Are you tired of the same old travel advice? Prepare for a game-changer that revolutionized our family trips! If you’ve been on the hunt for the perfect family suitcase, especially for kids, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not a suitcase at all. It’s time to ditch the rollers and embrace the Big Travel Backpack!
Family ready for adventure with their travel backpacks at the airport.
Before our family embarked on international adventures, we explored the US, often by car. Even on these domestic trips, the limitations of traditional rolling luggage became glaringly obvious, especially when navigating travel with kids. Planning a family trip to Europe, and potentially a more permanent move, we knew there had to be a more efficient way to manage our belongings. That’s when we discovered the transformative power of backpack-style suitcases. Switching to big travel backpacks was a revelation, completely changing our travel experience for the better. We’re convinced – there’s no going back to rolling suitcases, ever!
Now, you might be skeptical. Perhaps you envision bulky hiking packs or dismiss this as impractical compared to your sleek, rolling suitcase. We understand the initial hesitation, we were there too.
The Rolling Suitcase Struggle is Real
Once upon a time, we were charmed by the idea of matching rolling family suitcases, envisioning effortless glides through airports. They seemed perfect, until reality hit.
Maneuvering Mishaps: Kids + Rolling Suitcases = Chaos
While older kids managed alright, the little ones turned those cute rollers into battering rams, bumping into walls and fellow travelers. They also doubled as impromptu tables, leading to spills and sticky residues.
Say goodbye to the hassle of traditional rolling suitcases for family travel.
Parental Luggage Burden: Stacking and Dragging
Rolling suitcases often proved difficult to maneuver, especially in crowded spaces. And inevitably, when little legs tired, parents became pack mules, stacking smaller suitcases onto larger ones, dragging a wobbly, cumbersome tower through terminals. Sound familiar?
Stressful Airport Navigation: Luggage + Kids = Overload
The most significant challenge was keeping everyone and their luggage together while simultaneously navigating airports, boarding planes, and keeping a watchful eye on the kids. It was a recipe for stress and chaos. Traditional suitcases simply weren’t cutting it for our family travel needs.
This prompted us to seek a better solution, leading us to discover the world of travel backpacks.
Discovering the Backpack Revolution
Driven by our frustrating experiences, we started researching how other families managed their travel luggage. We dove into family travel blogs, joined online travel communities, and scoured countless family travel tips. We explored countless Amazon reviews on various family suitcases, even considering stroller-suitcase hybrids.
Inspiration from Travel Communities and Bloggers
Seeking inspiration, we turned to seasoned travelers and online communities. Blogs and forums became our go-to resources for insights into efficient family travel.
YouTube Traveler Insights: Backpacks as the Pro Choice
Watching YouTube videos from experienced travel vloggers, we noticed a recurring theme: avid travelers, especially backpackers, favored big travel backpacks, similar to hiking backpacks. For travel novices like us, this was a revelation.
The Switch: From Rollers to Backpacks
Inspired by these seasoned travelers and fueled by our own rolling suitcase struggles, we made a bold move. We traded in our “cute lil roly polys” for travel backpacks designed specifically for travel. This marked the beginning of a much smoother, more enjoyable family travel experience.
The Unbeatable Perks of Travel Backpacks for Families
This is where the magic truly happens. Switching to travel backpacks has unlocked a plethora of benefits for our family travels. Let’s explore the specific advantages and dive into the backpacks we personally use and why we believe they are the best travel backpacks for families, especially those with kids.
Generally, our family backpacks are primarily from Osprey, with a few Deuter bags in the mix (essential for a family of seven!). Both brands excel at designing backpacks with travelers in mind, incorporating numerous pockets and features to streamline the travel process.
The Osprey Farpoint 70L, a popular choice for its travel-friendly features.
Perk 1: Hands-Free Freedom: The Ultimate Travel Hack
The ability to pack everything you need into a big travel backpack, sling it on your back, and keep your hands completely free is a game-changer for easy family travel. This single perk alone elevates travel backpacks to must-have status.
Enjoy hands-free convenience with a travel backpack, simplifying family travel.
