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The Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 is a load hauling beast designed to handle anything your travels throw at it. Whether you're about to embark on a two-month Eurail trip or you're going to spend a year circumnavigating the globe, our Top Pick for Extended Travel will almost certainly meet all of your travel needs. This pack's name is deceiving - the Quantum actually holds 90L of gear (body = 70L, brain = 10L, and daypack = 10L). Even though we weren't looking for the best backpacking backpack, we loved using this pack for multi-day backcountry adventures and loved using it to carry mass amounts of gear. We were looking for the best travel pack on the planet and this one has some sweet features that land it pretty high in our lineup. It is super comfortable and has plenty of space for all your stuff.
The Eagle Creek Deviate 60 is 30 liters smaller than this bag but similarly works really well for travel and backpacking, especially if you're a lighter packer. The Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 wasn't as easy to pack as many of the other packs in the review and lost some points in this category because the front panel doesn't open as far making it difficult to fit clothes inside without wrinkling them. If you're looking for a travel backpack that will take you around the world and back, continue reading below to see how this bag performed.
Deuter also makes a women's version of this pack that is 10 liters smaller. Given how much space this pack offers, we still think the women's version is a solid choice for extended travel.
Our Analysis and Test Results
With some sweet travel specific features, the Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 is ready to take you from your driveway to the other side of the world. Our Top Pick for Extended Travel also works super well for multi-day backpacking trips.
Performance Comparison
Travel packs work well for all sorts of travel. We tested them in a variety of environments. We used the Quantum to carry all of our ice gear (including bulky boots) on a 3 day ice climbing trip to Ouray, CO.
Credit: Rachel Alber
Comfort
Ample padding on the shoulder straps and hip belt makes the Deuter Quantum rise above most of the other packs in terms of comfort. When loaded with the same stuff, this pack felt more comfortable than any others. If the 70 liter main compartment is filled with all your stuff, you'll greatly appreciate this pack's high level of comfort when you're trekking across the globe.
If you are looking for a travel pack that you'd also like to use for multi-day backpacking trips, you can be sure this one is up to the task. In fact, it works almost as well for backpacking as most other packs designed for this purpose. We used the pack while guiding several outdoor trips where we had to carry quite a bit of gear and snowshoes on the outside of the bag. The frame of the pack did an excellent job of transferring the load onto the comfortable waistbelt. We found this pack quite comfortable and wouldn't hesitate to use it for traveling or backpacking. The biggest downside to using this pack for backpacking is that it weighs over 6 lbs making it heavier than most of the packs in our review of the best Backpacking Backpacks for men.
The Quantum 70 was quite comfortable and made our tester happy on a 4 day backpacking trip in New Mexico
Credit: TJ Brumme
Smaller and larger testers alike didn't have an issue getting a good fit thanks to this pack's excellent adjustability. The Vari-Quick back system was super adjustable and allowed us to reposition the shoulder straps up or down. Two adjustment options for the load lifters further helped us dial in the fit for testers of various heights. While this system was easy to use, we found the adjustment system of the Pacsafe VentureSafe 65 easier to use.
As for the relative sweatiness of the Deuter Quantum, you'll be happy to know that the back panel of this pack promotes airflow with breathable mesh and an open section along the spine. If you're trekking through the Atlas mountains of Morocco on your way back from a month across Europe, you'll be happy to have the breathability that the mesh provides, but you'll have to live with the trade-off of the mesh collecting endless amounts of sand and dust.
The Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 is comfortable enough to carry everything you'll need for extended travel, but also works well for outdoor backpacking trips, just remember that it's 6 pounds, which is definitely on the heavier side for a backcountry pack.
Features
Deuter has a long history of making packs for the outdoor industry and they've pulled out all the stops to make this pack as awesome as possible. Probably the best feature about this pack is its superb versatility. If you go on just one extended trip every few years but want a pack that you can also use for backpacking trips, this one is tough to beat. In its overall construction, the Deuter Quantum is nearly identical to a load hauling backpacking pack and is easily mistaken as such.
