Best Travel Guitar for Backpacking Musicians

Backpacking is one of the most enjoyable hobbies and can even be a lifestyle for some traveling musicians. When traveling, especially backpacking, every single ounce of weight counts. Finding a perfecting acoustic guitar to accompany you on your journey is like finding the perfect mate. The perfect mate won’t hold you back, will be a delight, and be a source of endless happiness and companionship while you travel from location to location. Make sure that you are equally as discerning if not more so when picking a guitar to accompany you.

You’ll likely want to get an acoustic travel guitar specifically for your travels, because inclement weather, humidity, and heat can cause undue stress on your guitar. To protect your favorite acoustic guitar, it isn’t recommended to take it on a backpacking trip. The route that most musicians take is to invest in a high-quality travel guitar.

We’ve sorted through thousands of guitars and found the best travel guitar for backpacking musicians; our choice is the Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar with Gig Bag.

 You won’t ever miss out on an opportunity to play with this Ultra-Lite Acoustic Electric Guitar. While playing this guitar takes a bit of getting used to—it is likely one of the smallest guitars you will have ever played— experience that this little baby provides, with 22 frets you won’t feel like you are missing out or playing a poorly designed practice piece. The craftsmanship and design provide an opportunity for experienced and newbie musicians to enjoy traveling and plugging in to play this guitar in almost any location possible.

Perfect for the Singer-Songwriter

One reason we love this ultra-light acoustic-electric guitar is that it tops the chart for singer-songwriters. It’s super light design makes it ultra-portable, so you can easily take it on all your adventures and be ready to record wherever inspiration strikes. With your cell phone and headphones, you can easily record new songs and even upload them wherever you are on your journey. Easily plug this guitar into your iPhone or Android and don’t miss the opportunity to make and share memories from your backpacking trip.

Easy Set Up at Gigs

Another reason why this is our top pick for backpacking musicians is that this guitar allows you to plug in your instrument easily at gigs you might want to play while you’re traveling. This guitar provides a “full scale” playing experience which means that it has the same playing area as a standard guitar. This ensures that you have the full-sized playing experience even though the guitar is much smaller in size and weight than other guitars.

This guitar also features a standard ¼-inch output jack, making it easy to use in various locations. Plus, it has a stand strap pin, so you can easily switch out your guitar strap as needed along the road. If you are considering purchasing alternative guitar straps, you will want to choose thinner straps as they work better for playing this guitar, and you’ll have trouble fitting thick straps into the gig bag.

Travel Size and Gig Bag

This acoustic travel guitar is one of the most lightweight on the market, weighing an incredible just 2 pounds and 14 ounces outside of the carrying case, and with the gig bag, it only weighs 3 pounds and 12 ounces. This is phenomenal for the seasoned and newbie backpacker who is looking to carry as little weight as possible. One nice benefit of the smaller size of this travel guitar is that it can fit into overhead storage of airplanes and generally can carry on in addition to a carry-on bag due to its small size.

Acoustic and Electric

This is an acoustic-electric guitar that provides a much quieter acoustic sound than traditional acoustic guitars. Some travelers prefer this because it doesn’t bother other travelers and is perfect for use in a shared house or in places where you wouldn’t want to be extremely loud. If you are traveling alone, you won’t have difficulty hearing it in a quiet outdoor environment. If you are playing for a crowd or in a louder room or environment you will likely want to hook your guitar up to an amp to ensure others can hear your music. Some people are disappointed with the acoustic sound, as it functions more as an electric guitar, if you are looking for a loud acoustic sound for parties and gatherings and playing without an amp this is not the travel guitar for you. Alternatively, if you are interested in getting a quieter acoustic electric to practice in your room without bothering other guests this is perfect.

Use Your Own Strings

One nice feature of this guitar is that it doesn’t require special equipment or strings to function properly, in fact, many users enjoy using their own strings with this guitar. This guitar is a no-fuss, highly adaptable instrument, perfect for high use and the traveling professional musician. You can add any regular guitar strings and get high-quality sound from this awesome little guitar.

High-Quality Craftsmanship

What makes this guitar truly standout is the high-quality craftsmanship and materials. These guitars might be smaller, but what they lack in size they make up for in an incredible design. They are also made from very good materials that are strong enough to enable the manufacturer to offer a limited lifetime warranty. The fingerboard is made from ebonized rosewood and the body and neck are made with Eastern American Hard Maple. Hard Maple gives the guitar a bright robust sound and helps to stabilize it.

The small size and high-quality craftsmanship in addition to this guitars functionality and ability to travel anywhere you go make it our choice for the best travel guitar for backpacking musicians. This baby will stay in tune for a long time and become a trusted companion for your travels. For musicians who enjoy recording frequently, easily, and getting in practice anytime anywhere, this is the absolute perfect guitar.