It's cute. Are you going for cute, or ergonomic?

I like to see both a sternum strap and a waist strap. That one has a sternum strap only.

This Osprey pack looks nice. I like that it is designed as a women's pack, one thing that means is the straps will be cut narrower which can reduce biting. Also notice how the pack is narrower, that is going to keep it more aligned with your body shape. It ihas a nice ventilated back panel and the actual pack rises above the straps, this is better for weight distribution.

I like the looks of the Topo, Ida. When my DD went traveling for a year, we looked at many backpacks. She was doing it full on so got one with all the bells and whistles, but I saw a few in the same style as the Topo (suitcase you can wear on your back) and thought they'd be very convenient for someone like me travelling for a week or two at a time, but not doing too much actual long term hiking with it.

I researched backpacks for a while on a FB travel group I belong to which highly advocates carryon only. Some do a small roller bag with a backpack. I decided for me, I would feel like a turtle. But the main thing I have learned is to use packing cubes to get more bang for your buck in compressing and packing. I have some and love them.

Anyway, Osprey, eBags and a couple of others seem to be favorites when it comes to backpacks only for women. However I do recall that an opening like the one the Topo uses is highly favored. Plus outside pockets for stashing smaller items. I would assume you would also have another small crossbody or similar for your passport, etc. I would also ensure a backpack is sized for a female frame and isn’t too large across the shoulders for you.

Is there a reason you prefer a backpack to a carry-on rolling suitcase? Years ago I travelled to Europe with an old school backpack and it seemed like a lot of work to always shrug it on and off. Granted, yours look worlds easier. Like Outside mentioned, I would opt for the small roller bag plus a backpack as your personal bag.

My 16 yo dd just left for 2 weeks in Slovenia with a teen adventure travel group. They could not check bags, and since they will be doing adventure things (hiking, canyoneering, sea kayaking, rock climbing, etc) they suggested the Deuter Futura Pro 40 L hiking backpack. I think it is unisex, but she is quite small 5’4”, 102 lb and she was very comfortable wearing it FULLY loaded!! There are many pockets including a wonderful zippered pocket on the padded waist strap that was perfect for her passport & phone. I totally agree with above posters about the need for packing cubes, though. We used “stuff sacks” for dd bc they are more camping related, but I use the ebags myself and love them.

You do have to be careful with the 40L size bags if you are not flying directly to your international destination. Dd’s group was flying to Venice out of ATL, and we didn’t want to drive to ATL so we flew her to ATL from our airport, which is also large. Apparently they are much pickier on domestic flights about the size of your carry-on than on international flights. Fortunately dh & I had gate passes and we were able to move her hiking boots to her 20L packable day pack and she was able to carry that as her “personal item” thus reducing the height of the 40L pack to the point the gate agent let her carry it on. Oy vey!! :) She was able to repack it altogether for the flight to Venice.

She’s not home yet, so I will have to give you a detailed report about how it all worked after she gets back next week. I was pretty impressed with the Deuter overall from a quality standpoint. Seemed great for outdoorsy, hiker types!

The OP mentions having to assist her mother with her mobility needs, so perhaps having to drag a rolling suitcase behind her wouldn't be as convenient as a back pack.

If you're having to bend over or sideways or push a wheelchair and help her get into one you'll be doing a lot of sideways movement so make sure you have a waist strap and that the backpack sits snug between the shoulders and hips and stays in place otherwise you'll have a lot of movement in it and be constantly pushing it back into place. You don't want it flying over your head.

If you can, before helping your mom make sure you have your back pack on and secure.

Thanks so much for the thoughts and recommendations, all of which I'm going to check into. I'm not a stranger to wearing a pack, and have done a good deal of backcountry trekking with large frames strapped to my back (including an ancient external frame Kelty that was just about the most uncomfortable thing imaginable after 9 miles in!). My previous internal frame backpack did not survive our move (long story), and since DH and I now only do shorter hikes, we both settled on smaller daypacks. But for England, I'll definitely want a new pack, and prefer wearing it to pulling a rolling case. As stated, I need my hands free to assist my mother as needed.

Good points about ensuring ergonomic correctness/comfort, which will absolutely be important. I completely missed the lack of waist strap on the Topo. Heck, even my small Camelbak has a sternum and waist strap -- both vital, IMO.

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10183337#productFeatures

Ida,

This Eagle Creek Global Traveler gets good reviews. It opens like a suitcase. It is available in 40 L and 65 L

https://www.eaglecreek.com/shop/global-companion-travel-packs

Oh, and packing cubes are a great idea!

