While preparing for long term travel I spent a fair bit of time researching which backpack to buy. I narrowed my choices down using certain criteria:
▪️Small enough to take on as hand luggage (40L max)
▪️Top and front loading (for easy access)
▪️Airflow back panel
▪️A pretty colour (yes, this is a totally unnecessary, girlie criteria)
And in the end I settled on the Osprey Sirrus 36L (in purple), which ticked all the boxes. Especially the pretty colour!
The backpack has been great. It’s just the right size for all my stuff. It was the perfect design for trekking, with the back airflow system keeping me nice and cool. It’s survived the wear and tear that comes with bus and train travel in places like in India. It almost always fit in over head racks or under my seat, meaning it was never out of my sight for long.
In terms of flights it’s always been accepted as hand luggage / carry on. Which has been a relief, given my past experiences of checked luggage going astray.
The top and front loading access is great. It means you can get to stuff either way, and makes packing super easy. There is also a good selection of hip pockets and two zip pockets in the top. Plus there’s a compartment at the bottom which is the perfect size for my hiking boots.
I would definitely recommend the Osprey Sirrus 36L to anyone looking for a small backpack for long term travel. I believe they also do a mens version called Stratos.
See what’s in my backpack here:
doingbeingbecoming 
Nice choice as a backpack for long-term travels indeed. Same brand for me but a Stratos 36L instead (withtout the ‘girlie color’, of course). Aside a few differences I guess, it’s kind of the same.
Long life Osprey!
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Excellent choice. It’s good they’ve got a mans version too!
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Thinking of getting the same backpack for my backpack adventures. Seems like a great versatile and comfortable backpack! Just doubting size wise as I will have to transport a lot of paperwork as well due to my work (tourleader) that I unfortunately cant digitize as I need it on the go.
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Hey – thanks for reading! Yes it’s a great backpack but only for travelling light. If you’ve got lots of a paperwork I think it could be a struggle. I didn’t even have a laptop to fit in (just an iPhone). So it might be worth investigating something a bit bigger. I would recommend Osprey as a brand though! 😊
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