BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey all, my wife and I are planning our first round the world trip in November and are bag shopping now. I see threads about which sized was used but I really want to know what I could get by on.

I'm not going to have anything too special to cart around on the trip, and i'd rather be carrying the smallest thing possible. I'm 6' tall, i'm thinking 55L might be the best?

Thoughts?

If you want to be REALLY minimalist just get a ziplock baggie and put an AMEX card in it.

It's a pretty subjective question. I'd say 55L is huge and that you could easily shave 20L off the top. It'll depend on which countries you're going to, how many different climates you're visiting, how long you'll be in each place, and how many silly travel gadgets you feel you absolutely need to have. (The answer the the last one is 'None' if you really think about it hard enough)

Also, when looking for pack sizes (yeah, a good one will come in S, M, L or some variation) it is your torso length that matters. Short people can have long torsos and you could have a small one. A good shop can measure your back.

Thank you, I'm spending most of my time (with the exception of 3 weeks) in 20C weather. I imagine i won't have much extra things to worry about. However a little bit of buffer might be nice. I'll likely look for something in the 45-50 range if it fits well.

Thanks again.

Go talk to those nice people at MEC. Make sure that they measure your torso.

I think perhaps some people have less material needs than others.

I hiked the Camino de Santiago with a 40 liter pack, and it was a little small, but doable.

For a RTW you need at least enough space for teh following.

two pairs pants
Two shirts
3 pair socks,
2 pair underwear
(light sweater, I prefer a Fleece)
(one very lightweight watertight jacket or poncho
One waterproof hat.
Toiletries
One very small towel. Mine is about one foot by 3 foot. It works fine.
Some say flip flops for showers.
Shoes of choice, depending on needs.
Sleep sack, if you want.

I like a pair of casual dress shoes and one pair of casual/dress pants, one casual dress shirt.

This is fairly minimal. On a 40 liter pack you'll be almost stuffed full. with a 50 liter you may have plenty of space.

Now, if you-re really minimalist, you can make do with wearing one pair of pants, one shirt, and wash and dry every night.Thats what I did for the Camino.

Socks, I say four pair. There is nothing worse than walkng all day in a wet pair of socks.

This list is culled, believe me. I used to carry a 70 liter pack before I got converted to the small pack world!!!

Also, its good to have with you, at least on a RTW, one smaller pack or even a foldable shopping back for those day trips when you don't want to take all the clothes out of your backpack, which is not recommended.

It can be light as cheap plastic, or somewhat more sleek.

I once found an interesting light and small daypack, but it was too cheaply made, and fell into pieces...

Oh well.

I have found that a 45L pack is more than enough for just about any conditions I've ever faced while traveling.

Here's a link to an impressive packing list...with even more tech stuff than I would bring....all in a 28L pack

http://www.lifenomadic.com/the-gear-of-life-nomadic.html

that has really inspired me to go on a huge weight loss campaign for my next trip.

That was a great article, and is really helpful in guiding decisions. I don't think i'll go that hardcore to start with but is inspiring. Thank you for posting that!

Currently carrying a 50L pack - Redwing 3100, coming in at about 25 pounds. 9 pounds of which is the "electronic gadgets" others would say one should do away with.

I will say this- we are glad we got packs the size we did- they were the ones that fit our backs best (which is why we bought them) and while we don't fill them up by any means with our stuff, having the extra space will allow us to carry extra stuff periodically (say going to the grocery store, or whatever) or have the headroom if it turns out we underpacked.

So, I don't think you have to fit your pack to exactly your pre-determined amount of stuff, think of them separately and keep some extra room in your pack if you can.

I have a 50L pack and it has tons of room. I think you need to figure out what you are going to bring on your trip before determining exactly what size of pack you will need. I find that the weight of the pack is more important than the actual size. My 50L pack is very heavy when full and difficult for me to carry around for any length of time, I would never go bigger than that.

Both my wife and I use Rick Steve's Classic Back Door Bag. Whether it for a few days or a month it works great. I have taken every trip listed in our blog with these bags. These bags covert into backpacks. Travel light, you will never wish you packed more.

What do people think about sleeping bags? I know it depends on where you are going to be, but should you always bring one? And if so, what are some good brands? Thanks.

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What do people think about sleeping bags? I know it depends on where you are going to be, but should you always bring one? And if so, what are some good brands? Thanks.

I usually take one with me. You never know when you might be sleeping on a cold train, or randomly end up out in the desert. Can't go too far wrong with a sleeping bag. That said, it does add significant bulk and weight, so it really depends on you, so it is an extra that can be left behind if you're wanting to pack light.

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And if so, what are some good brands?

I've worked for two of the "good brands", and now that I don't, I can honestly say that the best deal on sleeping bags would be the 20 degree f. rated, house brand, goosedown sleeping bags from Campmor, EMS, REI or MEC. For most situations, that spec will do just fine.

I pretty much always bring a sleeping bag, but I sacrifice some warmth and go with a 40 deg F down bag. Mainly because it's small enough that I can still fit in my carry-on size backpack. Plus, the reality is 95% of the time its warm enough for whatever I end up needing it for.

When I travel with the little woman I bring a 25 deg F bag instead. It zips completely open and we share it as a blanket.