I’ve given up on my wheelie case and will never go back

When it comes to the best travel luggage, the debate is dominated by the bitter rivalry between four-wheeled spinners and two-wheeled draggers. But for me the answer is simple: no wheels at all.

After years of trailing heavy bags, and then rolling them upright, I’ve gone right back to my youth and re-embraced that long-forgotten, much-maligned treasure of travel, the backpack.

Europe’s cobblestones are a nightmare when dragging a wheelie case along.Credit: iStock

And it’s been an absolute revelation.

No longer do the cobblestones of Medieval European towns provoke more ire than romantic admiration. Stepping over them lightly with a backpack is so much easier than trying to manoeuvre wheels across uneven surfaces, lifting them awkwardly up over the cracks of antiquity or having to wrestle them free of the greedy grasp of tram lines.

For with a backpack, everything, and anything, is suddenly possible.

Travelling by train through Europe, for instance, is a dream. Springing lightly up the steps to a railway carriage is so easy compared with trying to haul an overweight wheelie bag, all the time minding the devilish gap.

Backpackers are no longer sneered at.Credit: iStock

Then, it’s no more than a minor deft manoeuvre to drop the backpack onto the luggage rack, before anyone with a suitcase can even think of claiming the space.

Revolving doors of hotels? No problem. The backpack follows you closely through the door, unlike a bag that’s dragged and manages (once, most memorably) to get caught and disable the whole mechanism.

Stuck in a scrum to get on an overcrowded bus or tram? Again, the backpack comes handsomely into its own as a (gentle) barging weapon.

Escalators? Effortless. No risk of bags toppling off the stair to crash into the person behind, and certainly no tiresome wait in a long queue for the lift.

Once upon a time, backpackers were sneered at as hard-up young people who never tipped and always stole toilet paper from public bathrooms.

Now, we more mature bag-carriers are receiving rightful recognition as respectable, much more sustainable, light-on-our-feet adventurers who are happy to pay our way and won’t ever wake locals by dragging noisy wheels up cobbled alleys before dawn or late at night.

We don’t take up miles of wasteful plastic clingfilm either, demanding our precious cases aren’t ever opened or scratched by misadventure.

In addition, most importantly, with my resurrected rucksack, no longer do I even consider travelling with 10 changes of outfits and five pairs of shoes. Nowadays, as a born-again backpacker, I carefully research what the weather’s likely to do at my destination, what functions I might need to dress smartly for, and what activities beckon.

Then, it’s remarkable how simple it can be to co-ordinate a few separates into a number of different ensembles, with plans for a quick laundry visit somewhere along the way. When you actually have to carry all those clothes on your back, overpacking is a luxury you can no longer afford.

I remember, many years ago, setting out with a backpack for a nine-month trip around Latin America with a backpack so heavy that I could barely pick it up. Once someone had helped me set it on my back, I toppled over backwards from the weight. Lesson learnt.

And if a smaller volume pack isn’t quite enough, there’s a quick fix too. Hanging hats, neck braces, trekking sticks, sun block, water bottles … anything … from a pack works beautifully.

There is just one downside. I’ve found it can be tricky to walk through shops – especially ones that sell breakables – with a backpack. It can be hard to remember just how much space you take up, and it can prove expensive when you don’t.

Yet the pluses completely outnumber the negatives. With a backpack, for instance, you never have to carry gym clothes around with you and feel guilty for not giving them a second glance. You get plenty of exercise hauling the backpack on and off, and then carrying it around. An aerobic and weight-bearing workout.

You’re more relaxed in airports, too, as others watch the carousel anxiously to try to work out which black bag or silver enamel case is theirs. Your backpack is always joyfully distinctive, and you’ll never need change for a luggage trolley.

Yet what’s the absolute best thing about it? Ah, yes. With a backpack, you can’t help but feel younger and more adventurous. And that’s a feeling even money can’t buy.