Day Backpacks

Be conscious of your pack when around crowds and remove when entering a store to avoid making a mess of fragile displays. I keep my pack next to me at all times such as dining at cafes. For me, a quality day pack is great and has served me well on many trips to Europe and elsewhere. Others prefer different styles of bags...choose what works for you.

Look at messenger bags that go over one shoulder and rest on the opposite hip. I find them more comfortable and certainly more secure than a backpack. They are also more easily accessible. No, it's not a purse. Your masculinity is safe.

I don't like to use a day backpack because it seems both easy for a thief to get into (on your back is harder to monitor) AND harder for you to access your stuff (have to stop, take it off, dig through for your item). For women, I suggest a decent size purse with a top zipper. But with the name Norm, I'm betting a purse isn't in the cards :) Maybe a messenger bag you can sling across your chest and keep more in front than a backpack. Then if you're just grabbing your camera you can reach in and grab it easily. If you use a backpack or another style bag, either way keep it organized. Map in the front pocket (you'll be using it a ton), camera easily accessible too. Things like a tourbook or umbrella that may not be useful frequently on the bottom, etc. Sounds obvious, but my husband tends to throw everything in a jumble then spend what seems like an hour searching for his phone. Also, keep it simple. Your stuff is at the hotel, if absolutely necessary you can go back and get something, or make do. There's no need to lug enough supplies to climb Everest around for a day in Paris. Gets heavy and annoying. Finally, some museums won't allow backpacks. Be prepared to check it, find a locker, or carry it like a purse so they allow it.

I use a Civita daypack, primarily because it can be stuffed inside my carry-on when I don't need it. I never put anything of value (nothing worth more than $20) in the backpack - so an Ipad wouldn't travel there. Water, maps, guide book, a small flashlight, plastic fork, basic swiss army knife, warmth layer, rain shell, towel, tissues, hand-sanitizer, bandaids, etc. (packed each morning for what we need that day) are normal items to include.

Use a Pacsafe product. Use a money belt for you cash and passport. When you sit somewhere don't leave it exposed on the table, bench, church steps or back of a chair. I always place my messenger bag on the floor and slip my leg through the strap and wrap it around once. So if it's grabbed it's not going anywhere without a fight. Make sure you have insurance for you iPad and cell phone.

another fan of the messenger bag here. fyi, i got the civita daypack when they were selling them for $5, figuring that for just things like going to the spa, or whatever, it would come in handy and you can't beat the price. maybe the second time i used it, the cord on one of the mesh side pockets broke completely. the whole thing feels flimsy. if people do want to go with a backpack/daypack, i wouldn't buy that one (at least not for more than $5!)

I swear by my messenger style purse, there are equivelents for men, and its very common for men in europe to carry such a bag. Wear it cross body on front of hip. If using a daypack keep in in front of you in crowds or on metro /buses. I like that my bag has a zippered top, that is covered by a flap that clicks shut. I put cc and cash inside a inner zippered pocket, so three layers of protection. I have used such a bag for over 10 years now and its great. Never put anything of value in the bag ,do you need to carry your Ipad out and about each day??
Keep all your credit cards and the bulk of your cash either in your moneybelt or in hotel safe, not in backpack.. in backpack or front pocket you can carry just ONE days cash, for lunch , ice creams and admission fees, since you should NEVER assess your moneybelt in public, its deep storage.

Like Brad, I use a Civita day pack - and I'm very happy with it. The pack has three zippered compartments: small, medium, and large. The only thing of any value that I put in the pack is my my point-and-shoot camera. It goes in the bottom of the large compartment and I use a small padlock to lock the zipper that opens it. Like Ralph, I keep my pack in my lap or in front of me when I am on trains. I do that as much to avoid hitting people with the pack while wearing it as to keep an eye on it.

Compare wearing a back pack with a messenger bag. With a back pack, every time you want something out of it, you have to take it off, get the item out, then put it back on. Do this about 100 times a day for your guidebook, water, camera, snack, tissues, etc. Over and over and over again. If you have some little locks on there, you will have to remove those too and then put them back on. You may have to find a place to set your back pack down while you get your items out of it. Keeping anything valuable in them is just asking for someone to steal it. With a messenger bag, worn cross body, you never have to take it off, even in restaurants or on a train. Big plus, you don't have to worry about knocking things over in stores or hitting people in the head on the train or bus as you walk past or turn. I seriously dislike back packs as I get hit with them ALL the time and most of the time, the people have no idea that they smacked me in the head.

