Travel backpack

Uses of travel backpacks

A travel backpack is a soft-sided main bag that can perform as a backpack or, with the straps hidden away, as a small suitcase. It is purpose-built as general purpose travel bag, able to handle the widest variety of travel situations. At root, it is designed as a carry-on bag for those who do not want to check-in their luggage. 

That means compromises.

• They’re not hiking backpacks —To achieve small dimensions and light weight for carry-on, travel backpacks don’t have the same quality of suspension systems that hiking backpacks do. Instead, they are meant to take many transportation legs and permit comfortable carry on your back for a short duration, perhaps 10 kg  (22 lb) for 15 – 30 minutes. That’s enough to get out of a big airport or from the station to your nearby lodge. Compared to hiking backpacks, travel backpacks have better access to the contents and are easier to pack and unpack. They are also easier to secure. 
• They’re not wheeled luggage — True travel backpacks don’t have wheels and handles for strolling through airports and hotel lobbies, but you can conquer cobblestones, dirt paths, stairs and other obstacles where wheels won’t work. There are hybrid “wheeled travel backpacks,” but they give up too much volume and weight to be true carry-on bags: we classify them as wheeled bags with shoulder straps.

In many ways, a travel backpack is the perfect general purpose travel bag for independent travel.

How to choose a travel backpack

There are 6 quality features (QFs) that influence your choice of backpack:

• Packing efficiency
• Carry comfort
• Protection & security
• Appearance & style
• Build quality
• Value for money

Our product ratings weigh each of them equally. But, depending on how you plan to use your backpack, you might want to give greater weight to some QFs higher than others. Suggestions are provided under each of the 6 features.  

Each QF has individual factors. As with the features themselves, some of these factors will matter more to you than others.

We suggest that you make some notes as you consider the QFs and factors. Then, when you are looking at a product description or review, you can score the backpack for your own priorities.

Packing efficiency 

Your objective is to get the most stuff in the available volume. If you’re trying to travel with carry-on luggage only, you will have challenging space constraints — packing becomes both a science and and art. Besides packing the maximum in the available space, you will want easy access to pack, unpack and pluck individual items from storage.

Size & shape

Can you get all your stuff in a carry-on bag that won’t be challenged by stingy airlines?

• Maximize available volume with a box-shaped pack — Within airline carry-on dimensions a rectilinear (box shaped) travel backpack will give you almost the same internal dimensions for your stuff. Unfortunately, many packs on the market go for fashion over function and sacrifice packing space for a sleeker, tapered look.
• Minimize external pockets and pouches — For bags striving for carry-on size compliance, any external pockets and pouches will lessen the available internal volume. You should prefer internal volume, since it offers more packing efficiency and security.
• Expansion opportunities — All soft-sided luggage can be expanded. Travel backpacks don’t have expander zippers, but can be purposely overpacked. Depending upon how the backpack is made, it may allow a lot of expansion or only a little. The risk of exceeding maximum carry-on dimensions is up to you.
• Reduce packing bloat with external compression straps — If your pack is a bit overpacked, you can cinch it down with external compression straps. Some packs come with “wing” type compression straps that look better than they work.
  Old-fashioned plain straps that go straight around the bag (or separately purchased straps that do the same) aren’t as pretty, but can be cinched tighter. 
• Size & shape (check-in) —  Surely, you can you get all your stuff into a bag compliant with airline check-in size restrictions. (If you can’t, maybe independent travel isn’t your thing.) Even within the check-in limits, we despair to see backpackers lugging around towering backpacks intended for back country hiking. Keep your bag as small as possible — you have more liberty on shape and external add-ons.

Weight

Your bag, with all your stuff in it, has to be equal or less than the airline maximum carry-on weight. Low cost airlines, in particular, love to check bag weight.

• The empty bag should weigh no more than 2kg (4lb 4oz) — The less your pack weighs, the more weight allowance is left for your stuff. The most durable packs are not the lightest — the lightest packs are made of low denier fabric and thin sheet plastic frames.
• Light material & components — The best combination is heavy fabric (around Denier 1000) and light hardware. Light fabric can be overused on pockets, pouches and sleeves. Some premium travel backpacks have steel buckles and clasps that are extremely tough, but heavy. 

Internal compartments & access to contents

What’s the most efficient configuration of internal space for packing your stuff? Can you easily get an item you need or must you dig for it?