Enough about backcountry/outdoor backpacking, this pack has some really great travel-specific features as well. Perhaps our favorite is the mini pack that clips to the outside of the pack and can also be clipped to dual rings on the shoulder straps. This is a great amenity if you're going to be walking through crowded areas and want to keep the little pack in front of you and secure. Clipping the little pack to the front in this manner gives you an excellent place to keep your passport, boarding pass, and money safely within sight and reach.
Kimberly demonstrates the Quantum daypack's ability to clip to the front shoulder straps. This keeps your valuables secure and accessible.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
The detachable daypack had all the pockets and capacity that we require for touring the city. The front pocket is a great place for small items and includes a key clip.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
Another great feature of the removable daypack is the perimeter zipper that allows the pack to expand or contract to match your needs. When using the daypack alone, it performed admirably with decently padded shoulder straps for its size, however the omission of a sternum strap and a small hip belt made this little pack a bit less awesome than it could have been. It wasn't as comfortable as the daypack of the Farpoint 55 that has better mesh padding along the back. To attach to the main pack, the Quantum's day pack has 5 buckles that clip to the side compression straps of the main pack. We found this design super easy to use and quite secure. We could remove this pack faster than we could on the Osprey Farpoint 55 that uses a zipper to attach to the main pack. When not clipped to the mini pack, the Quantum's straps can be used to secure items to the outside of the pack (like snow shovels!). When not clipped together in the middle, the interior buckles cam against plastic rings allowing them to function like normal compression straps. This design was simple, versatile, and effective.
We used this versatile pack on an early season 4 day backpacking trip in the Pecos wilderness. When the daypack is removed, the front straps can be used to secure a variety of items to the pack like the snowshoes and avalanche shovel seen above.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
Like the Eagle Creek Deviate 60, the Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 has a travel duffel that fits in a small zipped pouch at the base of the pack. One key difference about this pack is that the duffel is designed to also be used as a rain cover when backpacking. It is a great feature for travel because you can pick up your bag from baggage claim, unzip the duffel enough to access the straps, throw it on your shoulders, and adventure away! This duffel also has a little ID marker making it just that much easier for someone to return your pack should it wander away.
Ease of Packing
This pack isn't as easy to pack as many others in the review, but it works very well for backpacking and has the space you need for long trips or ones where you need to carry a lot of gear for photography, climbing, or backpacking. As the pack's name suggests, the main compartment and top lid are 70 + 10 liters respectively. The additional daypack gives you an extra 10 liters of packable space for 90 liters total.
If you don't need your stuff to be accessible or wrinkle free, you'll probably appreciate the top loading design of this pack. But if you want to keep your clothes pressed flat, this pack was much more difficult to pack than many of the others in the review. While it has a panel loading front, the panel doesn't zip nearly as far as the one on the Eagle Creek Deviate 60. While we could fit one stack of clothes through the opening, it took much more effort to get them in without creasing them unintentionally. If you need to keep your clothes from wrinkling, the Osprey Farpoint 55 or the Packsafe VentureSafe 65 both have panels that open all the way and had internal compression straps to keep your stuff flat.
We conducted several packing tests with different items to see which packs were the easiest to pack and figure out which ones could be stuffed the fullest. As seen in the photo below, the Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 has far more capacity than any other pack in the review. We were able to fit all of the items pictured in the left photo into the main compartment along with a pair of Vasque Breeze hiking boots and a bottle of wine. The brain, sleeping bag compartment, and detachable daypack were all empty! If you love carrying all the amenities of home when you travel or love souvenirs, this is the pack for you.
Our Top Pick for Extended Travel (the Quantum) had no trouble fitting all the items in the left photo in the main compartment alone. In addition, we fit a bottle of wine and a pair of hiking boots. We had more room in the sleeping bag compartment, brain, and removable daypack. We still had 20 liters of free space.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
We were able to pack all of the items seen in the left photo below into the detachable daypack. Similarly, we fit all of these things into the daypack of the Farpoint. The Deviate's daypack was too small for our hypothetical day at the beach.
