Backpacks for travel are a latest trend in traveling. Most people prefer wearing backpacks than carrying suitcases and other heavy luggage. If you are confused about choosing the best back for travel, here is a comprehensive guide for you. We hope this helps you choose a stylish backpack as per the travel needs.
Advantages of Backpacks for Travel
Travel backpacks are now a basic necessity. They offer many comfy features that traditional suitcases and bags do not.
Style Quotient: Travel backpacks enhance the style quotient. Be it for an adventurous trip or a honeymoon, you find backpacks that suit as per your mood and taste. The colorful options compel us to go bold with our choices. Toddlers to elders – everyone has backpacks designed for them. If you are bored with an existing backpack, then you have tons of choices to update your style quotient.
Comfort: With backpacks, you can forget about dragging the suitcases all along. They let you enjoy the travel handsfree. You can browse your phone, capture photos or hold your dear one’s hands without reserving your hand for pulling the heavy suitcase.
Ease of usage: Backpacks for travel come with various sections that make organization easy. Those items you need to access frequently like tickets, passports, or charger, you can keep them handy in the front sections. Valuables can be safeguarded in inner sections. Many travel backpacks come with special slots for water bottles, raincoats, umbrellas, laptop, and other essential items. This adds to the comfort of travel luggage organization.
Varieties: Right from basic budget version to latest anti-theft and built-in charging port features, backpacks are available in many variants. They arealso available in many colors, weights, and features catering to the needs of everyone, right from toddlers to elderly, office to leisure, family to solo travel needs.
Ease of maintenance: Backpacks are easy to maintain when not in use. Just clean them as per the manufacturer’s instructions and store them. They do not take much place like suitcases do.
How to Choose a Backpack
Backpacks come in various designs. Backpacks for travel are measured in liters. They also vary in body type, shoulder straps size, purpose, comfort level, etc. Deciding on the backpack that fits our needs a budget might be tricky.
Here are a few tips to choose the perfect backpacks for travel:
Backpacks for trekkers and hikers
Trekking works wonders for the mind, body, and soul. Most people just pick up their backpacks and go trekking on the weekends to refresh their minds. It helps them take their mind off things and work life in general. It makes up time for the subconscious to wander off and be creative and relaxed.
Travel backpacks are the best travel accessories to carry along on treks and hikes. They allow us more movement and the broad shoulder straps help decrease the load. There are travel backpacks specifically designed for hiking. Their suspension system allows the backpack to be more suitable to carry for long hours.
Hiking bags come in various shoulder strap sizes. They have a zip at the top to conveniently open, throw in the clothes, and zip it.
Rucksacks also work as backpacks for trekking. They are durable, lightweight, and also provide cushion-like comfort to the shoulder during long periods of trekking. There are many options available. They come in water-resistant varieties too.
Sternum strap bags also make a great choice. They are even more time saving and easy to pack. There are many small pockets and inbuilt water holders. They make it much easier to grab small essential items like sanitizer, wallet, lip balm, etc.
Tips to choose backpacks for trekking
- The thicker the strap, the lesser the load felt on the back. They also help in adjusting to suit different body types.
- Opt for a waterproof backpack that is also designed for rugged use.
- Choose fluorescent colors if possible, for easy identification in the dark.
- Choose the one that has a greater number of segments to organise your essentials accordingly.
- For an all-day hike , pick one in the volume range of 30-35 liters to help accommodate water bottle, food and clothing.
- A 30 to 45L backpack can easily serve the purpose for a 3-4-day trek.
- A 45L rucksack with good features can be easily purchased in 1200-2000 rupees.
Backpacks for Train Travel
Most of us travel by train to near and even far off places at least twice a year. While going on vacations or trips, travel backpacks can ease the journey by decreasing our headache.
There are backpacks for travel designed with padded straps to lighten the burden on shoulders. They come in various shapes and sizes. From 20L size for basic stuff and few clothes to 50L with more space to occupy laptops and other essential things. They contain a separate compartment or zip for laptops and have an extra cushion effect for its safety. While traveling for work-related purposes it is also important to carry a laptop and so laptop bags should be selected. They should be able to comfortably carry a laptop and be secure from all ends.
