WHICH TRAVEL BAG TO CHOOSE?

Ready for new adventures? The trip is planned, you just have to equip yourself with a backpack that meets your expectations. Volume, material, resistance, storage or even carrying comfort: Ekosport advises you in choosing your travel bag.

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Weight and liters: what to choose for your travel bag?

One might be tempted to choose the biggest backpack possible. After all, you have your whole house to transport: clothes, toiletry bag, shoes, books and more! However, a wise choice will refer to an adapted volume capacity.

Backpack volume capacity, what is it? This is the volume that a travel bag can hold. You have to distinguish between the volume (therefore the space occupied by the items) and the weight. This is the famous joke: "Which is heavier: a kilo of lead or a kilo of feather?". Both weigh a kilogram, but occupy a different volume. It is therefore necessary on the one hand, to organize your bag well to occupy as much space as possible, and on the other hand, to pay attention to the total weight to travel in comfort, without exhausting yourself!

For simplicity, a travel bag of 10 to 30 litres is considered sufficient for a day trip. For a multi-day trip, choose between 35 and 50 litres. Sometimes it will be necessary to make concessions to only pack the essentials!

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Carrying the backpack

An essential criterion, carrying comfort is the determining factor in choosing a travel bag. Four accessories directly influence the carrying:

• The shoulder strap
• The hip belt
• The load lifter
• The chest strap

First of all, the shoulder straps should be padded so as not to injure your shoulders under the weight of the bag, ideally they have a "honeycomb" fabric to easily wick away perspiration. In addition, their shapes must be adapted to your body type, so that they sit naturally and comfortably on your shoulders. Try the travel bag, move around, make movements: how do you feel? Now ballast it with a weight of 10 to 15 kg. What about now?

A well-worn bag is a bag whose weight is mainly carried by your hips. It is therefore essential to adjust the hip belt during the try-on. There are also sizes in the backpacks, which correspond to the length of the hip belt, but also to the height of the travel bag.

So that the bag does not pull you back, we use load lifters. These are small straps on the top of the shoulder straps that stabilise it. Finally, the chest strap is used to keep the shoulder straps in place and helps distribute the load.

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Material of a travel bag: the advantages and disadvantages

In addition to the colors, the screen prints and the different models, the choice of material must be in the top 3 of the selection criteria. The right decision will depend on the type of trip you are planning and the expected weather.

Fabric travel bags are particularly robust and make it through many situations. In the hold, in the trunk, under the bed, on your back or on the floor, he will see lots of situations. One of the major advantages of fabric is that it is repairable. You can sew it up or decorate it with a patch that hides the tear. However, it does little to protect your things from moisture. Plus, if it rains, the soaked fabric will weigh more heavily on your shoulders. Finally, it gets dirty easily, although it remains washable.

Synthetic materials, such as nylon canvas for example, are a second solution. Very thin, almost plastifed, they have the great advantage of being waterproof, which is really important in capricious weather. However, these are fragile materials, which in the event of tearing, cannot be stitched up or repaired.

Faithful travel companion, your bag will accompany you in all your adventures. Choose it well, yes, but not only! Proper adjustment, through various straps (Chest strap, hip strap...), can make a difference and greatly improve your comfort.