Choosing a Travel Backpack

Anyone who’s ever traveled using only a backpack knows what a complete hassle choosing the right pack is – well, I say anyone, but my husband thinks I’m a loony bird for obsessing and testing the way I did. He hasn’t ever done it and may feel differently after our upcoming three week stint in Europe :p. I’m all about the flexibility a backpack gives you when traveling – it’s small enough to be a carry on, you can adapt your plans without having to lug a giant rolling suitcases over cobblestone, it limits the amount of stuff you can bring so you’re not lugging multiple pairs of heels and styling devices throughout your trip… it’s definitely not for everyone, or every vacation, but I love it.

"However – a backpack means you have to carry all your things. On your back. For sometimes extended periods of time."

I’m a small person and although I exercise, I’m certainly no fitness enthusiast who can handle carrying 70 liter backpacks around for hours. I wanted a backpack that was cute, but functional, that had the proper support, but was small. I wanted to pack minimally, but still have organization sections and pockets so that I don’t have to completely unpack and repack every time I need a certain thing. And I wanted a fully front loading backpack.

I looked at several contenders which I’ll summarize here, but the eventual winner was the Osprey Skimmer 30 Hydration Pack. It’s pretty, small, fits my frame, has the appropriate support, doesn’t swamp me or make me look like a have a turtle on my back, or any of my other big “no’s”. It will for sure limit what I can pack to some degree, but I’m already being very intentional about what I take and I kind of like that limitation – like the tiny house, you end up cutting what you don’t have room for and don’t usually end up missing it.

Bag Option 1: Osprey Porter 46 Liter Backpack

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Pros:

• Fully front loading

• Good harness support

• Fits airline carry on requirements

Cons:

• Harness reported as not padded enough

• Bigger than I wanted

• Slight “turtle shell” look

Bag Option 2: Cotopaxi Inca 26 Liter Backpack

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Pros:

• Smaller size

• Nice appearance

• Hydration pack included

• Awesome company culture and donation to various supported causes with each purchase

Cons:

• Top loading

• No local store where I could actually try the bag on

• Still a little bigger than I loved (per stalking photos on website and Instagram, as I couldn’t actually try this bag on in person)

• There’s a cellphone pouch but too small for the iphone 6+, which I knew would drive me insane.

Bag Option 3: Osprey Skimmer 30 Hydration Pack (WINNER)

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Pros:

• Smaller size – larger in liters than the Inca, but seems smaller on my frame overall

• Awesome color selection (hey – these things matter!)

• Comfortable Harness (I was actually able to try this one on in person which I’m sure really helped my decision)

• Hydration pack included

• I don’t look like a turtle. This is key.

Cons:

• UM NONE OBVIOUSLY IT’S THE WINNER.

• But seriously, I bought collapsible water bottles so for my I’m not sure how much I’ll use the hydration pack, so that’s a TBD. There also seem to be a few pockets that I’m not sure what they really do aside from being cool looking, so I think ideally those could be extra compartments/pockets. And size is obviously a limitation for most people – it’s just what I was going for specifically once I realized in order to not look like a turtle or have back pain I’m simply going to have to just take less crap.

Overall – I’m super excited about my bag! I think it’s the perfect size and as long as I don’t go overboard on the packing will really suit my needs. I’ll be back soon with a packing post because I’ve been obsessively planning what I want to take for months and Felipe and I did a store run yesterday for little toiletries and stuff! #nerds.

#minimalism #travel #backpack #backpacking #packing #wanderlust