Honestly its just because North American men are so freaked out about looking effeminate that they "prefer" a backpack,, how many of you men who say that have ever even tried a messenger style bag,, bet its very very low percentage. Its like saying you prefer chedder to swiss, but you've never had swiss!! You do not know what you are missing, Sarah has pointed out many good things about a messenger style bag and a few pitfalls of backpacks,, now , can someone point out the pitfalls of messenger bags? ( other then they don't want to carry a "merse, or manbag")

The reasons I prefer a day backpack are both hands are free at all times. The only time my backpack if stuffed full is when I am either flying or traveling on a train. One of the reasons it is stuffed is because of my neck pillow and laptop. All zippered openings are locked. When visiting sites I have water, coffee, etc., in the backpack and all other things I MAY need for the day. I also use a PacSafe Stash Safe 200 for day money and cameras, etc. My neck money belt has credit cards (for emergency only) debit card, passport and big money. I am older so need both hands free.

R. Steves has two sizes of Veloce bags you might want to look at. Eagle Creek also has a variety of small shoulder bags. When flying over consider placing the smaller bag inside the larger. If you have to gate check your regular carry on bag, you will still have two smaller bags to carry on the must keep with you items. At the destination you will have a lot of flexability with regard to using a day bag sized for the activities planned that day. Having used the shoulder bags I'll not go back to using a regular day backpack for some of the reasons mentioned by others. Just be sure and carry with the strap across the chest and not just hanging on the shoulder. TC

Too funny Pat! Please note I like Swiss and cheddar cheeses. I have years of successful experience with a messenger bag and my masculinity is not challenged in the least by same. However, I prefer a quality day pack which works great for me especially for hiking with perhaps more gear/weight than many travelers. As I advised, choose what works best for you. Please join me now as I sing "O Canada."

We did several trips with day packs, backpack style, and it worked well, but then I got intrigued by messenger bags (in part to avoid looking so much like a tourist). I bought a great-looking leather one (very "manly" look ;) and used it on a long trip to Central Europe. It liked it. However, as the leader of a family of five on these trips, one of my jobs is to hold water and sometimes lunch for all five in my bag. This was impractical in my messenger bag. Not only was it not large enough, but it was too nice to risk spilling anything in it. So the following year and every trip since, I reverted to the daypack backpack and stopped caring if anyone thought I looked too touristy (I doubt that anyone even noticed). I think the security issue (as with every travel security issue) is largely overblown. As men, we are blessed with functional pockets in our pants, so valuables, including a small camera, are kept there. If someone wants to risk jail to get at my guide book or sandwich, they are welcome to give it a shot.

Good question. Up to and including this year I have always used the Civita daypack. I love it's lightness, toughness, the ability to scrunch it up to nothing in your luggage and the capacity. I always carry it towards my front and don't overfill it. I am leaning towards a messenger bag in the future but would like something more attractive than what I've noticed in the stores up here. So I'm looking forward to the replies to your post Norm. Sherry

Gee Bruce, I did not bring just my nationality or yours into the discussion, I mentioned us as a unit "North American" . Funny how uptight some Americans get when you contradict or challenge them on any point, they automatically think its an "us and them" thing and add their little jab. Hope Obama gets in for another term. ( theres mine ) Randy, yes , lunches would be tough to carry for a family in a messenger bag, I would need a back pack for that too, but then, I have never carried a lunch around all day so can't say I have had to deal with that. I find I like to travel light, tie my coat ( usually just a light rain/windbreaker since I travel in summer ) around the strap of my purse( like a scarf) and I rarely carry water, but a small bottle does fit in my bag.

Pat: My sincere apologies as you mistook my comment...no disrespect of Canada whatsoever. For the record, my grandparents were Canadians and lived just a few miles from you. Further, you will note I live near the border and we proudly display Canadian flags, welcome our good friends from the north and yes, even with pleasure, sing your national anthem.