Traveling with toddlers or babies becomes significantly easier when you have a travel backpack. Imagine navigating crowded train stations or airports while holding little hands, effortlessly presenting tickets and passports without juggling luggage handles. No more struggling to maneuver rolling suitcases while triple-checking gate numbers on your phone. Even simple tasks like passport control become smoother when you’re not encumbered by unwieldy luggage.
The freedom to have both hands available drastically reduces stress and saves valuable time, making airport and train station navigation significantly less chaotic. This hands-free benefit is so impactful that we consistently feature travel backpacks as essential family travel gear in our travel tips, including in our post “5 Must-Have Travel Items & Kids Travel Essentials For Making Travel Easier“.
If you’re considering the best travel backpack for travel with kids, hands-free convenience is a compelling reason to make the switch from traditional family suitcases.
Perk 2: Everyone Carries Their Own: Size and Fit for All Ages
Another major advantage of backpack-style suitcases is that everyone in the family can have their own, often in carry-on sizes. The variety of sizes available makes travel backpacks truly the best travel bag for families.
For myself, I prefer this women’s fit Osprey backpack. Its design, featuring numerous pockets and a detachable daypack, makes it the best travel backpack for moms. It’s equally ideal for solo trips or family adventures. Being petite at 5 feet tall, I also recommend my Osprey as the best travel backpack for petite females and teens.
My husband, being taller and broader, appreciates that Osprey also caters to larger builds. He uses this larger duffel bag, favoring the shoulder strap over backpack straps. While Osprey offers smaller duffel bags, our family size often necessitates larger capacities for longer trips.
Each family member equipped with their own travel backpack, ready for any journey.
One of our teenage daughters prefers this men’s style Osprey backpack with a detachable daypack, finding it comfortable even for long walks. Our pre-teen opts for this women’s hiking backpack, which is smaller, lighter, and doubles as a daypack for daily excursions.
For adults and older teens, we wholeheartedly recommend Osprey as the best travel backpack for moms, dads, and teens. We’ll delve into why we favor this brand shortly.
For younger children, we consider this Deuter backpack to be the absolute best travel backpack for kids. Specifically designed for children, it features ample pockets for snacks, water bottles, and toys. These backpacks also function as excellent daypacks for exploring, as our youngest discovered while carrying snacks through the lavender fields of Provence. (Read more in our “Provence tips post here“).
The bright colors of Deuter backpacks are a bonus, making it easier to spot children in crowded areas – a significant concern for parents! We typically equip our younger kids with these smaller backpacks to carry their own snacks and travel accessories for easy access.
When selecting travel backpacks for kids, size and functionality are paramount. Deuter excels in this area, creating backpacks tailored to children’s needs.
Perk 3: Versatility Beyond Compare: Daypacks and More
As mentioned, our children readily use their backpacks as daypacks during family trips, carrying essentials for daily explorations. But the larger travel backpacks also feature detachable daypacks, adding another layer of versatility.
The detachable daypack feature of a travel backpack enhances its versatility.
These daypacks are incredibly valuable. On travel days, they conveniently hold laptops and electronics for easy access, especially during airport security checks. When exploring destinations, we load them with jackets, snacks, water, and other day-trip necessities.
These daypacks cleverly zip directly onto the main travel backpack, essentially giving you two bags in one. You can keep valuables in the smaller daypack and leave the larger bag at your accommodation while heading out for meals or sightseeing. (This is the model we use!).
The versatility of these detachable daypacks significantly elevates travel backpacks as indispensable family travel gear. Unlike rolling suitcases, which are limited in function, travel backpacks adapt to various travel scenarios. And unlike rolling suitcases prone to broken wheels (a surprisingly common issue!), travel backpacks are more durable and cost-effective in the long run.
Perk 4: Carry-On Champions: Skip the Baggage Claim
While we’ve discussed size, it’s crucial to highlight that most of our travel backpacks, excluding the large duffel bag, are carry-on compliant! This is a key differentiator making them the best suitcase for family travel, and excellent European travel backpacks for avoiding checked baggage on European family vacations.
