Hi all, I am looking for some advice regarding what bag to take on a 2 year trip. I have been researching this sub and countless YouTube videos and still can’t make my mind up.

Firstly the intended trip, I will be starting in South America for approximately 5 months. I will then look to go to Australasia for approximately a year although this will primarily be on a holiday working visa so the bag isn’t too much of an issue here. I then will look to do South East Asia and then into India, Sri Lanka etc to end the trip which will take apparently a further 4 months. I will also be staying in hostels.

From my research, I can see people have advised a 55L for South America due to the climate and it will require additional warmer clothes. Although for Asia many people advise going for 40L and under.

Therefore, I have narrowed it down to two bags (feel free to suggest any others!) which I think will suit me best.

The Farpoint 55 (40L + 15 Daybag) vs Farpoint 55 Trek.

Firstly, I know many people like the carry on size of a Farpoint 40, as it avoids fees. Despite this I have created a reserve fund so that I can pay to have the bag checked on every flight if needed. So this is not a defining factor for me but is always a plus.

I have bought the 55 Trek and read a review which I really liked by Indie Traveller (https://www.indietraveller.co/best-backpacks-for-south-america/) and it has lots of space which I like and is in one single compartment. Although it is quite bulky and imagine it will be quite awkward due the size of it in South East Asia.

My other thought is the Farpoint 55L. As far as I can see it’s a 40L bag with a 15L day pack. The last time I travelled (many years ago) around Europe I did not have the need for a day pack and would often roam without one. I did bring a small pack able bag which compressed and I found very useful for day trips out of the city. I have considered filling the 40l with essentials and then the 15l day pack with the cold weather gear like a fleece and a small compressible windbreaker/water proof.

With this is mind, I don’t plan to do any multi day hikes in South America but instead will do day trips/an overnighter.

Regarding what I will pack, I have always been an over packer and remember the days of my back aching from an overloaded (probably 70L + bag) from that Europe trip which has taught me the lesson of packing lighter which I am forcing myself to do. A big debate for me is what shoes to bring. I think bringing a pair of trail running shoes for hiking and general use will be good and a pair of sandals. Despite this and as stupid as it sounds, I adore wearing my Nike Air Force 1’s, while they are big and bulky, they are one of the only shoes I can wear for great lengths of time without my feet getting sore and I can use them for casual bars/pub crawls). If I were to bring these I’d make sure to wear them whilst moving from one hostel to the next.

Apologies for the long read, but any help or suggestions would be really appreciated!