I saw some of the Rick Steves packs in the local travel store and, frankly, I was impressed with the design, weight, etc.  The clerk said they hadn’t carried the Rick Steves stuff long enough to have any firsthand reports on durability, etc. from folks who’d used them.

I have an Eagle Creek briefcase-converts-to-backpack that I love — however Eagle Creek stuff is more in the “will break the bank category.”  It’s the most comfortable pack I’ve ever carried and it’s been used and seriously abused almost daily for 12 years with no signs of wear.

Hmm really? Maybe I will get teh good ole Rick Steves one then..

Is $100 too expensive?  REI has this carry-on size Osprey pack:
http://www.rei.com/p…
Read the reviews.  Several are from people who carried it on for trips to Europe.

I’m considering buying this one and putting it away for the next time my wife travels with me.  It’s carry-on size and also has a small (14L) detachable daypack: http://luggagebase.c…
REI ran out of them on their website but my local store has one for $89.

 

I have a Rick Steves bag
100 bucks
works well for me
I stopped using my bigger backpack because I couldn’t bring it on as a carry on
i ordered from the website
in terms of price there are lots of packs much more expensive
if your old pack worked just use that if it works as a carry on

I purchased a Lowe Alphine 75 Liter backpack at my local REI store a few weeks ago which was $150, instead of $250. Already took it for a week long trip to San Francisco and planning on using it for almost 3 months of backpacking in Europe. It isn’t extremely big so you don’t need to check in once you get to the airport.

I can’t see how a 75 liter pack falls within the carry-on limits.

Sierra Trading Post

Look down the menu on the left and click Bargain Barn. Sometimes you get great deals there.

Well I got the $100 Rick Steves one. Seems like a good bag, but it’ll take some getting used to compared to my old one. It’s actually slightly bigger than my old one, which makes me worry about the carry-on restrictions, despite Mr Steves’ assurances Also I like the “compartments” better in my old bag. The carrying straps are a bit better on the new bag though. But the thing that definitely sets the new one apart is the internal/external straps it has that can condense the size of your bag; doesn’t help with the weight, but cuts down on the physical size, which may help at airports.

I just tried to crush MB’s bug on my screen!

“Free at last…..Oh my God,.......” Take the smallest bag you can that will hold about 20L. Pack no more than 2-3 shirts, 2-3 pairs of skivies, 2 pair pants, something to keep you warm and something else to protect against rain and 2 pairs of socks. Wear the other stuff onto the plane. Buy the toilet articles later. Wash your clothes in the sink or a laundry-mat.

Freeing one’s self from baggage is the biggest joy of backpacking.

Any veteran backpacker will tell you that at least 50% of all backpacking conservations are about packing problems and issues. Use the time you would have spent talking about packing to do some serious stuff.

The sad thing: hardly anyone makes a 20-30 L pack these days that isn’t for school kids or jocks.

Yeah, way ahead of ya on the packing aspect. Actually, funny enough, I got hassled by homeland security last time I came back to America because I ONLY had a backpack with me. Apparently travelling light these days is solely reserved for terrorists

Sierra Trading Post has the Marmot Garmsal on sale at $61.88. I’ve been traveling with this pack in Europe for the last 3 months and it has been an awesome pack – small enough for carry-on, big enough to carry everything you need.