Best Travel Guitars: Great for Trips, Camping, & Backpacking

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When you are a guitar who has dedicated your life on the road, finding the right guitar to suit your lifestyle sure is quite difficult. You would be needing to look for the instrument that would survive the constant change in humidity while you travel. It should also be durable yet highly portable so you will not be hard up carrying it. It is then only right that you would get to know the different travel guitars that are already available on the market so that you can choose the best one.

Since there are a lot of travel guitars on the market, choosing the right one might be quite difficult. This is also because each of these travel guitars come with features that can adapt to your lifestyle. We have also have talked about each of their individual designs and features to make things more convenient for you. This will allow you to identify the product that you would think would suit your preferences the most.

Best Travel Guitar

An extremely lightweight and durable guitar that is perfect for the road, camping, and traveling.

Features:

  • Weight: 2 lbs. 4.8 oz
  • Great sound
  • Sturdy case

What to Look for in Travel Guitars

Before you buy a travel guitar, it is essential that you would get to know the features that should be present in an ideal travel guitar. This way, you can conveniently choose the right travel guitar that would allow you to play well wherever you go. Furthermore, getting to know these three features will allow you to gauge what travel guitar has the best quality. Without further ado, here are three of the features that you should look for when picking the best travel guitars.

Fretboard

One of the first things that you should look for in travel guitars is the presence of the fretboard. Some travel guitars have full-sized fretboards, allowing them to look and feel like a regular guitar. These guitars may have a smaller guitar body, but the fretboard would remain the same. Other travel guitars have a smaller fretboard, minimizing the size of the travel guitar. It is worth noting, however, that travel guitars with smaller fretboards may feel different.

Portability

One of the most important aspects of a travel guitar is portability. That is, you are able to carry it around wherever you may go. This feature is an important aspect feature to consider since travel guitarists tend to carry the guitar wherever they go. Carrying a heavy guitar might be cumbersome, especially if you would be playing for a long time. You should note, however, that you must not forget sound quality when considering the portability of your instrument.

Material Used

Finally, you have to consider the material that is used to construct your travel guitar. You would want the material to be able to withstand the constant change in humidity and temperature. Moreover, you should ensure that the material is durable enough to evade any cracks or damages. We do not recommend having a solid wood travel guitar because it is not as resistant as a laminate guitar.

The different features that we have just discussed above are just some of the many things that you should put in mind when you are looking through various travel guitars. It would be best if you kept in mind that the characteristics that we have pointed above are indeed important so that you can easily gauge the quality of these travel guitars that you are going to buy.

All Travel Guitars

To make things easier for you, we will be explaining below the features that you would expect to be present in the different travel guitars. We would like to suggest that you look closely into these features. This way, you will be able to decipher what particular product you are going to purchase. Without further ado, here are the best travel guitars that you can find on the market.

1. Washburn RO10 Travel Acoustic Guitar

Kicking off our list is the Washburn RO10 Rover Steel String Travel Acoustic Guitar. This is a full 24-inch scale travel guitar that consists of a mahogany body and a solid spruce top. One of the features that we love with this product is its high-quality Cordura case that is hard foam-lined with a molded interior. It’s not a hard case, but it acts like one. The case consists of storage pockets, luggage straps, and 3 D-rings, all of which are essentials when traveling. We do recommend upgrading the strings to Martin Silk & Steel strings.

Washburn RO10 Rover Steel String Travel Acoustic Guitar - Natural)

2. Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar with Bag

The Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar with Bag also features a distinct contour neck shape that you would surely love. It consists of a solid spruce top and solid tone wood sides and back. This travel guitar also features 15 frets and a 24-inch scale length, allowing beginners and professional guitarists to play it with ease and confidence. This travel guitar comes with a bag.

Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar with Bag

3. LAVA ME 2 Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar

We also think that the LAVA ME 2 Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar is a great option. Its one-piece injection technology makes this guitar comfortable to hold, giving it excellent acoustic performance. This guitar can deliver a loud, wide range tone thanks to its 36 inches body. Its Super AirSonic carbon fiber material can adapt to various temperatures and humidity. It comes with its own bag.

