Hi all. I'm hoping that I can wrangle in the unstoppable force that is backpacking knowledge at BPL. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to recommend packs for my girlfriend. If this were simply a normal hiking excursion, I'd have no trouble coming up with packs (let the UL/SUL conversion begin! ), but it's not.

My girlfriend, Mary, will be traveling in Indonesia for three weeks in January with a group from our school to do an ethnography of tourism in Bali. She wants to take one pack as her main bag. Here's her criterion:

Durability: High. Needs to be checked for plane travel, hauled all over cities, and thwacked around in general. She's not interested in babying a pack.

Volume: Not sure on this one. Thinking between 3500-4000ci. However, compressibility is important as she'll be wanting to bring some things back home and use it for backpacking at home.

Fit: Needs to fit a 5'3" gal with a delightfully feminine physique.

Features: Some internal compartmentalization would be appreciated.

Load carrying: pretty heavy, 30-40 pounds.

Weight: well, she doesn't care too much. But please, we all know the rule: as light as possible inside the above features.

So, ideas? I'm finding this to be a real recommendation challenge, as almost all of the requested features are almost completely opposite to the SULness that I'm always trying to achieve.

TOO EASY!*

My personal travel pack is an Eagle Creek Explorer Trek LT
http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/adventure_travel_packs/Explorer-Trek-LT-10047/
Its a great pack. I love it. And it meets carry on regulations (which is a big seller for me. I will NOT check baggage). Its comfy, tough, and while not "UL", it is a reasonably light pack that can be used for backpacking. I travel very light, so I have enough space for small souvenirs... its easier to mail a lot of the bigger stuff home anyway.

For a larger pack, Id look hard at the Eagle Creek Explorer LT.
http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/adventure_travel_packs/Explorer-LT-Womens-Fit-10048/
Its in the same design family as the Trek LT I mentioned above, but is larger. It has a modular/removable pack which she can take if she wants, or leave it at home (I'd take it. Good personal carry on size, and day walking around Kuta or Negara or Bangli is a lot easier with a small pack.) This particular model also comes in a "womens fit" (which is what I linked to).


Hope she likes Bali. Its one of my favorite places on earth.








(*in my opinion anyway)

Oh. If she hasnt seen this site yet, direct her to http://www.onebag.com

Its a great resource.

30-40 lbs??? Seriously?

I just came back from a 4-week trip to Asia (traveling, not camping), and my total pack weight -- including the pack itself -- was 9 lbs.

In any case, if your gf can be persuaded to NOT turn herself into a pack mule while in Bali, this might work well for her:

http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/adventure_travel_packs/Explorer-LT-Womens-Fit-10048/

Edited by ben2world on 12/13/2006 17:48:29 MST.

Height doesn't matter, she needs to know her torso size first! Then you can go apicking packs out ;-)

I've been thinking about getting a travel pack myself lately. The Eagle Creeks are definitely one of the best choices I've seen out there so far (and JR the OneBag reference is really great for helping people travel lighter). I've used Eagle Creek for years and they really stand up to the abuse.

Ben, where did you go in Asia? I've been hankering for some time to go traveling, but with a new job I've had little time or money to get away even for hikes recently (hopefully next year that will change a lot). One time I want to talk with you a little about good places to travel to. You did mention the Eagle Creek Boundary a little while back? Is that what you still use, or do you use the Eagle Creek Explorer Trek LT?

One of the things to remember about traveling (as opposed to backpacking in the wilderness), especially in Asia and Africa, is that nearly everything you need... clothes, toiletries, food, bedding, etc... you can get at your destination, and at far cheaper prices. There is no need to carry everything with you. If you do, you will most likely end up sending half of it home because of the bulk and wieght. The philosophy of ultralight applies as much to traveling as it does to backpacking... probably to everyday living itself even!

Howdy Miguel. So as not to hijack this thread, I'll PM you instead.

Miles,
Your requirement for it to be a check-on bag almost certainly defines this as a two-bag system to avoid the risk of checking everything in one bag and walking on the plane empty handed! At the destination A two bag set allows her to keep 80% safely packed in the room, and carry the daily 20% in a small daypack.

So, if she must have both bags as a SET, then I also recommend that ExplorerLT. I have the old version of the GrandVoyage and it is bombproof. But now I use my Granite Gear NimbusOzone at 1/2 the weight.

BUT, a better option; if she already has a small daypack to carry on the plane and around town, I recommend the 2.3lb, 3600in3 Granite Gear VaporKi (with optional lid) for everything else, which will be a great backpacking bag (as per your other requirement)
http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/ultralight/vapor_ki/index.html
A trick learned from Alpine packs is to compress both straps on one side, resulting in a small, neat, vertical pack which is not much heavier than a daypack; she might end up carrying the Ki during the day? Lighter than the Explorer. And at the other end of the volume spectrum, Unlike the Explorer, the Ki has an extension collar to hold a bunch of souveniers etc keeping hands free.