• Single large compartment, accessed by front face zippered panel — This is the best way to maximize volume for your stuff in a carry-on sized bag.
  • When lying flat, a zipper around three sides opens the entire compartment for easy access.
  • The single large compartment gives you the most options for optimizing your packing. Instead of compartments, pockets and sleeves decided by the manufacturer, you subdivide the space according to your own logic, using packing cubes, stuff sacks, plastic boxes and clothing bundles.
  • For ease of packing, it helps if there’s enough stiffness in the sides of the bag so that they don’t collapse when the bag is empty. 
• Double compartments with clamshell opening — This type opens like a clamshell, with one compartment on each side when open.
  • One configuration has a single external zipper, with a second zipper on the internal panel, so you can expose all the contents when open.
  • The second configuration has two external zippers and the internal divider is sewn in. You have to access the contents one side at a time and will find yourself flipping back and forth constantly.
  • The main disadvantage to two compartments is that you are forced to divide your stuff between the two sides. That may not suit your personal organizational logic. For example, on one tested travel backpack, our tester kept his small clothing collection in the smaller side, without the internal compression straps. Those compression straps were not helpful holding in place the other variable sized stuff in the larger compartment. The only clear advantage of this type is that the internal divider helps to stabilize the shape of the bag.
• Internal compression straps — Most travel backpacks have internal compression straps. Unlike external compression straps, these ones are for keeping your stuff from moving around. They work on larger items, such as folded garments, but smaller stuff will still move around. If the pack has more than one compartment, the compression straps will be in the larger one only.
• Top loading bags — If what you need is at the bottom of the pack, you have to unpack everything above it to get to it. This feature, common to hiking backpacks, won’t serve well at all for travel backpacks and must be avoided. 

External pockets & sleeves

The organization freak in us loves pockets and pouches and sleeves, so luggage makers provide them for us. Yet, you cannot access external pockets when the pack is on your back or untended. Pickpockets and thieves will have better access than you. If you have external storage, nothing of value can go in it. That cool organizer for your phone, tickets, sunglasses and other items should be accessible — in your day bag.

• External pockets and pouches steal volume from the interior — Any external pocket or pouch decreases volume available to the internal compartment. Apart from the uneven geometry, external storage is not usually stuffed completely full. In contrast, the interior compartment(s) will often be fully used, even stuffed.
• Laptop sleeves — Laptop sleeves are pockets built into the interior of the bag, with zipper access from the exterior. They’re are a big deal these days, appearing in many models of travel backpack. Yet, a laptop is truly necessary only for the small minority of travelers doing work on the road. The majority will be fine with a tablet, a phone or both. For these travelers, at least part of the laptop sleeve space will be wasted. Even if you do carry a laptop, how many times will you have to pull it out at airport security? And how much of a hassle is it, really? Your laptop will be safer buried in the heart of your pack or, for airport security, in your day bag. Finally, a laptop sleeve requires yet another external zipper with a lock.
• Unhelpful external storage — Shoe compartments, document sleeves and other subdivisions… all of these might look useful and they’re certainly marketed as such. But all are making space allocation choices for you. You’re better off putting those shoes in a stuff sack in the interior of your pack. Contrary to illustrations in much marketing material, you should never put your passport and tickets in an outside pocket of your luggage.
• Helpful external storage — Besides the panel used to hide the backpack straps and hip belt, the only justified external space is a large flat sleeve with zipper close that might be handy to cram a map, crushable hat or rain cover. When empty, it will take hardly any volume.

Should you get a pack with an attached daypack?

No.

The color-coordinated, zip-on-zip-off day backpack is a marketing marvel. It just looks like belongs way back there.
And it’s hands free! How cool is that?

Well, not very cool at all.

For starters, a backpack is not our first choice for a day bag (we like messenger bags).  But there’s more…

• When your travel backpack is on your back, the center of gravity should be as close to your back as possible. A day backpack zipped on the back of your main bag will extend the center of gravity farther away, especially if there’s heavy stuff in it. That will pull on your shoulders and reduce the percentage of weight transferred to your hips via the hip belt. The result is less carry time and distance before your load gets uncomfortable.
• We hope you don’t have anything valuable in your day backpack because it will be vulnerable to pickpockets way back there where you can’t see it.
• You will look like a Ninja Turtle.

Give the attached day backpack a miss.

