Deciding on one bag to carry all my belongings in for a year is a bit of a daunting challenge. I’ve done some research previously, but have been actively obsessing about the question for the last 48 hours.

I need a light, low-key, durable bag I can wear on back that will fit within airline carry-on restrictions. The internet tells me I need something with a waist strap as well.

The single most common packing mantra I’ve seen is:

Take half as much stuff and twice as much money as you think you need.

With that in mind, I’ll focus on the “stuff” side of things because I don’t have any great (legal) ideas for doubling my money in a hurry.

If you spend much time reading travel blogs and forums, it quickly becomes obvious that many people obsess over the question of what bag to use on their ’round-the-world trip. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to question, either. This is what my search is currently looking like:

My standard unit of comparison is this: the brown paper grocery bag. Using handy pieces of 8½ x 11 notebook paper to measure it, I have determined it to be roughly 12 x 17 x 7 inches. That means about 1500 cubic inches of space.

I have narrowed my pack selection process down to three back-packular choices:

The Eagle Creek Voyage 65L

This one seems a bit like standard backpacker faire. Certainly functional with it’s pockets and removable day pack. Possibly a bit too “Hey! I’m a tourist!” for my likes. (Says the screamingly-blonde haired boy heading to South America. My bag might not be the first thing to give me away.)

• 2600 Cubic Inches (3800 if you include the day pack)
• 14 x 23 x 9 in
• 1.7 Grocery Bags of Space
• 2.5 Grocery Bags of Space including the day pack

The MEI Voyageur

The MEI Voyageur not only has an extra “u” in it’s name, but it comes very highly recommended all over the internet. Simple, utilitarian, strangely spelled, and not flashy. A good start. Apparently this is the “original” backpacker’s backpack and is largely un-changed since 1978. The author of OneBag.com, who obviously knows more about this than me, lists it as his weapon of choice.

• 3,000 Cubic Inches (probably more if over-stuffed)
• 14 x 22 x 9 in
• 2 Grocery Bags of Space
• Moderately dorky?

The Blackhawk 3-Day Assault Pack

Interesting. I came to this pack through an article on Brave New Traveler. This is apparently one dude’s perfect pack and is designed for a military audience. Hella durable, certainly low key and simple, though not as big as the previous two. Most importantly, the YKK zippers feature “silent pulls” so I will be able to noiselessly extract my bowie knife from my pack as I am stalking my prey without tipping off their impending slaughter.

• 13 x 20 x 6 in
• 2, 240 Cubic Inches (smallest of the three)
• 1.5 Grocery Bags of Space

The consideration really comes down to total available space for me. Could I really fit all that I need in 1.5 grocery bags of assault-ready space? Perhaps I could augment the Assault Pack with an extra small bag, though I don’t want to exceed carry-on limits and get in to checking bags that will get lost. The Voyageur probably has enough space to keep a day pack inside of it.

I’ve started working on a packing list and will probably need to finish it before I can make a decision.

Stay tuned to learn which bag will be your next (expatriate) American Idol!

It seems that my departure date has been pushed back.

This, however, is for a good reason. My brother is getting married and I’m the best man.

So, instead of leaving in early April, I’m now leaving in early June. There are some benefits to this:

• First and foremost, I’ll be at my brother’s wedding fulfilling my best-manial tasks.
• I won’t have to spend $1,000 + dollars for a flight back for the wedding if I kept my original departure date.
• I won’t have to actually fly back to the States a mere two months in to my trip. This is not in the plan, nor does heading back home mere months after being gone hold any appeal for me.
• I’ll have actually saved up more money for the trip by working an extra two months.