Should I buy an Eiger 55?

[namante]

I'll be backpacking around western europe for the month of June and i'm looking at backpacks right now... the problem is, everything I've read seems to say something slightly different. Some places I've read that for a multi week trip you should have a bag around 7000 c.i., some places say dont bother with anything over 5000 c.i., other places (rick steves) recomends something even smaller. I know I don't want to be carying so much junk that I feel like I've got half of america on my back the whole trip, but I also dont want to order a pack online and end up with something way too small (there's no place around me to buy decent packs)

The Marmot Eiger 55 seems to be recomended a lot, especialy by people on these forums; Is this THE pack to buy? Has anyone else gone on a ~1 month+ trip with one before? Any chance you could give me a bit of detail on what you fit inside one?

[GoKrazy]

I got a 60L backpack (frontloader) and I love it, but I sometimes feel it's a bit on the big side. I'm a light packer either way, so during the last few trips I found that there was a lot of empty space in there. I guess it makes it easy to find stuff, so it's not so bad.

The reason I got a 60L one instead of a smaller one is that I do a lot of hiking, camping and canoeing - then you DO need the bigger pack to fit your tent, sleeping bag, food and clothes. Personallt I think that for travel around Europe 50-55L should be enough as long as you are not gonna try to pack your entire wardrobe in there with you. It's amazing how little you really need to have with you when traveling as long as you think things through and plan ahead.

EDIT: go here for more info for fitting a backpack. And remember: a pack is a personal choice - YOU will be wearing it so YOU should try it and pick the one that fits YOU the best.

[namante]

Yah I know if I buy too large a pack I'll fill it even though i'm a pretty light packer most of the time; I'd actualy like to end up with a tiny bit of free space so that I can bring some items back. I plan to ship anything big back, but im sure i'll be picking up little stuff along the way.

[namante]

Originally posted by GoKrazy@May 8 2006, 11:12 AM
EDIT: go here for more info for fitting a backpack. And remember: a pack is a personal choice - YOU will be wearing it so YOU should try it and pick the one that fits YOU the best.

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This was one of the posts that confuzed me. The Eiger 55 looked like a big pack but its large size is only 3400 c.i. and that post says

[3000 c.i.] (and up to 5000 c.i.) is usually good for two to five-day backpacking. Backpacks for multi-week trips/expeditions can get as large as 7000+ c.i.

I'm just worried it looks bigger than it actualy is and I'll be kickin myself for not buying something bigger.

[GoKrazy]

Are you looking at buying it online? If so, then go to a camping supply store and take a look at that (or comparable) model and see if it looks big enough for your needs. I would never reccomend buying a pack without trying it on your own two shoulders. Try on a few models, have the cleark put some heavy thins in there for you and see how it feels. Before I got my pack I had my eye set on one make/model, but then I tried it on with a light load I found that the straps cut into my shoulders and the whole pack felt ackward. I ended up going with a different pack altogether and I saved some money on the way too.

NOTE: 1 liters = 61.0237441 cubic inches
Also, here is a quick little reference: cubic inches to liters conversion calculator.

[namante]

Originally posted by GoKrazy@May 8 2006, 12:06 PM
Are you looking at buying it online? If so, then go to a camping supply store and take a look at that (or comparable) model and see if it looks big enough for your needs.

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I've been trying to find a decent camping suply store near me, however what we have is kind of limited. There's not even an REI in the state! Thanks for all the advice though

[kingcrazylegs]

The upto 7000+ ci is mostly for expeditioning backpackers who have to carry a lot of gear and food. For most travel backpackers I recommend 3000-4000 ci. The Eigier 55 is a great pack and a good size.

I hope this helps. Feel free to PM me any additional questions

[ali85]

I’m one of those people that went ahead and bought the Eiger 55 after the help I got from this site. The pack is really nice and I've been "mock" packing stuff in there, to see how much I could take, and it seems sufficient for my trip. I'll be traveling for 42 days and I’m comfortable with the pack’s size but I guess it all depends on how much you want to take or bring back from your journey.

The detachable day-bag isn’t huge but it seems like it would be perfect for carrying some water bottles and stuff you buy from a market on your ventures away from your hostel.