If her weight is 40kg or so, a reasonable limit of 20% is only 8kg; so pack choice is a substantial portion of that; hence my recommendation for a 2+lb pack (the Ki).

Thanks for the advice so far. You guys rock.

30-40lbs... yeah, that's silly. And she didn't say that. Just trying to be extreme, as I don't know how light she'll go. I'm going to try and help her be as light as possible.

And yes, I know that height doesn't have to do with pack sizing, only the torso. But height can often give a perspective on frame, i.e. width of shoulders, area for pack straps, etc., so I thought it might be a little helpful. 16.5" torso, by the by.

Keep the replies a-comin'!
***
Edit
JR and Benjamin: Thank you for the great Eagle Creek recommendation. I think Mary will definitely be interested in that bag.

Brett: Mary actually does have a good bag for just tooling around during the day, and your suggestion of the VaporKi has been my strongest suggestion to her so far, as well. It just makes sense. She's also interested in the Nimbus Latitude Ki for it's slightly larger interior volume and front-loading feature, although the increase in weight is bothersome. Do you have any experience with that pack to suggest the added features (beefier suspension, hidden top pocket, etc.) would be worth the added weight?

Edited by milesbarger on 12/13/2006 20:23:40 MST.

Miles,
16.5", middle of the range for the VaporKi-Short
http://www.granitegear.com/pulldownnav/sizefit/torsolength/index.html
Hey, its a slow day at work, and due to the time difference, this is my lunch hour! Take care.

Edit: The EagleCreek/GraniteGear choices boils down to a consideration of which features she must have (or really wants). You mentioned many requirements, above, but what about 1.Extension collar, 2.Panel loading, 3.A true internal frame(Tepex).. At GG you can get 2 and 3, or 1 and 2, but not all of them. EagleCreek gets you 2 only

Panel loading adds about 10ozs, and the Tepex frame set adds about 14ozs. Skip em both and you can have a VaporTrail with lid for 2.2lbs, or the forementioned VaporKi.

My girlfriend is also 5'3",40kg, a beginner at hiking. She already has a Montbell pack, but knowing what I know now after using my NimbusOzone, and if I could only buy one pack(!), I would definitely get her the VaporKi with optional belt pouch for camera, and optional lid for frequently used stuff. I dont know if youve seen one, but the 'short' models are very neat and compact considering the volume. Almost "cute".

This choice is so hard because you only let us recommend one pack.. most of us have a quiver of packs for various specialized uses..

Edit: Wow, I was just looking at the 'multiple views'of the ExplorerLT; that 'three in one travel shell' is brilliant. This is a tough choice.. depends maybe on the % of use for urban'travel' vs. backcountry 'backpacking'!

Edited by Brett1234 on 12/13/2006 20:57:19 MST.

Brett is right: a real hiking backpack (e.g. Granite Gear) is usually more comfortable than a travel backpack (e.g. Eagle Creek).

If GF is carrying a heavy load over long distances, then comfort trumps convenience, and she should get a real (i.e. hiking) backpack.

However, for most hosteling travelers, their "hikes" are mostly the few blocks between train stations and hostels. In this case, convenience of usage may be more desired. Many hiking backpacks are nothing more than "one big hole" with a myriad of straps -- relatively inconvenient to use and risky as straps sometimes get caught and torn off by airport conveyor belts, etc. Travel backpacks, with their multiple and locking compartments, hideaway harness (straps are safely tucked away) and generally more robust construction -- may be a better option for some.

Anyway, more food for thought.

I highly recommend the Osprey Waypoint 60/80, which does come in a womens specific fit. They are very well designed.

If you go the Eagle Creek route, go with the Explorer LT. Make sure you get the current version with the pulley style hipbelt and the more adjustable velcro shoulder straps. The other bags including older versions of the explorers didn't fit well. The built in duffle/rainfly feature is very nice.

Either one of these packs would be a good choice.

Edited by rckjnky on 12/13/2006 22:40:15 MST.

One other reason I like Eagle Creek is their guarantee. No matter what, for life.

http://www.eaglecreek.com/ethos/lifetime_guarantee.php

Personally, I look at the lack of an extendable draft collar to be a BONUS on a travel pack. The old axiom that "your gear will expand to fill the space available to it" stands just as true in travel as it does in backpacking.

Panel loading is also a useful feature when traveling. Unlike a top loader, you can open the thing up and really see whats inside. No butt waggling as you try to get to the dark seemingly bottomless cave of your top loader looking for XYZ.

The organizer pocket is also a major bonus not seen on the lighter backpacking focused bags. A trip to Bali is not like a section hike down the AT. Being able to keep small things separate and easily accessible, without having to hang all kinds of optional pockets off the straps, is a godsend. Especially if you will be checking your bag.

Edited by RavenUL on 12/14/2006 03:08:12 MST.

"Height doesn't matter, she needs to know her torso size first! Then you can go apicking packs out ;-)"

and "delightfully feminine physique"

immediately bring two things to mind.

Don't EVER buy a pack for a female with a 'feminine physique' without trying it on first. Trust me.