Vietnam Trip - bag dilemma! HELP!

[Sydneygirl]

I am traveling with a friend to Vietnam. She's opted to pay for checked-in luggage (we're flying budget Asia Air) and I have opted not to as 7kg hand luggage should be fine for one week in a hot climate with washing readily available, right?!

Anyway, my dilemma is my test pack came in at 6kg excluding the bag. My options are A30 1.5kg, cabin rolling suitcase 2.5kg or Osprey duffle (with backpack straps) 0.5kg

I know posting on a Tom Bihn forum means everyone will probably vote the A30 BUT I am concerned about carrying that weight around the airport etc - thinking it might be easier to just bring a wheelie bag..... thoughts?

[Sydneygirl]

[G42]

If you think the stuff you've packed is optimized and you don't want to reduce it, go with the Osprey since it's the lightest and you can carry on your back... As long as you can carry it and it's reasonably comfortable.

That puts you just under the limit, right? The A30 & rolling would put you over?

So if you buy much of anything to bring home, you might need to check the bag or leave things behind or ship things back; something to consider before making a decision.

Are you planning on walking around a lot with the bag? Moving places to stay frequently?
If you're just going there and have a fixed base of operations, the wheely might be easier... No sweaty back in that climate.

More importantly, have fun on the trip!!

[vcdgrips]

I would go the osprey all day long and be under the limit.

I will say 6kg of clothes for a 1 week trip with washing sounds like there may be a bit of "fat" there absent more info re activities etc.
i.e. snorkeling and you are taking your own mask because it has corrective lenses built in v. a 2kg pair of hiking boots v. .75 kg pair of trail runners etc.

[bijoux]

I would put 500grams worth of toiletries in the 2 pockets of my jacket, which I use for cold airports and in the plane aircon.
I NEVER let them weigh my jacket and take the A30

[haraya]

If you are going to one location, you don't have tight connections (i.e. you don't have to run for a flight), and will have a place to leave your stuff while you go sightseeing, then take the A30 or Osprey. If you are moving around a lot, I would take either the Osprey or the wheelie, depending on your tolerance for carrying a big bag on your shoulders.

(Other considerations: if you will be staying in small rooms, pick the bag that's easiest to live out of - that is, where you don't have to unpack to get at different items. If you will be going over unpaved streets/roads, you may not want to drag a wheelie through mud. If it's going to be rainy, the A30 will probably be good for water resistance.)

In all scenarios, I would see if I can reduce the weight of my test pack. It's tropical, you won't need lots of layers. On the other hand, things take longer to dry in a humid location, especially if you are moving around and won't have time for sink-washed clothes to hang-dry over a couple of days. So that to me indicates multiples of quick-dry undies and tops.

Have a fun trip!!

[BigBadD]

Don’t over-think it. Take whatever makes sense and focus instead on enjoying the great trip!

[Chicagoan]

If you are going to one location, you don't have tight connections (i.e. you don't have to run for a flight), and will have a place to leave your stuff while you go sightseeing, then take the A30 or Osprey. If you are moving around a lot, I would take either the Osprey or the wheelie, depending on your tolerance for carrying a big bag on your shoulders.

(Other considerations: if you will be staying in small rooms, pick the bag that's easiest to live out of - that is, where you don't have to unpack to get at different items. If you will be going over unpaved streets/roads, you may not want to drag a wheelie through mud. If it's going to be rainy, the A30 will probably be good for water resistance.)

In all scenarios, I would see if I can reduce the weight of my test pack. It's tropical, you won't need lots of layers. On the other hand, things take longer to dry in a humid location, especially if you are moving around and won't have time for sink-washed clothes to hang-dry over a couple of days. So that to me indicates multiples of quick-dry undies and tops.

Have a fun trip!!

"Pick the bag that's easiest to live out of." 100%.

Easy to carry, easy to pack, and fits your stuff easily. If you have to pack everything into cubes before you can pack it into the bag, pick a larger bag. If that's the wheelie, there's nothing wrong with that, so long as you have someplace you can leave the bag while you go explore at the destination. If you're going to have to carry your stuff on your person during your waking hours, go with a bag that can be carried on your back.

The bags that work best tend to be the ones you pack intuitively, so really, whichever is easiest to pack and doesn't require an impromptu game of Tetris is probably going to be the least stressful and keep your trip as enjoyable as possible.

[Sydneygirl]

Thanks so much for the replies!

I agree there is probably a bit of excess in the clothes (6kg does include everything including a tablet, chargers etc which seem to be my heaviest items!) so I definitely will look at slimming that down, I am worried about it being hot and sweaty so think I might want to change clothes a fair bit.

We won't be walking a lot with our bags, besides around the airports while waiting for planes, we have a 2-3hrs stopovers both ways in KL. Once in Vietnam we've got taxi from airport to hotel 1, bus from there to boat, bus back to hotel 2 and then taxi to airport so not really worried about carrying it there. It's mostly the airport wandering, as my travelling buddy has checked her luggage in so won't be hampered by carry on (which I quite like the idea of).