Carry-on compatibility offers numerous benefits. Primarily, it eliminates checked baggage fees, resulting in significant cost savings and enabling more frequent family travels within our budget. It also removes the stress of baggage claim, as your luggage stays with you throughout your journey. This is particularly advantageous for European travel backpacks, allowing seamless travel between countries without luggage loss concerns.
Finally, carry-on luggage bypasses weight restrictions. As long as your travel backpack fits within carry-on dimensions, weight is typically not a concern, making them ideal even for kids carrying books and heavier items.
Carry-on travel backpacks simplify family travel, avoiding baggage claim and fees.
Perk 5: Lifetime Warranty: A Long-Term Travel Investment
A significant reason we favor Osprey and Deuter travel backpacks is their long-term value. Unlike typical suitcases needing frequent replacement due to wear and tear, these brands are built to last.
They offer a lifetime warranty, a testament to their quality and durability. This warranty is a major factor in why we consider these the best family luggage options – they are designed for longevity. We even sent our eldest child off to college with an Osprey backpack, confident in its durability for years to come.
These aren’t just the best travel backpacks for kids; they are bags that grow with them into adulthood – a considerable advantage. For a large family like ours, managing expenses is crucial. Investing in luggage that doesn’t require frequent replacement is a significant financial benefit. (Learn more about our budget travel strategies in “how we plan our travel on a budget here“).
We highly recommend Osprey brand bags for their long-term reliability as travel backpacks for ANY age traveler. Beyond the lifetime warranty, Osprey’s customer service is exceptional. We experienced this firsthand after a trip to Brussels. After storing slightly damp bags for months, a zipper rusted shut. Osprey’s customer service guided us through a fix and offered repair or replacement if needed. The issue was easily resolved, but their willingness to replace the bag was impressive. You can explore Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee here.
Deuter brand bags also offer a comparable lifetime warranty. While our Deuter bags are newer, we’ve heard excellent feedback from other travelers regarding their warranty service. Deuter’s lifelong repair/replacement policy can be found here.
The lifetime warranties of Osprey and Deuter are compelling reasons to choose these brands over others. While similar warranties might exist elsewhere, these two brands offer exceptional value and peace of mind. They are truly the best European travel backpacks and the best travel bags for families, as highlighted by our final point.
Perk 6: A Carrier Backpack for Traveling with Toddlers and Babies Can Eliminate Strollers!
One final travel backpack deserves mention in the context of family travel: the Deuter brand baby carrier backpack!
A Deuter baby carrier backpack makes traveling with infants and toddlers much easier.
We purchased our Deuter baby carrier in 2017 and have used it extensively for theme parks, hiking, and European travel, even for our move abroad. When planning a trip to Lisbon with five kids, we received overwhelming advice against bringing a stroller due to narrow sidewalks and Lisbon’s hilly terrain. With a baby and a toddler, navigating hills and stairs seemed daunting.
Enter the Deuter baby carrier backpack, a game-changer for traveling parents. While my husband primarily carried it, both our baby and toddler loved it. It features a bottom compartment for diapers and supplies, side pockets, and a sun/rain shade. This backpack simplifies travel with babies and toddlers significantly, often eliminating the need for a stroller altogether.
The Deuter baby carrier could warrant its own dedicated post, but it’s essential to include it here as the best backpack for traveling with toddlers and babies. Being a Deuter product, it also comes with a lifetime warranty. For families with young children, the Deuter baby carrier is an invaluable travel companion.
Travel backpacks easily accommodate electronics and laptops for family travel.
Deuter Kid Comfort Midnight 2 One Size
The Deuter Kid Comfort Baby Carrier, designed for comfort and convenience.
Having extolled the virtues of travel backpacks, I urge you to consider trying one, even just one to start. You’ll likely become a convert, appreciating the ease and convenience they bring to family travel. If you already use and love a family travel backpack, please share your recommendations and travel tips in the comments below!
We wish you enjoyable family travels and hope this post helps make your journeys smoother and more stress-free. Happy travels!
