Packing Lighter

For our honeymoon 2 years ago, my husband and I traveled to DC, Philadelphia, and Boston. We are history nerds, and since I was still a substitute teacher, we were on a budget. We were gone for 2 weeks, so I planned on packing less than I did during my summers in DC.

What actually happened was due to my usual over-packing. We took a carry-on-sized rolling suitcase, a medium duffel bag, and a large backpack. None of these items were noteworthy, but were what we had on hand to use. Because our travels took us on both local metro systems and Amtrak trains, our goal was to be mobile as well as prepared for the fickle early summer weather.

For our plans this summer, I have acknowledged our need for dedicated travel luggage. We are young, reasonably fit, and flexible in our plans, so we often take public transportation when visiting cities. From the experience of having our small rolling suitcase on the East Coast, I know that I don't want rolling luggage. I'd rather sweat under the weight of a full backpack (as I did wandering DC when we got off our early-morning bus ride from NYC).

So, in the last few weeks, we've read endless reviews of Osprey's Farpoint, Waypoint, and Porter packs, and the equivalents from Tortuga, Eagle Creek, REI, Patagonia, and Deuter.

This is what I've learned so far.

Osprey Farpoint 55, with 15-liter daypack attached

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The Osprey Farpoint 55 and 70 are the backpack versions of the Eagle Creek Switchback (convertible luggage). That's an oversimplification, of course. But the Farpoint 55 and 70 are 40- and 55-liter main packs, respectively, that have an attached 15-liter daypack.

 The picture at right is of the Farpoint 55, from the the Osprey website. It does not have wheel, but instead a well-developed shoulder strap and hip belt suspension system.

We have already booked our tickets, and found that 1 checked bag per person is included in our purchase price. However, I don't plan on hauling two 40lb bags around, as we are staying in 5 cities, and probably making day visits to several more. My plan is to take advantage of those checked bags for our return with souvenirs.

From the people I've spoken with that have the Farpoint 55, it appears that we will be able to use the main pack as a carry-on, and take the daypack off to be the +1, or personal item.

I look forward to moving between cities with 1 bag to carry, and a small travel purse for money and documents. Then, for day trips or longer bike rides, I can use the daypack for even an overnight trip, if needed.

My husband, however, is the daily packhorse, and will have a small messenger bag as his +1, so we are considering one of Osprey's packs without a detachable daypack for him. We love that the Osprey travel packs open like a suitcase instead of a hiking pack. For him, I'm considering the Osprey Porter 46. According to Osprey, the Porter 46 is the maximum legal carry-on size.

This picture from the Osprey site shows that the design is very similar to the Farpoint series. But at 46L instead of the smallest Farpoint at 40L, there's extra packing room for our 3-week trip.

Next, we've got to choose a place to stay in Hamburg and on the German coast of the Baltic Sea, our last stops in Europe.

Catching Up

As we make plans for our big Europe adventure, I'm looking back at our luggage choices from our last few travels.

Today, I'll review my old mega-sized travel bag, the Eagle Creek Switchback 26. I have the older version. This photo is from the Eagle Creek website of the new version. According to the Eagle Creek website, changes from my version to the new Switchback include making the entire system more lightweight, and the strap system more versatile. Now you can remove or attach the shoulder straps and hip belt to either bag, or remove them entirely. 

The new Eagle Creek Switchback 26, shown here with daypack separated from the main bag.

 I have used my bag as primary luggage on several long trip, by car and air. While the new bag weighs 8.5 lbs altogether, the older bag added at least another pound to that measurement. With a check bag maximum weight of 50 lbs, I could easily go over that weight limit if I filled the main bag to capacity.
However, I traveled to DC for 2 summers during college, and easily lived out of the contents of these bags. It just took a little re-packing at the airport for me to get under the weight limit in the main bag, and then I carried on the day pack.

If I have the space and the need, I will easily choose this bag. It has a huge capacity, and the day-pack is a full-sized backpack. I traveled to New York for a long weekend by bus, and just took the backpack. I was able to walk around the National Mall in DC on our way back from New York, carrying my fully packed daypack in July. The hip belt and sternum strap were comfortable, so I have no doubt that the newer version is even better.

Next up: Packing a Little Lighter