Carry comfort

Independent travel usually involves lots of moving around. You’ll be taking many transport legs and shifting your luggage to a series of lodges. To do that, you’ll have to carry your travel backpack through airports and stations, along city streets and through the halls, grounds and stairs of lodges. Budget travelers tend to carry their packs more because they more often stay in less central lodging and may choose to walk rather than pay for motorized transport.

Carry comfort is a priority when you frequently have to move your fully loaded travel backpack on your back for more than 15-30 minutes. Cheap packs with poor quality suspension systems will become uncomfortable almost immediately. High quality travel backpacks, with good suspension, notably including a padded hip belt, can go longer than 30 minutes before your shoulders or back start to hurt. 

It’s also possible that you’ll have to carry your back for much longer or farther. That should not happen often unless you’re doing a lot of back country exploration on foot. If you know that you’ll be hiking or trekking a lot and won’t have options (porters, pack animals or vehicles), you might consider a hiking backpack.

Fit 

See the pop-up article below, How to fit a travel backpack, for instructions to measure your torso size.

• Correct fit for medium to large travelers — A travel backpack has to fit correctly when worn, which means that the pack and its suspension system have to nestle between shoulders and hips. Most travel backpacks are made for persons with torsos of 40 cm (15 in) or more.
• Size option for smaller travelers — Most of the one-size-fits-all packs on the market in fact do not fit travelers with small torso sizes, including many women. Depending upon the make and model, the cut-off size can be anyone smaller than 40-45 cm (15 – 18 in). If the pack is too large, it will hang off your shoulders and bounce off the top of your buttocks. Not good. Look for a travel backpack made for smaller torso sizes.  

Frame

The “frame” is not a rigid rack frame like old-fashioned backpacks had. Rather, it’s anything that provides stability and stiffness to the back of the pack. That helps the pack keep its shape and distribute weight to a hip belt (if there is one).

• Internal pads or sheets — Most travel packs have a dense foam pad or sheet of plastic sewn into the panel that rests against your back. The more rigid the the panel, the easier the bag will be to carry and better it will hold its shape. Beware cheap packs that have flimsy panels that don’t help the pack hold its shape. They won’t contribute much to weight distribution either.
• Stays — A backpack stay is a rigid internal brace, often made of joined lengths of flat metal. In hiking backpacks, stays offer efficient weight transference to the hips (hip belt required). Unfortunately, stays are rare on travel backpacks.

Backpack shoulder straps

All travel backpacks have shoulder straps. They need to be comfortable for a short walk with a fully loaded pack. Easy adjustment is helpful, but not necessary. All straps and buckles should hide away easily when not in use.

• Ample padding — Straps must be broad and well-padded where they pass over your shoulders in order to bear the weight without discomfort. This is even more important if the pack does not have a hip belt and the entire load is borne by the shoulder straps. Cheap backpacks with narrow shoulder straps or thin padding will hurt your shoulders within minutes.
• Curved straps — S-shaped straps (another hiking pack feature) help fit the straps to the contours of your chest. This is especially helpful for women, as straight straps, especially when pulled together by a chest strap can press uncomfortably on the breasts.
• Ability to hide straps when not in use — All backpack straps should tuck away inside a zippered sleeve or be removable so that they can be put inside the pack. No straps should be left dangling if you have to check-in the pack at an airport.
• Easy strap adjusters — Most travel backpacks have conventional strap adjusters where you increase or decrease strap length by pulling it through a ladder lock or cinch lock clip. If you are able to set the length of your shoulder straps once and make only minor adjustments thereafter, these adjusters are fine. But less limber travelers may have to loosen the straps to get them on and off. In that case, quick adjusters available on some better quality packs are a big convenience, since they can be adjusted easily while the pack is being worn.
• Rotating buckles —  On most travel backpacks, you have to untwist the ends each time you clasp the buckles together. This is acceptable, but tiresome when you do it hundreds of times. On some high quality backpacks, buckles rotate 360° on a swivel, so that you don’t have to straighten both ends of the strap to engage the buckle.
• Adjustable chest (sternum) strap — All good travel backpacks have a chest strap connecting the two shoulder straps. Tightening it pulls the shoulder straps closer and brings the pack closer to your back. This reduces strain from the shoulder straps tendency to slide outwards, causing the pack to hang uncomfortably off your shoulders. It also reduces movement and therefore improves stability, especially if the pack does not have a hip belt. The strap needs to be movable up and down on the shoulder straps, so that women can adjust it not to crush the breasts.

