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Dima Pasechnik's avatar

backpacks by Gossamer Gear are light enough so that a 42-liter one weights 0.8kg. We have fallen in love with these backpacks in the past few years.

Needless to say, they don't have frames, so packing takes a bit of care.

https://www.gossamergear.com/products/g4-20-42-ultralight-backpack

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

ah that one looks interesting! I almost bought the Gossamer Gear Mariposa a while back, but ended up going with the Granite Gear Blaze instead. Have you tried any ULA bags? I have their Camino Ultra and like it too

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Dima Pasechnik's avatar

my rather dated experience with Granite Gear was not great. Anyhow we have way too many backpacks than we need...

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Trevor Wilson's avatar

I love my microfibre camping towel 😀 We've tried a number of luggage options over the years, not just rucksacks. We have an embarrassing amount of things to choose from for each trip.

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

haha hey if it works for you then by all means, I just prefer long fiber cotton towels that don't retain smells as much 🤷‍♂️

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Trevor Wilson's avatar

I find that the microfibres dry so fast I can wash it and dry it in no time at all. As you say, there's no perfect answer 😉

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

have you tried Turkish towels? they dry pretty quick too but are a tad bulkier

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Trevor Wilson's avatar

I haven't heard of them - I'll take a look, thanks!

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Liam Jones's avatar

I have a two part osprey which I love. It’s a big backpack (not sure on the litre size) with a small backpack that zips on the front. So handy

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P. F. Hattrick's avatar

I took like the 35 liter size. What are your thoughts about the utility (and/or downsides) of full waterproof bags like what Ortleib and Seal line make?

Thanks for sharing your writing. I enjoy and appreciate it.

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

hmm so I haven’t explicitly used Ortleib or Seal, but just did a quick search to see what kind of bags they have. What kind of trip are you planning to take them on? If it’s a more general type of travel/trip, I’d probably stick to something like the Matador or Minaal (or any other brands like Aer, Osprey, Cotopaxi, Tortuga, REI - there are so many!), for a touch more organization and utility for tech gear. Constantly searching through a black hole type bag is kind of a pain.

If I’m going on a long hiking trip, I definitely bring a small dry bag for extra protection in case of rain. But if you’re doing something more specialized and the odds of getting your gear wet is pretty high, then those might be a good option! and the 35L Atrack from Ortleib doesn’t weight much at 51.9 oz, so that’s pretty cool.

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World Stories, Told My Way's avatar

I was just thinking about getting some such backpack for my trips to come. Do you take much photographic equipment with you when you travel?

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

I do! Not a ton of gear though, usually one camera body and two small primes (Nikon), in a small Bellroy sling. Admittedly photographers have a harder challenge with 35L, once I started carrying more than a little point and shoot I reluctantly added the sling. I tried the Peak Design backpack that is marketed for photographers but it is super heavy (and big), the sling method is better. If I'm on a big multi-day walking/hiking trip I have the peak design capture clip that keeps the camera on the shoulder straps, which is very helpful! Let me know if you need some more recs!

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World Stories, Told My Way's avatar

Once I’m somewhere I usually have a denim bag that I carry my camera in when I’m not using it, it’s just getting around the low-cost carrier restrictions and packing it in for the actual flight. I’ll look for a 35l I think, more practical than a wheely suitcase.

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

oh yeah I've never had an issue with budget carriers when I've used something around 35L - even Ryanair! the GobeRider35 is definitely worth a look and the frame will help if the gear is heavy. but I'd probably remove the hip straps to avoid the gaze of the gate agents haha

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Caro Griffin's avatar

I had to laugh at the first paragraph here because that's relatable content. I have developed waaay too many thoughts about backpacks over the years. 😆

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

haha sounds like we'd have plenty to talk about!

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Jeanine Kitchel's avatar

The Globerider looks pretty cool! And kudos for you to being a minimalist traveler!!!!!!

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

Haha it’s a pretty solid bag! Just took it to Mexico a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it

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Michael Jensen's avatar

We love our Cotopaxi!

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Skylar Renslow's avatar

I've heard good things!

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