I went to REI again to look at backpacks. Gabe thinks I’m obsessed by backpack hunting. I definitely am, but it’s going to be my only possession and seven years after lugging my LL Bean backpack through Europe, I still remember the shoulder pain and don’t want to relive it. I checked over the Gregory, Osprey and REI backpacks that I’d looked at before and put weights in them and walked around. As I was looking over one of them, I saw that it didn’t have a separate zip area for my sleeping bag, I realized that for 7 weeks I’d be taking everything out of the backpack and repacking every night as it only had top access. The helpful REI employee told me to check out the travel bags upstairs.
I’ve always felt like travel bags are so silly. I was recently at the Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door Travel Center in Edmonds, WA, and thought all the specialized luggage was gimmicky and a waste of time. Generally I like Rick’s simplicity – but buying a simple backpack there when most people have one just like it back home? Anyway, upstairs at REI I found a great selection of travel backpacks there and fell in love with the Eagle Creek Thrive 75 Womens Fit. It’s so comfortable, organized and useful. But I think it’s still too big. I’d fill it up and it would be just as heavy as my current bag. Lucky for me they have a 45 and a 55, which are about the sizes I’m looking for. The next question is: Does $180-$200 sound like too much to pay for a backpack? I’m working on simplifying my possessions and spending less. I just can’t stomach paying that amount. It seems like the epitome of western hyper-gadget-over-thinking consumption. I think I can get around that by trolling craigslist.
