Roller suitcase or Backpack?
Replies: 21 - Last Post: Nov 26, 2012 1:00 PM Last Post By: bladerunner____
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Roller suitcase or Backpack?
We have two kids one will be a 1 year old and the other will be 3 when we travel. We plan on spending alot of time in Thailand but also traveling to Laos, Myanmar and possibly Vietnam. We will be gone for about a year. My question is what are people's opinion of what would be better Roller Suitcase or Backpack. I have backpacked before when I was younger but didn't have two kids with me. I prefer a backpack. I have been told it will be so hot and humid we won't want to carry the kids so then we will have a cheap stroller. But will it be easy to roller a stroller and a suitcase or back pack and stroller? Hopefully someone has some experience and/or advice in this arena. Thanks in advance.Edited by: bladerunner____
1
Seems like it would be easier to wear a backpack and have your hands free to deal with the kids and stroller. We did the slow boat on the Mekong a few years back and REALLY wished we would have had backpacks. You can always store a larger roller bag somewhere-- if you coming and going from the same place. The guesthouses that we've stayed at in Bangkok all have storage facilities.2
Hi,Ok you asked for it - I hate roller bags. Lots, but not all, of the folk who use them have little or no consideration for others, I have lost count of the times I have been inconvenienced, or worse still harmed, by the owners of the said articles.
I am sure that here there will be supporters of both kinds of bags. I realise that, in the right hands, both have their advantages. For me the back pack wins every time.
3
Roller bags are only convinient on smooth, hard, flat surfaces, except for shopping malls there are no smooth, hard, flat surfaces in Thailand5
except for shopping malls there are no smooth, hard, flat surfaces in Thailand
Well, that's not quite true, Pavement/sidewalks/footpaths along major tourist areas have improved significantly over the last decade. A lot of work have been done and many are underway to repave/re-lay concrete footpaths. The difficulty with a stroller is that the curbs are high (for wet weather) and the street vendors with all their wares can make the footpath narrow and hard to navigate.OP, in your case I would take a stroller and backpack as #1 says, will leave your hands free. The other person not pushing the stroller might want to have a baby carrier - this sort of thing.
8
Backpacks will be easier as it leaves your arms free to deal with kids. Strollers can be a blessing and hindrance in equal measures. They are one more thing to carry and will be almost useless on the sidewalks of most countries you plan to visit, if there are even sidewalks at all. The only time strollers will be of real use is if you want to go to a restaurant and use the stroller for the 1 year old to sleep. Those baby bjorn baby carriers where you strap the child to your front will be far more useful (and safe) than a stroller. Our daughter was under 3 when we first took her to Myanmar and we didnt take a stroller and didnt regret it one bit.9
2 adults, 2 kids, gone for a year.Have never traveled that way myself, but I imagine it won't make much of a difference.
I just couldn't see myself walking from a bus/train station to a guesthouse/hotel with two kids and all the luggage. I would rather take taxi/cyclo/whatever.
In that sense I doesn't matter if it is a backpack or a roller or a suitcase.
13
The topic has been debated countless timessee threads here
Basically, wheel suitcases and kid strollers/prams don't do well on all the broken/blocked/uneven surfcaes found in this part of the world (not to mention beaches). I travel both ways but depends on the destination and mode of travel. Wheelie suitcase if traveling by air/taxi and staying in urban hotels or backpack if travelling "rough" backpacker style. Each has it's advantages...
14
My vote goes for wheelie cases because I don't think that you will be pounding the pavements with your luggage, especially with 2 small children. You can't beat them, especially the 4 wheel kind, for the places you will probably need to move your belongings - airports, hotel corridors, etc. Don't forget that you can walk really long distances in some airports.In my experience people are rarely annoyed by wheelie cases but strollers and prams are a different matter. Unless you want an endless stream of dagger looks in places like MBK, any of the markets or generally busy venues, you might want to reconsider that one. It might be the hot sweaty conditions, lack of water or whatever but unfortunately people show no tolerance and disproportionate aggression when stuck behind a stroller. We carried our kids and never regretted not having a stroller.
