Backpack vs Suitcase: What to Bring to Australia

Australia is big, and your trip might involve planes, buses, 4WDs, boats, hostel stairs, sandy beaches, and everything in between. The right luggage depends entirely on how you plan to move around — so before you buy anything, be honest with yourself about your trip.

Are you settling in one city to study or work? Or hopping up the East Coast, changing hostels every few days and jumping on overnight tours? The answer changes everything.

A suitcase is the better choice if you are staying put. If you are basing yourself in one city — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane — for months to study or work, a wheeled case is easier to live out of, better for heavier items, and saves your back.

Best for: students and long-stay travellers in one location, urban trips, and anyone not planning to move around much.

The downside: suitcases are miserable on gravel, sand, and hostel stairs, and they are awkward on packed public transport. Pro tip — if you go this route, choose a soft-shell case with flexible compartments rather than a giant hard case.

For most backpackers doing the classic Australia trip, a backpack is the clear winner. If you are hopping from Sydney to Cairns, changing accommodation constantly, and doing overnight tours, a good travel pack keeps you mobile and hands-free.

Best for: East Coast adventurers, anyone doing overnight tours (K'gari, Whitsundays, Uluru), and budget travellers living out of hostels and buses.

The downside: packing is a game of Tetris and the bottom of your bag is a mystery. Pro tip — get a front-loading (not top-loading) pack with a padded hip belt so the weight sits on your hips, not your shoulders.

Plenty of seasoned travellers run a combo — a main backpack or case for the bulk of your gear, plus a small, foldable duffel or daypack for overnight trips.

This matters more than you would think, because most overnight tours — K'gari, Whitsundays sailing, Uluru camping — ask you to bring only a small overnight bag and leave your main luggage behind. Almost every hostel offers free luggage storage, so a compressible duffel that packs down to nothing is the perfect second bag.

If you need to upgrade mid-trip, Australia has options for every budget. For cheap daypacks and basic bags, Kmart and Decathlon are hard to beat on price. For durable travel packs that will survive a year on the road, Anaconda and Kathmandu are the go-to outdoor stores — and Kathmandu in particular runs frequent sales, so rarely pay full price.

Whatever you bring, pack lighter than you think you need to. You can buy almost anything you have forgotten once you arrive, and future-you will thank present-you for every kilo you left at home.

Once your luggage is squared away, the fun part is planning where it is going to take you. If you want a hand mapping out a route that balances city time, coast, and adventure, we build free custom itineraries for backpackers heading to Australia.