Bushwalk Australia

Planning a European trip for 2023 that includes two 10-11 day walks: Corfu Trail and Tour du Mont Blanc. Going inn-to-inn, so not carrying tent, sleep system or cooking kit. The challenge: I want to travel carry-on only, so the pack I use has to fit into the 56cm x 36cm x 23cm airline size constraints. My reckoning is I need 35 litres of capacity. Candidates I've looked at are: Osprey Manta 34, Kathmandhu Nowaki Pack v4, Macpac Voyager 35 1.1, Macpac Hesper 30L (I think it's actually bigger than 30L), Lowe Alpine Airzone Trail 35, Lowe Alpine Aeon 35, Osprey Stratos 34 -- some of those are larger than carry-on size according to vendor specs, but my measurement of frame lengths suggests they can be squashed in. Hoping someone has had to meet similar constraints and can offer thoughts ... Conventional wisdom is that 'travel packs' that can double as hiking packs (like the Osprey Farpoint) are compromised on the hiking side but I'm willing to hear evidence that conventional wisdom isn't so wise.

Hi rdale.
I have the Lowe Alpine Airzone ND 32l pack. I have used it with no trouble on domestic and international flights as carry-on luggage, with no problems. It is a great pack, no sweaty back, material is quite waterproof (so far) and has great pockets. A friend used it for an overnight hike carrying sleeping gear and no tent and said it was comfortable. I have no experience with the other packs on your list. Happy travels.

Thanks vee.

I have a HMG Porter 60L pack and also the zpacks arc blast.

Both of them were no problem on carry on, just need to cinch tight the compression straps on the sides.

I travelled through europe with one 40l bag which is an older version of this:

https://www.oneplanet.com.au/product/wing-it/

A few decent looking options. I’ve not tried those but for packing small I’d probably lean towards one of the bags with one big compartment and perhaps a small pocket for bits and pieces (plus a couple of dry bags for internal organisation). Less bulk. And do you need a hefty back system if not carrying overnight gear?

Not saying this is necessarily better than some of your options but I’ve had overnight gear including a 2P tent in this one with all the trimmings (large first aid kit etc): https://montane.com/products/montane-fa ... l-backpack

And I like that the lid can be removed (sometimes I put it in the main compartment if I’m worried that airlines won’t approve, or just leave it behind). I also like that you can extend the lid heaps if you need to overload the pack and get moving quickly.

The Osprey Mutant 38L is similarly featured. The Montane has two side stuff pockets that I can reach when hiking - I stuff my beanie, buff and sunscreen in those. The Osprey lacks those but perhaps the curves are more refined on the Osprey if aesthetics are important.

Thanks spittle. Hadn't seen the Osprey Mutant before.

You can usually also get to wear a bum bag so an additional 5 to 10 litres there. My old Lowe is 8 litres
I used the bumbag for my medications and mini firstaid kit and kept a set of clean underwear/sox and toiletries in mine.
On my last flight to the USA I saw a lot of people with both a carry-on and a laptop bag and some of the seasoned female passengers seemed to have purses that were larger than my carry-on