I just read someone elses topic about backpacks and it got me wondering. I'm planning to travel around Europe for 12 months and work as well. I need to do it as cheaply as possible and thought backpacking was the only realistic option. BUT I'm a 24 year old woman with a lower back problem. I see a chiropractor every 3 weeks. Is a backpack a bad idea in my case? If so what else would be as practical?
Reply to this Hello Stacey 😊
No, a backpack is not the only option. I rarely use one. I usually just take a small bag with 5 to 10 kilos of stuff in it. I think travelling light would be the best for your back. I am no expert on back problems but from experience of backache from when I was pregnant I think balancing the weight you are carrying on each sides of you body helps. I mean, take a bag to carry in each hand, with around the same weight in each.
But maybe your chiropractor would have suggestions about what type of bag you should use.
Mel
Reply to this Fantastic, thanks Mell. 😊 I was thinking maybe a bag with wheels might be an option too. But they can get hard to maneuver. It's nice to know you don't usually use backpacks!
Reply to this no need for a back mounted bag unless your going to be bringing it hiking.
you can take a really small bag but then your making sacrifices
the wheel is a great invention.
Reply to this :D Thanks Matty. (I'm definitely not a hiking girl.)
Reply to this Just take what you need. I took a schoolbag to Latvia with 10kg of my stuff in it.
I took:
- 3 pairs of clothes (shirts, trousers, jumper, socks, underwear)
- Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Soap and Razor equipment in a small bumbag, which I had inside my bag
- Travel guides, maps, books
- Electric wall plug adaptor, phone charger, etc
- Torch
Reply to this I popped into a couple of luggage places yesterday and discovered proper traveling backpacks with wheels! So I have the option of using the wheels in cities etc. but can still carry the bag when I'm in areas that wheels aren't really going to work. They even have a smaller backpack that can be zipped off the front. These look pretty awesome! The Paklite version was only 4kg's empty compared with some other brand which was 9kg's.
Would you say this is a good option?
Reply to this a 2 bag comnination is good.
this way you can carry the small light one on your back and the other one wheels on the ground.
also you can take the small bag on a day trip somewhere if you want.
also the small one can come with you in the bus-plane where as the big ones goes in the cargo.
however those combi wheeled backpacks are a tricky design and can sometimes compromise on one or another function. also they can be expensive to the point where they may even cost more than their clothing contents.
example. ( in my opinion)
the eagle creek swithback is great on the ground but poorly balanced on the back.
berghaus jalan 75 15 is excellent on the back but poorly designed for ground use
and if you rule out the
areas that wheels aren't really going to work
then in the end they serve the same function as a daypack and a wheeled duffle and you could get a really decent daypack and a wheeled duffle for much less money.
i currently have a wheeled backpack and have never used it on my back in 6 months in south america.
so unless you can actually see yourself needing to put it on your back (eg. stairways) then i say you would be ok with a wheeled case and a daypack. but i do not have a bad back so this is your call.
hope this helps
Reply to this Thanks for that Matty. It does help! I was also looking at a website link that I found on this site about packing light and he suggests that the wheeled bags aren't worth it because they are heavier and reduce the packing space (because of the wheels constructions and frame etc.) He mentions
Luggage Carts which allow you to have a normal bag with all of its room and the cart is lighter than most of the inbuilt systems.
Arg, there are so many options! :p I think his luggage cart idea might get a bit annoying to have to keep setting up though. I might go with your idea.
Reply to this if you get a wheeled bag just watch out for certain features. some wheeled cases can rock over and back while their moving this is annoying. the further apart the wheels the better.
also if you can find a bag that compresses like a backpack his is handy for keeping it nice and compact..
and take care not to over fill it. weight doesnt matter all that much on wheels but its a burden you can do without..
try pick one that at least has a shoulder strap for carrying it like a set of golf clubs is handy for (very brief) non wheel situations.
a combi wheeled backpack may actually have all those features. but make sure that it does the wheel part well.
hehehe, i finally eat my words today when i had to walk for 15 minutes over some unpaved ground and ended up carrying the backpack on my back! so maybe i shouldnt knock them..
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