How do I buy a rucksack? What capacity should I choose that would be ideal for a 10-day trip?

If you have decided for yourself, an adventure of a life time, you are on your right track. What propels your freedom and escape from daily monotony is your choice of a perfect rucksack. It is a staple item in men’s wardrobe because it reflects their obsession with travelling, adventure and escape.

A large rucksack is an ideal choice for any adventurous trip; from an extending camping or hiking to backpacking around the globe. These rucksacks are designed in such a way that they are able to hold a substantial amount of luggage conveniently as it has plenty of pockets for storage. If you are wondering how do I buy a rucksack due to wide variety in the market, then follow the guidelines below:

• Certain pointers about the quality of rucksack such as nature, material and durability of rucksack
• The nature of your destination, keeping in mind the external factors around a certain backpacking trip
• How your choice of a rucksack can make your backpacking trip a memorable and merry
• What capacity of rucksack should be the ideal for your trip

Let us look in detail different elements of rucksack to buy one that is ideal for our use.

Element of comfort given by the Rucksack:

If you are planning a backpacking or a hiking trip for a week or more, a 40 to 50 kilo rucksack is the best choice giving an ideal capacity for a 10 day trip. However, keep in mind that by carrying such a heavy load on your back can give you a back strain or permanent pain on shoulders. Therefore, if you are opting for such a capacity rucksack for a 10 day trip make sure that it is designed in such a way that it has padded shoulder straps, padded hip belts and has a contoured back panel for comfort.

The factors of your destination:

• Climatic factors: If you are backpacking to a single place that has a colder climate such as mountainous terrains and Alps, you need a good capacity rucksack to hold your thick and warm clothes. Similarly, a warmer tropical climate would require a small compact rucksack as your luggage will occupy less space. A 30 to 40 kilos rucksack will be fine choice for a warmer climatic region. But if you are backpacking within many destinations that have different climates then a 70 to 80 kilo rucksack is an ideal choice.
• Amount of travel within the destination: if you are hiking on steep mountainous terrains for 10 days and carrying a large heavy backpack of 70 to 80 liters capacity along with you all the timeyou will definitely get a back pain unless they are padded solutions available in it.  So the best advice for this is; aim small and light for an enjoyable trip.
• Duration of stay: Carrying a larger capacity rucksack for a month long trip would mean heavier luggage. Keep yourself hassle free from excess luggage and reuse your items such as clothes by washing them on your travel.

Check the durability of the rucksack:

Heavy-duty rucksacks are made of nylon and polyester material that make them withstand the test of time. Canvas or leather material are also preferable as they are good choice in hard core adventurous backpacking trips. Furthermore, a rucksack that has strong shoulder straps and adjustable hip padded belts are preferable for hiking trips.

So all in all, we need to consider following elements when buying a rucksack:

• Comfort
• Plenty of pockets for storage
• Padded straps or belts
• Weight adjustments
• Perfect size that fits on your back without causing strain.