Tips to choose train travel backpacks
- Choose one with multiple compartments in different sizes to fit in everything needed on the journey. The small compartments can be used for keys, pens, earphones, etc. These are the things we first reach out for and are essential.
- Train travel backpacks are also available in waterproof variants. They can easily carry a laptop of 15-18 inches. So even if we spill tea or water on our backpack, our belongings are safely sleeping inside.
- Such bags come along with a portable USB charger in the bag, so we do not have to struggle for the power socket on the train. Instead, we can enjoy the journey and watch our regular series without being constantly worried about the battery.
- These travel bags come in many colors ranging from bright yellow to dull, faded gray. Choose the one that matches your style.
Read: 15 Things You Must Carry in Your Train Travel
Anti-Theft Backpacks
With high quality and durability to carry heavy stuff, there are also anti-theft travel backpacks in a varied range of prices.
Many anti-theft travel backpacks are also available to secure the valuables. They are made of water-resistant polyester fabric.
A simple anti-theft bag can be purchased for 600 rupees. Better quality comes with a price and thus, bags ranging from 1700-2000 rupees are much superior.
Backpacks for Bus Travel
Most of the beautiful places on Earth cannot be reached by trains or flights. In the end, we have to resort to bus rides. Bus rides can be delightful if our luggage is not falling over us. For these journeys, we need travel backpacks that can easily fit into our arms or the tiny rack given above the seat.
Tips to choose a backpack for bus travel
- Backpacks in the size of 10-20 liter backpacks are ideal for bus travel.
- A backpack with a USB charging cable provided on the side and a bottle holder for carrying water is also perfect.
- Pick a lightweight and durable one designed for rough and tough use. Opt for a bright-colored backpack as it helps to easily identify in the heap of bags loaded on each other.
- Anti-theft features can save from robbery.
- Traveling backpacks made of fine nylon material can bear the pollution and heat.
- Bus travel-friendly backpacks should have hooks and loops so that they can be hanged on buses.
- These bus travel-friendly bags are cheap as compared to the hiking and trekking bags. Normal size is available for 500-1000 rupees only. Premium backpacks are also available at higher prices.
- When traveling during the rainy season, make sure that the bag is made of water-resistant material.
Related: Best cities in India for tourism
Backpack for Older people
Backpacks make the trip comfortable for elderly people too. One should know how to choose a suitable one. There are many user-friendly travel backpacks available in the market.
Tips to choose a backpack for elderly
- Backpacks for older people should have adjustable and thick shoulder straps. They should be able to adjust the height of the backpack according to their need and strength.
- Backpacks with broad shoulder straps evenly distribute and reduce the load on the shoulders.
- Choose backpacks for travel with padding near the shoulder region. Give preference to the ones with padding on the entire strap.
These additions allow the individual to be relaxed while wearing the backpack. They can carry the backpack for a comparatively longer duration with ease. This will also make old people feel good about themselves and their bodies.
- It is ideal to choose a backpack with many small compartments as things can get misplaced in larger compartments.
- The backpack should be well covered in two to three layers so that fragile items do not break or crack. Small compartments help to arrange the medicines, keys, spectacles, and more.
- There should be pockets on either side placed an arm’s length.
- A water holder for carrying a water bottle is essential. Light-hearted colors generally please older people but the preference can vary from person to person.
- The backpack should be as lightweight as possible.
Backpacks for students
Travel backpacks for college students should be sturdy enough to carry books weighing kilograms of load. They need to be spacious and large. They have to carry their books, clothes, essentials wherever they go.
Tips to choose backpacks for students
A 60L backpack is a basic size for a college student. The travel backpack should have a waist belt to support the body. It evenly distributes the weight so that it is no longer concentrated in a specific area.
The material should be fine and flexible to accommodate the heavy books. For regular hostel to college distance, the backpack should be durable enough to hold books.
A water holder on the side should be inbuilt to carry a bottle to the lectures. A separate compartment for the Tiffin box should be there. One small compartment is needed for basic stationery items like pens, pencil, scale, eraser, sharpener, etc. A plastic scale if placed with the books can break from the load.
