my first bag? Ohm or Flash

Hi Zijiang,
I would suggest you go to sixmoondesigns.com and check out the "Traveler". It is a panel loading pack that is specifically designed for both backpacking AND travelling. The Six Moon Designs company has an excellent reputation for quality products and honesty. Good luck!
Tom

Hi Zijiang:

Not that you asked, but “bags” is travel lingo — meaning luggage. Here in our backpacking world, “bags” mean sleeping bags — and we use the word “pack” instead — short for backpack.

For hiking / camping use, I prefer hiking backpacks — basically one big hole with an opening at the top — like the ULA Ohm and REI Flash. At the end of the day, almost everything comes out anyway.

But for traveling (i.e. staying in hotels or hostels) — I rarely need to unpack everything at the end of each day — and for this reason, I intensely dislike using hiking backpacks. I much prefer “panel loading” packs with a couple of zippered compartments.

I think a 30L panel-loading backpack (basically a day pack) is more than big enough for travel use — unless you need to pack serious winter clothing or lots of sporting gear.

This is the pack I use for my own month-long travels — and also for my upcoming 7-month “round the world” travel.

I am a bit confused though — are you shopping for a new pack for travel use? Or are you looking for a pack for multi-day hiking / camping trips?

"I usually do week/weeks-long city trips (hotel or hostel based) but rarely camping and hiking atm."

Why you are looking at ultra light packs for city trips. Its nice to have lighter luggage, but are you going to be wearing the pack all day long while doing strenuous exercise?

Since it appears that, unlike most on this forum, you are not a wilderness trekker but a budget traveler. I would not recommend the lightweight backpacks that we use for backpacking (as in the sense of trekking) because the pack you use for traveling has to stand up to maltreatment by airline baggage handlers (I've watched bags hit the ground from way up on the plane!). You want something really sturdy and, as mentioned, panel loading.

My own traveling pack is a convertible travel pack bought at REI in 1993. It has backstays and a hip belt, but the shoulder straps and hip belt can be hidden behind a panel on the back. This protects them from getting caught on baggage equipment and also makes the backpack look like a real suitcase should you wish to look less out of place in a standard hotel. It isn't light, but it has survived a lot of baggage handling and a lot of traveling and still looks new. It will go as an overhead carry-on most of the time, although with increasing restrictions it won't make it onto all planes. For a daypack while sightseeing I have a 6 oz. nylon pack that can be rolled to the size of your fist.

Guys,

Thanks for all suggesting. I guess i just did not put out my idea clearly.
I do, fully agree with you guys that luggage cases are more suitable for air traveling or moving. I had several nice cases which served me pretty well. I did not intend to use the packs for this purpose.The reason I mentioned that is I always move my living places, meaning I have to pack my pack into my luggage cases when I change a place, unless I will be able to use it as handy pack through check-in (my old 28L served me well in this way).
As for the pack i am picking, I am going to use it when having some week(s)-long backpack city travel which my big cases r not suitable(something like travel 5cities in 7days.) and sometimes a long term backpack trip with friends (planning a trip to tibet).

The SMD traveler is sth worth considering. But i like simple stuffs…and as from previous, I think 55-65L would be a great size.

I am still confused. It may be my lack of understanding of the non-US version of backpacking. I imagine that you buying a railpass to get around and sleeping inside every night. I am imagining that you are going to be walking about 3 miles a day in this situation and mostly using subways and city buses. Then you only want one thing to carry it all in to make it easy.

This is what I am thinking of when you say city backpacking.

If I was in the situation that I am thinking of, I would bring my 80 liter Gregory Palisade. Its a huge pack with a few compartments to keep things organized. I mean if I am only walking 3 miles or so then I don't mind the extra weight of my Palisade.

I just don't understand why you would want a ultralight pack if you are not going to be hiking through the mountains all day with it on your back. What has got lost in translation between the non-US version of backpacking and the US version of backpacking?

lol.. it probably because i am not clear which is the right pack for myself. Unfortunately I have no space and money to have specific packs for each occasion so basically it will serve me as a one-for-all, that is mainly for a long term tour trip plus hiking possibility (rails and mountains in your case).

