Part 1: The Complete Guide on Choosing Your Hiking Backpack

For a few years now, traveling in a backpack is much more than fashion. In my opinion, it's a way of doing things. To be honest, I have not touched a suitcase for almost seven years now, not because I find it cool to travel with a backpack, but because I find it more convenient.

When traveling with a backpack, you have imposed a practical and restricted wardrobe. Everything you bring has a specific function. No surplus. If you travel a lot, I strongly advise you to invest in a good shipping bag that will survive your many journeys. Here are some tips to guide you in choosing the right backpack.

liters

The first question I always ask the customer is, "Where are you going? Many will think that the duration of the trip is a more important criterion. It's wrong. The place of the trip is much more important. Leaving a week in Iceland or Mexico, the contents of the bag is 100% different and yet the duration of the trip is the same.

Past 75 L, the bag is very big, and therefore very heavy. This kind of bag is often used for an expedition traveler who is dragging a tent, a sleeping bag and often a few camping accessories. This is the kind of bag with which you look like Reese Witherspoon in Wild.

Budget

After selecting the right category of a bag, I like to have an idea of the client's budget. This allows me to better guide myself with different brands of bags. With all the products available on the market, the idea is to create a funnel effect to arrive on the winning bag. Budgets can range from $ 100 to $ 500. The margin is big enough. The difference is in the quality of the fabrics, the strength of the fasteners, the number of pockets, the accessories supplied with the bag, etc. If you intend to use it often, I strongly advise investing a minimum of $ 250. Your bag will be of a superior quality and it will "hit the run", as they say.

Belt

The backpack belt is used to stabilize and hold it in place. On the shipping bags, it  will also absorb a lot of the weight and transfer it to your hips rather than your shoulders. It is for this reason that it must make you like a glove. For several brands of bags such as the KAKA backpack, the belt is adjustable in length depending on your waist. The idea is that the pads cover your hips fully. The belt should be ergonomic and padded with thick, rigid foam. Bonus if you have small pockets on your belt, these are easy to access places for small change or other accessory used frequently.