Best paddle with strings

Many travel guitars are just a little smaller than a full size guitar, deferi g the purpose. This little ax is light, built well and travels like a champ. And in a pinch can get you down the river with out your paddle!

Really Great.

I can honestly say that this guitar plays as well or better than any other acoustic guitar I've played. What it lacks in volume (not very much) and fret number (only 4 above an octave...) it makes up for with a great, clear tone. It works great for fingerstyle playing, and it's got very nice sustain. It's not hard to play at all, and it's great for playing at high speed.

I also love the shape and lightness of the guitar. It's incredibly portable (as one would expect); it's great for long drives and hiking trips. It's also great for simply playing at home, you can pick it up and multitask playing guitar with something else (like writing reviews). It looks great, too, I really like the color and texture of the wood used.

I would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a travel guitar, or
even anyone looking for a guitar in general.

Great vibe, great weight, great treat

Right out of the box, the Backpacker was not only fun to play but a unique experience as well. It sounds very good, has interesting sustain, and its quirky appearance and balance kind of begs you to make it your own and feel out what it can do. The sound is definitely not a full-size acoustic, but in this instance different = wonderful. Not only great for travel and home application, but if you suffer from any kind of back or shoulder pain, it is a tremendous relief to play a guitar that almost isn't there.

It's a trade-off...

It's super portable, well-constructed and sounds good. With light gauge silk n steel strings, it reminds me of the dulcimer my sister drug around Europe in the 70's :) Super awkward to play (even with 40 years experience) sitting down. You're not going to be sitting in a field of daisies playing it-- but standing with the strap on, I was finally able to lean against a stool/retaining wall/boulder/tall tree stump and look cool while wailing ;) I added a small pick-up and tiny battery operated amp from fender that literally fits in my cargo pants pocket. Now I can play impromptus with anyone I meet!

Realistic expectations = A better experience!

After having read many reviews of this instrument, I decided to take the plunge anyway - at a point in my life where a good many long-distance trips are coming up and my 40-year old (hard to play and wonderful) Harmony Sovereign full-size Western Flat Top) is just too cumbersome to travel with. Many of the criticisms leveled by other users are certainly valid.
It is a very small and oddly shaped small instrument with a proportionately small sound. It would, indeed, be easier to play if the saddle were lowered a bit and if it came out of the box as the manufacturer and designer recommended re strings - it does not. It is awkward to hold.
All of that being said, I am able to honestly recommend it - perhaps because my old Harmony is even harder to play! I have never been spoiled by the experience of owning a really well made guitar (like a full size Martin or Gibson)- so, to me, it plays easily and produces a sound much like I feel it is reasonable to expect from such a small body.
I have had it for about a week and am enjoying it a lot.
Of course, it sounds best in small spaces, wired with thin gauge (bronze 80/20) strings and played with a thin pick.... something that is taking some adjustment on my part - having always used medium gauge picks before.
Because the instrument is disproportionately heavy on the tuning-peg end, playing it standing (pretty much a requirement) works a lot better with the strap tied to the tuner - rather than connected with the hardware installed on the neck side of the Backpacker's mini-body. Otherwise, the tuning end is drawn by gravity making it harder to play than is necessary.
The prices have come down quite a bit - partly, I expect, due to the poor reviews both here and at other sites.
I paid $160. from SameDayMusic - shipping included.
To paraphrase an old tune:
"If you can't play the guitar you love, love the one you play." Attitude has a sound of its own!
This does not require a theatrical suspension of disbelief so much as it necessitates realistic expectations and the ability to enjoy a good effort to create a truly portable Martin.

Martin Backpacker guitar

this is one of the most interesting guitars I have ever played, I would recomend it not only for travel but even for stage. The sound produced when a pickup is added is a sweet ethereal tone, perfect for rhythym guitar. an all around good guitar!