I guess the super UL is not of that importance. That is why i am hesitating between REI and ULA. But I would of course like to have a decent pack with less weight as possible and I think the UL pack will be much easier to carry around in my cases during the home-moving.

I probably have a special situation or demand, and i have not clearly decided the type of packs that would suit my goal. I probably will have to try several types of pack before knowing what the best.

Zijing, just my 2 cents here. I have been traveling professionaly since 1986. I travel anywhere from one to thirty days at a clip. I find that the smallest lightest pack is essential. If you use any type of public transportation you will need a small thin pack. Also due to theft the smaller and lighter it is the easyer it is to keep with you at all times. I remember I had my camera gear in Oahu My pack in Kaui and I was living out of my daypack in Maui. I wanted to fly to Tahiti but had to collect all my crap first. I was traveling with all my camera gear and a full pack to carry it all. I left my main pack where it was shipped all my camera hear home baought a Leica and took my daypack to Tahiti for 3 months, no regrets didnt miss anything. Infact I think my pictures were more personal due to the close working distance. On the flip side I worked for the Largest PR firm in LA and would jump a flight almost daily I kept a small day pack carefully packed with one change of cloths and would just have the hotel do my laundy as needed. Less is always more. These days I dont fly as much as I used to but still My main travel pack is REI flash 18 and my giant one is a Golite Ion. Either way I can live indefinately out of either of these packs. I dont bring anything other than a silk sleep sack a poncho and a few bits of cloths. I can always get a blanket for five bucks if it gets cold but I usually beg borrow or steal one. I do bring a small potato sack for bus travel so it looks like a locals bag and knowbody wants that. "GO small, go light, go now." ALan Oberlander 2009

“GO small, go light, go now.” Amen! Options:

1. If you can go small (do you really need to pack all that stuff when you are traveling from town to town?) — then pick any day pack / school pack. That’s what a lot of us do on our own long travels.

2. If you MUST pack a lot of stuff — then get what’s called a “maximum legal carry on” — meaning these are the biggest packs that most airlines will allow you to carry on:

Rick Steves Convertible Carry On

Eagle Creek Explorer

Osprey Porter T46

Patagonia MLC

MontBell Tri Pack 45

All the above are built for travel use — with many user convenience features. For the times you wish to check them in, they are also sufficiently robust and most have a feature where you can “tuck and hide away” the shoulder straps to protect against airport conveyor belts.

I would recommend AGAINST hiking backpacks that use ultralight, ultrathin materials — unless your pack is a truly small one that you know you will never have to check in. Otherwise, with a larger carry-on size pack, there may be times when you have to check it in (say when flying in smaller aircraft). Packs built with silnylon or similarly thin material that lack a way to safely tuck away/protect pack straps can be trouble waiting to happen.

Hope this helps.

All great points Ben. I find when I fly small planes which I do often. I can carry anything I want and I get to carry it by hand to the plane for the pilot to load. I will never check a bag my tiny daypack rarely gets much attention. I also look more like a local than a 6000ci inch toting tourist with my 10lb boots hanging off the back. For me the big difference is that most travel packs that I have tried carry like a sack of potato's on your back and are very heavy and too large. On the plus side they open like a suitcase and are very easy to access. A mountain style day pack from 1200-1800 is a great size for me but again while it is great to carry often you have to unload the entire pack to get at things in the bottom. I spent three straight years living in a 1100 ci pack and loved it. I usually had a bed but still would find myself sleeping on the beach or in a cane feild. My poncho and liner kept me warm and dry. Change your location, not your clothes. My motto while backpacking around the world. I'm not homeless, I'm debtless. Ali

I like to travel with a frameless pack and the Golite Jam 2 fits the bill. Not only does it excel at ultralight multi-day backpacking, but it be compressed with its Compacktor system to about a 1/3 of its regular volume. The fact that it is frameless means that it can be stuffed a little easier into nooks and crannies when travelling and it is made out of Dyneema Gridstop which is really quite durable.

Ali:

I edited my post up above after reading your comments — to clarify that using a larger size 'carry on" pack — there may still be times when the airline will require checking in — such as when flying in a smaller aircraft. In this case, one would want a sufficiently robust and protective pack that's designed to survive airport handlers and conveyor belts.

