Travel Backpacker HQ

A backpack guide for world travelers

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Regular, old-fashioned suitcases are cumbersome and inconvenient for adventure travel. Worst of all, they’re either too hard to move around or, if they have wheels, the wheels often break. If you’re taking the trip of a lifetime, you want a backpack suitcase that combines the portability of a backpack with the accessibility of a suitcase. A suitcase backpack is more than just a suitcase with backpack straps. Its clamshell opening allows you full access to all of your stuff at once. Traditional backpacks open from the top, allowing very limited access. Instead use a panel-loading backpack.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/backpack-suitcase

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Most backpacks, especially larger ones, open at the top. The first thing you pack falls to the bottom of the bag, while the last thing you pack sits on the top. Your stuff is left disorganized and hard to reach. These backpacks do not work for travelers. Instead, use a front-loading backpack when you travel. A front-loading backpack will give you easy access to all of your stuff while keeping it organized.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/front-loading-backpack

[travelbackpacks]

Most backpacks are top-loading. You dump everything into a single top opening like you’re using a funnel. Then your stuff, all stacked on top of itself, becomes an unorganized mess. What if you want to get a pair of sandals for a quick trip to the beach? Oh wait, they’re stuck on the bottom of your backpack. Now you have to spend half an hour unpacking and repacking your bag. A panel-loading backpack allows for the accessibility and organization of a suitcase but maintains all the comfort and advantages of traveling with a backpack.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/panel-loading-backpack

[travelbackpacks]

Most travelers use packs that are easy targets for thieves and pickpockets. Traditional backpacks aren’t designed to protect you against the dangers of traveling. Instead, they’re made for camping and hiking where security isn't an issue. No bag can be 100% theft-proof. It's just not possible. You'll want to look for a lockable bag that will deter casual theft. If your bag is locked and the next person's isn't, a potential thief will just skip yours. Your goal should be to not be the easiest mark. A few simple safety measures will go a long way towards keeping your stuff safe. Using a theft-proof backpack designed for travel is the safest choice.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/theft-proof-backpack

[travelbackpacks]

Most travelers carrying backpacks are easy targets for thieves and pickpockets. Why? Most backpacks aren't very secure. They close with a drawstring that's very easy to loosen, exposing your bag to thieves. When traveling, you need a bag that can prevent theft, not encourage it. Using a secure backpack will minimize your risk of theft and keep your valuables safe.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/secure-backpack

[travelbackpacks]

Backpacking Europe? Here's How to Pick Out the Right Backpack.

When you're traveling through Europe, you want a pack that's up to the challenge. You'll want to have something tough, yet light. The best backpacks for Europe will be invulnerable to theft, small enough to bring on a flight, and simple to use. In this article, we'll discuss exactly which capabilities you need in a Europe backpack. Read on to pick the perfect backpack for your journey to Europe.

Pickpockets and small theft are common in bustling vacationer places, hostels, and trains. Stop snooping fingers from getting your identification, cash, camera, or laptop with a secure bag. Hiking bags are just secured using a string. You could just hang up a sign that says, "Easy mark!" A secure europe backpack will help discourage theft. Just try to be tougher to rob than another holidaymaker. Robbers will always target the easiest mark. A tiny lock will offer enough security to halt the majority of small thievery.

You'll be moving between cities and hotels often. To do so, you want a pack that you can grab and go. Bringing a backpack as big as you will only weigh you down, not make everything easier. You shouldn't take everything. Travel packs for Europe must be carry-on-sized, even if you'll largely be taking trains. Using a carry on pack will ensure that you do not pack too much. The majority of airlines allow luggage up to forty-five linear inches or 22" high x 14" across x 9" deep. This type of pack is little enough to be light and comfortable to carry while carrying the perfect amount of stuff: 45L. You should fit 7-10 days worth of clothes, which you can rewear and clean as needed. 

If you bring your backpack on a plane, you'll save cash by not paying checked baggage costs. You will also save time by avoiding checking your baggage in before your flight and waiting to pick it up after your flight. With the pack in your possession, the airlines won't be able to unexpectedly mislay or damage it. I can't stress enough how crucial that is if you're on a budget and don't have a permanent address.

Lastly, most bags are top-loading. To get to your clothes, you would need to unpack everything above it. You will be staying in lots of hotels without much personal room, so unloading all your stuff every time you want something is not possible. You should carry a front-loading backpack. Front-loading packs use a clamshell opening, like a suitcase, in which the entire cover can be opened. Then you will be able to effortlessly grab anything in your bag without needing to unpack it.

Before you head to Europe, find the perfect bag for your holiday. It must be secure, carry-on-sized, and accessible. Which other features do you suggest for travel backpacks for Europe?

[travelbackpacks]

Travel Backpacks for Men Buying Guide

Selecting the ideal travel bag for your trip is vital. Should you buy the improper sizing or type of pack, you will certainly regret your choice and maybe ruin your trip. Select the right luggage, and you'll have a trusted travel companion that will endure for years. In this article, you'll find out how to select great travel backpack for men.

