Backback recommendation required

Hi,

Could anyone on this newsgroup please recommend me a make and type of backpack. I'm a male who will be travelling to Bali and then onto Australia.

Thanks,

How heavily do you travel, and what type of backpacking will you be doing? If you're just yomping from the bus station to a hostel, you won't need anything particularly technical - space will be the criterion. If you are mountain climbing, that will be a different story. And so on.

In a nutshell, buy the best you can afford. Nobody ever went wrong buying quality. Buy an internal frame, from a reputable company - no knock offs. Look at stitching. Look at ease of access. Buy one with good thick foam of good quality around the waist belt (pinch it/punch it - it should be almost hard, a sign of good quality foam; the spongy stuff will collapse on you). No pack is waterproof, but some are more water resistant than others - again, what you will be doing is a key.

Go to a good outfitters' and spend a couple hours with someone who knows what s/he is doing; different packs fit different people differently, and what is a wet rag on me might be perfect for you.

Having said all that - Eureka! or Sovereign, both from Johnson Worldwide. Lowe is very good too, but I've had more problems with the clips breaking (take extras, they're dirt cheap but can be a ba*tard if you are left without one in east nowhere).

Thanks for the information. I would never have thought there is so much to consider!

I'm not going to be mountain climbing, just travelling from place to place and hostel to hostel. So I reckon that space and comfort will be the main criteria as you state.

Thanks again.

I settled on a Northface Gallileo. Internal frame, 3600 + 1000 cu in (zip-on day pack), and lots of adjustment straps. I've walked loaded with it for only a hour max, but I didn't really notice the load in any way. And it seems tough. Lots of gadgets, including a rain cover. FWIW, I did a lot of research before settling on this pack.

PS - it is also a 'conversion' pack so you can compress it down and carry it as if it were a suitcase - I figure this is good for getting it on board an airplane, if you needed to, from an airline-personnel-scrutiny perspective. It is a little 'tall' for the normal carry-on size.

Packs are a personal thing. Try heaps on and see what you think. I went for a macpac (www.macpac.co.nz) sensational packs (in my opinion) and most comfortable pack i tried on (I tried at least 6 to 8 different brands). Also they have repair centres in most 'major' countries. Darren