BootsnAll Travel Community

i'm planning to backpack throughout western europe for six months to a year and would like some suggestions for a backpack to purchase.

hey there!

north face makes great backpacks, though they're a little pricey. you can also check this out.

also, there's a 'travel gear' forum near the bottom of the main page.

Depending on your region, I'd suggest visiting your local gear shop before you make any purchases at all. There are a lot of smaller brands that get regional or limited distribution that are worth considering...

Big brands I've had experience with include Kelty, Gregory, and Lowe.

For European backpacking you'll probably want/need a good internal frame pack with a good belt (transfers weight directly to legs instead of through your back). Make sure it's comfortable so you can make that last minute dash to the station without writing with pain.

If you've never bought good camping gear before, see if there is an REI in your area (rei.com, a mid-sized national chain). They can be a good place to start.

Find somewhere the staff is knowledgable (although their expertise will probably lean toward trail hiking and camping [as mine does], but the facts they know carry into travel packs). They should help you pick out the right size pack and allow you to load it up with weights so you can walk around and get a feel for how it will perform (this is critical).

REI also produces white labeled gear, which is typically made by other big brand manufacturers, but is much less expensive (my REI boots are actually Merrel).

Hey!

The great, eternal question of backpacking. There's actually a forum for stuff like this: Travel Gear Forum which you can find by scrolling a bit further down the main page. I think just about every backpack question in the world has been asked there, and if not - post one and you'll probably get a ton of responses.

Just make sure to try it on, go to a reputable shop and put weights in it before you buy it.