Vicky
“It‟s just a bag” That’s what most inexperienced travellers say. Unknown to them, the choice of bag is no trivial matter as any serious traveller will let you know. You will never appreciate how a good backpack can benefit your trek or trip. Until you decide to go on a trip or trek in the countryside and you have a badly fitting bag. You need to choose the best backpack that you can find in the shops.
Recently I read an article about an experienced camper who went on a trip to the Appalachians in 1994. Instead of the exhilarating camping experience that he was expecting. He had to go home broken and bleeding from the weight of a badly fitting backpack damaging his hips. 10 years later, he had a lot more experience and went on the same trip with a better-fitting backpack. He enjoyed the trip so much more than before and the experience was so much easier for him. Having to cut your trip short or coming home broken and aching from a badly fitting bag, isn’t good.
What You Need To Think About When You Choose A Good Bag
These tips will help you choose a backpack. When you go shopping a sales assistant will sell you the product that they have been told to focus sell. Or a product that they will make more money on. They are not looking out for you. Take a look at this awesome Futliit Bag.
Know What You Need
Backpacks vary in size and quality according to what you need them for. An experienced hiker will only carry a few items with them like bare essentials. If you are going camping or climbing, you will need to take so much more equipment with you. So you need to choose the best backpack to suit your needs.
When you choose the best backpack, it will be sold in litre sizes. You get 10-litre bags or 20-litre bags these are great for trekking, walking or days out. For backpacking holidays, you will need something between 40 litres and 65 litres. These backpacks are big enough to put your equipment in for a few weeks or months.
You need To Choose The Best Backpack That Is Comfortable
Make sure your backpack is comfortable to wear. When you are shopping to choose the best backpack, you need to think about the comfort of wearing it with all of your belongings in it. Every good backpack will help campers carry the most amount of weight with the least amount of effort – and inconvenience for that matter. You can try a backpack on before you buy it. And make sure that it fits all of your belongings evenly for your trip. Make sure you look at the straps, are they padded? Are there any parts of the backpack that digs into you? And is there a waist belt to help support the backpack and your back?
A rule of thumb to remember is that the shoulder straps should carry about 30% of the weight, while the hips – being a lot more stable should carry about 70% of the weight. When testing the backpack, make sure the shoulder straps are not uncomfortable or restrictive. Try moving around in them to see how much mobility the backpack gives you.
Most backpacks have straps to go across your chest. These straps help to keep your backpack from moving. Make sure it is not too tight.
Do You Want A Framed Backpack?
Some backpacks come with a frame to help keep them solid and to support you in wearing and carrying your stuff. Personally, I prefer to choose the best backpack without a frame. But they do work for other people.
You get some backpacks with frames inside. These frames are smaller and hug closer to your body making them very comfortable to wear. They are for great for hard trails because they are so manoeuvrable and do not restrain your mobility. They are a bit harder to load though and fit everything in the smaller spaces.
External framed backpacks are great for beginners on easy trails because they are easier to pack. However, they are a bit stiffer and may restrict your mobility. It’s the best type of backpack for children
and beginners though, because of the support you get from them and you cannot overload them.
What Extras Do You Need?
There are so many extras you can buy when you get a new backpack. And in my opinion, one of the most important things is that you buy a waterproof covering to go over it. This will help to keep your stuff dry in the event of rain and rubbish weather. Also, look at the different ways you can add attachments to the outside of your backpack. Most backpacks have rings and hooks that let you add things to them. So you can in fact carry your sleeping bag outside of your backpack rather than squash it inside.
You will also want to be able to add a water bottle to your backpack, so you can easily access it on your trip, especially if there is a lot of walking involved
Whatever backpack you choose to buy, make sure you do your research before you buy. If you are looking for more travel tips and advice, take a look here.
