The Best Backpack for Female Travelers

Choosing the type of bag that you want to travel with can cause a bit of stress. A major dilemma is also deciding between a large checked bag or a smaller carry on bag. Then there are so many different options for suitcases and backpacks it can be overwhelming. Your bag has to work for the amount of stuff you’re bringing, your travel style and the way you like to travel. Here is, in my opinion, the best backpack for female travelers!

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Why Travel With a Backpack?

First, traveling with a carry on does not necessarily have to be a backpack. There are many different styles and types of carry on suitcases. There are hardshell ones that protect all your stuff or roll on 4 wheels so you don’t even need to hold any of the weight. Even though the ease of pushing a suitcase instead of hauling it on my back sounds nice, there are quite a few reasons I prefer a backpack. The biggest advantage (even though it sounds like a disadvantage) is because I physically carry it on my back.

1. A Backpack is Easier to Move Around With

This means you don’t have to worry about rolling your suitcase on a cobblestone walkway or carrying it up stairs. Going to many different types of places means you never have to worry about getting your bag to your destination. When we stayed in Nice, France our Airbnb was on the fifth floor of an old building with no elevator. Carrying a suitcase up those stairs would have been nearly impossible!

2. Traveling With All Your Stuff is Easier When It’s in a Backpack

Having a backpack makes it easy to travel with all of your belongings at one time. All the instances when you have all your stuff with you such as traveling from the airport to where you’re staying or moving accommodations or taking a ferry. When you are moving it is much easier to quickly toss your backpack on.

We’ve worn our backpacks on the Paris Metro, on Greek ferries and walking down many crowded streets of cities all over the world. To have our hands free allows us to hold something like a plane ticket or our phones if we need directions. It’s much easier to get on a boat or a train with a backpack on your back than trying to carry it or roll it on along with all the other people getting on.

It also looks a tiny bit less odd when we go to a restaurant with all our stuff or are walking down the street with our backpacks on. Don’t get me wrong we still look like we’re carrying travel bags but it doesn’t quite look like we are moving into the restaurant we are heading into.

Read More: Packing Tips for Female Travelers

Why the Kelty Redwing 40W Backpack?

I looked at a lot of different bags before deciding on the Kelty Redwing 40 Liter. I picked this one and have been using it for a few years now both for short trips and for five months of straight traveling. Here are things I love about this bag and why I think it’s the best option!

1. It’s Reasonably Sized (for Me as an Average Height Female)

I’m 5’4 (so not huge) and this backpack doesn’t make me look like a tiny girl with a ridiculously large backpack thats going to fall over. While 40 liters may not sound like a lot to you, it is plenty big. When you’re deciding on size, think about how it’s going to look and fit on you when it’s fully packed and you’re wearing it. You want it to be properly sized for your body otherwise not only will you maybe look a little silly but it will be really hard (and uncomfortable) for you to carry.

2. The Hip Belts are so Helpful and Make the Weight Sit Really Well

The hip belt seriously helps a ton! If you’re trying it on (fully packed) and are hating it, put the hip belt on and you’ll feel a million times better. It makes a huge different in how long I can comfortably carry it.

Each bag carries the weight a little differently depending on the size, the make and style of the backpack and obviously the type of bag. This is definitely a personal preference depending on where you want the weight to sit on your body. Personally I find it so much more comfortable to have it sit on my hips and relieve my shoulders and back a little. I find the more weight that sits on my shoulders the more it starts to hurt my back. I also feel like it sits very centered meaning I don’t feel like I’m going to fall backwards because it’s so front heavy. Nor do I feel like I’m hunched over because it’s so back heavy.

3. This Backpack has Amazing Pockets!

The pockets on this bag are great! There are two very big side pockets that are extremely helpful. They are surprisingly large and provide such good access to the things you will want but don’t want to have to go digging for. Things like cords you know you will want or miscellaneous things that don’t have a spot in the main section.

Then there is a pocket on top of the main section. It is also a decent size and I usually use it for toiletries. This way I always know anything toiletry related is in that pocket and won’t get all over everything in the main section if something were to leak. It also makes it really easy to go through airport security because I just take my toiletries container out of the top.

Travel Truth: There is also a pocket on the front that runs about 1/3 of the length of the bag. However, when the big section is fully packed it can only really fit things that are very thin without bulging out. It can be tight to fit in compartments like overhead bins if you stuff a lot in that front pocket. For that reason, that pocket has to be left for small, thin things.

4. It’s a Hybrid Between a Hiking Backpack and a Traditional Backpack

The style of the Kelty Redwing is a hybrid between a hiking backpack and a more traditional travel backpack. It has attributes of a hiking backpack like a spot for a water bladder for hiking, a solid hip belt, deep water bottle holders that actually hold your water without it falling out and some outer attachments to carry things while trekking. When we use this bag for hikes it’s nice to have some of these features to make it more comfortable. I used this same backpack while hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

But it doesn’t look only like a hiking backpack which allows us to carry them in all situations. It also is a side loader meaning the zippers zip open on both sides 2/3 of the way down. It doesn’t open 100% but opening on both sides mimics how a suitcase opens more than a roll top hiking bag. Two side zippers makes it way easier to find your stuff and keep it organized.

5. It’s Reasonably Priced

There definitely are cheaper options and also significantly more expensive options. If you’re comparing to a quality carry on suitcase it is even more on the affordable side. But this really depends on your own budget and how much you want to spend on your travel bag.

Tips for making the most of your Kelty Redwing Backpack

1. Use Packing Cubes in the Main Section

In the main section of my Kelty backpack I can fit a large 12×9 packing cube, a medium 10×7 packing cube, a small 8×6 packing cube, two pairs of shoes and still have room for a few other miscellaneous things. I say this to point out how much you can fit in the main section if you organize it well.

Not sure what packing cubes to choose? Read our Comparison Packing Cube Post

2. Use the Pockets Strategically

After clothes think of the other things you will be bringing whether they are electronics, toiletries, snacks or anything else. Look at those other categories and pick one pocket for each of them to keep things of the same nature all together. We find this helps to stay organized because all similar items will be in one place. Then when you’re looking for something you know exactly where to look because thats the only place you store that category.

I usually use the top pocket for toiletries because they don’t get squished because of their location on the bag. It’s also really easy to take out when you go through airport security.
I have used the two side pockets for socks and underwear, bras and bathing suits as well as changing cords and adaptors but it’s really up to you! Again it’s really easy to take out your cords from the side pocket to charge something without opening the main part. Regardless the side pockets are definitely generously sized so don’t under estimate how much you can utilize them!