Yes to the cubes and I highly recommend the Compass Rose ones and are the ones I use. They are currently sold out on Amazon but expected to be back in stock soon. Ebags has a similar set.

I forgot about Eagle Creek and that one and the Ebags pack are two I was considering.

I love packing cubes. I went to Switzerland with a rolling carryon and my osprey daylite backpack. I had some room to spare and I’m not a very good packer. I can see your dilemma of needing to be hands free, though. Look into Osprey backpacks. They seem to be well designed. And it’s amazing how much travel clothes you can squash i there.

Just this past spring, I bought the ebags Motherlode weekender backpack that pennydesign linked earlier. My son was going on a school trip to Vietnam for two weeks and needed a backpack that could be carried on to the plane. The Motherlode came highly recommended on several message boards for college students traveling abroad. Since my daughter is studying abroad in the fall, I figured she could use the same backpack for her weekend travels around Europe this fall. It was perfect for my son’s trip as well. The compartments were very handy - easy access to the outer pockets for important items. The main compartment can open as a suitcase. It has sternum and waist straps as well as handles in several places so it can be worn on the back, carried by hand or over the shoulder. There are multiple videos that were very helpful for seeing all the ways it can be used. It has over 7500 reviews on ebags.

I would look at the Osprey Fairview, it gets good reviews on travel forums. And Osprey has a great reputation for standing behind their products. https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/fairview-40-FAIRVEW40.html

Right now I'm leaning towards either the Motherlode or the Osprey Farpoint 55. Both look like they'd be great for my needs. Thanks for all of the great suggestions!

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/143016/osprey-ozone-46-travel-pack

DD#1 took this one to China for 10 days. It was all she had. She did however bring a second suitcase to Alaska this summer.

If you are close to an Ikea, give the Ikea packing cubes a try. They are CHEAP, but they are soooo lightweight. I do not expect them to last for years. I think they are 6/$10.

I recently bought a Tucano Tugo 20l, which would be too small for what you are contemplating. I bought it because it had a “clamshell” opening instead of a top zipper and because it weighed less than some of the other “clamshell” backpacks. Whatever you buy, if you are using it for travel, I’d opt for something that opens completely like the Topo you’ve identified.

Mine also has the same pocket I’ve circled below. I find that pocket on mine to be virtually useless. It is very hard to see what is in it; it is very flat, as in you have to just push your hand in and feel around for whatever you need. YMMV

As I’ve said in other posts, DH’s health isn’t great. He cannot walk distances, he cannot walk fast, and climbing stairs is out of the question. I’m sure you already know this, but I’m going to repeat it just in case it has slipped your mind. Get your mom a wheelchair at every opportunity. It is best if you notify the airlines ahead of time. At the airport, you will not need to do anything but walk along. btw, the Munich airport was absolutely the best wheelchair service we received on our most recent trip. FWIW, the absolutely most abysmal handicapped service was Toronto, but that was several years ago. Maybe they’ve upped their game.

We are contemplating going to England next summer, so I’ve been looking to see if the places we want to go are going to be too challenging for DH. There are many websites that give advice on disabled travel in the UK. Euan’s Guide seems to be a good one. Visit London has good information too, but you have to dig for it.

Another tip for traveling light, look at Eileen Fisher viscose jersey. I have 2 dresses in it , a pair of the System crepe pants, and a tunic in the tencel jersey. I can wash them out in the hotel sink, squeeze them in a towel, hang, and they will be dry by the next morning.

Does your cottage have a washer AND a dryer or a washer-dryer combo? We stayed in a condo in a manor house in the Cotswolds one year. It had a washer-dryer combo that took SIX HOURS to do one load.

To piggyback off bbstx:

When my Mum broke her foot, a very helpful airline gate agent told us “you cannot over-communicate your need for assistance.” He was right, at the next airport, even after making our needs known multiple times, we were the last two to board because a wheelchair assistant never arrived. She had to hobble down the gangway and onto the plane. It was ridiculous. That was United in Denver.

If your Mum needs help, ask for a wheelchair, ask them to advise the arriving airport, ask for an electric cart, and remind them she needs to board early. Keep asking. Tell every employee you see. Be a polite pain the neck.

IRL, the advice for fitness is don’t sit if you can stand, don’t stand if you can walk, don’t walk if you can run. For travel, I adapt it to don’t stand if you can sit, don’t walk if you can ride, and never skip a clean bathroom. Even if she doesn’t need a wheelchair, keep you eyes open for opportunities to make things easier on both of you.

