General travel bags - rucksack with wheels.

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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Any normal holiday makers on here? Or are we mostly wilderness types? I only ask because I'm looking at normal, flight based holiday bags. Something 60 litres with wheels and proper rucksack straps. I struggle with wheeled bags hence the rucksack straps but wheels are still useful for shorter walks with them.

My ideal would come with a detachable daypack.

Does anyone have any experience of such a travel luggage? Anything to look for, avoid or recommendations?

It's needed because we've started going on winter ski trips after years of ferries and bikes and trains. Last year we used borrowed bags and suitcases. I struggled with the large wheeled holdall and hated the wheeled suitcase. This year we're buying our own luggage hence any advice is needed. I'm a rucksack or bags in the back of the van guy but that's no good for airlines.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
We fly a lot, and our most used and oldest travel luggage are made by Rimowa. Does 30+ transfers/flights a year each.

Most of the others does not last well, loses wheels, even cracks. Waste of money, imo.

(sorry, not the style you want, but I have never seen a hard luggage with shoulder straps)
 

Chainsaw

Native
Jul 23, 2007
1,377
144
56
Central Scotland
For ski trips, as things tend to be bulky but not heavy, I use the UK deployment bags. It is about 90-100L and has rucksack straps but no wheels. For shorter trips I just hand carry it or sling one strap over my shoulder. I love these bags, I have about 3 now one having died due to bad handling. It did last about 10 years though.

Oh, you can always buy a fold up set of wheels, and bungee things on... Bit of a faff but...
 
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Madriverrob

Native
Feb 4, 2008
1,500
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Whitby , North Yorkshire
Have a look at the snugpak roller kit monster , 30l , 65l and 120l , weatherproof , wheeled and with rucksack straps . Come in red, black and olive .

I have a 120l but yet to test in anger until next years holiday to Jamaica
 
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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Second link looks good. Another £45 for the daypack that attaches and it's probably right.

Can't see the first link though, it comes up with an error message.
 

SCOMAN

Life Member
Dec 31, 2005
2,583
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Perthshire
I've always thought them as too compromised for both roles. I have a 50l wheeled IT bag which is great handy good organisation. It has backpack straps but too uncomfortable to use. If you can accept the compromises there's lots out there but you will get what you pay for and anything with wheels I wouldn't take backpacking anyway.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
It's not backpacking use. Purely for hotel based holidays. This winter it's 2 flights each way. Previous year train, bus, long walk around airport, flight, train x2 and bus just to get there. All done with a large bag with rollers and webbing handle to pull it. The roller was unusable by me it kept hitting my trailing leg or wobbling all over the place. So I carried on one shoulder. They might not be as comfortable as proper backpacking sacks (I've got plenty of those and know not all those are comfortable) but it'll be better than alternatives I am able to borrow.

BTW does anyone else find rollers that go on two wheels behind you difficult to control or hit your heel as you walk? I guess my stride length is too long to tow one behind.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Berlin
I am traveling all the year.
And I see the people fighting with that stuff.

I never would buy something like that, because it would drive me crazy.

The German Army Flecktarn Rucksack 65 liters has extremely few straps and webbing and such stuff. It's just a bag with shoulder straps.

If you pull everything tight and wrap the ends of the straps around it becomes pretty tight. Usually you can wrap additional your luggage in plastic at the airport.

Because it is made of the usual Cordura Nylon, it is pretty bomb proof and you get it used for round about 40 €.

That isn't the most comfortable hiking rucksack in the world but surely more comfortable than using a suitcase or such a wheel bag.

https://www.asmc.de/bw-kampfrucksack-flecktarn-gebraucht

If you put additional some stuff in a hand luggage bag you have enough capacity if you choose the right stuff.
Here are a lot of daypacks available in exactly the sizes of the airline's hand luggage.
 
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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Too late, someone bought me something like the wheeled rucksack with suitcase opening for a present. If it doesn't work out it's going back and plan B.

I've got an Aiguille Alpine climbing sack as a custom build for my back length (6'5" tall). It's based on a 47 litres base sack but length increases it somewhat to possibly 60 litres. If I wanted a rucksack then I'd use that one because it has very clean lines which are safer for baggage handlers. Plus I specified a bomb proof fabric (apparently the fabric used on custom packs for a few members of a certain Hereford regiment that's designed for carrying silly amounts of weight). But it's still about 1.1kg empty and a really nice carry. Not bad for £65 10 years ago.
 
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Erbswurst

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Mar 5, 2018
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Berlin
All newer original NATO Rucksacks I have seen seem to be made of the same Cordura Nylon.
Not sure, but that's my impression.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
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Cumbria
This Aiguille Alpine is made with mostly a texturised cordura IIRC to high wear areas. It's a very tough and rough fabric. The sack is a very simple alpine sack hence the low weight. Tough as though. I'd say as squaddie proof as anything can be.

