Who … me?!?!

Well, no one should be surprised that I obsess about something, right?

This time it’s our carryon backpacks. We have our Porter 46 backpacks, and have happily used them since we began our carryon journeys. But I keep thinking “there has to be something slightly better!”

What am I looking for, you ask? Something that opens up like a suitcase. Say, perhaps, the Tortuga 40 Liter lite backpack. I love the squared off pack rather than our “turtle” style packs (and mine seems even MORE like a turtle considering the color!):

But, alas, the Tortuga is a 40 liter and ours are 46, AND the Tortuga has a sleeve for a large laptop, which is entirely unnecessary. So I’ll hold off for now.

What I really don’t like are all the bags that are terrifically fussy. They have tons of pockets. They have a sleeve that has a spot for a pen and pencil, a phone, and so many other pockets. I really don’t even feel the need for a water bottle holder, although that wouldn’t cause me NOT to purchase a pack.

But the biggest issue? WEIGHT! My Porter is 2.62 pounds (although, looking at eBay, everyone says it weight 3.26 which is odd, right? I have a travel scale and weighed it. Hmm.). I have never found anything as light … well, until the pack mentioned in the next paragraph! The new Porters are fussy and heavier. The latest Porter replacement is the Sojourn Porter and it weighs 3.45 pounds. When one is doing only carryon, and when some airlines (I’m looking at you, Lufthansa) specify the weight you are allowed in your carryon bag, every ounce of the backpack takes away from what you can carry IN it.

The one bag, so far, that beats the Porter we own, is the Osprey Daylite 44 liter, which is 2.326 pounds. (If you want to get as nerdy as yours truly you can go visit the YouTube video.) It has two water bottle holders, which I don’t care about, and a 16″ laptop sleeve I would never need (I am now only taking my small iPad and it is just fine, thank you very much). Still, it’s somewhat tempting, and I will ponder. The 2 liter difference probably wouldn’t be bothersome to me as I’m learning more and more than I can carry less and less. The weight different is obviously rather minimal, though. And as I’ve mentioned, I do NOT need that doggone laptop sleeve! It’s primarily that I like the way the Daylite opens compared to my current “turtle pack”.

But is it worth the expense? I suppose the answer is “no”, but that doesn’t mean I won’t go look at it … and ponder … and, yes, obsess.