a good rucksack for women? My daughter has decided to head off to europe for a couple of weeks before going to Uni. She will be travelling to various countries by train and staying in youth hostels (she hopes), she wont be hiking but I think a rucksack would be more sensible than her suitcase. Can anyone recommend a decent one that is comfortable to carry and big enough to hold the junk (sorry essentials :-) ) she will need for the trip? She is around 5ft 6" tall, size 12-14 if that makes a difference to types.

Marion

I would say for good quality and a material that will withstand all kind of weathers, Quicksilver, Animal or Ripcurl would be best, they are surf brands that are made for people who travel world over and to be very durable, honestly mate you wont find a better quality brand for specific world travelling.
You can find them anywhere from Argos to the internet! Good prices and they will literally last a lifetime!

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/out-and-about/backpacks-and-rucksacks&StartPage=1

Hope the above might help, we use this shop for most of our outdoor items from camping to walking trousers and boots etc. The rucksacks page do show womens models not on the cheap side but equally gives you a good idea what to get

thanks folks, I have had a look on the web but there are so many out there I wondered if anyone had used a particular brand and could suggest one. I don't know if the cheaper ones would be Ok for what she needs it for or if I should buy one of the expensive ones. Would it be worth the extra cost given that she wont actually be hiking but equally she wont have her dad around to carry it for her if it gets too heavy or uncomfortable? There was a site recommending what to get but they recommended womens  Deuter rucksacks which aren't cheap. The search continues...

Deuter are good, not the cheapest by any means but I got mine in a sale at Field and Trek. Mine was designed for women to use so is shorter in the body and slightly narrower. If she is going to somewhere hot I would really recommend the air flow ones which have a mesh to keep the body of the rucksack away from your body and prevent excessive sweating - whoops perspiring as we are ladies :D

I used mine in the Sahara, which was a tad on the warm side :) and it was excellent :)

How about going along to somewhere like Millets, or any other outdoor store. I got a really good one at sale price when I went to uni (used it mostly for lugging stuff back and forth on the trains/underground when I came home for weekends/holidays etc). Think you're better off seeing one in the flesh to get an idea of size, the feel of the straps, etc.

Firstly get one that is made for women and it doesn't matter if you are going to a warm country or not, air flow is essential. We live near the North Yorkshire moors, not the warmest of places, but a sweaty back caused by carrying a rucksack is very uncomfortable and takes the joy out of walking.
Deb

Yes I know - I have a cheapy one just for hill walking and my back gets drenched if I take it. Not been to look yet. I will need to take her with me as she is quite a bit shorter (and thinner) than me. We have a few places near us where I can look, but don't know how much choice of womens ones we will have. At the moment i can't get her head out of Harry Potter at the moment.

Thanks for your help everyone
Marion