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Rucksacks in the hold

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in General Chat
I'm planning to go travelling in europe in a couple of months. One slight worry I have is as I'm backpacking and flying to/from the UK to my start and finish destinations, I have to put my rucksack in the hold. How do the airlines treat rucksacks, and is there anything I can do to protect the bag and my stuff in it during the flight?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Make sure you don't have loose straps hanging out - do them up, tuck them in etc before you hand it over.

    You can wrap it in plastic but I've never bothered.

    I think backpacks are a lot less likely to pop open on the conveyor belt than suitcases.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When we went to Peru, there were 25 of us with huge rucksacks, and not one of them got damaged. I agree with RG - make sure all your straps are tucked in and that nothing is hanging out to get caught on the belt.

    Also - make sure anything breakable is wrapped up in socks in the middle in case it breaks :yes:.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Definitely make sure all the straps are well tied up. A roll of electrical tape in your rucsac is handy for this (and a million other things, so is well worth taking). That way you can minimise the damage to your straps and rest of the bag when they get pulled on.

    You can get travel bags for rucsacs that pack up really small, but you put the whole rucsac inside it. You can also use them for keeping things in while you're stopped in one place, it's a lot easier to keep your day to day frequent use stuff in a bag that zips fully open while you're stopped somewhere than it is rumaging round a rucsac every time you need something. They are usually £10-20. I've got one, I love it, I've used and abused it and it's looked after my rucsac well. Even if there's no obvious damage the wear and tear they get going through baggage handling is unbelievable. I love my rucsac, it's a really nice one and I want to look after it well.
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