Backpackers Using Backpacks Instead of Wheels

Eeples on 21/12/2019 - 09:23
Last edited 21/12/2019 - 21:09

Hello.
I travel quite a bit using a carry-on sized bag which has inside it a small day-pack (back pack).
I have been to many places with this configuration; pyramids, matchu Picchu, Angkor, Petra, Began, Cuba, Chichenitza etc.
I have had no trouble getting hotels to mind my carry-on bag if i need to day trip using my small day-pack for a few days if wheels would be troublesome (they seldom are).

I have seen backpackers almost expiring under the load of their packs and heat…. in my opinion for no good reason,

I think they are killing themselves to maintain the tradition of backpacking with a pack.

I see them wasting time at airport baggage collection, on minibuses, Uber and taxis (instead of walking), avoiding public transport because of their packs, in groups minding the packs; I could go on.

I was in Mt Maunganui recently and caught the public bus then walked 1.5km to the airport. It was very pleasant. Then a minibus of backpackers showed up with all their gear. What is wrong with this picture?

Does anyone else think backpackers are denying the existence of the wheel?

https://imgur.com/a/tSp35tL

Travel Bag Backpack

Comments

  • thatonethere on 21/12/2019 - 09:39
    +2

    I guess where wheel luggage sucks is:

    1. gross streets like China where you are literally wheeling your bag through animal and human shit
    2. cobble stoned streets like Europe which destroy the wheels
    • Eeples on 21/12/2019 - 09:54

      I managed China okay with wheels but I suppose it depends on the areas. (I had to avoid spit rather than poo).
      But, sure, wheeling thru poo is tougher than walking thru it.

      I take your point about cobble stones and wheels. I would daypack those streets.

    • Never Pay RRP on 25/12/2019 - 09:00

      Lol, where in China are you walking through shit?

      Add some more to your list: every other surface that isn't a paved road or sidewalk; sand, dirt, grass, pebbles, stairs

  • quaddie on 21/12/2019 - 10:12

    1. Backpackers usually have too much crap

    2. If you don't have too much crap a backpack of <10kg is easy to move around with quickly and fits in carry on.

  • MS Paint on 21/12/2019 - 10:16

    What is wrong with this picture?

    Link? Or are you talking about the word picture?

  • Agarwal on 21/12/2019 - 10:21

    Did you go to the cricket?

  • crashloaded on 21/12/2019 - 10:26

    Backpack is easier to carry than wheel a suitcase imo. Especially in places like Amsterdam where you're usually going to walk from the train station to your accommodation.

  • ESEMCE on 21/12/2019 - 10:37

    Each have their place.
    Wheels are great if you have pavement everywhere.
    If not, then carrying a pack is a better option.
    Most packs have a zip off daypack as well. It's not like you're forced to carry the entire pack everywhere.

  • Hellfire on 21/12/2019 - 10:39
    +9

    Wheels require a paved, even surface. Backpacks can be taken anywhere. Sounds like you haven't really been off the tourist trail.

    You can take a backpack and daypack too. In fact, many even have then attached. There are also backpacks with wheels but I think they weight too much.

    I think it's more that people tend to overpack which is causing the problem.

  • try2bhelpful on 21/12/2019 - 10:50
    +3

    Started with travel packs, got myself a wheeled suitcase and then went back to travel packs. Even in Paris, with the metro, hauling my wheeled suitcase up and down stairs was driving me nuts. I'm fenale, 58, 5 ft tall and not fit, at the moment, but carrying my pack does not cause me grief. I could even carry it up 5 floors to the Air BnB we were staying at in Paris - not sure how well the wheeled suitcase would've gone; not to mention the damage to the stairs of it "clunking" into every step. The stairs for the place we stayed at in Amsterdam was like climbing a ladder.

