—and he picked out a backpack with a solar panel in it. He would have almost never used it, and it was about $40 more expensive than the same model without the solar charging system. Know yourself. Know what features you will and won’t need before you start shopping.
4. Understand your limits.
Before we tried out our backpacks, we took a brief personal-item-only trip to New York. I quickly learned that even carrying a small backpack around NYC for three days in July was hot, heavy, and unpleasant. If I could barely manage traveling with such a small bag, for such a short period of time, I couldn’t imagine how I’d ever be able to travel for an entire year with the 70L monster of a bag I had sitting in my closet. By this point we had already sold most of what we owned and moved in with family, so I was more used to living with less. Returning it for a smaller bag was an easy decision then.
4. Decide your budget and stay in it.
Deciding a budget for your backpack purchase can really help simplify the experience. Derek and I originally bought two enormous bags, with all the bells and whistles, that totaled well over $600. For comparison, both of the bags we have now, were only $13 more than one of our original bags by itself.
If we had chosen a reasonable budget from the beginning, we could have saved ourselves the time and effort of overspending on a backpack that didn’t work for us, just because we got overwhelmed by the features and options available. The backpacks we settled on are much more suited to our travel needs.
Remember too, the cost of the backpack is not just what’s listed on the price tag. If you are looking to travel internationally, checked baggage fees add up. If checking bags isn’t a part of your budget, make sure you get a smaller bag that is carry-on approved.
6. Travel before you invest in the perfect backpack.
We bought our backpacks almost a full two years before we really started traveling much at all. It was our first investment for our trip, but because we bought them so early in our journey, we made a lot of mistakes. If you can start out by borrowing a backpack or using something that you already have to get by with for the first leg of your trip, you’ll have a much better idea of what you’re looking for in the perfect backpack. It will look different for everyone, so no matter how much research you do online, the best research you can really do is just traveling and getting to know yourself.
We left REI that first night feeling proud of what we’d accomplished, having made the first tangible commitment to our trip, but little by little, we came to discover the mistakes we had made. When buying your first backpack, you have to know your needs, your budget, and most importantly yourself. Think about the day to day experience of traveling with your backpack and make sure that it improves your travel experience, and doesn’t hinder it.
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