Jan 11, 2023
What to pack for 3 months
A pressing question when packing for any long trip or winter stay - what to take, what it all fits in, and do I really need this “house on wheels” - a suitcase?
A little travel addict’s know-how:
A comfortable backpack is definitely better than a suitcase! It weighs less, saves from 2 kg, you can fit more things. It frees your hands if you need to eat on the go, take a photo, go through passport control. On arrival it is convenient to walk to the bus stop, in the hotel you can put some things and take for a walk around the city. How to choose the right backpack: the attention to the strength and water resistance of the material, the quality of fittings and seams, the volume of 30l, several compartments for sorting things (we put a laptop separate from the food), the ability to transform to a compact size with the top flap and braces, anatomical back ventilation, wide straps, a few handles for easy grabbing, pockets in the belt, rain cover. Options with good reviews: Osprey, Gregory, Deuter, Ortlieb or Tatonika, Hunter, Humtsman, Trek planet. Low-quality backpack can easily be identified by a cheap interior trim, protruding threads, chemical odor inside, flimsy zippers and lack of frame on the back.
If you can not do without a suitcase - look at the size and volume: S - up to 45 liters, looks like hand luggage; M - up to 90 liters, the suitcase for 1 person; L - up to 120 liters, family option; XL - up to 180 liters, suitable for moving. Try to figure out if it will be convenient to lift the suitcase on the escalator, 4 wheels should be made of thick rubber on a metal rod, recessed into the body of the suitcase, plastic ones will definitely fall apart, reliable hardware that will hold up if it is crammed to the limit. Reliable options in the price/quality segment include Proffi, Swissgear, Francesco, Xiaomi.
Traveling as a couple, you can save money and take one large L suitcase instead of two backpacks, for two (23 kg for economy and 32 kg for business class).
If you’re planning a weekend trip to a neighboring country by low-cost airline, prepare in advance a proper bag/backpack for hand luggage: usually you must check beforehand not more than 115 cm in the sum of all dimensions or 554020 cm. Before the check-in desks is a calibrator, where you can check the bag or not, if not - put some things on yourself, scatter in his pockets.
Share your best finds in the world of suitcase and backpacking in the comments!
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