Confused by pack "volume"

[emsr2d2]

I'm travelling from the UK to Spain with hand luggage only so my main bag has to be a maximum of 10kg in weight and has to fit into the airline criteria of 55cm x 45cm x 25cm. That's not too much of a problem and I know I have a rucksack that will fit into the aircraft cabin.
However, I need to put a "day pack" into it as well. That's because, for medical reasons, my friend and I are having our main bags transported between hotels by a private company so that all we have to carry is a day pack.
Not being a rucksack aficionado, I am baffled by the description of day packs on Amazon being in litres. I have no idea what they will each carry.
I will need to carry: 2 large bottles of water (minimum), snacks, waterproof jacket, sunscreen, hat, basic first aid kit, phone and charger, purse (small wallet, not a handbag!) and passport. I've probably missed something vital but that's my "day" list at the moment.

Can anyone tell me how many litres my day pack is going to need to be in order to carry those? It needs to small enough, light enough and foldable enough to fit inside my main airline luggage but big enough to carry my day provisions.

Thanks.

 

[nidarosa]

How many litres is your main one? That should give you an idea. I think most daypacks are about 20-25 litres. I think you might want to have a fleece in there for when you sit down for a break, it can get chilly if you get warm and sweaty from walking. But the other jacket might do? I would def get one about 20 litres and with a chest strap if not also a webbed waist strap, they do help with comfort if you are carrying two large bottles of water. Also lightweight and very packable if you are putting them into the larger pack ...

 

[emsr2d2]

I haven't got the faintest idea how many litres my main bag is. I'm not even sure it would be measured in litres - it was bought mainly as a laptop carrier but it happens to have really big pockets and is almost exactly the right dimensions for carry-on luggage. I'll probably throw my waterproof jacket on if I get chilly but in all honesty, I'm rarely chilly! I will look at bags with chest straps but I am rather well-endowed and have never found a chest strap that goes round my boobs without rubbing badly!
But thanks for the idea about the litres for a daypack. If I can fit that lot into a 20-litre one, that would be great, given the prices of them. I realise I'll probably have to buy it from a physical shop rather than from Amazon so that I can try it on for fit and actually see the size first.

 

[nidarosa]

That would probably be a good idea, particularly if there are things that must be comfortably ... accommodated. It might be a daft question but one I have often wondered about - if you are having the main bag transported, why not just use a suitcase? It would use the allowed hand luggage space better? If not, I suppose what you'd do is put the daypack open inside the larger one, stuff it with stuff and then keep stuffing on top of it until you get to the other side, then dig it out and purpose pack it. I have a 20 litre daypack that I take on day walks, and it holds rain poncho, fleece jacket, small first aid kit, sun screen, water, packed lunch and a spare pair of socks (never go anywhere without spare pair of socks). There is still room for a few bits but not a lot. Hope that helps and good luck finding a suitable pack!

Edit: Top tip is to bring the jacket and note the size of the bottle and go to a shop and try packs with the same amount of stuff in it. If the daypack is what you will be carrying each day it must be comfortable! Also try to weigh the stuff going into it, add the weight of the pack and that tells you what you will have to carry every step.

 

[emsr2d2]

Ah yes, the reason we can't take a suitcase is because we do actually have to carry our own packs on the first day and the last day. On Day 1, we're going from Santiago Airport into Santiago and then walking 12km to our first hotel. We couldn't arrange for the company to take our bag on that leg because they only pick bags up at 8am and we don't arrive until mid-afternoon. We also have to carry our own pack on the last day because when we arrive Muxia, we are catching the bus back to Santiago so there is no hotel in Muxia for the company to drop our bag off at that day. We're relatively confident that we can manage to carry our own bags on those two occasions.
There will be a lot of stuffing going on, I think, but I don't want my luggage to actually hit the 10kg limit on the way out, partly because I don't know if I can carry it but also because I want to have space to bring a few things back with me (presents etc) so I'll need to have some spare weight allowance for that. I'm aiming to take no more than 7.5kg weight on the way out.
Thanks for your help.

 

[nidarosa]

Well, if it's for a short time and you want a really lightweight one, have a look at this Sea to Summit ultralight daypack. Others on this forum have mentioned it before, I have one myself and use it for short walks, light loads and shopping/sightseeing, and it weighs nothing!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, emsr2d2, I hope this isn't too off topic, but I would just recommend that you make sure that you can comfortably carry a day pack without any internal frame. I have lower back problems and I can carry my 40L mountainsmith ghost pack just fine even when it's up to 9 or 10 kilos, but a day pack with 2 kilos in it will get my lower back going in no time. For me, it's not the weight but where the weight goes that is a problem. Packs with internal frames put the weight on the hips, not on the back, but a day pack puts it right smack dab on the back. You may not have a problem, but if you haven't walked long distances with a day pack, I think you should try it out to make sure. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anniesantiago]

Yes! Exactly what peregrina2000 said. Even though you will only be carrying a daypack, you should be sure it fits correctly and has a nice fat waistbelt. Because it will be glued to you for 7 hours or more each day and if it doesn't fit, you'll be in pain. Go to a sporting goods store at home and find one that fits.

Another option I've done is to get a suitcase or "china bag" that will fit your excess and wear your backpack with only the essentials in it. It will be roomy and lightweight, but will fit better. For the trip to spain, you can maybe stuff the pack into the suitcase. Or you can buy a bag in Spain.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've used these China Bags, which you can buy at the China Stores in Spain for 2 or 3 Euros, for transporting my stuff in Spain.
They come in all sizes.

 

[NicoZ]

I will need to carry: 2 large bottles of water (minimum), snacks, waterproof jacket, sunscreen, hat, basic first aid kit, phone and charger, purse (small wallet, not a handbag!) and passport. I've probably missed something vital but that's my "day" list at the moment.


Thanks.

If it was me. I'd get a waist bottle holder. For example

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JVGWEAS/?tag=casaivar02-20

That would hold two 500ml bottles Phone. Wallet. ID. Sunscreen.

Then get a 10 or 15l pack.

I haven't got the faintest idea how many litres my main bag is. I'm not even sure it would be measured in litres - it was bought mainly as a laptop carrier but it happens to have really big pockets and is almost exactly the right dimensions for carry-on luggage.

I think the others have suggested carrying this. I'd try it out first. From the sound of it I doubt it's really intended to be carried.

For your info to get litres multiply the linear dimensions in cm. Then divide by 1000

So 55cm x 45cm x 25cm ends up being almost 62 litres

 

[Dave2525]

Even if you order from Amazon, why not visit a local camping goods store or similar? You can see what the packs actually look like, try one on, put your stuff in there and see how it fits. This presumes, of course, that there is such a store near you.

 

[Kitsambler]

I haven't got the faintest idea how many litres my main bag is.

Standard cabin baggage size limits for most European carriers is 50x40x20 cm, which is 40 liters.

 

[Patch]

"Standard cabin baggage size limits for most European carriers is 50x40x20 cm, which is 40 liters. "

That's the size I work on as well for carry on. Its rare that they check it on outward flights from the UK, but nearly always on the return, especially so if its from Spain. They also now allow you one small extra bag 20 by 20 by 35 cm to be in the cabin with you.