Hi All,
I know that Rick Steves has always been a big proponent of backpacks for travel through Europe, but I thought I'd first ask here about preferences. My family of four is going to Europe this summer. The kids are 16 and 14. We are going to Copenhagen, then fly to Paris, train to south of France, and train to Barcelona, and then home from Madrid. Seems to me it would be best to have everything on your back during transition from one place to another. Thoughts?
Assuming you are all strong enough to carry the packs on your backs, I think you are right. Just be sure to read the information here about packing, both from RS and on that section of the Forum.
One think for sure, carrying all your stuff on your back will help cut down on the over-packing. The kids are certainly big enough to carry their own. Two of our grand kids did at the ages of 10 and 12. Don't let them con anyone into carrying their stuff for them or adding things to anyone else's backpack.
As long as you don't overpack, a backpack would be more convenient. Some have a handle on one long side, in case you need to carry it like a suitcase.
I used a backpack until I couldn't do it any more (age and shoulder issues).
I'm a small female, capable of walking 10+ miles a day but not particularly strong. I would hate carrying something on my back. I use a wheeled suitcase and curse it only when I have to go up stairs. At the least, I'd want to borrow a backpack, load it up with weight equivalent to what would be needed in Europe, then walk around for long enough to be sure it wouldn't be a problem.
Also be aware that wearing a large backpack on buses and trains is potentially dangerous to the people standing beside you when you decide to turn to the left or the right. I've been whomped several times.
I strongly agree with the pack light approach, be it a wheelie or a backpack. I prefer a backpack because I like to have my hands free while walking through an airport, train station, or on a city street trying to find my hotel. With a wheelie suitcase one hand is always busy managing it.
A soft-sided backpack also fits easier into overhead compartments because it can form-fit to some extent. Hard-sided wheelies less so.
I prefer medium-size suitcases with extendable handlers and wheels. They are more comfortable than hauling something on my back in every urban-esque walking situation, except stairs. Backpacks might make sense if your itinerary has plenty of "stop-and-go" places, though, where you are expecting to carry your luggage while sightseeing.
We love our Rick Steves convertible backpack. We are in our middle 60's and have used it for all our trips. Our trip last fall was for 26 days in Spain. We each had 17 pounds in our packs. We follow Ricks advice on packing and love the freedom of taking less. We also like our hands free for cameras, tickets, etc.
I don't enjoy the feeling of the backpack on my shoulders and weighing me down. I pack super light for my travels and I use a cheap little Kmart suitcase that weighs nothing and is no problem to wheel around.
Thanks everyone!
I use a RS backpack and my wife has the RS roller bag. We're both happy with our choices. I like being able to get through airport terminals with both hands free.
Last year I took my 14-y/o grandson to Rome and Munich. I bought him a backpack like mine, and we both appreciated the mobility and flexibility they gave us.
I prefer a roller bag. A small, not too heavy, carry on size one - overpacking is a risk when dealing with rolling bags. My reason is that I'm fairly short with a short torso so backpack-luggage doesn't fall right and causes pain. I'm sure I could find one that worked OK, but the small roller is just easier to use for longer walks. If your teens are smaller, this could be an issue. I've found that average size men sometimes don't quite understand the limitations to being smaller. Or the benefits - I have no issue with coach seats on airplanes, they are comfortable enough for me ;)
If they are comfortable for everyone, backpacks make a lot of sense, though.
Frameless backpack luggage has several additional benefits/advantages over rigid roller bags. The first advantage is having an extra hand free. Dragging a roller bag across curbs, cobbles and escalators ties one of your hands that could be fending off pickpockets etc. (I also prefer rain jackets over umbrellas).
The second advantage is that a frameless back pack is more complaint and can better fit overhead spaces on trains, planes and buses. A stuffed marginally large soft bag is easier to squeeze into airline sizing frames than a marginally large roller bag.
Third advantage is weight where some airlines have carry-on weight limits. Lufthansa and SAS among others limit carry-on bags to 8 kg. Rollers tend to be heavier than equal size/volume backpacks. It's also hard to roll a bag up to the 3rd floor B&B w/o a lift, especially when the first floor is one flight above street level.
I've used a convertible backpack for 15 years and never felt it was a problem on my shoulders (packed, it weighs about 11-12 lb). The only problem I've had is that the straps tend to pull outward towards my shoulders, and I find I use one hand to keep them together.
I finally got a pack with a sternum strap to prevent that. It also has a waist belt, and I was amazed at how effectively the waist belt takes the weight from my shoulders. The waist belt transfers all the load to my hips and I can loosen the shoulder straps so that there is virtually no weight on my shoulders.
Try it.
BTW, I've never been hit by a backpack. Nor have I ever hit someone else; the backpack only extends 8" or so behind me. However, I have more than once almost been tripped by a roller that was hanging out behind it's owner by feet, not inches, below the line of sight.
This is completely a matter of personal taste as you can see from the all the postings. My suggestion? Go and try on backpacks with weight in them and see how comfortable you are.
My big complaint about backpacks is that often the wearers are obvious of the fact that they now take up twice as much space and incorrectly gauge the space when turning around. I have been hit (never on purpose) by backpack wearers several times in close quarters such as a train car or a gondola.
michael,
Whether to use a wheelie bag or a backpack is pretty much a matter of personal preference, and each one has pros & cons. The majority seem to like wheelie bags, while I much prefer a Backpack, as I find I can move much faster and I like having my hands free.
A few thoughts......
WHEELED LUGGAGE
BACKPACKS
One exception to my comments about torso range adjustment - I've also used Tom Bihn bags in "backpack mode" and surprisingly found it to be surprisingly free of strain on the shoulders. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm still assessing the bag. I only use those for domestic trips, so they're typically loaded much lighter than they would be for international trips.
