Recommend me a good backpack - quick response needed

[fillin']

I need to buy a backpack in the next 2 or 3 days. It needs to be big enough for travelling and camping. But can also be stripped down into a smaller backpack. Needs to be durable and comfortable.

Where should I go to buy it, and what's the expected price range?

Thanks

[sachinator]

If you want the backpack to be multi-purpose, I would check out places like Coast Mountain Sports as they carry bags that are strong enough for camping/traveling. Depending on what kind of life and usage you are expecting out of your bag, it could cost anywhere between $100-300.

[l69norm]

Try the MEC travel packs:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=25343743 02883912&bmUID=1246283395743

[Talamasca]

Looks like you're looking for a backpack with a detachable daypack. Try MEC or the various big brands (The North Face, Arc'teryx, etc.). Are you backcountry camping? What kind of travelling are you doing?

[fillin']

Going to stay in new york for a few days before going on a 5-day cruise. Later in the summer I'm going hiking and camping. Then I'm trying to set up a euro trip for next summer. So basically I'm trying to save some money by buying something that will fit all three activities

[pmc]

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444209 6519&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302861417&bmUID=1246333695120

[bob_blah]

In my experience, there is no one-pack-to-rule-them-all. For travelling, you want a dedicated travel pack. For hiking, you want a dedicated rucksack. There is such a beast called a hybrid, which is supposed to combine the best of both worlds, but in my experience, it is a poor compromise. And for short trips, you want as large a day pack as you are allowed to carry on a plane.

Travel packs are designed to:
* carry more gear
* be easy to get into (zippers opens most of the length of the pack),
* lockable to stop pesky baggage-handlers nicking your stuff

but are only designed to be lugged from the bus station to your hostel, not
up/down a mountain. Generally the harness system is not as good as a dedicated rucksack.

Rucksacks on the other hand are designed to:

* be more comfortable on long journeys
* are narrower than a travel pack, to concentrate the weight on your hips
not your shoulders
* have a better harness system, which usually costs more
* designed to withstand more inclement weather

but they only open up from the top, making it more difficult to get at your gear.

The negatives of using a rucksack/hybrid as a travel pack are:

* not as easy to access your gear/pack
* not designed to be locked up

The negatives of using a travel/hybrid pack on a hike are:

* sore shoulders/back from extended use
* probably won't keep your gear dry in a major storm

And as with any travel gear, you get what you pay for. My first backpack travelled over 300,000 miles with me, survived two 'unaccompanied' trips (read sent to the wrong place by the airline monkeys) and when finally one of the straps broke after 8 years of use, the company (Mountain Designs, an Australian outdoor manufacturer) replaced it free of charge with a brand new $500 pack because it was in their words 'a manufacturing failure'.

The moral - don't compromise, and buy once, buy well.

Now go to MEC or Europebound (both on King Street West) - forget CMS, their staff generally have less of a clue than their customers, have a browse and get some more advice.

Happy travels!

[jackrabbit000]

IMO, the best backpacks are made by The North Face, expedition and multi-day ones are not cheap but you get what you pay for. I've had mine for 10 years and it's been everywhere with no problems. I'm not 100% sure but I think they have a lifetime warranty on them also.

http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/equipment-packs.html#1246431879015