Backpack tips for 2 months in Europe?

Question

my Fiancee and myself plan on backpacking Europe next summer for 2 months via Eurorail method. We have no equiptment so I would like to get some info on good backpacks to buy. what size? what brand? things to stay away from. any help would be much appreciated

we are not camping. as stated, we are taking the eurorail so we will be sleeping on train and in hostels

Answer 1

Take as small a pack as you can convince yourself to do.
Packs get heavy, and even when you use buses or taxis to get from the station to the hostel you will still lug it around a lot.
You will often stay at the top floor of a many stories high building without lift, and often it is on top of a hill too.
If you travel for 2 months you will do laundry often, so take a little less and wash it a bit more often.

Try it, pack all you think you will need for the next two weeks into a pack or bag and walk around with it for a time.
You will understand me then.

A good pack is comfortable, does fit good to your back, has a belt around your waist and is rather waterproof.
You can now also get backpacks with wheels, they are a little heavier and pack a little less for their size, but they are good to use.
It is very likely that the two of you need different packs, go to a good shop to see the bags and fit them on. Best to put some weight in them so you can feel the fit.

They sell backpacks with a day-pack zipped to the top, stay away from them.
I never see people with them combined, I do often see people who have the big pack completely filled on their back and the little pack on the front. But this little pack gets all the heavy things, books, drinks and so on, so it is very uncomfortable to carry, specially as it is not made to be carried on your breast while you have a big pack on your back.

Try to restrict yourself to one pack only, and keep the day pack for just the things you need that day.
Idealy you just pull it out of your big pack when you reach a town, put in your guidebook and drink and walk away smiling (after storing your pack in a safe place.)

Answer 2

You can do this one of two ways, you can either buy a two month Youthrail pass and then your transportation and your sleeping arrangements are taken care of for 2 months... but that second month is expensive. OR you can buy just a ONE MONTH pass and not activate it until you have already been in Europe for a week or two. The time doesn't start until you activate it, so you can just keep it in your pocket until you are ready to lose it. If you want to be comfortable and have some room to do things on the spur of the moment, you need to have about $1000 per person per MONTH... so for 2 months that would be $2000 each. Before you do anything else, go to any bookstore in any mall and pick up "EUROPE BY EURAIL" and the "THOMAS COOK EURAIL TIMETABLE"... you will learn to live by those 2 books. You may also pick up FODOR'S EUROPE, but if you only want to carry 2 books, then get the first 2. The first one is a good general guide book and the second one is a timetable for ALL of the Eurail trains... times, stations, etc and you can't backpack without it. Mainly, you will be sleeping on trains at night and sightseeing during the day. If you want to spend more than one day exploring, then you arrive in the morning... sightsee during the day... get on the train to some overnight destination (this is why you MUST have the Timetable book) then you sightsee all day... get back on the train that night and go back to the first city. Back when I was your age, I had a few clothes in a small back pack and my guitar and made some decent money playing on street corners or in subway stations, so if you or your buddy can play guitar, you may want to think about that. Have fun

Answer 3

i would go with northface everything! they are a little bit on the pricey side i must admit but the quality speaks for itself. as far as equipment goes i would get a medium sized hiking back pack (which they have) with a lot of different compartments and strapps for supplies. i would get all of your basic camping gear as well. hiking is a laborous task, make sure to bring extra socks and boots and have good hicking boots (dr. martens). water bottles, power bars, etc.
here is a list:
http://camping.about.com/xchklist.htm
and here is the website for northface:
http://www.thenorthface.com/

i hope this helps. i do a lot of hiking and camping so if you need more specific information just let me know.

Answer 4

I think

http://www.backpackers.org.yu

will have loads of tips and routes for you, including promotions of tents&camping equipment in general. You can read the traveller's experience in blogs, and benefit from the stories of people who've done it like you intend to, only some time before!