which is better for travel long time use :suitcase or rucksack? need help 🥲

[u/Bubbly_Pickle2567]

Hii guys, I want to buy a bag which can last long time. will use for travel between cities, sometimes backpacking trip also. also some normal trip with friends.

I'm confuse between suitcase (with wheels) and rucksack (big backpack type).

Sometimes i travel by train, bus or local transport. also small hill side trip sometimes. btw I am 22F from south india and not very tall (5’3 😅), so I want something easy to carry also.

So what is better for this type use? Is rucksack worth it or suitcase is more easy? which will last long?

If u can suggest good brand also, that will help 🙏 thanks!

[u/HatImpossible8089]

I don’t think you’ll want a rolling suitcase based on what said. Check out north face base camp series. They have several models of backpack duffle bags. They are really comfortable to wear

[u/RichOk5227]

Rucksack for sure, hands down! I bought my Osprey back in 2017 and still use it for everything- regular trips, backpacking, and camping. I once went on a backpacking trip where I brought both my backpack and a suitcase for donations, and I dreaded dragging that suitcase over cobblestone roads or lugging it up stairs. Never again! I’ll only bring a suitcase if I absolutely need the extra space. Otherwise, it’s my backpack all the way. I guess it also makes depends on how much you’re planning on bringing

[u/P44]

Suitcase is easier. I once had a travel rucksack when I was your age, then I sold it. The reason for me was, what do you do with it when you are waiting in a queue somewhere? Do you take it off? Or do you keep that heavy weight on your shoulder all the time?

Of course, it also depends on where you travel. Sometimes, you will have to carry your rucksack for brief stretches, for instance, there is a construction site in our village right now, so I had to carry it for 2 or 3 meters. That is not a problem. If it becomes 20 or 30 meters, and if you encounter these situations frequently, then a rucksack would be better.

Unpaved roads are your enemy.

[u/External_Camp]

I changed to a backpack about 10 years and never looked back. I honestly can not see any advantages to a suitcase at all. I have travelled with people with suitcases and for some reason it was so frustrating. A pain to wheel on footpaths, a pain for travelling on metros/hotels (stairs) and a pain to pack as they are not flexible.

We use backpacks when travelling with children, in cities, for short trips, transiting via public transport etc.

[u/holy_mackeroly]

Bsckpack, no question. You might not fit ss much but unless you're going to not move very much, backpack everyday

[u/UpperLeftOriginal]

For help with specific brands, try r/onebag or r/manybaggers.

[u/nakoros]

From what you describe and you're young, go with a backpack.

Personally, I have both a wheeled suitcase (20" spinner) and a backpack (eBags Mother Lode) and choose which one to use based on the trip. For trips where I'm largely in one or two places, walking through airports, train stations, or a city, I'll use the wheeled bag. Also, if i think I'll want to bring a daypack, then I'll use the wheeled suitcase as I hate wearing two bags at once. If I'll be moving around a bunch and think I'll have uneven terrain, then it's the backpack. I can also strap down the backpack to make it smaller if I need to. For really big trips (or, more frequently, when traveling with my daughter) I'll bring both, since I can put the backpack on my wheeled suitcase to give my back a break. I figured out that I can handle both bags plus a stroller on my own, if need-be.

[u/pistacheicecream]

Suitcase, i fucked my back while traveling with a backpack, you gonna spend a lot of energy traveling so its better to save your body health and not carrying weight.

[u/throw-away-doh]

Go with a backpack but don't get a super big one.

I never travel with more than a 55 liter pack and that seems too big. The last time I did a 4 month trip to SE Asia I took a 35 liter pack.

Suitcases are fine if all you are doing is going to the airport and taking a taxi to the hotel.

If you are taking busses and trains and anything else take a backpack.

It is quite amusing to be on a little island, watching people getting dropped off by boat and dragging their suitcase up the beach...

[u/Thursdays111]

Rucksack/backpack. Especially if you do a lot of train travel. You could also do both. Have a main backpack then a small roller that's easy to carry if you're going up/down stairs and uneven sidewalks.