Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsPerfect for long trips traveling carry-on
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
I bought my Eagle Creek Load Hauler backpack for a three-month winter trip to Norway, and I am soooo happy I did. The pack was the perfect size for carry-on (Norwegian Airlines) and held everything I needed without expanding the zipper. We make this trip every year, but this year I decided I wanted to try to organize and de-stress luggage aspect for myself. The Load Hauler volume capacity is great, but it is wide open on the inside. So to help with organization, I also used one set of the Pack-It Specter Cubes: the larger cube helped keep my fluffy sweaters in a compact roll size along with my shirts, the medium was for camis/bras/tights, and the small was for undies/fem-stuff. Then around the cubes inside the pack's main compartment I had a couple jeans, a couple skirts, a big flannel, my big scarf, and tote with socks, and my knit hat, neck warmer, small scarf, and gloves tucked nicely into the outer top pocket, with all my toiletries in the outer lower pocket. Since the Load Hauler is so lightweight, even fully loaded with all my gear and weighed together with my small shoulder bag (with two books, our travel docs, phone, snacks, chapsticks, headphones, and pens), I was under the 10kg weight allowance for carry-on with Norwegian, thus eliminating my stress of checking my bag and worrying if it will make it (I hate shopping, so the idea of having my bag go missing and needing to shop for new things is really...ugh...). As a 5ft5in woman (no longer a spring-chicken and with mild scoliosis), I was a bit concerned about wearability and comfort with travel backpacks since I hadn't used large packs since my college traveling days, but I knew I was tired of hauling suitcases, however small, around airports and through cobblestone and/or snow-covered streets walkways. So I did a LOT of research before making my purchase, and I am very happy with the choice I made (in the end my decision was made due to a slightly more squared shape to the Load Hauler's main compartment versus the tapered shape of my second choice). My husband had been very skeptical about how the pack was going to work out, but about halfway through our trip he started being very envious of how easily and comfortably I got around "fully loaded" wherever we went - through the deep snow, all the public transport, and tucked into the backseat of a rather small car - and has decided he now wants a Load Hauler for himself as well. I hope this information has been helpful to those out there looking to meet their travel packing needs...