Hip belt 

A padded hip belt will shift significant weight  to the hips and allow you to carry your pack much farther than a pack with shoulder straps only. The tradeoff is that hip belts consume volume and weight. If you don’t anticipate frequent carries over 15 minutes, the hip belt may not be worth it on a carry-on bag. But, for the ultimate in travel versatility, a good hip belt is required.

• Paired with a rigid frame — Hip belts are best combined with a rigid internal frame — metal stays are best — to optimize weight distribution on your hips, although rigid frames are rare in travel packs. A squishy foam panel or the bendy plastic ones found in cheap packs will not transfer weight to the hip belt efficiently — the pack will still hang off your shoulders.
• Generous padding — Decent padding may make the belt bulkier, but it is required for comfort. Cheaper packs have nylon webbing hip belts without padding — they would more properly be called “straps.” They can help stabilize the pack as you walk, but they do not distribute weight to your hips well, so they do not significantly increase your carry duration.
• Belt angle — Better quality hip belts are angled to widen from the top to the bottom, contouring better to the hips and distributing weight more evenly.  

Hand grips

If you’re not carrying your travel backpack on your back and have left the sling strap behind, you will depend on the hand grips for short carries. They had better be comfortable and securely attached. The pack should hang straight down, feel balanced and not swing too much when you walk.

• Two grips — There should be at two, one on the top and another on one of the sides of your pack. They are used for short carries, such as up a flight of stairs or in to an aircraft, and for stowing your bag in an overhead bin, bus rack or other storage.
• Comfortable size & shape — Grip quality is important for carrying the bag for more than a couple of minutes. Best are thickly padded nylon or stiff plastic handles that allow a good natural grip. Cheap webbing ones, unpadded or poorly padded, just hang and will hurt your fingers in mere minutes. 
• Mounted close to the body of the bag — The grip should be sewn close to the body of the bag. Grips that are too far from the body of the bag allow the pack to sag and swing. 

Sling shoulder strap 

If you’re not wearing your travel backpack as pack and you’re not holding it by the hand grips, you can still sling it off one shoulder. Maybe it looks useful in airports, but the bag is around 22 cm (9 in.) wide and will hang away from your body. Even 7 kg (15.4 lb) will strain your shoulder (and then your other shoulder) in no time. You probably won’t use it much, but the sling shoulder strap takes up weight and space better used for something else. Even if your pack comes with one, we recommend leaving it at home. For short carries, the hand grips will do.

• Generous padding — All the weight is on one shoulder, so, if you choose to use the sling strap, the part that contacts your shoulder must be wide and generously padded.
• No-slip grip — The pad should also have a “grippy” surface that won’t slide off your shoulder. 

Back panel

If you’re going to carry your travel backpack from the shoulder straps, you’ll have a panel of the bag against your back. Both abrasion and moisture can quickly make your walk uncomfortable, especially in hot weather or on uphill walks. A good fit, snug shoulder straps, a chest strap and (optionally) a hip belt or strap can all prevent your pack from moving too much. But that lack of movement also holds the pack panel close to your back, making it sweaty in some situations.

• Durable mesh panel — Some backpacks have a stretched mesh panel to hold your back away from the body of the pack. They work, but the mesh is often weak, compared to the body fabric. It is vulnerable to snagging on pointy objects, stretching and tearing.
• Solid ventilation panel — Some packs have molded panels, with contours permitting the passage of air between the pack and your back. This panel is less effective at moisture control than a mesh panel, but far more durable.  
• Doesn’t look like a pack? — Nope. Even with the straps hidden away, both of these back panel methods make the bag look unmistakably like a backpack. If you’ll be carrying the pack a lot in sweaty situations, that’s a compromise worth making.

Protection of contents

The second major function of your luggage, apart from moving your stuff, is protecting your stuff. Travel backpacks excel at this, mainly because (if you’re traveling One Bag) you have it in your possession all the time, except when you leave it in your room. But there are still ways to maximize protection and security in transit.

External fabric & padding

In all travel backpacks, you get some padding in the back panel from the internal frame. But for all the other panels, the body fabric is all that stands between impacts, abrasions, slashes and all your stuff inside. Strategic packing will help preserve your delicate contents.

• Heavier, stiffer fabric — Heavier external material is not only less susceptible to slashing, but provides modestly better protection from impacts. Cordura or ballistic nylon (of around Denier 1000) are best. Light nylon used in cheaper bags, including ripstop, provides next to no protection.

