This is my carry-on bag from Lululemon. I was struggling a lot with what I should bring as a carry on. I wanted to maximize the amount of things I was allowed to bring on the plane with me, and not check. And since I will be bringing my DSLR Camera, some lenses, my digital camera, my laptop, my kindle, my ipod, a series of chargers, and potentially an external hard drive of some sort, I knew I would need a lot of space to stash these 'expensive goods'. It had what I was looking for in terms of something waterproof, with a zippered top, that could be compressed and packed if needed, and had lots of compartments for storage. In addition to all of this, I wanted a bag that I would be using in Europe. I think this will do the trick... from beach days, to day trips, to trips to the Spanish Language School, it should be quite useful while I'm there. I was originally looking for a canvas and leather bag... but they did not fit the above criteria (plus they were super expensive!). Let's hope I made the right decision with this one.
The is my (first? maybe?) piece of checked luggage, the Grand Tour 80 Travel Pack from REI. I knew that I wanted to have a large backpack to bring over with me. This would be my primary piece of luggage for my week off vacations, or my after-au-pair-romp-around-europe. I liked this one mainly because it was large, 80L. I also like it because it is a front loading bag, so I wouldn't need to sort through things from the top of my bag. The front part of this backpack also detaches into a day pack, which will be useful. Like most other backpacking packs, it has lots of nifty pockets and organizing features, a rain cover that came with it, and it is very comfortable. I have already packed it with things to try it out, and I like it!
In addition to these two pieces of luggage, I have been struggling with whether or not to bring a third piece, or another piece of checked luggage. I mean, I am going to be there for 10 months... Can I really fit all I need into an 80L backpack and a carry-on? I was thinking of either buying a hard-shell Heys luggage piece, or a soft duffel that can be folded and possible mailed back to Canada easily.
I have no idea whether these products will be worthy investments. I will comment on that once they have been used!
