This is something I’ve been researching for years. I’ve been looking for a backpack that was cheap but that was good enough quality to survive long term travel.
Having backpacked for many years now, I have a pretty good understanding of what’s important for a backpack when it comes to long term travel. And as I needed a new backpack for my upcoming travels throughout Asia and Australia (this is actually my very first day of this trip!), I went on a hunt to find one that checked all the boxes but that didn’t cost hundreds of dollars.
I bought and tried all the most promising backpacks, and I’m reporting my findings here so that you don’t have to order them all too. I’ll go into details of what I liked and didn’t like, and then at the end I’ll rank the best backpacks.
[This post contains affiliate links.]
Now, full disclosure, I didn’t choose any of the backpacks that I tried out and wrote about here. But not because I didn’t like them; in fact, there were two that I loved, even more than the backpack I chose. The only reason why I didn’t choose them is purely because of size. They were only 50L, and I simply wasn’t able to fit all my stuff into that size. I might be traveling for a year, so I wanted a 65 L backpack. Also, I wanted a women’s fit backpack to ensure that it would fit me perfectly.
For this reason, I shelled out the extra money for the Osprey Renn 65L backpack.
But if you think you’ll be fine with a smaller backpack (the range I tried was about 45L to 65 L), check out this list of the best backpacks for long term travel that are cheap.
This is perhaps the cheapest company I found, but one I trust. The Arrowhead backpack from this company was the very first backpack I traveled with. Although the shoulder straps were extremely uncomfortable, with all the weight of the backpack on my shoulders, it was great quality. I used it for years, including my first long term travel trip, and this backpack survived it all—the quality of the fabric was surprisingly sturdy for the price (about $40).
One notable difference from all the other backpacks on this list is that you can unzip the front of the backpack, so you open it in a similar way to a suitcase. My Thule backpack opens similiarly, and I absolutely love it. (By the way, if you’re on a short trip, especially if you’re flying with just carry-on, this Thule is the best (non-cheap) backpack. But it’s just too small for what I was looking for—despite my efforts to become one, I most certainly am not a minimalist.)
It also has a separate compartment at the bottom which I love, since I can use that to store shoes. (I liked this feature so much that all the other backpacks on this list have it too.)
And I was also really happy with the straps and weight distribution of this backpack. Like I mentioned, the reason why I ditched my Arrowhead backpack from this same company was because the straps were very uncomfortable, and this model is much better (and totally worth the extra $20).
This is also the cheapest backpack on this list, so if you’re looking for a cheap backpack for long term travel, and price is most important for you, consider this backpack.
I was so close to choosing this backpack, but I realized the quality of the backpack wasn’t as good as the other backpacks. While the other backpacks on this list are comparable to the quality of reputable, expensive brands like Osprey, this one is noticeably not.
While I initially liked the fact that you can unzip the front of the backpack, I also realized that it would make it easier to steal from my backpack. And also, since the quality of the fabric and zippers isn’t great, I worried it would break and I’d be left with an unusable backpack.
The quality is noticeably worse than the other backpacks, and since I’ll be traveling long term, I wanted a backpack that would survive years. I wasn’t confidant this one would.
This is one of the best cheap backpacks I’ve tried out for long term travel. I wanted so badly to choose this one, but couldn’t. Maybe someone reading this will, though!
I love the ventilation back of the backpack, similar to what my Osprey Renn has. It makes the backpack a lot more comfortable, and it also makes sure you don’t sweat through your backpack (a fear I had a lot last time I was backpacking in the hot and humid SE Asia).
The quality is great too. It feels like a sturdy backpack, one that won’t break. The zippers are good quality, too, and overall it felt like a much more expensive backpack.
It has a separate compartment at the bottom too, and I really liked the color options.
This was my favorite cheap backpack overall.
The 50L capacity is just too small. I mean, I probably could have made it work, if I really had to. But I know that I buy a lot of stuff when I travel, so I wanted a backpack that would give me extra room to play with.
But that’s it. That was the only reason why I didn’t choose this backpack, so if you can manage to fit in 50L (I did when I traveled 4 months in SE Asia), definitely consider this backpack.
Well, turns out the backpack that I fell in love with came in the size I wanted. I got it and packed my stuff, finding that I had plenty of room to spare. I was convinced this was going to be my backpack. But then I tried it on… Turns out, the frame size different.
Same as the 45+5L backpack, along with the fact that it was the perfect size for what I wanted.
Weirdly, the material of the frame was different and didn’t seem a comfortable. But worst of all, the frame size was much bigger too, with no option to adjust it. I wanted to make it work, but it just didn’t fit me.
Also, the waist strap wasn’t tight enough, and the chest strap lay too low, falling awkwardly right across my boobs, so I can’t imagine this backpack being a good fit for women.
For context, I’m 5’8” so I don’t think I’m that short. I had my brother, who is 5’11” try it on, and it fit him great. So if you’re a man and about 6 feet tall, this backpack is probably the perfect cheap backpack for your long term travel.
I chose to try this backpack because, given my experience with the Nevo Rhino backpacks, I wanted to be able to be able to adjust the frame, which this backpack allows.
Like the other backpacks, it has the separate bottom compartment, and the quality of the material seemed pretty good for the price.
Again, a 55L backpack wasn’t enough for me for long term travel. I had less than when I backpacked 4 months in Asia, so I think it would be enough for a few months if you’re conservative with what you pack.
I highly considered this backpack, but there is one important reason why I decided against it. Although it was great that you could adjust the shoulder straps based on your size, I felt uncomfortable with that feature. The reason for this is that you move it using velcro, and I could hear it moving when I put the backpack on. I was worried that the velcro would grow weak over time, and therefore make the backpack useless with detached shoulder straps.
I haven’t tried it out in the wild, so I’m not sure that would happen. But the fact that the quality didn’t seem great from the start kept me from choosing this backpack.
So, here are the best cheap backpacks I found for long term travel.
The first backpack I ever used was the Outdoor Arrowhead. It wasn’t totally comfortable, but it did the job, even for long term travel. So if you’re on a tight budget, this might be a good option for you. Arrowhead was cheaper, but Shasta has a bit more space.
This backpack won’t fit anyone who is not around 6 feet tall, and the chest strap isn’t in a suitable place for women. But, it’s great backpack for taller men. Quality is great, and it has plenty of space.
This was my favorite cheap backpack that I tried, and if I was able to magically become a minimalist, I would have hesitated to choose it. I think it’s a great size for a month, or even a few months, but longer than that you might want a bigger backpack.
Like I said in the beginning, none of these cheap backpacks worked for the type of long term travel I was embarking on or for how much space I wanted. I ended up paying over double for an Osprey backpack, just because I’ll likely be traveling for several years.
But, I do think they would work for other travelers.
So what do you think? Will any of these cheap backpacks work for you, or will you decide on getting a backpack from an expensive brand like I did?
And please let me know if you have any questions about these cheap backpacks for long term travel!
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I appreciate how thorough you are in testing these bags and explaining how they might be ideal for others. Everybody has different needs in their ideal bag. (Is there such a thing??)