The daypack of the Deuter pack barely holds all of the items in the left photo.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
As backpackers and climbers, we really appreciated the top loading design that lets you stuff things into every nook and cranny. We also like that there's section at the bottom the bag (separated from the main compartment by a zipping flap) for a sleeping bag, bivy bag, and sleeping pad - or if you're not packing camping gear, this is a great spot for items like your rain jacket, frisbee, hammock, and towel that you don't regularly use, but need easy access to. The top lid has two generous pockets and extends far above the ceiling of the main compartment making it a great place for an extra foam sleeping pad, tent, or art tube. (After all, if you're going to travel the world, you may as well collect some of the local art!) And what backpacking pack wouldn't be complete without a hydration sleeve and hose port? This pack has pretty much everything you need for those long backpacking trips abroad.
If you're wondering how we can fit a sleeping bag, pad, and bivy into such a small space, you should probably check out our reviews of the best backpacking sleeping bags and sleeping pads. Retire your dad's flannel model and upgrade to new lightweight options that pack down less than half the size.
If you want to keep your clothes pressed flat, the quantum was much more difficult to pack than others with larger front openings.
Credit: Jason Chang
Durability
This pack is made with different sections of 250D, 330D, and 1000D nylon. We didn't notice any abrasions while using this pack in normal conditions, and only moderate wear after our rock scraping abrasion test. This pack's duffel is much less durable than the pack itself, so if you use it when checking your bag often, it may develop some holes. Many of our testers liked having the duffel for travel because this system keeps two layers of fabric between your stuff and the plane's cargo hold. Other packs like the REI Vagabond Tour 40 have zip-up flaps that protect the shoulder straps. While this method is simpler, it doesn't protect the entire pack like a duffel. Overall, we like that this pack is made with pretty durable fabrics and has an extra duffel for use when flying.
This pack proved quite durable even after intentional abuse.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
Weight
At 6 lbs, 9 oz, this was the heaviest pack in the review, but it was also the largest with a total of 90 liters of capacity. When fully loaded, we didn't notice the extra weight and think that the pack's super comfortable hip-belt and frame make up for its high weight.
The Quantum is definitely too large to fit in an overhead bin. You'll need to check this beast, but thankfully it comes with a travel duffel.
Credit: Jeremy Bauman
Best Applications
This is an excellent pack for backpacking and travel. If you're planning a trip around the world and are looking for a pack to carry everything, this one fits the bill and will carry 90 liters of your stuff when the removable daypack is utilized. We loved backcountry backpacking with this pack as well, but not quite as much as with a pack designed for that purpose. If you travel a lot and want one pack to rule them all, the Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 is tough to beat.
Value
The $269 price tag is pretty hefty, especially considering that you could buy a similarly sized backpacking backpack for less. But this pack's well-thought-out travel features are super nice to have if you travel often. We especially love how the removable daypack pairs with the shoulder straps or front of this pack. If you decide you don't need very many travel-specific features, you may be better off buying a regular backpacking backpack. But these are the features we loved about this pack! If you want a huge pack for travel that also works for the outdoors, this pack does both in a one-two punch, making it a good value.
Conclusion
The Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 gives a total of 90 liters of space and was one of the most comfortable packs in the review. It won a Top Pick for Extended Travel thanks to its superb load-hauling capability. If you want a pack for super long travels or want a pack with travel-specific features that also works for backpacking, this pack is the one for you. We loved the companion daypack and the included duffel/rainfly. It wasn't the lightest pack in the review, but what it lacked in the weight category it made up for in comfort. If we were planning a trip around the world and needed to carry a lot of stuff, we'd pick up the Quantum. If we didn't need to carry as much and didn't plan on using the pack for backpacking, we'd go with the Osprey Farpoint 55, our Editors' Choice winner.
Packed and ready for a trip around the world! This tester loaded up the Top Pick award winning Quantum 70 for a year long trip around the globe later this year. This pack has the volume you need to hold everything.
