SO this weekend has been pretty busy for me. Although my Europe trip is still some time in the far distance, I have been fairly impatient to look for a travel backpack for myself. I think it’s because this whole intention is feeling a bit unreal at the moment and I’m constantly beset with worries and doubts as to whether I can even make it for the trip itself. So having a backpack would seem a step in realising this trip.

As others would have started, I have been researching online and doing more research all around. While I may have liked certain reviews of travel backpacks, I realise that I should start from the ones available in my country first. Singapore is a very small country. This means that we do not have such a big backpacking or hiking culture. This makes the search a bit harder for me as there are limited selections.

Which brings me to the other consideration. I’m short, very short. I’m only 1.5m (4″11) so it’s harder for me to depend on online options when I’m not sure whether the bags will fit my height. Although most online websites offer free shipping and returns, this would not usually apply to international shipping so I’m quite hesitant to purchase a bag online based on only reviews. Which is all the more reason for me to try to get something that I can try on here in SIngapore.

So below are the shops that I have managed to source out. I’m not sure whether there are any others around but I have personally been to their shops to try out some of the bags and look at the other products that they bring in.

Cliffhanger Connection

Address: Queensway Shopping Centre, #01-41, Singapore 149053

To get to Queensway Shopping Centre, you can take 195 from the bus stop opposite Queenstown MRT Station.

Brands available: Outgear, High Sierra, Deuter, Tatonka, North Face, Alpinepac, Y’Paks. The shop also carries Eagle Creek products such as their packing cubes and toiletry bag.

Backpackers Gallery

Address: Tiong Bahru Plaza, #02-131, Singapore 168732

Website: http://www.backpackersgallery.com

To get there, get off at Tiong Bahru MRT Station. The shopping mall is accessible from the station exit.

Brands available: The shop specialises in Deuter bags but they do have selected few bags from other brands such as Outgear, High Sierra, Tatonka, North Face and more. They also stock Eagle Creek packing cubes such as toiletry bags although the sizes and products may differ from the ones offered by Cliffhanger Connection.

I find that both these shops offer similar brands and bags although Cliffhanger Connection seems to be slightly cheaper depending on the product. I tried on an Outgear ‘Thunder’ backpack from both shops but it cost slightly more at Backpackers Gallery. The Eagle Creek packing cubes available at each shop also differed in availability. I found Eagle Creek’s double sided packing cubes at Backpackers Gallery but didn’t find the same at Cliffhangers Connection. Perhaps, each shop can only stock upon request. I would prefer to go with Cliffhanger Connection though, it seems to have a slightly cheaper cost over its products.

The Planet Traveller

Address: Changi Airport Terminal 3, #03-34 to 41, Singapore 819663

Website: http://www.theplanettraveller.com

They also have other branches at Paragon and Marina Square.

Brands available: Caribee, North Face, Eagle Creek and a lot more. They also carry other travel products from Eagle Creek, Pacsafe as well as Sea to Summit products.

The branch at the airport had a wide selection of bags but were mostly hiking backpacks instead of the travel backpack that I was looking for. They also had a decent selection of travel products such as toiletry tubes, packing cubes, toiletry bags and other essentials from Eagle Creek, Sea to Summit as well as Pacsafe in comparison with the other shops I had visited. I may not decide to get my bag here but I would certainly consider it for the convenience of product availability as they carry much more variety than any other shops I’ve visited.

Some backpacks that I’ve encountered while travelling.

Sports Connection

The outlets available now are at Queensway Shopping Mall, West Mall in Bukit Batok and Shaw Leisure Gallery in Beach Road.

Website: http://www.bodypac.com

Brands available: They mostly had Osprey bags in their collection. They also carry other travel products but I can’t quite remember the brand. You can also browse and purchase the products from their website directly.

I previously went to 3 of their branches which is not available anymore. I had visited the one at Compass Point as that was the nearest for me and I wanted to try out the Osprey Porter 46 for the size. The salesperson didn’t offer any other alternatives and the shop was also pretty small so I could’t really see a lot of variety during my visit there.

I accidentally bumped into the one at Queensway when I was there visiting Cliffhanger Connection. The shop was literally diagonally across so when I was walking out, I just happened to look in and surprised to see another shop like it there. Here, the shop was much bigger and I could browse the bags on display easier. I managed to try a few Osprey bags there that fits my requirements and also noticed that they carried a few other items such as clothes and shoes for hiking so it was a good find for me.

I decided to try their branch at Funan to check whether they had more availability for a bag that I was eyeing. I had tried it at the Queensway branch but they only had one left. The products were similar so it was just a matter of checking on availability since this shop was more convenient for me rather than travelling all the way down to Queensway. (2017 Update: Do note that the shops at Funan and Compasspoint are no longer available now.)

So there you have it! A summary of the shops selling hiking backpacks or travel backpacks especially. I hope these information has been useful for you still.

Update: I ended up getting an OSPREY Farpoint 40 in S/M size. My review of the bag can be read here. 🙂