Made in Staveley north of kendal. I got to see the workshop above the shop. Like a large home workshop night be I guess but a real treasure trove of fabrics and templates for many different types of fabric product. I got to choose my fabrics, two different ones. Cordura type for high wear areas but a lightweight fabric for other parts. Single, shaped bar of alloy as the frame.

Being custom made it's several inches longer than their standard large rucksack size. It makes the sack look very narrow but it's not just long back length. No need for back length adjustment like most sacks so less weight there. Not my best sack though. My best is a berghaus extrem alpine. I was backpacking around the lakes when I strained my back. That sack had straps low down in a v shape that pulled the back in tight in two locations up the sack. This supported my back allowing me to continue. By transferring the load to my hips and being clamped to my back it stopped a lot of my back movement which hurt. Ever since then it's been my best and favourite sack.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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In my opinion hiking rucksacks should be made in simple lightweight constructions of tough materials an offered in different body sizes if they have a hip belt.

I don't want to carry around back length adjustment systems. I disagree with the direction of development at the rucksack market. There are only a few really intelligent designs for the main bag and side pouches. If the brands would concentrate in that and offer the stuff in 40, 70 and 90 litres but for different body sizes it would be far better.



The regarding your question recommended Flecktarn rucksack doesn't have a hip belt.
So the size of the body doesn't matter.
The rucksack was meant to carry the heavy stuff directly attached to a seperate belt. But with very light modern camping equipment they are OK and surely with just some clothing made like sleeping bags.

The point is, that they are very tough and very cheap, but very light too.
 

Old Bones

Settler
Oct 14, 2009
745
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East Anglia
I don't want to carry around back length adjustment systems. I disagree with the direction of development at the rucksack market. There are only a few really intelligent designs for the main bag and side pouches. If the brands would concentrate in that and offer the stuff in 40, 70 and 90 litres but for different body sizes it would be far better.

Why build would a manufacturer build ruckack model in different sizes, when adjustable back systems are standard - in fact its very difficult to even find a a 60 or 70 litre rucksack by a major brand that doesn't have one as standard. Not only does it avoids waste in terms of not producing non-standard or less popular sizes, but since people do not come in standard sizes, its an excellent way for customers to effectively customise the product to their own back size, which is vitally important both for comfort and efficient carrying.

And frankly, most rucksacks are not that much different - the permutations are more to do with the usage and cost of the product.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Berlin
Perhaps I am wrong, but I think, that the adjustable systems are heavier as necessary.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
It's different schools of tthought and even usage IMHO. Also a matter of trends.

There was a time when extras were what brands offered supposedly because people wanted them. Ever more elaborate back adjustment systems, side pockets that expand yet still allow for those open side pockets for trekking pilots, various versions of cords to hold trekking poles on your front straps or to the side but very readily accessible, etc. All weight crept up until there was a 4kg+ behemoth of a sack.

Then lightweight movement came. People were getting lighter and less bulky kit. They started asking why do I need a 90 litre top capacity? Why do I need those side pockets when I'm only putting in my water bottles and open pockets can take that with less material and weight? Why do I need that lower region access when I'm only top loading anyway? Plus a thousand other questions. Brands started asking them too not least because they were seeing lightweight brands coming from people's garages to fill that need.

But go back to say the 70s and early 80s. Front cover of "The Great Outdoors" magazine (before initialisation) had a picture of a guy doing a winter Munro round. What did he carry? A 1kg karrimor tent for one thing, a sack weighing something around a kilo, etc. He used mainstream kit but it was real quality designed by people who actually used the stuff to their extreme. Climbers, distance backpackers, etc.

Basically we were light and simple then went heavy and feature laden. Now we really can get what we want if we really know what we want. It takes experience and poor choices to get there.

For my backpacking a single compartment main body, no side pockets (climber sack style), a large top pocket, open side pockets with side compression straps and a weight from 600g to 1.6kg depending on the needs for my trip. My summer base weight is sub 6kg for backpacking, possibly about 4-5kg. That's low bulk so 32 litre running sack weighing sub kilo will do for short summer trips in the uk. Longer UK trips I use a 59 litre climbing sack with 15 litre overload capacity. That can carry 28kg and be as bearable as such high weight can be. It was that weight that caused me to go lightweight.

That sack is 1.1kg and from the 90s. Yes it was against the grain in terms of weight at that time but there was a market for alpinism where you hit the big routes carrying less kit to enable you to complete it quickly without needing that big carry. A few brands quietly offered the kit for it. Mine was berghaus but it could have been Lowe Alpine or crux or lightwave I think came from the end of that era too.

For me a long back, basic climbing sack with no side pockets and simple but very effective load transfer and strap adjustment. As I said, my berghaus sack has a special side strap that pulls the sack into your back. It's designed for allowing climbing with that loaded sack. It makes it as stable as a light daysack even when carrying 20+kg.
 

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