BootsnAll Travel Community

This topic has probably been covered before, but i wanted to know what is a reasonably sized backpack for a smaller woman 5'3. I do want to pack lightly. I won't have a sleeping bag or anything like that, just a 6month trip in hot weather. And if you have any suggestions on kinds of packs or your favorite pack that would also be helpful.

Ideally I would carry a 35L pack for every trip I ever went on. My favorite pack for travelling is an older version of the Marmot Women's Diva 35. I can take it as carry on and its always comfortable to carry, not too huge or heavy. I think if you are going to a warm climate you should be able to make it work for you. I'm 5'2" and pretty slight so Women's packs generally work better for me as they have a shorter torso and narrower shoulder straps.

As always you'll have to try them on and see but I think a 35L women's pack may be a good start.

Where are you going?

I think 35L is a great pack size for traveling, but if you're wondering more about upper limits, I wouldn't go beyond a 60L pack.

Be sure to pay attention to the pack's back size. Decent brands will sell their packs in S/M/L or some variation thereof. If you have a smaller torso length, then you want a pack to fit.

I have a friend who's quite a bit shorter than me but actually has a much longer torso length.

I find that it's not so much the pack size that matters as much as the weight of it filled. I've been travelling with a 50L pack but when it's full it's really heavy for me to carry. I am getting a smaller pack which will force me to carry less. I suggest going to the store and putting a pack on, fill it with weights and then browse around the store for half an hour, and remember that when you are travelling in a hot climate you will be doing that in 90 degree weather! You could also pack your stuff, put it in a bag and then take it to the store and try it on with exactly what you will be taking on your trip. I think that in hot weather a 40L pack would be good.

To note, I have a 60L pack for hiking, and when I just packed what I think I'll be taking on my 4 month RTW (hot weather trip, no coats or anything), it's way big. I'm likely going to pick up a ~35L pack.

I don't see why being 5'3" or 6'2" would much affect how much room you need, but obviously, you'll need a smaller frame.

Good luck, and all the best!
-Jake

Because of my work I needed a hybrid pack so I went in to Kathmandu to pick one up a new one (they were having a sale). I'd just been using a normal backpack but it had been causing a bit of problem with my shoulders and the way it sat when I was out on long surveys. The sales guy told me that the volume of the pack is irrelivent the only thing that really needs to be considered is the size of the pack in relation to your back size because you're going to be carrying it on you back the whole time so it needs to fit. Now unlike you I'm really tall and I was really iffy about have a Large size pack because I didn't want to have to cart around something big and stand out wherever I was. But he was telling me that he's fit tiny people about your hight with Large packs and tall people with Small or Medium size one and that it should solely come down to the back length so it fits properly. But only thing to remember it that just because its a 60L or even a 90L or 100L pack doesn't mean that you have to fill all that space. So maybe instead of focusing on the volume of the back focus on the actual fit to your back (get the shop assistant to help you) and when it comes to packing remember to pack light.