Moving Overseas: bringing our backpacking gear

I’ve been pretty happy with my North Face Base Camp Duffel as checked luggage for overseas trips. Not UL by any means, but you can run them over with a tank and they’ll keep going. Works reasonably well as a backpack for running through terminals; included straps are comfy.

My current one has been beaten up by baggage handlers on 3 continents and only has a few scuffs. Variety of colors & sizes (I use an L, 5500ci/90L for a full set of winter gear) and around $100-$150, easily 20%offable via the usual suspects, CampSaver/Backcountry etc. Will last you a lifetime.

Granite Gear once made a more UL duffel called the Ultraflight 70, which you still may be able to find with some searching. I went to a Base Camp from one of these for durability; the GG Ultraflights have the ability to pack into their own lid pocket, so if you’re using them to transport gear for a trip without a logistics stop you can pack them with you while hiking with minimal sacrifice of volume and weight.

Outdoor Gear Lab’s travel duffel shootout may be helpful for you, available here.

I hear somewhere that straps weren't allowed on checked baggage… is that true?

also the zippers must be lockable. I didn't find anywhere on the delta website about it.

If i can get three duffles at 150 each that is doable. I was drooling over the patagucci wheeled transport bag 90L but at 400+ i could only afford one of those…not three!

FWIW, Base Camps are lockable; I use REI-brand TSA-compatible locks like these. The straps can be pulled flush with the bag; Delta has never given me a problem about it.

I'm a fan of 2-pound soft duffle bags so as maximize content weight, protect UL gear from bag-handling wear&tear, and because they squish into compact car trunks FAR better than any wheeled luggage that has some rigid frame/body. (And those big roller duffles? giving up 9-11 pounds worked in an era of 70-pound bags for the easy of rolling, but is 20% of the domestic 50-pound limit).

After a decade of business and family travel (I fly about 80,000 miles a year), my 10-year-old Kelty duffle bags have some holes worn in them -easily patched, but opted to get some new ones, too. I picked up two of these XL bags last week from this selection at Sierra Trading Post:

Kelty Basecamp Duffel Bag – Large $28.95 on STP (before any 20-30% off deals), 5,800 cu in, 30x18x13"
Kelty Basecamp Duffel Bag – Large $31.95 on STP (before any other discount), 8,000 cu in, 35x20x17", 1lb 13oz
Kelty Basecamp Duffel Bag – XXLarge $38.95 (before any other discount), 11,000 cu in, 40x24x20", 2 lb, 3 oz.

I really like that they aimed for the two airline breakpoints: XL has L+H+W = 62, the max for normal luggage. And the XXL at 84" is the max for oversize luggage. Personally, I need to roll a 70-pound bag, but with two 49-pound bags and padded straps, I can manage fine, if someone else in my party holds the door for me and clears a path. It lets us move pretty quickly as a family through airports, buses, rental-car shuttles, etc.

Two other things to pick up:a $5 luggage scale off of eBay. I've gotten a number of these for myself and friends:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20g-40Kg-Electronic-Digital-Hanging-Luggage-Fishing-Weight-Scale-Pocket-US-/181130398337?pt=US_Pocket_Digital_Scales&hash=item2a2c368a81

and the most awesome straps in the history of the world (get two 12 footers for compact cars or two 15-footers for US SUVs):

http://www.backcountry.com/nrs-1in-tie-down-straps?rr=t

With those straps, you can strap everything onto a luggage cart so it doesn't fall off. Better yet, you can get in a mini-Asian car, and put those XL duffles on the roof. No need for a roof rack, just put the bags on the roof and (with the doors open) wrap the straps around the bags and roof. Crank on those straps and you're good to 120 mph (I've tested that on the German Autobahn). Line it with a trash bag if you care about rain. Then when you get to your house / hotel / trailhead, you clear the roof off.

Two XL duffles after STP discount (they always offer some deal): $50 for both
Luggage scale: $5
Two NRS straps: $12.

awesome. now how about carrying two of these.. plus my carryon plus my personal bag. thats about 120 pounds worth of stuff??

Start working out. Or hire help. The duffel bag approach works fantastic.

It is better to remove duffle bag straps because they are less likely to snag on automated handling equipment. I always do for the safety and more reliable transport of my bags; sometimes they'll ask you to do so. (I always stow it in the zippered side pocket so it is easy to find at my destination). But my wife has a rowing-gear bag that has an attached strap and it has never been refused (nor lost nor delayed) on a few dozen trips so far (including World Masters in Italy through Germany and Iceland last August). Those Kelty bags have a "Removable, adjustable shoulder strap".

No, zippers need not be locked. I've gone to 30 states and 20 countries in the last decade and never locked my bags unless there was a rifle inside (then a lock IS required). If you lock your non-guncase bags, you need to use a TSA-compliant lock (that they can open) or they may cut off your lock.

