DeuterUSA.com has a lot of good outdoor backpacking products. I am always fascinated by the way marketing attempts to come up with something new. Well this time it is an “Air Comfort” system. Basically it cycles air as the graphics point out. All I know, is when I’m traveling, my back can get hot from a long haul sure… but I’m more worried about the pain of the load than back heat personally.

This is great…this is almost worth getting a dog for. Ruffwear.com, if you’re a dog owner and an outdoor guy…and 6′4″ tall…and a ninja…check this out if you haven’t already. I haven’t done much travelling with pets, but if I did, this is what I’d purchase. Ruffwear makes anything that involves dogs and outdoors. And I must add…makes it very stylishly. If that’s a word.

Before you purchase a pack, if you’re like me and don’t know what you’re doing, check out GregoryPacks.com. They’ve got some good looking packs and most importantly, they have very detailed information on how to custom fit each of their packs so you can get max comfort. This pack displayed on the left is a Gregory Baltoro 70. It’s got three access points, which definitely comes in handy for backpackers and travellers. Maybe now we won’t have to spread everything out across the hostel floor.

Ebags.com is having a mother’s day sale (today only) where you can get 20% off pretty much any bag. This particular bag shown to the left is Lowe Alpines TFX Summit ND - 65. It has the new “Torso Micro Adjust System”…whatever that does.

For pure travelling, this bag has a few too many straps sticking out for me. I’m sure for outdoor wide open spaces it’s fine, but going through terminals, trains, buses, taxis, cities in general, it’s best not to get snagged on something because your backpack straps stick out. Maybe one day someone will design a pack just for urban travel.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Crumpler…you might need a little warning. They are not your standard suit and tie company….which I admire. Their website pretty much gives you an explanation of how they think. Their bags are top of the line when it comes to durability and functionality. I have had a messenger bag of theirs for a few years now and it is just as good as the day it arrived. The zippers are large and almost industrial like, and the fabric just will not to tear. They don’t make large packs, but the camera bags and the bundle bags above can come in handy for travelers.

A friend of mine has a Jack Wolfskin bacpack and asked me why it wasn’t on my site. Well, now it is. Jack Wolfskin makes outdoor equipment of all kinds, and they’ve got a good portion of their site dedicated to travel as well. They even make really nice travel shoes. The downside? There are no stores in the US…at least that I could find on their site. They are mainly based in Germany, but have stores across Europe. I ran into one once and I jumped at the chance to see the store in person. I need to find out if there are any resellers in the US.

This GoLite Quest Pack just got Backpacker Magazine’s 2008 award for Top Ultralight. For travel, it’s lightweight, has 4400 cu. in of space, and cost’s around $175. Anything from GoLite is going to be a good option for backpackers and travelers, as weight is always an issue.

BBP bags may look like an ordinary messenger bag you find anywhere, but they are a bit different. The bak2pak carrying system they’ve trademarked is designed so that you can carry it over one shoulder like standard messenger bags, or backpack style over two shoulders. From the pictures on their site, it looks like the backpack way is worn low to me. If you are interested in more, they h ave a video and animation showing exactly how to make the switch from one shoulder to two shoulder.

Whenever I think of the Timbuk2 I think of custom messenger bags. Actually, the word “bulky” comes to mind. So when I saw they had a Daypack, I became interested. The Undergournd Day Pack is well designed and has easy access flaps and all the custom pockets you could want. You still can’t build your own like with their messenger bags and totes, but in the future I guess they will have that as an option.