The backpack should be of medium size and waterproof material as the books are very expensive. Rain can destroy the books and lead to tears in the pages and blurring of content.
Backpacks for school going children should have similar features.
They should have broad shoulder straps to lighten the load on the students. The physical strain should be reduced if emotional strain cannot for all students and that is what these backpacks will do.
There are many adjustable backpacks that mold according to the user. Their shape and size can be regulated easily.
Younger children usually prefer light and bright color backpacks like pink, red, yellow, and blue. Older children generally stick to darker shades. Colorful and creative backpacks with secret zips and code locks also make them more desirable to kids. These backpacks come in affordable prices, starting from 500 rupees.
Backpacks for women
Women generally prefer small, cute little backpacks. Travel backpacks changing to desired body type is preferred by women. While going shopping, visiting places, and going for a Sunday brunch they carry backpacks. The size of the bag is usually small but big enough to carry the essential lip balms, wallet, lipstick, handkerchief, pocket mirror, and water.
For business trips and other work-related travel, a comparatively bigger bag is used to carry the essential files, laptops, etc. Silver and golden zip backpacks are available in many colors. There is a very large variety of backpacks in various shades of the same color. The styles are also different and the backpack has a handle to carry it like a shoulder bag too. So it is basically a two in one bag.
There are usually only two compartments in these types of backpacks, one large and another small. The smaller compartment has many other pockets and zips to store small accessories like earrings, rings, clips, etc.
Depending on the brand these bags can be very cheap, starting from 600 rupees and go up to 3000 rupees and more. These backpacks provide a chic fashion statement and help keep up with the trend.
Women backpacks are accessorized and come in classy and sporty looks. They can be worn to school, college, office, or short trips. Lately, neutral tones are very much in demand among women.
Bigger backpacks are also preferred by some women for hiking or camping purposes. Backpacks are usually unisex and can be used by both men and women alike.
Backpacks for family trips
Family trips are the main quality time we spent with our loved ones. These are the trips we remember when someone asks us about a memory with our family. So, it would not be worth it to be tired by carrying the heavy luggage or engrossed by the load of the suitcases.
Therefore, it is ideal to carry a backpack for such trips. The travel backpacks should be strong and sturdy enough to carry all the belongings.
Tips to choose backpacks when travelling with family
Big sized backpacks should be used to accommodate the needs of the family. Besides, two or three bags can be used to serve this purpose. They should contain anti-theft features for the safety of money and are valuable on the trip.
These travel backpacks should be water-resistant and should contain small pockets on the front to carry small, easily misplaced essential items.
There are pet carrier backpacks available in the market if animals are also a part of the family. They have breathable nets with ample amount of space to carry the four-legged friend along. They are provided with a handle on the top and also shoulder straps to carry them in any desired way. Carrying a pet on the family trip will increase the enjoyment ten times.
Few backpacks come with wheels for dual benefit. They can be carried in any way, either by rolling on the ground or wearing them behind. If the trip is planned for the winter then the backpack should be huge enough to fit the oversized sweaters and snow jackets. For the rainy season, the backpacks should have a rain cover. In summer one can travel with lightweight backpacks and roam cities easily.
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The few features that are desired in all bags are water resistance, fine quality of material, wear and tear, and anti-theft for crowded places and long journeys.
Conclusion
Almost all backpacks are made of synthetic polyester material. They are used because they provide us with a fine and strong backpack. Sometimes there is a portable charging point provided in the backpack. Other backpacks have extra space for storing water bottles to shield them from the heat in a tanker like space.
A backpack for traveling should have many pockets and zippers. There should be ample amounts of handles to carry the bag from any desired size.
For traveling long distances barefoot, the backpack should be provided with an additional belt to support the shoulders and the back. Otherwise, taking too much pressure on the shoulder can cause strain and be harmful.
After all, the main purpose of a backpack is to relieve us from the luggage load and not to send us to the hospital. Traveling with a backpack is like having a friend walk along with us on our journey.