    We use public transport for taking our packs on, if necessary, but walking with a pack to our hotel/Air BnB is generally not exactly a chore. I find the drag on my arm by hauling a suitcase is much more "tiring" than strapping the pack on my back and walking. Then again, we probably only pack 10-15kg of stuff each, even when we are gone 6 weeks in Europe. Our view for outerwear is if it isn't dirty, or smelly, then it can probably last another day. I have one pair of walking shoes, one pair of sandals and some scuffy things that double as "going out" shoes.

    If the "wheelie thing" works for you, then great, but even light wheelie suitcases cut down on how much "carry on" you can take. We've gone to the lightweight pack idea for our carry on luggage so we can pack more stuff into it without going over our weight limits. This also means we shove it under the seat in front of us so we aren't worried about having room in the overhead bin. I've also seen them send some people's "carry on" wheelie bags to the hold when the flight gets full; nobody is going to do that with a carry on backpack.

    I carry one of these around with me in my bumbag so I always have a backpack if I need it, e.g. for shopping; Ttey are surprisingly strong for their weight
    https://lewisnclark.com/electrolight-backpack/

    In Australia this one is similar
    https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/osprey-ultralight-stuff-pac…

    As a sidenote - the packs also take up less space when storing them between trips as they squish down.

  • miicah on 21/12/2019 - 13:39
    +3

    You would understand if you tried to wheel a 15-20kg suitcase over a km. There is no real good way to do it, because you can only use one side of your body at a time. If you drag it behind you, you end up with a sore shoulder. If you use all 4 wheels and try to tug it along beside you your side gets sore. Now try doing this for two weeks straight. A backpack is well balanced and uses both shoulders and your core muscles to keep it there. Very easy to carry.

    • dasher86 on 21/12/2019 - 14:59
      -1

      Do this all the time no issues.

      • try2bhelpful on 21/12/2019 - 15:10
        +1

        If you are wheeling something the size of a carry on bag, I can understand, but anything much bigger than that is going to be a pain for a lot of people - particularly me because I'm short so the balance is all wrong. I have tried the wheelie bags, because I thought it might be easier, but it just isn't - we tend to do a lot of "old Europe" and the cobblestones jarring on the case was awful. YMMV but I'm going to keep using the backpack until I just can't carry it anymore. If nothing else it is really easy to spot our bags in the sea of wheelie cases on the baggage carousel. The downside is our bags seem to be last of the plane, most of the time - even when we were priority bags.

        • dasher86 on 21/12/2019 - 18:21

          My bag is 60 litres and has been everywhere. The key is the wheels.
          Make sure you get the big ones

          • try2bhelpful on 22/12/2019 - 10:00

            @dasher86: The wheeled cases are just too hard to wrangle up and down stairs. But each to his own, if they work for you then great. The point of my comments is that wheels work for some, but not for others, and we don't see the backpacks as some sort of hair shirt "status symbol" just that, from experience, they work for us. We don't expect pity, or derision, just the acknowledgement that different strokes work for different folks.

  • Stewardo on 21/12/2019 - 15:12

    I agree with you.
    I think they are a waste of time unless you are actually hiking and not returning to a hotel accommodation etc. its a bit of an outdated concept, as many people who use them are on a series of city breaks.
    Aussie’s look funny siting in a cafe in Europe dressed top to bottom in hiking equipment Kathmandu etc with a huge backpack planted against the table. But they can truthfully tell people they went backpacking in Europe.

    • try2bhelpful on 21/12/2019 - 15:20
      +1

      Nope, just more convenient on uneven cobblestone roads, stairs and Air BnB accomodation without lifts - which is quite common in Paris. I don't tell people I've been "backpacking" anywhere; I just tell them I've been travelling. Why would anyone give a toss what bags I use? I don't have a "huge" backpack - mine is medium size and it is a travel pack so I can put away all the harness when I put it on the plane. It takes up less room than the equivalent wheelie case in the cafe. I wear Kathmandu, MacPac etc because they are comfortable, easy to wash and quick to dry. Funnily enough I go places to see things, not to be seen. I'm not sure why you guys seem to be so image conscious?

