How big of a backpack? (Carry-on, teenager, Lufthansa!)

Cate,

My wife has an Eagle Creek convertable/wheeled backpack she loves. It's got wheels so she can roll it when in an airport or on other smooth surface, it converts to backpack with stowable shoulder and waist straps, and all that stuff hides away so if she wants to appear to be less of a "backpacker" (like when checking in to a nice hotel) the bag is luggable by handle or large over-the-shoulder stap. It's expandable, so it can scrunch down to fit within most carry-on limits, or can expand a bit if you buy stuff. Has a zip-off day pack, pockets, etc. Not cheap, but it has served her well and she swears by it. REI has 'em.

Cate, the High Sierra bag you describe sounds fine. you should just practice packing the bag to make sure all you wish to take will fit.

I've traveled with High Sierra daypacks/backpacks before and am very happy with all the features they offer - and at a better price than other "brand" names out there!

A backpack that has wheels is likely to be a heavy weight. A teenager might not like carrying that heavy weight on his back. If you acquire a bag that can be carried as a backpack, I recommend that the bag also has a good handle at the top of the bag.

i got the osprey porter 46 backpack - it's great! it carries like a backpack but can also be carried as a duffel. it's carry on size for most airlines - 45 inches. i got it on sale for $70. it's also 2800 cu inches - not sure if that is too big?

Our experience with Lufthansa is that they are more concerned with size than weight. We have stood in several check-in lines where they were putting all carry-on luggage into a sizing box. All the wheeled carry-on was being rejected because the wheels would not fit inside the box. We have never had our carry-on (backpack style) weighed.

If it will hold his gear, why not?

My wife and lived out of bags smaller than that for three weeks on our first European trip. Rick's bags strike me as a bit large too (though well-designed), but the size seems right for a lot of people.

Cate, why don't you take him into an REI or other sports store and have him try it on? Or would that be hard? When I got my backpack I bought it REI and they fitted it for me. It's not just height it's the length of you back. Different packs fit differently. At REI they even had some weights, cloth bags of some sort, that let you feel it as if it were packed.

Pam

I just traveled for two weeks with an Osprey Kestrel pack, 36 liters (2200 c.i.) for the small/medium size, and it was perfect. I pack light, but I had to fit in bulky hiking boots and extra hiking clothes. It fit well in plane overheads and on trains. Something in this size range should work well. I would recommend a pack with a softer hip belt, anything stiff sticks out and won't slide onto overhead shelves easily.