im looking for the same and cant find more than one or 2 designs that are very very expensive.

have you checked out the high sierra transport? You can get it on Amazon.com for less than 100 dollars and it ships free in the US. It comes with detachable day pack. Looks like a nice pack. Also it is carry-on sized so you can pack light! there’s another high sierra model— the railpass— but it is a little bigger than carry-on size, 26” long, and it also comes with a day pack.

http://www.amazon.co…
(links to other high sierra models with day packs are down the page a bit)

sweet, thanx! you cant imagine the terribly things i found when i tried to google for them. i found a much older version of high sierra’s transport… they just seem kind of small…

i suppose i need to remind myself that i AM a light packer, and that doesnt need to change just because im going some where new.

let me know if you see anything else. i really hate the idea of dropping another $250 on a bag, if it can be avoided.
-becci

None of the high sierra bags (which you can find on that amazon link I gave earlier) are more than $150 so I would go with one of those. Pick one based on your personal travel needs, but I would go with the transport because the main pack is carry-on size. This bag was actually my second choice for a recent trip, but I ended up getting a really good deal on an eBags weekender backpack (does not have a daypack) so I chose it instead. It’s about the same size as the main pack from the transport though.

hmm, i really appreciate the help. i think im just asking for too much for the money i would like to spend. i ve been reading the reviews on the high sierra bags, and the biggest complaint has been durability, (or lack there of) and the fact the the zipper thingys arent metal, so theres no real point in locking the bag…

id really like to be able to secure my stuff. is it realistic to think i could just throw a smaller back pack i to my bag to carry with me, rather than have one that attatches to my bag?

This will work fine, as long as you’ve got a day pack that will easily fit into your big pack. The trade-off is comfort, which may or may not be a big deal for a day pack depending on how much you carry. A day pack that will easily stuff into your regular pack won’t have much structure and padding, which you’ll notice if you carry a couple of guidebooks, camera gear, netbook or laptop, water bottle, rain gear, etc. If you only carry a small camera and a map a fold-up backpack will work.

In the case that you get a pack without an attached day pack, then I highly recommend the eBags weekender. It’s pretty cheap (depending on the sales, anywhere between $53 and 75 I think) and fits great. Backpack straps zip into a pocket if you need to check the bag and it has a MILLION pockets for things so you will be able to keep random little things separate. it has metal zipper pulls (with cloth pulls also attached for easier zipping) that are easily locked. The very front pocket only has one zipper so it can’t be locked, but it’s a small pocket where you probably wouldn’t keep anything big or important anyway (I stuffed my small paperbacks in there). It also unzips around 3 sides like a suitcase so its real easy to pack, soft sided though so easy to squish into places when full, and also carry-on sized (fits MOST overhead bins… it only didn’t fit when fully packed/stuffed, in a tiny regional jet I flew on, but it did fit under the seat on that flight). I wouldn’t recommend putting more than 25 pounds in it though, as it tends to pull on my shoulders when it gets that heavy. I think around 20lbs would be best.

I personally use an Asolo backpack. I got the 80 litre one because the trip I was using it for I was going to UAE, Egypt and Europe in March and April…two completely different weather conditions. It has a day pack and fanny pack attached. Smaller ones are also available and come with lifetime warrenty which is amazing.