LAVA ME 2 Acoustic-Electric Carbon Fiber Guitar w/Effects, Super AirSonic 36'' Black

4. Traveler Guitar 6-String Pro-Series

The Traveler Guitar 6-String Pro-Series consists of a one-piece maple neck-through-body with a natural satin finish. It comes with a listening stethophone for battery-free private listening. This guitar can be played in an acoustic manner, although it can also be used as an electric guitar. This travel guitar comes with a deluxe gig bag, allowing you to carry it wherever your gig may be.

Traveler Guitar Pro-Series Antique Brown Acoustic Electric Guitar | Full 24.75' Scale Portable Electric Acoustic Guitar | Travel Guitar with Output Jack | Headless Guitar with Custom Gig Bag

5. Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic Guitar

The Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic Guitar is a full-scale travel guitar that you could use as an acoustic one or as a travel guitar. It comes with a one-piece Eastern American Hard Maple neck-through-body design, making it stunning yet highly portable. This travel guitar also features a Traveler piezo pickup and a gig bag. This guitar can come in various colors such as antique brown and white, among others

Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Guitar for Travel | Portable and Headless Electric Acoustic Guitar | Full 24 3/4' Scale | Antique Brown Travel Guitar with Custom Gig Bag and Removable Lap Rest

6. Washburn Rover 6-String Acoustic Guitar (RO10SK-A)

The Washburn Rover 6-String Acoustic Guitar (RO10SK-A) features a travel guitar design that is suitable for players of all levels. It consists of a solid spruce top and select mahogany sides and back for an excellent acoustic tone. Whether you are playing finger-style or flat-picking, this guitar will surely feel great in the hands, attractive to the eye, and pleasing to the ears.

Washburn Rover 6 String Acoustic Guitar, Right, Natural, Full (RO10SK-A)

7. Traveler Guitar 6-String Classical Guitar

The next product on our list is the Traveler Guitar 6-String Classical Guitar. This is a full-scale travel guitar that you could use as an acoustic one or as a travel guitar. It comes with a compact and portable design, thanks to its minimalistic body, its detachable lap rest, and its in-body tuning system. The under-saddle piezo pickup of this guitar offers a bright acoustic sound.

Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Mahogany Nylon Guitar | Travel Guitar with Removable Lap Rest | Full 24 3/4' Scale Small Guitar | Portable Mini Guitar | Practice Headless Guitar with Custom Gig Bag

8. Johnson JG-TR3 Trailblazer Travel Guitar

The Johnson JG-TR3 Trailblazer Travel Guitar features a full-scale sound albeit its small-scale design. It consists of a revebond fretboard and bridge, neck, and body. It is made with excellent materials, so you wouldn’t be afraid to take it wherever you go. Whether you are performing on the road or just hanging out by a campfire, this guitar is the ideal companion.

Johnson JG-TR3 Trailblazer Travel Guitar

9. Washburn RO10SK Rover Acoustic Guitar

The Washburn RO10SK Rover Acoustic Guitar features a solid spruce top, matte finish, mahogany back and sides, and an engineered fingerboard. It comes with a Sitka spruce bracing, 6-steel strings, 18 frets, ABS rosette, and offset dot fingerboard inlay. This product comes with a Chromatic tuner, a gig bag, and a strap.

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10. Hofner Deluxe Shorty Travel Guitar

Completing our list is the Hofner Deluxe Shorty Travel Guitar. This is the ideal travel companion for any guitarist. It offers convenience and versatility, all in one compact package. What makes this a stellar option is the addition of twin Humbucker pick-ups, providing an extended range of tonal values so that you will get the warmth and sound that you like.

Hofner Deluxe Shorty Electric Travel Guitar Red W/Gig Bag

Conclusion

When you are a musician who is constantly traveling, it would really be appropriate to have yourself a good travel guitar to be your company. The best travel guitars would come with the appropriate features that would help you immensely while you are on the road. These guitars do not only serve their purpose of making you a better travel musician, but they would also help you create the music of your choice that would resonate well with your audiences.

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Bobby is a viola player who currently lives in Seattle. He has been playing viola for over 20 years in various orchestras.

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