I was wondering if I should take a medium sized suitcase with wheels or a 75L backpack for my month and a half trip island hopping around Greece? All suggestions are welcome

A backpack will provide you with more mobility when you need it.

What time of year will you be there? If it's summer, you might get away with the backpack. Will there be any weight restrictions on boats or helicopters or anything?

I have found medium wheeled suitcases to be quite easy to take all around Europe, and more comfortable than a backpack. And if you are going during a cooler season, you'll want to be able to take heavier layers. I froze in Santorini one October.

"Medium" is in the eye of the beholder. I would suggest not larger than the 22" that airlines used to allow as carry-on (Tho these days half the time they reject them. Then add a SMALL carry-on soft-side bag (like, size of a "messenger bag?&quot that you can looop over the handle of your pull-toy.

That much has worked fine for me for 4 weeks and should work fine for 6 -- you just go to the laundromat more times.

I've done 7 extended island-hopping trips and 2 x I took a couple of large LL Bean shoulder-strap boat bags, and ended up w. VERY sore shoulders. Now I roll along, and it's worked OK on about 15 islands.

I am a proponent of the backpack. I hate roll suitcases. They are a menace to everyone nearby because they take up twice the room and they are atripping hazard in a crowd.
Having said that Travelerjan really does make the most appropriate point. You need to go light whatever type of case you use.
We have learned to travel with three of everything in our small backpacks. We wear one set of clothes, have one in the wash from yesterday and a fresh set for tomorrow. You will not believe how liberating it is to go light and simple.
You really do not need a lot of clothes on the Greek Islands.

Auryn, 75L is a fairly large backpack, and, if filled, would be a heavy burden over a month and a half. I used to carry a travel pack (backpack with a zipper that opens in the front, and with tuck-away straps) that was much more convenient than a conventional backpack. You could unzip it and get at items inside without empying the pack first. The tuck-away straps wouldn't snag on airport conveyor systems, either.

Now that I am older I use a suitcase with wheels. Be sure to choose a <i>very</i> sturdy suitcase if you go that route, one with rollerblade type wheels that work well on rough pavement.

A backpack of course. But a 75litre one - no, I don't think so!!

If you are a huge strapping bloke then I expect you'll be able to manage it. But then men don't usually bother with this sort of question - and don't normally need to carry so much stuff unless camping. And wouldn't normally allow for space to put all their souvenir shopping in.

So .. I assume you are a female. Suggest you borrow a 75L pack from a friend, fill it up, and take it out for a trial run. And maybe you are a big strapping lass and will find carrying it up a few flights of stairs no problem at all.

I know I couldn't!

I've learned from experience all over the world that it is miserable to struggle with a too-big pack. On and off ferries, and looking for somewhere to stay.

Well, maybe you won't be doing the last bit!!

But honestly, how much stuff do you need for 6 weeks?

Recommend a 65L pack max. Remember you can decant lotions and potions into small bottles, and you can buy stuff in Greece. Member of the EU and all that - there are supermarkets, etc.

Fill your pack 3/4 full - 12kgs does at least a month, and maybe more.

Cheers.

I don't know how many islands this applies to, but I've been warned that there are a LOT of stairs in Santorini. Might make the backpack worthwhile!

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you are strong enough, the backpack keeps both hands free and it is easier to get on and off of ferries and up steps. After several backpack trips I switched to a small suitcase on wheels because the pack hurt my shoulders and back. The suitcase is sometimes a pain lifting it over the ferry planks or climbing the stairs in the ferries and pensions. Also, cobblestone roads are very common and the wheels bounce along and sometimes get caught. But overall it is less stress on the body to pull the suitcase. My rule of thumb for clothing is 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 3 shirts (1 sleeveless), 1 long sleeve shirt &amp;/or sweater and maybe 1 sundress and underwear; 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of walking shoes.

I went to Europe for six weeks and used a combo backpack/roller bag. I don't know the size, but it was about the size of a medium backpack.

I was going to get just a backpack, but the people at REI steered me to the wheels because for the most part, Europe has paved/hard surface roads. For the vast majority of the time, I had no problems easily wheeling it around.

Also, I found it less obtrusive on buses or crowded spaces because I could just keep it practically under me instead of having a pack sticking out and bumping into people.

I did have to use the backpack feature a few times - in metros in Paris with a lot of stairs and at one point in Switzerland.

But I can't tell you how happy I was to have the wheels. When some of my friends were sore and frustrated with their packs (waiting in lines, etc), I just kept mine right next to me on the ground and pulled it along. I also had a small day pack that I wore on my back but could also zip onto the bigger pack.

I would take a SMALL backpack or a SMALL rolling suitcase. You don't need to carry that much stuff. 75L is way too large imo, unless you're going camping.

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G.