Buy a travel bag, which one is the best?

You want to buy a travel bag, duffle bag, or sports bag but can't see the forest for the trees? Whether it's multi-day hiking tours, city trips, or vacation travel, there is a suitable travel bag for every purpose. Which ones are available, and what requirements they should meet, you can read here.

Which travel bag is suitable for you?

The right size is probably the most important question to clarify when it comes to travel bags. You should not focus on the dimensions, but most importantly on the filling volume. Which size is suitable for you mainly depends on the intended use. A small travel bag with 40 to about 50 liters is perfect for a weekend or a short trip. With a size of up to 40 liters, you can usually take your travel bag as hand luggage on the plane. For a one-week vacation, however, you can use a travel bag with a filling volume of 50 to 80 liters. With a filling volume of 100 liters+, the travel bag can be used for trips of about 10 – 14 days. For longer trips, there are, of course, travel bags with 120 liters volume and more, but it should be noted that very large travel bags should definitely have wheels, as they are often quite impractical to handle without wheels.

What material should the travel bag be made of?

There are various materials suitable for travel bags. Which material is best for you depends heavily on the intended use.

Most travel bags are made of polyester because these fibers are UV-resistant and easy to care for. However, nylon is also often used to make travel bags. This material is more durable, but unlike polyester, not really UV-resistant. To combine the best properties of both fibers, a blended fabric of nylon and polyester is often used. The advantage is very low weight and high durability. In addition to travel bags made of nylon and polyester, there is also the more elegant variant made of leather. The leather makes the bag durable and looks visually appealing and classy. However, travel bags made of leather require more care and usually have a higher weight.

Canvas travel bags are also very popular. However, travel bags made of canvas are harder to clean and also have a higher weight. However, they are quite durable. Another material that some manufacturers, including us, use is truck tarpaulin or ripstop nylon. This offers very high durability and is waterproof. Travel bags, duffle bags, and sports bags made of ripstop nylon are therefore ideal for camping and multi-day hiking trips. They are easy to clean, and the contents remain dry even in bad weather.

The most important purchase criteria

In the end, there is a very large selection of travel bags. For this reason, you should best familiarize yourself extensively with the different criteria before buying. In doing so, you should especially keep your intended use in mind.

• The quality is a crucial criterion. The travel bag, duffle bag, or sports bag must be made of a high-quality material and have good workmanship. Sports bags and travel bags for camping and the like should also be waterproof or at least water-repellent.

• The equipment should include several outer pockets as well as inner pockets and a carrying strap or a backpack system. For example, the wallet, smartphone, and camera can be stored in the pockets. To have these always quickly at hand, these outer pockets should ideally be able to be opened and closed with a zipper. Travel bags with over 120 liters should also be equipped with wheels.

• The carrying device should definitely include carrying loops and a shoulder strap. Ideally, the travel bag is equipped with a backpack system.

• The weight also plays a major role in the purchase decision. This is especially true if you want to use the travel bag for a flight or need it for a longer hiking tour.

Product Recommendation Alpin Loacker

Finally, we would like to introduce the Alpin Loacker - Smart Travel Pro Travel Bag.

The Alpin Loacker - Smart Travel Pro Duffel Bag comes with 70 liters or 100 liters volume, cleverly distributed across 5 different compartments: Main compartment, external shoe compartment, external side compartment, 2 internal compartments. Thanks to the waterproof and dirt-repellent material, your luggage always stays dry and your travel bag is easy to clean.

The travel bag can be effortlessly transformed into a backpack with just 2 handles. This ensures a good weight distribution and also ensures that you have both hands free for travel documents, water bottles, or hiking poles. The Alpin Loacker travel bag with 70 liters capacity weighs only 1400 grams, and the one with 100 liters capacity only 1600 grams.