If you want to get away from the grind of daily life and take a trip Into the Wilderness it’s easier than ever before. Just load up your hiking backpack and take a flight off to one of the many great hiking destinations across the country. While you might have had to check your hiking backpack in the past with the right planning you won’t have to. all you need is a little bit of forethought and planning to get your hiking backpack down to the right size.
How To Take a Hiking Backpack as Carry On Luggage
Which Hiking Backpack Can You Use as a Carry On?
Since there are minimal size requirements that you have to follow when carrying a bag on an airplane you’re going to need to find the right size. As a general rule of thumb any bag that works good as a weekend bag will work great on a plane. If you don’t plan on packing any luggage stick to packs that hold 40L-50L.
For The past couple of years I’ve been carrying on my Kelty Redwing 50 backpack. It’s about the perfect size for a short week long hiking trip and is pretty darn close to the current TSA Regulations. Technically it’s a few inches longer than recommended, but that’s easily fixed. Just leave a sweatshirt at the top of your bag that you can quickly pull out if anybody says anything. Through 50+ flights the past couple years I only had to remove my sweatshirt once(and put it on) to accommodate space requirements. Every other time the flight attendant just let me squeeze it into that little sizing rack at the gate.
Money grubbing airline personnel are getting increasingly difficult to deal with, so I recently bought the Kelty Redwing 44L Backpack which is a little bit smaller. At 4 inches shorter it holds almost the same amount of gear as my old Redwing 50, but it’s completely airline compliant.
Common TSA and Airline Requirements
Honestly the TSA is really a pain in the butt when carrying on hiking gear. I don’t know what it is about a Backpacker, but I’ve had my gear check more times than I can count.(maybe it’s the beard) Like any other carry-on bag you’re going to have to be TSA compliant. That means leave all of your suntan lotions, bug spray, lighters and matches at home. It really does make your bag a lot lighter and leaves a little bit of room for when you get there.
You should also leave your multi tool and pocket knife at home unless it’s TSA Compliant. I really doubt any knife is going to be TSA compliant, but there are a lot of multi-tools that are. Normally I’ll Bring along one of these leatherman TSA Compliant Multitools in my bag.(I constantly need pliers and can’t go without a multitool) The main difference between this and other multi-tools is that it doesn’t include a knife.
Most of the time the airlines are going to be a hell of a lot less picky. They typically have a specific size requirement for carry-ons that they stick to. Currently most Airlines allow bags that are smaller than 9”x14” by 22 inches tall. The actual size requirement will probably vary by Airline, but it’s going to be pretty close to that. you will also most likely have a 50 pound weight limit(which is a lot to haul through the woods anyway.
Travel Backpack Tips
- Less is More: When thinking about buying a travel backpack you might want to consider getting a smaller bag. Less is more when you’re hiking or backpacking through the woods. Even though you can carry up to 50 pounds in a carry-on nobody wants to carry that through the woods. So purposely buying a smaller pack could help you limit the total amount of gear you carry.
- Your Gear Seems to Expand: I’m not talking about some physics defying trick that only us backpackers know. Everytime I’ve had excess space in my bag I always come back and it’s overflowing. The bigger the bag you get the more unnecessary crap you’ll bring along. as much as you claim that you limit your weight restrictions empty space always gets filled up.
- Stick To The Sweet Spot: With current sizing regulations you’re going to want to stick to a 40L-50L bag. It’s the perfect amount of gear for a week long trip. That is unless you want to match your shorts to your top every day.
- Remember You Can Go To The Store: People fall into the trap of thinking that they need to buy everything before they fly to their destination. I always plan on going to the store and buying things that I don’t feel like carrying on a plane. Buy your knife, suntan lotion and bug spray, and anything else you couldn’t pack. At the end of the trip I pitch the cheap stuff and ship everything else back home.
What if You Have To Check Your Bag?
Needing to check your bag really isn’t the end of the world if you know beforehand. Most of the issues are going to arise when you didn’t plan ahead and choose the right size bag. Hiking backpacks weren’t designed to go through the airport luggage system, so you’ll have some problems if you don’t plan ahead.
Personally I’m not the type of person that screws around if I’m going on a long hiking trip. Smaller 45L packs are meant for short 3-4 day trips. If I’m planning a longer week long trip I’m going to bring my full sized pack. To protect my pack I use one of these Osprey Airport Travel Covers that’s available in any size you could need. To accommodate the larger backpacks, the travel covers are way larger than you’d think. With a midsized 65L bag you’ll probably want to buy the medium sized Osprey cover. The large cover should only be used with 85L+ sized packs.
Hiking backpacks are designed to be extremely durable so it should last the occasional flight. What isn’t designed for the airport is all the straps on your bag. Make sure you tie down every single strap so that it doesn’t get caught in the airport belts. I had a duffel bag mangled in a belt and it wasn’t a pretty picture.
Getting Through The Airport Quickly and Easily
- Don’t Check Luggage if Possible: I always try to avoid checking my luggage on shorter trips. It seems like the second I let my hiking backpack out of my sight it gets destroyed. Pay extra for oversized carry-on luggage if your airline allows it. If you always keep an eye on your gear it’s far less likely to be left behind.
- Wear Hiking Clothes on The Plane: The days of flights being filled with businessmen in fancy suits are long behind us. Modern travelers stick to leggings and sweatpants, so don’t feel uncomfortable wearing hiking clothes. If you bought the right gear you should be comfortable and you’ll probably be dressed better then 3/4 of the people on the plane.
- Ship Gear to Your Destination: Whenever I possibly can I’ll ship gear a couple days before I’m going to arrive. Most countries will hold your luggage at the post office until you arrive. All you should need to do is bring your photo Id to pick up your package.
- Don’t Buy a Travel Backpack When You Need More Gear: You’re the only person that knows exactly how much gear you are going to need. Don’t get tempted into buying that 50L hiking bag just because it can be used as a carry on. If you can’t get all your gear onto the trail that bag is absolutely worthless.
- Carry Expensive Gear in Your Carry On: Whenever I have to check a bag I bring all my irreplaceable items in my carry-on. It probably won’t bother you to buy a few new outfits if your luggage arrives late, but purchasing more expensive items is going to ruin a trip.
- Switch To an Alchohol Stove: It’s highly illegal to carry stove fuel onto a plane so you’re going to have to bring along an alcohol stove(if hiking conditions allow). I switched to alchohol stoves when I started using a ultralight setup. All I’ve been using is one of these super affordable Starside Stoves. Denatured Alchohol is extremely cheap and it’s the perfect alternative at low altitude. If you must use stove fuel buy it at your destination or simply ship it to yourself a few days before your trip.