55-60L backpack vs. budget airlines policy + travelling through seasons

If you want to carry a bag that big (and 'stuffed')...you will have to pay separately.You won't get it on as hand luggage!
Airasia charges much less for this if you do it in advance rather than at the airport when you check in.

For the winter clothes......will you be going back to the same place more than once?
If so you will be able to leave a bag with clothes in at a hostel (pretty much all hostels will do this) and pick it up when you need it....

Alternatively you could buy as you go.....I wouldn't do that,not for the cost (you can pick up jumpers or jackets cheaply)but for the quality,particularly if you are trekking or going up into the mountains.

Hi Lucapal,

Thanks for your suggestions. I may need to downsize the bag. What size do you think works better? Is 40L good to go?

I don't think I will go back to that same place. Hmm, I believe someone out there had been in that situation before, round-the-world travel and goes through all kinds of weather.

I've been in that situation plenty of times...there is no 'perfect'solution.

Either you leave them somewhere (and then you have to go back)...or you buy as you go (spending money and hoping to find something of good quality)..or you carry everything with you!

I guess last possibility could be someone posting the stuff to you when you need it....I don't know if I'd trust poste restante that far though......

I've carried winter and summer clothes around for 6 months and managed to get it all into a 50L backpack weighing about 13kg. It's a pain, but if you don't want to backtrack or buy clothes on the way, there's not much option.

Unless you can fit everything into the stipulated size AND weight for carry-on baggage you'll need to pay for the minimum 15kg of checked baggage. It doesn't cost that much with Air Asia.

I travel with a 40L pack and have never had them reject it for carry on. US airline or otherwise. I did have to put it underneath on buses. I didn't have to worry about cold weather but found 40L to be plenty for 4 months in SEA and I had a SLR and a netbook in there. The less crap you take the better. I am planning for my next trip and thinking about ditching the DSLR and going with my 35L bag for a year but might have to stick with 40L if everything doesn't fit.

If you're only travelling in hot places, 40L is plenty. Harder if you're going somewhere where you'll be trekking in sub-zero temperatures though.

@win2: thanks for your specific info. I'm flying with AA this early March and attempt to bring a 40L with me to see how they react. I did think I'm pacnicking about backpack sz because this is my first long trip and I'm obsessed with what I'm bringing (though the Travel Gear section helps a lot). From this topic and a few more in Travel Gear, I think I'll settle with 40L and try to be realistic about what to bring.
@joolz2: Mostly I'll be in hot zones (Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines). That's my fixed plan so far. I hope to have my time in India around AUG - DEC, then Pakistan until spring and to Iran. I'm not interested in trekking in mountainous areas, sticking to the cities/towns and people.

The best I can come up with is to bring a few winter items with me (one jacket, two pair of pants, two sweaters). Those socks, gloves and hats can be bought along the way.