The Deuter Futura 42 gives a list of well-thought out features in a sturdy pack at a fraction of the cost of comparable packs from other companies. But don’t think for a second that quality has been compromised by the low price. I’ve literally kicked my Futura around the UK (England,Wales), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), and up and down the east coast of Australia with nary a problem or any sign of damage. The Futura features: – Sturdy top-loading design with adjustable waist …

Oftentimes when shopping we are so focused on certain name brands that we overlook the offerings of other companies. By happy accident I stumbled upon one of REI’s excellent backpacks: The Lookout. Extremely well-designed and low-profile, the Lookout fits most of my criteria for the perfect carry-on travel backpack; all for a great price as well. In this two-part series I discuss some of the features of this model (and the current model) of the Lookout with some comparisons to other packs I …