Travel packs vs. Hiking Packs

[mumbles]

I'm going to Europe this summer for 12-14weeks. I am planning on going from Istanbul to London and lots in between. I have yet to go backpack shopping but have done some e-research. I figure I will need about a 60L/3700cu in. pack and one that has an internal frame to support the load and a daypack of course. So there seems to be quite the diference between the travel packs, which look to be just oversized school packs, and actual hiking backpacks which seem to look more sturdy but I was warned that sometimes they are hard to stuff into lockers and overheads in trains. It seems the best travel packs are Eagle creek and one of the best hiking packs is Osprey, both quite exspensive. Any thoughts, experiences???? Thanks

[Canadian Dude]

I had a top loading pack for most of my trips, but my most resent one I went on back in Spet, I bought a new pack that was on sale, it was front loading ( lik a suitcase) and had a day pack that attached right to it, I like that one WAY better, my cloths were less wrinkled, I did not have to unpack everything to get something at the bottom, and it had lots of small pockets so I could keep the smaller things in my pack seperate.

[Diorama]

Yeah I second that. I have two packs. #1 is MEC (mountain equipment co-op) Brio 60 and it has a side zipper. #2 is Serratus and it's a travel pack with a zipper going around the whole length of the pack. #2 is sooooooo much better. Honestly i will never travel with a side zipper pack or a top loading pack ever again. It sounds so minimal but it is just so convenient when your able to access your clothes or other things at anygiven time. I spent countless hours swearing and trying to get things out of pack #1. I'd only get a top loader if you were camping and hiking lots.