Consider the dimensions of the bag. You will want a pack that could be a carry on for flights. A lot of airlines require that carry on bags be no more than 45 linear inches (length + width + height). Generally, carry on packs are twenty-two inches by fourteen inches by nine inches. Buying a carry on bag means that you can keep it on you during your flight. This is important because checked baggage is frequently broken or misrouted. Plus, when you use carry on baggage, you can leave the airport quicker. As a busy man, you know how irritating hold ups at the airport can be.

Whether you're messy or a neat freak, a front-loading bag will keep you more organized. Most hiking backpacks open from the top. If using a top-loading bag, you'll need to unload all of your stuff to get to the clothing at the bottom of your bag. Alternatively, buy a front-loading backpack, which opens like a suitcase. Everything will be organized and effortless to grab. Need to quickly reach your swim trunks and run off to the beach? No problem.

Above all, you need a comfortable backpack. While you won't be trekking through the great outdoors with your bag, you will be standing around in airport security and walking through the city to your hotel. If your bag isn't comfortable, you'll never wear it. Instead of wasting your cash, buy a backpack that is light on your back.

At the bare minimum, the straps and back panel should have plenty of cushioning to cushion the weight of your bag. You should definitely give the bag a trial wear before buying it. For ideal weight dispersion, the bag should have a padded waist belt. Cinching the waist belt will remove the weight from your shoulders and spread it to your hips. Lots of guys think that the belt looks dorky and refuse to wear it. Not many guys know about the health benefits of wearing the waist belt to reduce neck, shoulder, and back pain.

When you buy a mens travel backpack, choose one that's carry on sized, opens from the front (not the top), and is comfortable on your back. Many packs are made of inexpensive material and don't last. Invest in a sturdy pack, and you'll be able to travel around the world without ever worrying about your bag.

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What Backpackers Know that Other Travelers Don't

Before buying any luggage, you'll first want to pick a category: rucksack or suitcase. Which choice is proper for real travelers? Not being a "backpacker" does not necessarily mean that a suitcase is your best option.

Backpacks, unlike suitcases, are meant to be carried. Since you wear a rucksack instead of dragging it, they're designed to be significantly lighter. Suitcases have extra plastic support around their borders to make them extra stiff. The plastic or metal sections of the grip and wheel construction also add to the bag's weight. If you're trying to travel light, a pack is the right alternative.

If you're like me and detest checked luggage, get a backpack. Even if you buy a carry-on-sized piece of luggage, you might still be asked to check it at your gate if the airplane is at capacity. The carry on storage will fill up fast on overbooked flights. If this happens, the gate agent will ask that passengers check their carry on bags. Flyers with suitcases are continually selected to check their luggage. If you have a backpack or duffel bag (or really any bags not on the ground) you'll normally be exempt.

Rolling suitcases are great under perfect conditions like the even linoleum floors of the airport or hotels. In any other situation, they are a impediment. Might your trip include any less than ideal conditions? Will you ever have to carry your bag up a few flights of stairs? For any situations other than perfectly smooth floors, go with a backpack. Since you won't be wheeling it about, you can take on any terrain you might find.

If you take the risk of bringing a suitcase with wheels outside, prepare for the wheels to break. The wheels on most suitcases are built from second-rate plastic and crack easily. When they inevitably do, your luggage will be rendered useless. A suitcase with a cracked wheel won't roll well, if at all. You'll be left to drag around a case that's needlessly heavy because of its plastic handle and wheels. If your wheels break, you'll be burdened with a heavy suitcase that retained none of its usual advantages and all of its disadvantages, plus a few added ones.

If you're smart enough to bring less stuff and to dodge checked luggage, opt for a pack instead of a suitcase. Even if you're a frequent traveler and not a typical "backpacker," you'll get the increased options of taking your stuff anywhere and of heading off the usual course. Now go get a bag and start your adventure!

[travelbackpacks]

Carry On Backpack Advice for Vagabonds

Many frequent flyers have had their baggage dirtied, broken, or misrouted because they opted to check it, rather than carry it onto their flight. Putting your luggage into the airlines' care is invariably a hazard.

Using carry on bags is a far better, and safer, option.

When you want to ensure that you will not have to check your luggage, take a carry on backpack rather than a suitcase. If your flight is full, overhead bin space will fill up in no time, and flyers will be asked to check their baggage. In these cases, travelers with wheeled suitcases are normally told to check their baggage, while those carrying a travel pack or duffel are exempt.

The most imperative ingredient when selecting a carry on backpack is its dimensions. Each airline creates it's own limits on the largest allowable size for carry on luggage. Most airlines permit baggage up to 45 total inches (length + breadth + depth) or 22" long, 14" wide, and 9" deep. To prevent issues at the airport, your backpack must be no larger than the aforementioned dimensions. Before you leave, you should check your airline's site for their carry on baggage sizing and weight rules.