Like you, I'm not homeless either. In a way, my home is wherever I am. Up to now, my trips have been about a month in duration. I have never felt homesick or even being away from home. My upcoming trip will take 7 months — so it will be a real test on whether I truly feel that the world is my home…

Sounds like a good trip. I assume you will be giving us a trip report. My city vs mountain trips go both ways. I learn allot on either side and transfer it to the other. A good stuff sack of any material that is big enough hold your pack while checking it will be invaluable. Good luck. Ali

Thanks, Ali.

I was a traveler for a few years before I took up hiking. In many cases, what worked for traveling carried over well to hiking (e.g. go light, use layering system, wear synthetics, etc.) — although hiking is of course more rigorous and exacting. In my travels, the "hike" might just be a mile or so between the train station and the hotel.

The above is why hikers tend to be much more focused on pack and gear weight. Travelers, on the other hand, can afford to carry a heavier pack in exchange for user-convenience features — within reason.

I'll second the recommendation for the Jam. I have the original version of the Jam and used it for my year abroad. I love travelling and not checking any luggage–it definitely minimizes potential for luggage problems. It is also a plus that it has the external zipper pocket, while not as functional while hiking, it is much better by concealing the contents and inhibiting anyone grabbing anything from it.

While I would feel much better with the more robust Dyneema material of Jam 2 — as compared to flimsier silnylon and the like — I would still have reservations about using the Jam 2 for international travels — unless I know for sure that I won't ever fill it up (and thus risk being asked to check the pack)! Why? Because if checked, the single-strap top closure can come unsnapped — with a potentially disastrous spill out! Also, there is nothing to protect the shoulder straps and other straps from getting caught and torn off by conveyor belts.

But then, if I won't ever fill it up, then it begs the question why I shouldn't just get a smaller day pack — with much more convenient / user-friendly features — like a locable compartment to help deter opportunistic thieves…

IMO, when traveling — the "hikes" between train station and hotels are much shorter and even day hikes are usually quite manageable — the equation between light weight vs. user convenience is often different.

well maybe i have to use a pinnacle instead of jam2 to make sure that it will never gets too full.. i noticed MLD has a top cover to solve this issue….

The situation normally is that i go with a half full pack but come back with a full full one or vice versa.

The Pinnacle is even bigger than the Jam… I thought you did NOT want a pack that needs to be checked in?

At the end, you really need to FIRST decide what (or how much) you will be bringing — outbound and return — and then select your pack accordingly.

Realistically, if you can get by with little, then buy a day pack. If there is a chance that you might pack a lot sometimes — then get an appropriately robust travel backpack that can take the punishment (rough handling) of international travels.

i agree. I just think that pinnacle can easily compress to 2x L if I have few things inside..

Besides the undecided big one, I have ordered a Z22 and maybe will get hands on an ION.

The Pinnacle shrinks to as little as 25L to as much as 72L. Amazing really. The biggest difference with respect to size in comparison to the Jam is that it is very slightly wider and has a longer extension collar. It also has a more padded belt and a thicker internal foam pad, and load lifters.

The Ion is a neat pack but completely featureless, but that might be all you need (I have one as well).

Oh heck, maybe the "right" approach is to buy the small and featureless Ion — and then once you have it — you simply force yourself to adjust! That's one way to attain "traveling light". :)

When travelling with a pack that has to be checked, all airline companies will provide you with a heavy duty plastic bag to put your bag into. I've done this before when my pack exceeded carry-on size. It is really no big deal and your pack will be fine.

Not anymore. Very few airlines will do that in the US anymore. United Airlines is one big exception though.

I would highly suggest trying the Ion, with all of the money you save you can always upgrage later on your trip if you cant live with it. The worst case sinerio is that you will still have the sweetest pack on the planet. I got the new red cause I like shiny things but all the packs have great colers. Just take the basics and have a mail foreward box left with a friend if you need more. I find that every time I set off on a long term trip I freak out and pack way too much, then I give it all away. I just did a ten day travel trip out of mine and had to dress like I had a job for the whole trip. Pack for three days and stay for three months. A huge part of the fun for me is making due. Ali