>"now how about carrying two of these?"

You only need to get it from curbside to the check-in counter or perhaps from the parking garage. If taking public transit, leave 30 minutes earlier and accept that the two of you will ferry your gear 50 feet at a time from car to bus, bus to train.

Again, I find I can carry two 50-pound bags for typical airport distances, one on each shoulder, the left bag on the right shoulder, right bag on left shoulder so that they don't slip off. I'm 6'0" and 180 pounds, but generally don't like weight on my shoulders. Alternately, spend $4 on a luggage cart and save your back.

If you need to lead an itinerant life-style in Korea (i.e. you'll be schlepping your stuff across town repeatedly), another paradigm is to get one large (6,000-8,000 cu in) roller duffle ($150-ish and 10 pounds of weight) and one soft duffle. Use that NRS strap to strap the soft duffle onto the roller duffle. I did that a lot when we traveled with an infant because my wife with be busy with the baby.

del

A 50 pound box costs about 200 dollars via usps

An additional bag for delta cost 100 dollars up to 50 pounds.

I understand the housing accommodations and with a duffel we can shovel it in a closet or something rather than big luggage pieces. W/ those kelty duffels costing 30 dollars that sounds good to me.

Agree – ship it. No carry, cheaper.

But 0 if you do want to carry, or carry a portion I would say that those TNF Basecamp Duffle bags are very very nice. They carry great. Are indestructible, and pack real easy. Fold up real small too.

am i missing something?

I'm messing around with the sups shipping calculator and a 40 pound box the size of a carry on cost about 150 dollars to ship.

with delta an additional bag is going to be 100 dollars…?

del

ah i didn't see that you had said SEA mail…

I'll check to see if anyone else does sea mail.. my guess is no. and I think the duffels will be the way to go.

BUT i would hate to see stuff stolen or confiscated during our trip like our tent or backpacks or even our survival knife and saw!

del

Noted

Rick what do you do in japan?

When my daughter was going overseas for the Peace Corps she had similar restrictions. We found a terrific hard-side 30 inch rolling case at Costco for about $125. It meets checked bag size restrictions, it's reasonably protective and can't be overstuffed, though the first time we packed it, the weight came in at over 80 pounds…. :) It's pretty light empty, which is also good. Of course now I don't see it on their website, but I'm sure it can be found somewhere. (A quick Google finds this: http://tinyurl.com/ny9g7uc)

Also, I have a spare Patagonia MLC bag in gray that I would be willing to send to a new home. PM me if you would like to consider it.

Also, check for shipping companies that specialize in the region where you are going. We were able to send stuff to Ukraine using a company called Meest, which specializes in Eastern Europe. There are supposedly companies like this for almost everywhere in the world, and they can ship via air and sea. (Meest by air was about the same price as sending a USPS Priority International by weight, but without any restrictions on the size of the box, which was great.)

Ken thank you for the advice and I will look into it. I'm sending a PM now about the MLC!

FWIW, my wife and I had no trouble a few years back flying Delta (and their partners) from LAX to China with a Kelty Redwing 50. Pretty comfy and it was just right in terms of size, though we didn't load it to the brim. I do think it would work fully loaded anyway.

Sounds like you are off to a good start with finding what you need. Best of luck with your travels! My wife's cousin teaches English in Seoul and loves it. Enjoy your time over there and make it to Thailand when you are able for a little R&R.

Thanks Tyler, we are really excited. We figure this is the place in our lives when we can do this. Whens the next time? if we stick around here, we'll still be debt ridden, living paycheck to paycheck, and probably have kids on top of that. This is the opportunity for us to make a little bit of money, pay off our loans, and come back to the states in a couple years (or 15) with a fresh start.

I love the redwing 50!! i was apprehensive getting it b/c it is longer than 22 inches for a carryon, but i think delta might be a little loose on their baggage requirements. my sister in law travels from Utah back to Michigan w/ a checked bag, a carry on (22x14x9) and a massive school backpack. which technically according to the delta website is not a similar shape to a purse to briefcase.

so yea…its up to if the delta worker is having a good day or not eh?

I never did an accurate check. I just assumed it would work, and it did. But yeah, depends on the flight attendant :)

True, there's no "surface" option for overseas through USPS anymore.

I move a lot of stuff around the country and the world and even with excess bag charges, a checked bag near max weight is cheaper than any other shipping option I've found.

But there's another approach: Get rid of your stuff here (to avoid storage charges) or stash it in Mom's basement. Then hit second-hand and thrift stores there. And connect with the outgoing staff who will be looking to unload household items in-country.

And, yes, for a one-time use, a cardboard box works well. They'll make you sign a waiver for "non-standard" luggage, but they will accept it. Some of those NRS straps come in handy at the other end – wrapped around the box, they give you somewhat of a handle to grab hold of.