External storage

Manufacturers make all sorts of pockets, pouches and sleeves, some of them with further organization inside. They provide external storage because consumers like the features — but maybe we shouldn’t. In our view, the only helpful external storage is a flat zippered sleeve.

• Vulnerability to impact — External pockets provide almost no impact protection for your phone, sunglasses or other delicate items. One manufacturer even puts a laptop sleeve on the front face of the pack, where it’s sure to get dinged.
• Vulnerability to theft — External pockets and pouches that cannot be locked are easy for thieves. How many little padlocks do you want dangling from your bag? 

Protective flaps & covers

These features are mainly to protect against moisture, although protection from dust and even insects is also valuable.

• Rain flaps — All external zippers should have rain flaps, a band of fabric, attached next to the zipper tape on one side, that lays over the zipper to deflect moisture. Not entirely waterproof.
• Rain cover — A common peripheral for hiking backpacks, a rain cover is included with some travel backpacks. It will cover the entire pack, except the back portion where the shoulder straps and hip belt are attached. If your pack doesn’t come with a rain cover, you can buy one or get one made. Or, if you don’t need to walk in the rain with the pack on your back, you could choose a stuff bag big enough to put your entire pack inside.

Zippers

• Lockable sliders — The zipper on the main compartment should be closed at both ends and have two sliders that can be drawn together and locked to each other. Zippers on smaller external pockets need not have two sliders, but still must be lockable at the closed end. Locking through a hoop on the slider body is more secure than locking through holes on the pull tabs. Pull tabs can be pried off.
• Zipper type & size — Chain zippers, especially with big teeth (#10 gauge), are more difficult for thieves to break into than smaller gauge chain type or any gauge coil type.
• Custom anti-theft zippers — There are some custom zippers on travel backpacks that are made especially to resist tampering.

Appearance & style

Apart from all the practical aspects of travel backpacks, you still want to travel with luggage that looks decent. It’s a matter of your personal style and taste.

Color

• Color choice — Ballistic nylon does not take dyes well, so packs made of it are black or other dark colors. Good quality ballistic also has a sheen to it that makes it look slick and expensive. Cordura can easily be dyed almost any color, so there are usually several color options available.
• Cleanliness — Light or very dark colors are harder to keep clean looking. This might count against ballistic nylon, but when you have to clean the fabric, ballistic’s smooth sheen cleans easier.
• Security — Some travelers and luggage makers claim that black is best because it makes your bag anonymous — it’s just one black fish in a school of black fish. But that same anonymity makes black bags more vulnerable to theft from airport baggage claims, train luggage racks, bus cargo bays and storage rooms. A black bag is still okay, as long as you add patches or non-detachable identifiers to make it unmistakably yours from 10-15 m (30 – 50 ft) distance. That increases the thief’s risk. 

Tags, trademarks and markings

• Avoid identifiers — While you should mark your luggage as distinctively yours, don’t do it with luggage tags or patches that broadcast your nationality or affinities. Anything that identifies your bag as belonging to a foreigner makes it a more attractive target for pilfering or theft of the entire bag. Once you have your bag with you, an identifier gives con men an opening for conversation. By all means, make your bag distinctive, but don’t advertise. (Canadians, please leave the maple leaves back in Canada.)
• Trade marks — While backpackers don’t have to worry about their Loius Vuitton backpack getting swiped, there’s at least one travel backpack maker who calls out to thieves how safe their product is, suggesting perhaps that there’s something inside worth stealing.

Shape

What looks good on your back or in your hand? Does it matter?

• Boxy beats tapered — Tapered backpacks look sleeker on your back, but sacrifice a considerable amount of volume for your stuff within carry-on size limits. That’s a big trade-off and not worth making, in our view. Furthermore, when used as a soft-sided suitcase, tapered backpacks still look much more like backpacks than rectilinear (boxy) packs.

Status

• Backpacker stigma — In some places, backpackers are stereotyped with negative traits, the least of which are low-spending and culturally insensitive. Travel backpacks are supposed to look like soft-sided suitcases when you hide away the straps and belt. Some of them succeed, while others are still unmistakably backpacks. 
• Elegant or high-tech targets — If your pack is conspicuously high value or high tech, thieves assume that the contents are also valuable or that you have tech gadgets inside. While backpacks don’t have this problem as much as suitcases, a brilliant color or fancy design feature can draw attention to your pack.