Also, I concur with the time it takes a European washer to complete a cycle. Bring as much hand washing, versus needs a machine, as you can.

Hhireno, “never skip a clean bathroom.” Too true!!!! HA!

Thanks so much for all of the excellent suggestions and advice! A few years ago, when my mother first began having some mobility issues, we started requesting wheelchairs at any airport through which we traveled. We learned the hard way the first time that you must stay on top of this request, as has been pointed out above, to ensure that the service requested is received. Once we had a very surly cart driver at Heathrow who was so ugly to my teenage niece when she tried to board the cart with my mum (but hey, he got my mother where she needed to go, and that was the important thing), and again at Heathrow my mother was pushed in a wheelchair for what seemed like miles by the sweetest woman. She was Indian and wore a big smile, which made her dark eyes dance even more. She was so kind and compassionate towards my mother, that once we reached the gate from where we'd board, we BOTH gave her a big hug. Sometimes you get crap service, sometimes it's just adequate, and every now and then you come into contact with someone who truly cares about the people they are serving. That was so evident in the behavior of that woman (and we wrote the airline afterward to tell them how wonderful she was).

Also not a stranger to the European washer - in particular the washer/dryer combos, which I hate with a passion. The last one of those we used shrunk my niece's clothes badly. It was most likely user error, but we found it to be very user UNfriendly, and did our best in trying to figure out how to use it. Our accommodations for this next trip have a separate washer and dryer, but I'm taking quick-drying clothes that can be hung and dry in a matter of hours. My mother will probably taking something similar.

I usually pack my toiletries (vs. relying on products at our accommodations), especially since I'm pretty picky about the products I prefer to use. This next trip, though, I'm going to only bring a few things in carry-on size, and will buy what I need once we reach our destination. There's a pharmacy and a couple of Coop shops in town that should have what I need -- and this time, I'm not going to be so picky about brands.

Oh, drat...it appears this thread may cost me big bucks! I don't even need or want a backpack but, out of curiosity, perused some of the sites mentioned. Which led me to the travel girl site. Which led me to the Anatomie site and the Skyler pants. Egads! But the reviews are awesome. And we travel a fair amount so how great would it be to have comfortable, stylish, quick drying pants. In two colors!

A couple of days before leaving New Zealand, something happened to my foot requiring the purchase of crutches. My foot was much improved by the time we departed and the crutches weren't as essential. But, we did have to carry them onboard and, oh my goodness, we had more offers of help from the airline personnel than we knew what to do with! A backpack still sounds like a good idea to stay hands free but, as you probably know, the airlines will be very accommodating.

When I was traveling with my Mum and her crutches, I was told by the gate agent (in Denver) to carry her crutches down and ask the flight attendant to put them in the plane closet. I did as she instructed and was told, in no uncertain terms, that they didn’t have a closet and she had no where to put them. Oooookay. Luckily I walked them back up the ramp because my Mum needed them to get herself down the ramp and onto the plane, since the wheelchair never arrived by the time of last boarding call. We had to gate check the crutches after she was seated. Fortunately, when we arrived in Newark a wheelchair was waiting for her.

I've traveled all over Germany twice and England three times. Even in my old age, I still greatly prefer a backpack. I also prefer an outside frame one. I batten down the hatches on mine to check it, you might even be able to put it in a duffle bag and then could use the bag for some other purposes once there. They also sell complete covers for them. Mine is a Jansport but I don't think they make the external frame ones anymore. Here's a link to another tried and true model, Kelly. An external frame is easier on your back but bulky. Most folks I know swear by the internal ones but I have never found one that I liked. An external frame keeps the weight up over your head, saving your back and shoulders. YMMV, but if I ever go overseas again, it will be with my trusty backpack and a rolling duffle.https://www.kelty.com/yukon-48/

If you need to check the backpack Ikea has an inexpensive lightweight bag that will hold it.

https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/frakta-storage-bag-for-cart-blue-90149148/

Whatsayyou, the TFG site is pretty awesome really. So helpful in many ways. My DD has been packing for an 11 day trip and showed me her packing cubes (my Compass Rose cubes I loaned her) in her carryon today. I was so impressed. She and her DH are checking one shared bag but otherwise most of her stuff is in a small carryon and a tote. Besides wardrobe info, there is a lot of timely info about weather because members are from all around the world. Its a very supportive group.