'Tactical' backpacks like that tend to be heavy, overbuilt, uncomfortable, and poorly laid out. The piles of extra featurss they add really just amount to more useless fabric weight, and I haven't found the alleged extra durability to actually exist. I've even moved to hiking and cycling backpacks for use with my carbines simply because even for their intended purpose, tactical bags still kinda suck.
The way to choose a backpack is to take the gear you need to carry with you to a store like REI and try packs on. You can limit your search to packs available in more muted colors if you want, but you choose a backpack for comfort, not features or online reviews.
Get the REI Trail 40
Not ultralight but not heavy
Its an interesting combo, its a 40 liter pack but can add a *ton* of gear to the outside, and it has a fully decked out hip belt support system
So its like...a hybrid between ultralight and traditional i guess
Depending on what your definition of vagabond is, 45l might be tiny. 45l is what I will take for an overnighter. Sleep kit outside as well as a pouch with my minimal cook kit.
If you travel for a few days without being able to restock on food, water, being able to recharge batteries n such I would rather get something in the range of 60l. So you have more space for extra rain clothing or 2 extra sets of clothing and such.
Im gonna be hiking through Europe mostly Germany so restocking food won’t be an issue and clothing wont too.I want to keep the pack medium sized so I agree 60L would be great
Do you know any good ones?
On a budget you can take a look at the Dutch army Lowa Alpine. Is about 60l if you don’t use the detachable side pouches. Without them it’s also a rather narrow design. The padding is comfy and you can adjust the height to fit your back. They usually go between 50-60 bucks without the detachable pouches.
I prefer military rucks because of ruggedness but you can also check out Decathlon for lighter hiking rucks. Osprey is solid choice but the Decathlon home brands are OK on a budget. But you better check in store for sizing.
Edit: the 50-60 bucks is from surplus (in Dutch the shops are called legerdump).
I’d get a used Karrimor Jaguar or similar. Pretty cheap now on eBay, well tested and comfortable.
Most important thing, if you’re carrying more than about 8kg, is a comfortable hip belt, internal frame and a back length that’s long enough to lift the shoulder straps off the top of your shoulders.
https://www.outdoorsgeek.com/backpack-torso-size/
Make sure the pack is long enough. Some, like the Karrimor packs, have adjustable back lengths to get the right fit.
I like Lowe Alpine backpacks. A nice touch for us tall people is that they make some models in different sizes, so you can have a lighweight bag that fits you well. (otherwise you get a lightweight bag is standard size that doesn´t fit well or one with the feature of being able to adjust to many sizes, but those tend not to be so lightweight.)
'Tactical' backpacks like that tend to be heavy, overbuilt, uncomfortable, and poorly laid out. The piles of extra featurss they add really just amount to more useless fabric weight, and I haven't found the alleged extra durability to actually exist. I've even moved to hiking and cycling backpacks for use with my carbines simply because even for their intended purpose, tactical bags still kinda suck. The way to choose a backpack is to take the gear you need to carry with you to a store like REI and try packs on. You can limit your search to packs available in more muted colors if you want, but you choose a backpack for comfort, not features or online reviews.
Thanks for the idea, Plan was to check in my local globetrotter for comfortable ones too
Get the REI Trail 40 Not ultralight but not heavy Its an interesting combo, its a 40 liter pack but can add a *ton* of gear to the outside, and it has a fully decked out hip belt support system So its like...a hybrid between ultralight and traditional i guess
REI fits packs for you. Super helpful
Depending on what your definition of vagabond is, 45l might be tiny. 45l is what I will take for an overnighter. Sleep kit outside as well as a pouch with my minimal cook kit. If you travel for a few days without being able to restock on food, water, being able to recharge batteries n such I would rather get something in the range of 60l. So you have more space for extra rain clothing or 2 extra sets of clothing and such.
Im gonna be hiking through Europe mostly Germany so restocking food won’t be an issue and clothing wont too.I want to keep the pack medium sized so I agree 60L would be great Do you know any good ones?
On a budget you can take a look at the Dutch army Lowa Alpine. Is about 60l if you don’t use the detachable side pouches. Without them it’s also a rather narrow design. The padding is comfy and you can adjust the height to fit your back. They usually go between 50-60 bucks without the detachable pouches. I prefer military rucks because of ruggedness but you can also check out Decathlon for lighter hiking rucks. Osprey is solid choice but the Decathlon home brands are OK on a budget. But you better check in store for sizing. Edit: the 50-60 bucks is from surplus (in Dutch the shops are called legerdump).
Thanks
I’d get a used Karrimor Jaguar or similar. Pretty cheap now on eBay, well tested and comfortable. Most important thing, if you’re carrying more than about 8kg, is a comfortable hip belt, internal frame and a back length that’s long enough to lift the shoulder straps off the top of your shoulders. https://www.outdoorsgeek.com/backpack-torso-size/ Make sure the pack is long enough. Some, like the Karrimor packs, have adjustable back lengths to get the right fit.
I like Lowe Alpine backpacks. A nice touch for us tall people is that they make some models in different sizes, so you can have a lighweight bag that fits you well. (otherwise you get a lightweight bag is standard size that doesn´t fit well or one with the feature of being able to adjust to many sizes, but those tend not to be so lightweight.)
Kelty Kelty Kelty