Build quality

Can your bag survive the trip? You have to rely on your pack to carry and protect your stuff. Sometimes it may be handled roughly or exposed to weather. You will open and close it countless times and perhaps strain zippers and seams by overpacking. Your travel backpack needs to withstand all the rigors of your journey without letting you down.

Exterior fabric 

Can the exterior surfaces of your pack withstand impacts, abrasion, slashes & cuts and moisture? 

• Durable fabrics — The best travel backpacks are made of either ballistic nylon or Cordura (or one of its imitators). Polyester is used on mid-range bags, while the lightest and cheapest use low-denier nylon. These light nylons, even the “rip stop” variety, are not nearly as durable and may not survive a long trip under moderately tough conditions.
• Interior lining — The interior should be a polyurethane layer cold-bonded to the external fabric. This adds considerably to the water repellent quality.
• Bottom protection — Some travel backpacks, especially those made of light nylon, have a heavier, more impermeable fabric on the bottom, where the pack contacts the ground. Others feature seamless construction around the bottom. 

Zippers 

Are the exterior zippers rugged enough to bear the strain of constant use and tight packing? Zippers are often the first thing to break, so do not compromise on quality.

• Zipper type — Chain type zippers are better than coil type. Although coil zippers are popular because they open and close more smoothly, chain zippers are stronger.
• Zipper material — Molded plastic is better than metal. The teeth (“elements”) are molded directly on to the tape, making for a very strong zipper.
• Size — Best for the main compartment opening are big #10 molded plastic chain zippers.
• Make — While there are many quality manufacturers, Japan’s famous “YKK” brand has a peerless reputation. The letters “YKK” are stamped on the slider pull tabs of all YKK zippers.
• Attachment to the body of the bag — The zipper tape should be sewn to the bag with at least a double set of stitches on each side.

Buckles, cinches & clasps 

Will the buckles, cinches and clasps survive heavy use and impacts?

• Material — Buckles, strap adjusters and D-rings should be made of tough material. Good quality metal is fine, but high grade plastics (Duraflex etc.) have better strength to weight. Beware of the cheap plastics on inexpensive bags — they’ll break just when you need them to perform.

Sewing 

Is a quality thread sewn well enough to endure the stresses of constant handling and occasional overpacking? Good sewing is fundamental to durability and really differentiates quality travel bags from cheap ones.

• Thread — Strong nylon thread should be used. Some makers use UV-resistant thread that won’t deteriorate from extended exposure to sunlight as quickly as conventional threads.
• Stitching — Stitches should be 2.4 – 4 stitches per cm (6 – 10 per inch). Any less is too weak, while any more will tend to separate the tightly woven fibers too much, weakening the seam.
• Seam stitching — Double or triple stitching is essential for all seams under stress, especially zipper tapes.
• Tension points — Look for box-stitching or cross-stitching at high tension points, such as where hand grips and shoulder straps meet the body of the pack. Seams in other wear areas should be lock-stitched to prevent any thread break from causing the entire seam to come unstitched.
• Waterproofing — External seams should be sealed with waterproofing, although you can’t tell from visual inspection and will have to rely on the manufacturer’s documentation.
• Internal finish — Internal fabric edges should be finished to prevent them from fraying all the way back to the stitches. 

Value for money

If you have ample funds, you can feel pretty good about buying a high quality travel backpack for $200 and up. But if you’re on a tight budget and need to spend less, then you have to be choosy about the Quality Factors and features that matter most in a less expensive backpack.

Budget traveler priorities

• Build quality — Durability should be your top priority. You need your pack to be reliable for the duration of your trip, regardless of other Factors.
• Carry comfort — Budget travelers tend to walk more with their backpacks on. For example, you might decide to save a bit by walking the kilometer or two from the station to your lodge instead of taking a taxi.
• Packing efficiency — A modest budget may prevent you from buying technical clothing, a smaller laptop and other compact gear. So, you’ll have to make do with the clothing and gear you’ve got. Your pack should maximize volume and weight available for your stuff.

Long trip or multiple trips

• Build quality — If you’ll be traveling for months and taking many transport legs, the toughness of your backpack is paramount. By extension, if you think you’ll be going on more than one long trip, a quality pack will last and last.

Varied seasons, destinations or activities

• Packing efficiency — Maybe you plant to hit the beach and the mountains. Or maybe you’ll be in both tropical and frigid weather during the course of your journey. That probably means extra garments for layering and possibly a item of specialty gear (small… like a prescription lens snorkel mask). If this is you, then your backpack needs to maximize volume and weight for your stuff.

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