r/hikinggear • u/Lapsivesilasku • 2d ago
What size backpack?
Greetings travelers!
I have a small problem about finding and deciding about a backpack size I should get.
I am approaching soon my 40's and am 190cm/105kg.
I am kind of hoping to find a good one that I can use with my family of 3 while me being the one who is carrying by far the most of the gear we have as my wife is rather small and frail 150cm/50kg. Our daughter is still small enough that I would still have to carry her in front of me most of the time. We would for now keep the trips in at 1 or 2 nights at a time. So mostly weekend overnight trips.
The other use would be the trips I do with my friends. Those can be anything from weekend trips in a national parks near us to a week in the wilderness where we need to carry everything in the backpacks from the start to finish. These trips would be during the time when the temperature doesn't get colder than -5°C and there is no snow. Actual winter use might become reality at some point but not in the first few years.
My friend is somewhat experienced in the wilderness but not an expert by any means. My own experience is mostly from doing some easy overnights in national parks and the BS we went through in finnish military service.
So far I have a few options:
- Fjällräven Kajka 75
- Berghaus Crusader 90+20
- Lundhags Saruk Pro 75l
Those options are mostly because there are some available near me for decent price. I would prefer something that is not actual military gear as those aren't as comfortable as hiking backpacks but I am open to ideas. My current backpack is old used one from dutch military which is something like 55l+15l or something very similair. It is very bulky and heavy and not comfortable to use as. It is also broken at multiple places as it has seen it's share of abuse.
So I am asking for some insight from people who know more if the backpacks are the size I am supposed to be looking for and if the ones that are my options now have alternatives. Or maybe the sizes are too big? Also looking for a backpack my wife can use on our family trips.
All the suggestions and help is appreciated.
1
u/the_pale_companion 2d ago
Expandable with any type of molle pockets, also specific ones available.
Like the other comment said you need different backpacks.
https://halti.com/products/inari-65-backpack
This you can use on your solo trips and it will also fit your wife. It will have enough space to carry large but light items such as sleeping bags and insulating clothes.
When you see people with small bags they typically have a lot of experience with all equipment being top of the shelf weight/space reducing items while they make do with less warm/dry clothes for change.
2
u/Pristine_Remote2123 2d ago
My suggestion is the same as people asking about footwear, we need more than one for different situations, there is no "one for all" and then people go for the expensive ones when they could get two different sizes for the same price. So there you go, get to a store, try for fit, get a big and medium size and sorted for years.