Finalized itinerary + a new backpack

Hello friends!  We have officially nailed down our itinerary.

• July 1: Leave for Madrid
• July 2: Arrive in Madrid and immediately fly to Barcelona, where we will spend 5 amazing days!
• July 7: Fly to Zurich
• July 8: Meet up with traveling companions Alexis & Phil
• July 9: Train to Milan
• July 11: Day trip to Verona?
• July 12: Train to Venice
• July 15: Overnight train to Vienna
• July 19: Train to Prague
• July 22: Fly to Cologne
• July 23: Mark's wedding!
• July 24: Train to Amsterdam
• July 26: Meghan takes train to Paris
• July 27: Rest of group takes train to Paris
• July 30: Fly home

We're at T-minus 51 days as of today, and we're so excited we can hardly stand it. (!!!)

Thanks to Alexis's recommendation to check out sierratradingpost.com, about two weeks ago I scored a kickass Gregory Deva 60 backpack while they were having a 25% off sale.  The pack normally sells for a pretty hefty price, but with the sale and an extra coupon code, I got mine for less than half that!

(Can I just mention how excited I am to have an orange backpack?)

I'm really pleased with this pack thus far because of its ergonomic harness system, which makes the load feel deceptively lighter.  (Yes, I confess that I have already filled it with stuff and carried it around the house.)  According to Gregory's website, the Deva 60's top features include:

• AFS Suspension
• Single 7075-T6 aluminum stay
• 3D pre-curved harness and waistbelt
• Auto-cant harness technology and auto-fit waistbelt system
• Thermo-molded backpanel with elastomeric gription technology on the lumbar pad

And although I have no idea what half of that means (Eric sagely interjects, "Nothing!  It means nothing!"), what I do know is that the pack is pretty darn comfortable.  I'm 5'4" and ordered the small, which has approximately 3660 in³ (60 L) of capacity.  For reference, it would hold probably 15 two-liter soda bottles or the contents of a mini-fridge.

Also, apparently, there are some pretty specific sizing guidelines you should follow when choosing a backpack.  I didn't know this until I bought the Gregory and had to pick a size.

Eric will be using the black internal-frame pack I bought in college, which was designed specifically for travel-backpacking (as opposed to hiking-backpacking) because it has an airplane-ready zipper flap that completely covers the harness and straps.  I'll have to figure out how to keep the Gregory's straps and harness safe as checked baggage.  Some people have suggested putting it in a giant, collapsible duffel bag; others suggest a giant trash bag (classy, right?), or those huge rolls of saran wrap, which would be perfect except for the fact that I've yet to see them at American airports.

So it's this:

Or this:

Or this:

Have you ever checked a backpack on a plane?  How did you secure the harness and straps?

Funny anecdote: When I showed Eric the new Gregory pack, he said, "Why did we get another backpack?  Don't we already have one?"  It was right then that I discovered he thought we were going to bring just one single backpack for all of our clothes and supplies for an entire month.  LOL!

I will leave you with this fun song that was in fairly heavy rotation in the club scene when I lived in Paris.  I love how obviously European the actors are, even though they're trying to portray Americans; I think the guy in the baseball hat is the only one who even semi-successfully pulls it off (and even so, he reminds me of Mathieu Kassovitz, especially at 2:52).  Enjoy!