The Osprey Porter 46 is one of the most popular travel packs on the market.... Here's our honest review of this backpacks pros and cons.
I appreciate the dark colors and the fact that it doesn't look like a typical pack.
Packing obsessed? Who, me? Maybe just a little! I'm constantly in search of the perfect bag and, at one point, I thought I had found it. In a previous post, I wrote that I was thrilled to have discovered the Osprey Porter 46 - but now that I've traveled with it for over a year, how do I feel?
The Osprey Porter 46 is the absolute lightest pack I've found. It weighs about 1.2 kilograms, much less than traditional backpacks and significantly less than conventional carry on suitcases. A big travel pet peeve of mine is "ultra light" carry on bags that actually weigh closer to 10 lbs! Carry on weight restrictions are increasingly enforced and this bag's tiny weight is a huge asset. What to Wear on Long Haul Flights Guarding our gear in San Francisco airport. A real packing challengeCan there be anything less glamorous and more uncomfortable than spending 14 hours in an airline economy seat? Maybe 20 hours on the world's worst train! Long haul travel, especially overnight trips, can be a challenge to dress and pack for and readers have been asking what I wear on my most tiring flights.
With a dozen flights and an equal number of bus, boat, and train rides, our round the world trip meant packing clothing that was heavy on comfort and versatility and light on haute couture and accessories. Everything we wore and carried had to do double, if not triple, duty as we circled the globe, dashed through different climate zones, and tried to look reasonably pulled together. And I think nothing challenged my packing skills more than trying to figure out what to wear on all those extensive overnight flights. Are bath salts a liquid? Are body scrubs allowed in toiletry kits? And I've always traveled with St.Ives Apricot Scrub - but is it a liquid or not? Updated in 2023.
Is this travelers' staple TSA friendly? Read on! Photo courtesy of TheBinderLadies.com
On my first trip to Italy, I had booked myself a hostel bed in the village of Finale Ligure. Up, up, up I climbed, hundreds of steps, until I came to the hostel's door at the top of the hill. Of course, it was closed for a mid-day cleaning! So down, down, down I went to kill some time at the beach. A whipping wind coated my sunscreen-clad body in a thick layer of sand. After a few hours, it was time to haul myself back up the hill. That was one well deserved shower! The effort it took to scrub off all the sweat, sunscreen, and embedded sand left me with remarkably smooth skin. Talk about a backpacker's spa treatment!
There's no denying that traveling can leave you gritty, grimy, and in need of a good scrub but I prefer to use something other than sand these day! Alas, not all skin treatments are so cheap and so travel-friendly. And I know I'm not the only traveler carting along bath scrubs and bath salts and trying to fit everything into my toiletry bag and 3-1-1 kit. Now readers want to know if any of these products are carry-on friendly. That's a great question! So let's talk about exfoliating body scrubs and relaxing bath salts. Are they liquids? Can they have a spot in your toiletry kit? Readers Want To Know: Does A Sleeping Bag Count As Carry-on? Can I Use A Sleeping Bag in a Hostel?31/1/2014
Updated in 2022! Sleeping bags were once a travel staple - but can you still use sleeping bags in hostels? What about taking a sleeping bag on an airplane? Do backpackers even need sleeping bags now?
Does a sleeping bag count as carry on? It does matter if you're hiking and ready to rough it. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.
It wasn't that long ago that backpacking and hosteling were synonymous with wholesome youths trekking between Alpine villages, porting external frame packs with large rolled sleeping bags strapped on top, using sleeping bags in hostels. Looking at old travel guides makes me think that every traveler was an aspiring mountain climber!
Times have certainly changed, both for budget travelers and for the sleeping bag, once a ubiquitous travel staple! The sleeping bag's role in travel isn't quite as clear cut anymore. Readers have been asking sleeping bag related questions - like if sleeping bags count as carry-on - and I'm happy to help. Travel, toiletries, and one tiny pack.
Something fun & girly in an otherwise practical backpack.
