What bag to take travelling?

Question from a customer on Travel Bags:

I've been researching backpacks for travelling around Australia and S.E. Asia, and have seen the one above (Vaude Module 40 liter) which i think may be ok?

But i need advice on this product as im not sure 40L is big enough? Do you recommend this backpack for comfort? I'm 5ft so i'm not sure if 60L would look too big, I don't want to be a walking target for muggers!

I am after one with wheels so I dont have to carry it around everywhere, but want the option of shoulder and waist straps if I go trekking. (Is this the general consensus of most people going backpacking?) I'm in two minds about this! Any advice or info you can give me on this product would be much appreciated.

Answer:

Thank you for your email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

It is always difficult deciding what type of travel bag you need to take travelling - I often think the smaller the better, meaning you take less and it is lighter to carry!

Choosing the right type of travel bag is important and you need to consider carefully what you may need it for before you buy. You have said that you are travelling around South East Asia and Australia but also said that you may go trekking. If there is a chance you are going trekking and need to take a large pack with you (and all your stuff) then you need to get a proper rucksack, with a proper back system, that is padded and flexible enough to be fitted to you or you may risk damaging your back or at the very least have a an uncomfortable trek.

The Vaude Module 40 is really a wheeled travel bag and I have sold quite a number of them to people who are going travelling but won't need to take that bag trekking, usually they have a day bag that is 'hand luggage' though the module 40 should fit as hand luggage as well. The Vaude Module 40 has a very basic back system that would be fine to carry on short distances when you can't use the wheels. It is surprising how many people go travelling and you can easily use a wheeled travel bag, because you are generally in towns and cities and going from the bus or train to the hostel, usually along footpaths.

The 40 liter bag may be a little small unless you are planning on travelling very light, I would recommend a 60 liter bag as you said, but not any bigger, as you will fill it up and it will be too heavy to carry! Don't worry about looking like a target for muggers, mugging is very rare is SE Asia, it is more scamming that happens, violent crime is very minimal. And besides, you will look like a tourist no matter what bag you take! You just need to think sensibly about your security.

My summary would be:

-Think carefully about what you are likely to do - if you go trekking you will leave most gear at a hostel or base and only take a small day pack
-Think about how much stuff you want to take (you can always post souvenirs home or buy a bigger holdall if you are near the end of your trip)
-Don't worry about looking like a target - unless you are really off the beaten track, there will be plenty of other people looking like targets as well!

Of course I would say buy the bag from me, but consider the above and if you do want one with wheels, the Vaude in my opinion is one of the best. Excellent quality and stylish, I've had great feed back from other girls travelling with it telling me how jealous other people were with a rucksack or travel bag on their back!

If you do buy a bag from me it comes with a 'Be Delighted' guarantee, if you are not delighted with the bag, return it in the same condition you received it for a full refund of your purchase costs.

I really hope that helps, if you have anymore questions please let me know - I love chatting about people's travels and advising them on travel gear - running the business online doesn't generate enough questions!

Walking boot review

An interesting article (is that the right word for a feature on a TV show?) Feature, sounds better...

An interesting feature on the Gadget Show on channel 5 this evening (21 September 2009), comparing 3 pairs of walking boots.

The gruelling test comprised of a pair of Meindl Vakuum GTX, Hi Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPI, along a footpath on Chobham Common - my none other than Brian Blessed. Booted up, Brian and the presenter, mooched along the footpath discussing how good the fit was etc of the boots, whilst discussing the molecular build of the leather to stop water ingression. They even went so far as to explain how the memory foam works in the Meindl Boot.

This interesting test of walking boots was topped off with a squirt of water from a water pistol thing, quite a drenching I'm sure, but really a good way to test a walking boot?

I know the Gadget Show is probably some harmless fun, but they really do need to think about how they test things, especially boots that are, in reality, in different classes of use and build quality - easily reflected by their price point.

The Salamon boot came out on top, followed by the Hi Tec, followed by the slated Meindl Boot. I hope that Bramwell International, the importers of Meindl boots will follow this up... and to be honest I'm surprised they went in for this kind of test!

May trade my Meindl walking boots in for some Hi Tecs...

Cycle touring tent

thanks for dropping by please click through for the blog post on choosing a cycle touring tent.