Carry on luggage is less vulnerable to injury than checked luggage because it's in your hands. Checked baggage is regularly ruined by luggage handlers or misplaced by the airlines. 

Even if you take your pack on to the airplane, its straps can still tear when the bag is being inserted or removed from the carry on luggage space. The best carry on bags will permit you to tuck away or cover the bag's straps. Choose a bag that permits you to care for its straps. Your bag should also have a handgrip, like a briefcase, with which to grab the bag when the other straps are tucked away.

The biggest potential hassle with carry on travel backpacks is taking them through airport security. You should have a pack designed to aid you in moving through the security line as promptly and efficiently as you can. 

Nearly all flyers pack a single quart, see-through toiletry bag which is required to be taken out of your carry on bag and placed in a plastic bin for inspection. To simplify this procedure, select a bag with large, exterior compartments, which can carry the quart-sized ziploc bag.

High-quality carry on bags will also have fast-access compartments to carry your boarding pass, Photo ID, and everything emptied from your pants pockets when going through the airport security line. These pockets should be easy to reach whenever you're wearing your backpack, zip shut so that nothing dumps out, and be opaque so that no one can realize what's in there. These compartments should be built into the waist belt of your carry on rucksack.

Lastly, if you'll be carrying your computer, make sure to buy a bag with a dedicated laptop compartment. Laptops must be taken from your bags and put in a separate plastic bin to go through security. Make sure that your computer can be taken from and replaced into your bag to preclude any delays.

When selecting a pack, pick one that is carry-on-sized and has both hideaway straps and exterior pockets. If you get the wrong pack, you'll have to give it to your airline, which is never a sound decision.

I suggest the Tortuga backpack below. It has all of the features above and was designed by veteran travelers. Check it out:

[travelbackpacks]

This is what most backpackers look like...

[travelbackpacks]

A Guide to Buying the Perfect Travel Backpack

Picking the proper backpack for travel is an extremely crucial piece of planning your trip. You need a good bag for travel, whether you're vacationing for two weeks in Paris or spending a year vagabonding around the world. Regardless of your aesthetic preferences, your pack should most definitely have the following features:

Carry On Sized

Your travel pack's sizing is its most significant characteristic. Your bag's length should be at most 22", its width 14", and its depth 9". These lengths are the usual maximal permissible size for carry on luggage on the majority of flights. If your pack does not adhere to these guildelines, you may have to check it. Checked luggage is vulnerable to damage, theft, and loss by the airlines.

Light packer? You can bring an even littler travel bag. Overpackers need to buy a bag that's precisely 45 liters (to take advantage of the airlines' rules) and carry a littler bag as their personal item.

Front-Loading

Most large-capacity backpacks are designed for hiking, not traveling. These bags usually open from the top. Bags designed for travel pack from the front, not the top. You should choose a bag that opens from the front because it will permit you to have better access to your gear than a top-loading backpack. Front-loading backpacks function more like a suitcase than a normal backpack. You'll be able to access all of your clothing and gear without digging through your backpack and making a mess.

Front-loading backpacks are also more in order because you can pack them like a suitcase. You are able to pack them like a suitcase instead of packing all of your stuff vertically in a top-loading pack.

Secure

When traveling, you'll want to keep your possessions safe. Backpackers in hostels, on trains, and in tourist locations are frequently the targets of thieves and pickpockets. Select a safe travel backpack to deter theft.

The safest packs are fastened by lockable zippers. Less safe bags are fastened by using a drawstring, which is very straightforward for thieves to open. Modest, TSA-approved padlocks can be used to fasten the zippers on the main compartments of your pack.

This method will not make your backpack totally theft-proof, but it will deter most everyday thieving. You don't need your bag to be impenetrable, you just need it to be more difficult to open than the next person's bag. Thieves are looking for the bag that will be the quickest and simplest to burglarize. A locked backpack is not it.

Comfortable

If your pack is uncomfortable, you won't care about any of the features above. You'll oftentimes find yourself walking some miles with your pack, packed to its maximum weight, on your shoulders.

Any decent pack will have deep padding on the shoulder straps and back panel. High-quality cushioning will guard you from carrying the total brunt of your pack's heft. Air should be able to move between you torso and your backpack. These areas are called air channels. Air channels keep your back cool in spite of the burden of your bag.

A well-made bag for travel will also handle weight dispersion. A chest strap and cushioned waist belt will help lighten your load. Tighten your pack's waist belt to instantly redistribute weight from your back and shoulders to your hips.

How you pack can also impact the comfort of your bag. All heavy stuff should be loaded high in your bag and against your spine. Take extra precaution when packing heftier objects like books, shoes, or laptops. By placing them as close to your back as is possible, you'll not experience backaches or shoulder pains.

When buying a travel pack, make sure to select one that is carry-on-sized, front-loading, secure, and comfortable to carry. Picking the ideal backpack can help you avoid a lot of hassles and help you love your vacation.

I suggest the Tortuga backpack below. It has all of the features above and was designed by veteran travelers. Check it out: