Backpacker's Equipement

Travelling needs stuff. But the more things you have the less travelling you do. Anyways the reasonable minimum to be comfortable is at least a backpack, proper shoes, some clothes and sometimes sleeping accessories.
As I spend few months being on the road as far I have some thoughts and recommendations. First things first:

BACKPACK

Quechua Forclaz 40 was the right choice for me. Not too small, not too big and what is important for me - very light for its size and price. Maybe not fancy and fashionable but does its job very well. Two large convinient openings, compression straps on both sides, comfortable backside and simple not luring look make it just right.

At some point I made internal suspenders for my netbook to make it easier and safer to carry. This time I'm travelling with a cheap tablet so suspenders are not needed anymore. Another customisation was sewing two loops made of elastic straps on top of the backpack to make attaching a tent much easier.

As far my backpack is in quite good condition especially when you take into account the way it is used (hitch-hiking, leaving it on sides of roads, throwing in and out of hundreds of cars and lorries).

Two smal minuses as far. Small tear on the side where horizontal internal frame ends which needs to be fixed in some months, and one broken plastic clip (my backpack's first flight with Iceland Express) which is already replaced.

Not the best choice, but really easy to get in many European countries (Decathlon/Quechua stores). I'm happy with it, but next time most probably something even lighter like 37 l Quechua Ultralight or maybe some kind of DIY project.

SHOES

Another very important piece of backpacker's eqiupment. The more you walk, the better shoes you need to wear. Worth to mention that not always more expensive means better. Again the Quechua came with something good.

Quechua Forclaz Fresh - light, comfortable, breathable, but not as durable as I expected. On the other hand 18 months of intensive use in different conditions (including working on a construction site) is not as bad as it seems. Shoelaces needed to be replaced at their last months. The inside sole became too hard so I needed to put additional ones few months ago. With new cheap, noname shoes I had to do the same after just one month of using!

Even fancy Salomon shoes my partner uses don't seem to be stronger nor more reliable than Quechua ones. After just few months there are significant signs of wear both inside and outside.

I think I would still be using my Quechua shoes if not having them lost by one careless Turkish driver. And I don't see better option than buying another hiking shoes from Quechua.

TENT

Not very usual choice here. Unfortunately not Quechua one this time, as they don't have anything not expensive, light and small at the same time. This time we decided to buy a mosquito tent, I would say. Polish outdoor brand Marabut produces so called Marabut Mosquito two person tent. Combination of bottom as in a tent and top made of mosquito net in a shape of an igloo tent. In addition to that we also use a tarp to extend over the tent. This set was supposed to be comfortable and light. We have basic rain protection provided by the tarp and unfortunately only basic protection against the mosquitos and bugs. The holes in the net are big enough to let average sized ants in. We realised that one night we spent camping in Romania and waking up lots of times because of ants walking on our faces. You failed at this point Marabut. Happily the ventilation is very good in it so we don't have problem of condensation.

I used to have much better but also heavier tent. Czech company Hannah making quite good and reasonably priced equipment was producing Troll S tent few years ago. Comfortably fitting two person, with good ventilation and enough waterproof was a great choice for outdoors, but not for long time travelling.

SLEEPING BAG

After being familiar with some cheap untested brands I again decided to visit main Quechua/Wedze store in the heart of French Alps to get the Quechua S5 Ultralight sleeping bag. I later found the choice was more than just good. It saved me on Iceland last year and I slept in it in many other not welcoming weather conditions. After being used hundreds of times during last 18 months and being washed 3 or 4 times it's still almost as warm as when it was bought. Comparing to almost gloryfied Polish brand Alpinus' respectably or even warmer sleeping bag which after almost 2 years of use and few washings became rubbish Quechua's is doing great! Alpinus one was meant to be good in temperatures between -5 and +5°C but at the end was not even comfortable at +15°C while still being big and heavy.

After spending few weeks backpacking in Romania I decided to carry smaller and lighter sleeping bag so my choice was Quechua S10 Ultralight this time. About half the size and weight of S5 UL and good for warmer temperatures. Hopefuly it is going to last as long as my previous one.

SLEEPING MAT

Self inflatable type might be a good solution when used with strong caution and on well prepared grounds. Quechua A200 Ultralight is light and small. It provides good thermal isolation and it's easy to use. It is comfortable too. But...

It is unreliable. For camping in random places it is just too weak. It gets punctured too easily. Even the fabric gave up just on a bend next to the valve! Unfortunately it is too difficult and too expensive to have it fixed or replaced on its warranty while travelling. To be able to use it a bit longer I glued the holes with a neoprene adhesive. Now it is better but not perfect. I can at least spend most of the night sleepein without feeling the ground through the mat.

The same thing with the inflatable Quechua pillow. Lots of punctures for no reason. Again product that is good only for 2 weeks holiday.

I would be glad if someone from Quechua design studio read my opinions. I'm happy to answer questions of course.