Hey Nat,
When it comes to luggage, you get what you pay for. And when it takes the kind of use and abuse that it inevitably does on the road, and it holds everything you “own” for the trip, you want it to be high quality, durable, and usable.

Hi Barry,
You got it! Eventually I abandoned the backpack straps and went full rolling luggage! The trick: I travel with rolling carry-on, so it’s easy to pick up and carry when I need to. I use a backpack as my personal item bag, so it’s not nearly as heavy.
Happy travels!

“Two words: airport lineups. You either have to wear your pack the whole time you’re in line (which can be hours), or you have to unceremoniously kick it along, two feet at a time.”

You went on to say:

“Although I was doubtful as to how much I would use the wheels (somehow I felt they’d be impractical), I ended up using them all the time. In fact, in the three years that I lived out of this bag, I used the straps….twice. Yup, twice.”

So my question is this: Wouldn’t a wheeled suitcase and a daypack be just as useful/suitable? That’s what I think I’m going to do for my upcoming trip to London/Doha/Abu Dhabi/Turkey – I think I’ll take a carry-on sized wheeled suitcase and a daypack. I can sling the daypack on top of the suitcase, secure it to the suitcase’s telescopic handle, and manage lineups with comfort and ease! 🙂

What do you consider the “right” backpack, Tim?

I’m currently upgrading my whole luggage situation and though most of my travel involves wheeled transport to a hotel (thanks to my wife’s aversion to walking long distances with weight), we both still appreciate the usefulness of a good backpack. I’m sesrching for something that looks and functions like a nice suitcase but has some removable / stowable pack straps for when the going gets tough. Carry on size only, hip belt not needed. I’ve even considering riveting some attachment points onto my aluminum carry-on for shoulder straps. 😄

What I hate about backpacks is two fold; they generally look ridiculous with straps and zippers and pockets all running amok like a galactic spaghetti monster, and when you inevitably want to take them off and set them down they are unstable and exposed to floor filth. The base of my wife’s travel duffel has to be the most pathogen infested surface on the planet.

Apparently my ideal travel kit is a high-end, hard-sided carry-on with removable backpack straps. I want Hotel de Paris aesthetics with an Iditarod spirit. I need the Citroën 2CV Sahara of luggage and manufacturers have yet to deliver.

Thanks for sharing, Carlos! I like that the day packs can attach to them, so you don’t have to wear one backpack on the front and one one the back.

Hey Nick,
Sounds like the bag served you well if it has lasted almost 30 years!

Carry on or hardshell suitcase for check in. That’s my experience. A softshell with zipper gets broken into at the airport. Either to steal things or to hide drugs and using your luggage as a mule which could get you into serious trouble if their contact person can’t get it out before customs.
My last years travel in SEA was either for business requiring a suit, or visiting in-laws requiring lots of gifts to carry. Hence hardshell suitcase all the time. Samsonite, wheeled, and sturdy enough to pull over any street or path or muddy walkway with stones in between. One European airline has managed to break a part off. I bought it in Hong Kong in 1998. And have never since seen it anywhere again.
The design is different. You can’t tip it over when pulling. It’s more like a tank. And without TSA lock probably classified weapons grade in the US. But it served me well over 20 years.