Travelling with Backpacks

Property of Stormberry

Before any wrong ideas are formed, no, I have never done "backpacking", and I don't really think I'll ever do.  Not that there's anything wrong with backpacking, but in my personal case that's so not my thing. However, I have travelled some, and I have used backpacks in those travels, so that's what I'll talk to you about in this post.

This post was inspired for this article I read today on the Washington Post: "Backpacks are making a comeback with travelers". This article was mostly a review of somewhat "high end" backpacks, many of which are more gadget oriented than your regular school backpack or "whatever" backpack, which is what I use. Now, to give you an idea, I call them "high end" even if they might not be, because these range from around US$99 to US$259 (the ones mentioned in the article). That's a freaking lof it money for a backpack, even though these do a lot of things more than your trusty JanSport or your... what's the name of that Swedish backpack everybody loves in Europe? "Kånken Fjällräven". Ok, maybe the Fjällräven is in that priceline (though not all of them), but still... And if I tell you what I paid for my trustly JanSport (US$20), you wouldn't believe me.

Now, before I continue, let me rant for a short second here. This is something I don't understand, and something I blame on our current Dumb Capitalist System (contrary to a Smart or Rational Capitalist System): just like with pricing of rentals in Budapest, it baffles me that such a staple item can reach prices so high that it takes them out of reach for so many people, particularly people that do, really need it. I don't know if it is a practice in some other countries (though I have friends in Hungary and I have never heard of this sort of practice), but in Costa Rica when the school year is about to begin, many groups and people get organized to collect school supplies to be sent to children whose families can't affort to buy them, so that they can go to school. Donating school supplies can be the difference between a kid getting education or having to stay at home and either be put to work, or have them roaming the streets and getting early into a less-favorable life style. This year I decided to put up a well stocked pack, so I've got a list from the Education Ministery, and followed it to the letter, buying every single item, in the quantities and specifications required, and put it all in a backpack - pencils and pens in a pencase, of course - and that was the moment when I realized the range of prices and options families have for school backpacks. There were all shapes and sizes and colors. I went for the brand I know, which was only the second cheapest. So, the point is that, though school supplies are not cheap, and families can spend a good amount in buying them, I believe it is wrong to hike up the prices even more, up to the point where the decision of buying a simple, good backpack makes you decide which of the other school supplies you must let go of.

Property of Stormberry

Anyway, back on topic, the afore mentioned article made a quick review of some of these backpacks, basically under the idea of suggesting them for travelers, or people who use them normally for work. I checked every single one of them dutyfully, and in many I found that they are very padded, and are actually quite... "specific designed". What do I mean? They didn't really seem to be fit to accomodate any particular combination of items, but more like it assume you will have specific items with you that you need to carry. Many featured how good they could work carrying high end cameras, but didn't show the same space working for laptops and books, or in a regular traveler arangement, with a pullover, a laptop, maybe a book and a planner. Even with the removable divisions, I looked at them and I wasn't quite sold on them.

I have a couple of backpacks - most of them low end or "low end"-ish - and among them one that's padded with four sections. For a while that aimed to be my favorite, though it was quickly evident that it was heavier than a simple backpack, but also the sections weren't really functional, or at least not for me. In a regular case, my backpack holds my planner, a book, a pencase, a necessaire, wallet, phone, sometimes a notebook... and these tend to be bulky. If I have class or I'm working on an assignment, studying on writing letters, those supplies go also in there. Yes, normally my backpack weights around 8 Kg. Added weight from the backpack itself isn't really welcomed.

When I travel, the backpack usually has these things PLUS my laptop, the laptop's cable and a converter. So yes, my backpack through travelling gets really heavy. The problem I have found with sectioned backpacks is that the contents of one section can push the space in other sections, making stuff sometimes rather inaccesible. In this sectioned, padded backpack I tell you about, there was a whole full-lenght section I couldn't use because the larger section's contents always pushed out the space from it. So even if you'd manage to get things in them, if at some point you have to take them out, you might need to struggle a little, but to get them back in you'll have to struggle A LOT.

In my experience, the padded sections don't offer much of an improvement for easy access or space-keeping. Sure, maybe if you don't overstuff your backpack they might work, but if you don't overstuff it, would you actually need the bulk of the padded, sectioned backpack?

Property of Stormberry

What to carry in your backpack is really a personal choice, though multiple advises and experiences can be shared. Given your current lot of items you carry arround, what backpack should you use? My advise is: the one that's safest and weights the less. The simplest backpacks - such as the JanSport or the Kanken Fjällräven - can be further adapted quite easily, to have extra pockets, if you feel the need for it (say, flat pockets for your passport, inside the small pocket, or an elastic band sawn in to hold pens), or a simple strip of cloth with a hook to keep your keys at hand or your wallet from being stolen. Hook keychains are an easy way to secure these backpacks, just like I show it in the picture to the left.

Higher end backpacks tend to add on weight. Padding, design, unused spaces kept for gadget safety... some of them add 1.5 to 2 Kg of weight or more, and take this from me: no amount of padding or smart design wisk weight away. 6 Kg of stuff in a light backpack are 6.3 Kg of stuff, max. 6 Kg of stuff in a 2 Kg backpack, regardless of the tech solution, is 8 Kg on your shoulders.

A light backpack, with no extra padding, stands out less from your back, so you are not pushing and hitting people, nor bumping and breaking stuff in places you visit (you sure know those stores full of breakable things and narrow aisles where you need to move your backpack in front of you, if you don't want to back into debt for damage).

JanSport. Taken from
google.com

Here I mention JanSport and Fjällräven to give you an idea of the kind of backpack, but I'm sure you can find similar ones where you live. So, if you have to decide on a backpack, take them in consideration too, not only the hyped, high-tech, high end options.

But in the end, the decision is yours.