I love everything about packing. From the challenge of making my bag as small as possible to the excitement and anticipation, I feel like the fun of packing is an extension of the fun of travel. Even though I'm determined to pack as little as possible, I always make room for a few treats.
Looking at it all written down, it seems like an extensive list of "treats", especially considering that I rarely wear any make up at home. But most of these items are tiny travel sizes or samples and, for the most part, they are very inexpensive. Together, these products will take me anywhere I need to go. Deep pink lipstick, dark lashes, and a smoky eye in Paris. Some bronze highlighting and shine buster in the Sydney sun. Glossy nails and polished, light eyes and lips for a Brussels hotel review. Rosy cheeks and pinned back hair to combat jetlag in San Francisco. The possibilities are endless! Here's what I'm packing in my make-up bag for our round-the-world trip: My travel wardrobe is getting a "top"makeover.
Trying on the David Cline shirt for the first time.
When you're traveling the carry-on only way, you really need to make smart choices. But just as important is making happy choices, choosing clothing that you love, look good in, feel good in. This is especially true of shirts, as no other piece of clothing will be featured so much in your photographs. If I'm going to be rotating between the same 3 or 4 shirts on a month long trip, I better love them!
I knew Tilley Endurable shirts were a great choice for me because they wash and dry with zero fuss in a hotel room, they're lightweight and breathable, and many of them even have sneaky security pockets! I love that they are designed for real bodies and shapes and that there are a ton of colors, designs, and fabrics to choose from. I know I'll be traveling with some of their classic short sleeve, button down shirts, so I wanted to give two different types of shirts a try and see how things worked when I mixed things up! Eytan from 20 Liter Adventure shows us how to travel ultra light.TurnipSeed Travel is thrilled to present a comprehensive, ultra-light packing guide from seasoned blogger Eytan Levy of 20 Liter Adventure. Eytan is a self described "pretentious English major whose rant-laden, sarcastic tirades occasionally include budget travel tips and other international nonsense." We're thrilled to have him on our team!  Eytan is never weighed down by a heavy pack as he travels around the world. "I could never do that."
"I like options." "I want to look nice." As an obsessive ultralight backpacker, I've heard every excuse in the book. Most of the time, people find it absolutely unthinkable that anything less than 52 outfits will serve their needs while they're on the road, so they won't even bother trying to cut things down, or paying attention to those who have. We're testing the STM Velo 2 & Cable Wrap to see if they solve our travel packing problems. STM Velo 2 Medium A Packing Challenge My passion with ultra-lite, organized packing is well known – I spend days (if not weeks!) obsessing over the placement of everything in my pack, debating each items’ merits and weighing it according (sometime literally weighing it!). But no matter how much I organize the main pack; there are always last minute odds and ends being stashed in my day bag. While I’d like to keep my day bag for just my camera, or maybe my iPad, the reality is that water bottles, magazines, snack packs, umbrellas, guidebooks and more tend to infiltrate it! The result is a heavy, awkward, bulging mess.
We're traveling with Tilley Endurables Hats -and we're taking them all the way around the world With Cindy, Tilley Endurables hat guru. There’s nothing I love more than getting my backpack out a week (or two!) before a trip, grasping my packing list (you all know how I feel about lists), and laying out my clothing for a trip. I envision all the exciting scenes where I’ll show off my little black dress and the hikes I’ll embark on in a new pair of trail runners. Every chance to travel is precious one and I want to enjoy every step of the process, from booking tickets and reading guidebooks to sorting through photos and distributing the souvenirs. It always pains me to hear people say how much they hate packing. Packing should be easy, uncomplicated, and stress free.  Investing in a high quality, long lasting, versatile, and comfortable travel wardrobe you love is a fun and practical way to tackle packing challenges and have a more enjoyable travel experience.
We are so proud to partner with Canadian made Tilley Endurables to build the perfect travel wardrobe for our upcoming round the world trip and demonstrate to our readers that packing can be a pleasure, not a chore. |
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