You may find it helpful to have a look at the excellent 1Bag1World website as it has a lot of reviews of various types of luggage.
Our family is in the rolling bag camp. I find it very easy to pull my 21-inch bag around - that's the size my daughter uses too, husband and son probably have a 22-inch bag.
Another factor to keep in mind. Each of us has our rolling bag, plus some sort of other bag. Husband uses a regular backpack, useful for packing away coats and picnic lunches; it's what he carries on the plane; it stays in the hotel during the day, except for changing locations; it's great for extra stuff. Daughter and son have a messenger bag that they use for their extra stuff, reading materials, etc., that also stays in the hotel. I carry the only bag, smaller than the others, that's our actual "day bag" during our tourist days, that holds the guidebooks and items like that; it's a cross-body bag that can also be converted to a small backpack in places where we're not worried about pickpockets.
So if your group is likely to carry any other bags in addition to your main bag, you might want to use a roller bag so you have should space for the second bag.
Four people. Why does everybody have to use the same type of luggage. Why not have two with backpacks and two with rollers. One person cannot handle two rollers or two backpacks at the same time, but one person can usually handle both the backpack and the roller. Very convenient if one person has to run ahead without luggage to line up to buy tickets or if one person gets hurt and cannot handle his or her luggage. On our trip, my wife and I had a large roller and a carryon backpack. I usually handled both and left my wife basically hands free.
Answer: whatever works for you and your family. For me, it's a pack on my back...hand are free and I can move quickly in transit. On average, perhaps I walk no more than one mile with a pack, so it doesn't have to be a perfectly fitted/comfortable rig. Travel light! Also, be conscious of your luggage and if a backpack, don't thwack others when turning. If rolling bags, a scrum of four easily creates a slow rolling roadblock and raises the ire of those of us wishing to pass.
It is personal tastes.. but we prefer rolling bags. I have been whacked by packs.. and darn it watch out..
I simply find packs too hard on my back.
I have only taken one RS tour .. ( I travel independently all other numerous trips) and on that tour ( Family Europe in 14 days) not one person had a backpack,,, including children as young as 8... all pulled their bags.
You might could check out Osprey bags. My husband bought me a carry on size rolling bag, with a small (day trip size-very slim) backpack that zips on and off the rolling bag. You can use the small bag for trips around the city, but when you are getting through airports or wherever, you can just zip it back on to the luggage. In addition to this feature, there is also zip in straps onto the back of the rolling part, so essentially you could carry the entire thing on your back. I have never done this, and imagine it might be a little more uncomfortable to carry a rolling bag on your bag an entire trip to Europe. But if you only want it occasionally for stairs or busy areas, it might be a good option.
For me, it depends on the type of trip. If I am going to stay in one or two places, I take wheeled luggage. If a trip involves several destinations and moving around from hotel to hotel, a convertible backpack is the way to go, IMO, provided you are okay with carrying a backpack. I have the eBags TLS Weekender Convertible, and it's awesome -- it has all the compartments and organization of wheeled luggage, but can be carried as a backpack and the lack of wheels/frame makes it way lighter which is important if you're flying carry-on only.
Sometimes we need to make sure we have a common understanding of the terms. We someone asks about backpacks I am never sure if we truly talking about backpack as in external (or internal) frame, full length packs or just the carry on size suitcase looking bag that comes with straps and can be worn on the back.
Our preference is the carryon size bag with hide away shoulder straps. The typical Rick Steves' luggage. We keep the weight at 20 lb or under so that it is not that heavy on the back. When we do cruises we have to add one rolling bag so being able to wear one bag is critical. When we traveled with our two sons in the same age range they carried their stuff in large book bags that they used during the school year. We live having our hands free when at the train station or moving around. In heavy crowds - buses, trains, etc. - may carry the bag on shoulder or drop it to our feet if standing in a packed subway car. We have learned to hand the bags in a way not to cause problems for other travelers. That is more than I can say for some people dragging their rolling luggage in crowded situations.
I agree that it is personal preference. Since we are in our mid 70s assume some year the back pack style bag will be too much but till then we will stick with it.
What I would call a backpack, I'd never take. They are longer than the carry on maximum and have to be checked. My goal is to always carry on my bag. I find that I rarely carry my bag more than a quarter mile and a real backpack isn't necessary.
Carry on only is so convenient when you're traveling. You can hop on a bus, metro or tram easily while people who are loaded with bags need to hire a cab to get anywhere. I also love being straight out of the airport and on my way when I land in Europe. I don't want to wait 30 minutes or more for my bags to appear - or worse, spend more time if the bags fail to appear.
If you want to carry on, you have two choices - a convertible carry on (a Rick Steves type bag with shoulder straps) or a roll on.
I prefer a convertible and I like this Campmor (https://www.campmor.com/c/campmor-essential-carry-on) because it's the lightest option (and really inexpensive). I've had other brands that cost triple. This one seems every bit as sturdy but weighs about half of what others weigh.
Weight is important because many airlines are now limiting your carry-on by weight as much as size. Lufthansa, SAS and many of the regional European carriers limit your bag to 18 lbs. The less your bag weighs the more you can allow for your stuff.
Weight is my main problem with roll on bags. The lightest roll ons weigh more than a convertible. More often than not, they weigh doulble the heavier convertibles (four times my Campmor). If you go to four wheel versions, they're even heavier.
That said, most of my family take roll ons and are happy with their choice. They manage to keep theirs under the weight limit. Roll ons are great in airports (while I'm lugging my bag). My bag beats theirs on stairs and any uneven ground or cobblestones.
