What luggage should we take?
Here’s where the first hassles started. We didn’t have any luggage that would fit our needs for this trip. Because, first of all: backpack, or suitcase?
Now a days, it seems like if you go travel for more than a couple weeks, you’re a backpacker. Does that mean you have to wear a backpack? Hmmm….
Long hours of searching and reading about what could be the best option, brought us to a point of frustration. I (Blanca) was all for a rolling suitcase: I don’t want to have back pain every now and then, and in my experience travelling, most of the times you just want to roll your luggage. Richard was more into a backpack, as he thinks we can travel light (haha, good one!) and he’s stronger, so carrying wouldn’t be that hard for him. And to make it even more complicated, we were hoping to take only hand luggage (good one as well. We were dreaming!).
After all, we found THE option, just what we needed. A ROLLING BACKPACK OF 40L!
Guess what: it’s only available in the US. Thank you Ospray.
So we kept looking, obsessed with the idea of a hybrid backpack that we can roll most of the times, but sometimes carry as a backpack. On the meantime, we realized that taking only hand luggage was almost impossible (the amount of medicines we’re taking is kind of insane, and takes space).
Three weeks before the trip, we still didn’t have a backpack. Luckily, we had a short trip planned to Dusseldorf, where we found an amazing store. The name says it all: globetrotter.
They had the backpack we had dreamed for: Osprey SOJOURN 60L.
Why did we choose this backpack?
- It opens up completely, like a suitcase. We did not want luggage that only opens from the top, as every time you arrive in a new place you need to take everything out.
- It has WHEELS. And really good ones!
- It has BACKPACK STRAPS. And also really good ones, with hips straps as well. This is the main reason why we didn’t choose the Osprey meridian instead.
- You can attach the daypack to it (Daylite plus, which we have as well).
- The zippers, resistant and waterproof.
- The capacity of 60L is just right. Carrying this one is already quite heavy, so we didn’t want the 80L.
The down side?
- It’s already 3.8kg when it’s empty, while most backpacks are less than 2kg. (But most of the times we won’t have to carry it anyway!)
- The price. Hey Osprey, do you want to sponsor us? 🙂
So we had one backpack, finally. Now, what would the second one be?
We have finally decided to go for another Ospray bag. Since this one will be hand luggage and much lighter, we decided to save some money and get just a (not rolling) backpack: FARPOINT 40L.
Why did we choose this backpack?
- It opens up completely as well. As mentioned before, we really didn’t want a top loading backpack.
- It fits hand luggage dimensions and it’s 40L
- The zippers, resistant and waterproof.
- The price difference between cheaper brands was not that big.
- It’s very comfortable, which is important as this is the backpack that we will always have to carry on our backs (okay, on Richard’s back hehe)
- It’s light, just 1,4kg
The down side?
Well, not sure, since we didn’t receive it yet because we ordered it two days ago (writing this four days before we leave) We like doing things last minute – I turned Richard into a Spanish. But no specific down sides on this backpack really, the price is fine for what it is, but of course there are cheaper brands.
Our daypacks
On the daily life, we will not be carrying around the big packs when we are visiting places. We will use normal daypacks that fit just the necessary things for the day.
We’ve got another osprey backpack for this, the daylite plus.
Why did we choose this backpack:
- Mostly, because it can be attached to the sojourn 60, meaning we won’t have to carry around too many different items.
- Just the right size. It fits nicely a laptop, a bottle, some snacks, phones, keys and wallet, and some other unnecessary things that I always take.
- Because we’ve got shares at Osprey and we’re buying everything from this brand. (Kidding, we’re broke now)
The down side:
- Not cheap
The other day pack that we are taking is an amazing backpack from my mom. It’s a Mandarina Duck bag, just 15 years old or so. She always used it for her travels but she stopped using it a couple years ago because it’s old (it’s the reaaaally old version of this one).
Why we chose this bag:
- Because it’s free
- Yeah, that’s it.
Want to know what things we’re taking on the world trip? check our next blog, time to pack!
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