Pros for suitcase / cons for backpack:
1) I won't have issue of carrying heavy pack around airport - possibility I might be able to check it in with my friends bag (if her bag is below her 20kg weight limit) and therefore only have a small day pack for the plane. I don't really like this idea as I do believe 7kg luggage for a week should be fine but I do like the idea of not having to carry my luggage all around the airport. Wish there was a way to have it on the plane (for accessibility to stuff and as a footrest) without lugging it through the airport! Maybe I could make use of luggage lockers for our stopover.....

Cons for suitcase / pros for backpack:
1) It's a suitcase - bulky and won't be able to go under my seat on the plane (which I like to do so I can use it as a footrest on this 10hr+ flight and "try" to sleep)


From reading the above I'm not overly concerned with the weight (as if they do try to weigh it at the gate, my friend won't have 7kg hand luggage so I can always take a few things as her luggage to bring me under) so I think I'd rather take the A30 over the Osprey duffle due to the organisation and live-out-of-ability, plus the A30 is nicer to carry and use

[Sydneygirl]

Packing list here

8	undies
1	sports bra
3	socks
2 or 3?	tops
1 or 2?	singlets w bra
1	shorts
2 or 3	dresses
1	tankini
1	rash vest
1 or 2	rip skirts (short & long)
1	nightie
1	cap
1	toiletries
1	keen sandals
1	rain jacket
1	umbrella
1	travel power adapter
3	chargers
1	packable backpack
1	sunnies/glasses in case
1	dopp kit + earbuds
1	samsung tablet
1	passport
1	wallet
1	book? / kindle?
1	water bottle
1	plane snacks

[G42]

You could consider using one of the padded hip belts with the A30 for this trip; it would make the weight easier to carry for longer time, since that's a concern for you. I usually don't bother with mine for travel, but if I'm carry 15+ lbs a couple miles (say, a grocery run), then it does make it more comfortable.

[Cooner]

Sydneygirl One small option I'd suggest, although this may involve just a little research ahead of time, is that you might see if there's a place you could buy an inexpensive umbrella once you arrive at your destination. If you pack a big umbrella it might take up a lot of size/weight in your luggage; if it's a compact umbrella it might not be the most effective if you're expecting heavy tropical rainstorms.

Again, just something to consider! When we went to Japan for two weeks a few years ago, I bought a large but cheap umbrella for a few hundred yen in a convenience store when we got there, and kept it lashed to a couple straps on the side of my travel bag anytime we were going from one hotel or ryokan to the next (usually by train, subway, bus, and/or foot). At the end of the trip we left it in a friend's umbrella rack for someone else to reuse when they needed it. During the trip itself it more than justified its cost.

Have a great trip!

[Sydneygirl]

Thanks G42 ! I do think a padded hip-belt is a great idea but as I'm in Australia the shipping costs make it quite expensive. I will see if anyone is doing an order I can bump in on! Would you also recommend the back panel?

Thanks Cooner - I'll definitely buy a big cheap umbrella over there - might even consider not taking a rain jacket as I find in Sydney when it's humid, raincoats are way too sticky in summer anyway.

Great ideas ppl - keep them coming!

BigBadD - don't worry about me overthinking - I actually enjoy thinking about what to take, it's part of the excitement for me of getting ready for the trip I know any option I choose will be fine, just enjoy test packing!

[G42]

The Aeronauts and Synapses were sold for many years without optional frame sheets... there's a whole wide range of like/dislike/don't care out there, so it's pretty subjective.
TB offered optional frame sheets for the Synapses until they ran into issues sourcing the metal stay that's inside those versions and still offer the other optional designs for the Aeronaut, Techonaut, and Addax families. A frame sheet comes standard with the Synik family.
The ubiquity indicates, at the very least, that there's a fan base out there.

FWIW, I think the frame sheets are useful if you're carrying lumpy/uneven shaped objects that might poke you in the back and/or if you just prefer the more rigid feel against your back. I own a frame sheet for my S25 Bug Out Bag because it's a fairly lumpy load of items on a pack taller than I normally prefer and it's heavy to boot.
On my (several) S19's, I have some with frame sheets and some without.
If I'm carrying a laptop or a clipboard case in any bag, I generally find the frame sheet to be redundant and overall I personally lean towards not using one. I was fine with buying some to play with when TB made them but they don't add enough incremental value to my S19 carry to justify the prices being charged on the secondary market.
I've not purchased frames for my A30 & A45, but I do have a padded hip belt for the A45 for when I carry a super heavy holiday packout all over the airports during nasty year-end travel season.

I guess the way I think about it is... given your shipping distance/cost, go for the whole kit of bag/frame/padded hip belt and try it all out. Carry some seriously heavy loads for hours and see how it feels. Try removing the frame and/or hip belt and do it again.
If you don't have time to really test it out, and you have the means, I'd get all the gear and use it on the trip and just remove what isn't working and leave it in the hotel (if that's an option).
If anything doesn't work out for your particular carry & body shape, someone in that part of the world would probably eventually buy them off of you.