  • Hardlyworkin on 21/12/2019 - 15:33
    +1

    I assume you are seeing first time backpackers on gap years. In 20 years of travelling I'm yet to own a suitcase though so have a number of backpacks. Currently travelling in Asia and very glad to have a pack and not a suitcase.

    If you travel from the airport to the hotel I assume a suitcase is fine. I always take the walking option when I can and have hiked many kms with my pack so it's no trouble. When I buy a suitcase to travel I'll know that I've given up on the life I want to lead.

  • Eeples on 21/12/2019 - 21:18

    Maybe it is more of a weight issue. My carry-on is 7kg and have no trouble carrying it; but rarely do. Its usually kept in a locker or at an accommodation.
    When in Peru I was the only one with wheels amongst the backpackers; they couldn't take their full packs on hikes anyways.
    When in Phonsavan in Laos happily left the carry-on at the hotel when I visited the pots, similarly in Jordan when staying overnight in Wadi Rum.
    When going to Uluru on an organised minivan trip (all backpackers had to leave their full packs in Alice) but I fit my carry on (after checking with them).
    Similarly when going to Mt Poppa from Began (left carry-on at hotel in Began).

    Perhaps I am sticking too close to the tourist trails. But it seems to me that if you have a full pack most times you can't take it with you anyways.

    • try2bhelpful on 22/12/2019 - 10:10

      My "full pack" has zip off day pack on the back of it. I leave the full pack at accomodation and just take the day pack with me. The day pack also doubles as my carry on luggage on the plane and it just pops under the seat in front of me. When I need to travel, to the next place, I just zip the day pack back in place or clip it on the front of me. It is a matter of purchasing the right pack.

  • Brendoo on 22/12/2019 - 08:52
    +3

    Wheels are a nightmare if you are really backpacking. If you're staying in hotels like you mention, and taking taxies, buses, walking on smooth paved footpaths then a bag with wheels is easier, but that doesn't sound like backpacking.

    Ever tried dragging a bag with wheels on non-paved roads, or through fields when walking/hiking to your destination, through snow and mud. Bad idea. Been there done that (often unplanned). Backpack is the only way to go to make life so much easier.

    And for a long journey of 6-18 months, you do get a bit of stuff in there so they get large. And a backpacker absolutely will not carry that thing on day trips, they will leave it at the camp site or hostel and take a mini light backpack. But moving from one main location to another, of course they need to carry it.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/12/2019 - 09:16

    I went to Europe in winter with a suitcase, after that I converted to a backpack. Now with a child I find it easier to hand over tickets, carry him and move around in general. I’ve also travelled around Australia (rural, regional and metro and found it easier with a pack.

  • bargain huntress on 22/12/2019 - 09:28

    i like wheels too.

    a few problems i have been trying to solve:

    1) is there such a thing as a suitcase or bag that has wheels and straps so they can be both? for when there are things you don't want your wheels wheeling through like thatonethere mentioned

    2) is there like a 4wd of suitcases with bigger wheels and a higher wheel clearance for off-pavement wheeling? even for hiking?

    3) is there a harness type system where i can pull it with my body instead of having an arm behind me which is not ergonomic?

    i love your diagram by the way. you could start a webcomic.

    • dasher86 on 22/12/2019 - 11:18
      +1

      Hybrids do exist but you will find most of them the frame in the bag will make it uncomfortable on your back for a long period of time.
      I wouldn't go hiking with a >60ltr pack so I wouldn't take a wheeled case anyway.

  • Hirolol on 22/12/2019 - 10:39
    +1

    Someone needs to put the stair climber trolley wheels on a suitcase, problem solved!

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/westmix-large-appliance-stair-cl…

    How about a suitcase with wheels but also has shoulder straps for the stairs!!!

    Why are these not common!!!

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