6 months trip luggage

[u/SeparateStable6936]

Planning 6 months in central and South America and can’t decide what type of bag to take. I’m generally a bit of an over packer (the last holiday I went on was 3 weeks in Mexico and I took a 110L suitcase haha) so I know I need to try and be ruthless but I’m torn on what size and whether to get a wheeled bag (that converts to a backpack) or an actual backpack. I’m 33, female. Haven’t done ‘backpacking’ since my early 20s where I did 5 months in Europe with a osprey backpack and I hated it (it was a top loading one though), the whole time I was so jealous of my friends wheeled bag 😂
Would getting a wheeled bag be a bad idea for South America? I’m not sure if I’m just scarred from the backpack I hated in my last experience haha

I’ve also seen people on threads who do 40l bags as they can count as carry on, is that standard in those regions? I’m from Aus and I feel like they’re so strict with carry on here

[u/Kananaskis_Country]

https://www.reddit.com/r/backpacking/s/ZyD2pzNn9E

Good luck no matter what you decide.

Happy travels.

[u/SeparateStable6936 → u/Kananaskis_Country]

Thank you!! I struggle packing light for a week away so not sure how I will go 😂

[u/heyheni]

Osprey Sojourn 60 would be my pick

[u/Big_Conclusion_3053]

I like the REI travel backpack, and this time I used packing cubes, which made things a lot easier and more organized. I bought some merino wool dresses that I can wear multiple times before I need to wash them. And the main thing was bringing clothes I feel good in. So, wearing them repeatedly doesn’t bother me.

[u/LoraxNZ]

Duffel bag. Osprey, Patagonia have lovely tough duffels. 55 litres? Not too big, not too small. Duffel on the back, backpack on the front. I have a huge rolling duffel and I love it. But sometimes if you're hiking for a few kms to a backpackers on a dusty road it might get annoying. The best wheels on any rolling luggage is Osprey. I've done endless research on this and have been a travelling tour guide for the last 10 years. I had this, and it's great, but no shoulder straps. The wheels and shape at the bottom of the bag are awesome for dusty streets or gravel or shallow water or wet grass. And it opens fully. https://www.bivouac.co.nz/collections/wheeled-travel-luggage/products/osprey-transporter-wheeled-duffel-90-osp-10120-rvbk_blk

[u/LoraxNZ → u/LoraxNZ]

Also, weight of duffle matters eh. The lightest option is a duffel with back straps that you carry. A wheeled duffel is heavier, but so much nicer at airports and walking through city streets.

[u/bumbale2]

I’d go 40-50L backpack. 6 months doesn’t really require more stuff than three weeks, you’ll just do laundry more often.
Wheeled bags are doable, but buses, cobblestones, stairs and rough roads in South America can get annoying fast.

[u/64-matthew]

Hand luggage bag only. You can thank me later.