Hello Norm. If you decide to use a small backpack, I recommend the Civita day pack (from "Travel Store" at this website, and some AAA offices have it for sale). I think the Civita day pack is the perfect size : not too big, not too small. And it is very light weight. I prefer to carry a Civita day pack when I am walking on a trail at the Alps mountains in Switzerland. That small back pack is more comfortable than carrying a shoulder bag, because the day pack has two straps. A shoulder bag (or messenger bag) has one strap. For urban locations, I like carrying a shoulder bag (smaller than a messenger bag). Its strap stays on me all the time. When I was in the METRO train station that is at the central (main) train station in Rome, I moved my shoulder bag to the front of my torso, my hand grasping the bag. There I saw a young small Italian man who I guessed is a thief (pickpocket). When he saw me, the expression on his face indicated that he felt discouraged because he knew he could not get in my bag. If I were carrying a small backpack in Europe, in a crowded city I would take the bag off and carry it in front of me, all of the time. I don't want to do that, I prefer to carry a shoulder bag. A good looking shoulder bag (for men or women) is the "Sun washed canvass Shoulder bag" from the L.L. Bean catalog. (not the Messenger bag which is bigger). A choice of colors, with leather trim. The price is not high. Well made, the contents are very secure. But that bag is small. I think the Cevita shoulder bag (it is smaller than the Cevita day pack) is of adequate size for most people. The Cevita shoulder bag is narrow, it can easily fit on the floor, near your feet, when you are seated in a large airplane.

No James, I think that would be good for your country, but I also know it is the one thing you can say online that will drive a certain segment of the American poplation crazy.. sort of like saying "hockey sucks" or " your beer sucks" to a Canadain, lol

I've used the Civita daypack for years, it has all the advantages listed, but I prefer a messenger bag for easier access and more security. The Civita bag was actually too large for me most of the time. I am hands free with the messenger bag, too, so that's not an issue. My messenger bag has side pockets (one for a water bottle, the other for tickets) and is allowed into churches and some museums that do not allow backpacks.

Yeah, I'd say the only time a day pack has advantages over a messenger bag is when you need more storage. A good messenger back should have quite a lot - my husband regularly keeps his netbook, a book, a large coffee thermos, a bottle of water, and a camera in his - but if you're carrying lunch for 5 a messenger bag won't cut it. Otherwise though, the messenger bag has the day pack beat, particularly for city touring. It is totally hands-free in the same way a backpack is. In the instances where you should have a hand over the bag (public transit, for instance) you'd need to have the day pack in front of you with a hand over it too, so there's really no difference in mobility, except a messenger bag is easier for you to access when walking.

Sorry if I mistook your remark Bruce, but I prefer to consider us all travellers, and while I realize there are some differences( chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy, lol ) in our cultures I consider us more alike then different. Especially those of us who live near the borders. As for hands free bags,, messenger bags totally win that one, but as noted, daypacks do have the space advantage ( if you don't mind carrying all that stuff!)

There are two reasons I don't use a messenger bag - neither is that I don't like messenger bags. The main reason for a Civita bag is it folds up to nothing in my carry-on when I don't need it (I only carry one bag at a time, not a carry-on plus personal item). The second reason relates to what I carry. My civita is also my grocery bag. Because the storage is a long narrow rectangle, a messenger bag looks awkward carrying items that aren't flat or near-flat.

I've used a Civita bag for years now, and I've probably carried it on my back a grand total of 45 minutes. I carry it on my shoulder like a shoulder bag (duh!), and so does my husband, FWIW. The thing weighs nothing, and I'm more used to carrying weight on my shoulder than on my neck/shoulder like you do with a messenger bag. If I ever need/want to, I can always wear it properly on my back and not worry about it swinging to and fro or getting in my way...like when looking at pretties (as in, pretty expensive). To be honest, I have an insane quantity and variety of a few different day bags that I've carried. You just have to see what works for you, and what works for you may change over time or according to your particular trip. Norm, I try to keep all 'precious' cargo as deeply stored in my bag as possible, and my water bottles, map, etc., more easily accessible. Most pickpocketing is a crime of opportunity, so make the non-precious things the easier things to get to. Of course, you can be completely cleaned out and never realize it, but that's rare. Just use locks/carabiners of some sort to make it much harder to get at your goodies. Slow them down, and/or make them look for an easier target. Also, try not to advertise what's in your bag! If it's expensive/irreplaceable and its loss will make you cry Big Tears, don't bring it! If you're traveling with a partner, the two of you need to always watch each other's back - literally. Oh, and Canadian beer su Sorry! You've reached your characters limit!

Like Eileen - and based on her witty comments, I'm sure I really would like Eileen - I also have carried the Civita day pack many times, and rarely have I done a "real" backpack carry with it. I sling it over a shoulder using one strap, and when in crowded places I swing the bag around and carry it in front of me. I got the Civita day pack as part of a Rick Steves "thank you" package for a donation to my PBS station, and tossed it into my suitcase as an afterthought when packing for London a few years ago. I wound up using it almost every day. It holds a lot, including my rolled-up raincoat, camera, and more. I took it on my day trips out of London - which were London Walks excursions so we were on our feet a lot - and liked it better than an expensive fancy Eagle Creek bag I'd sought out for that purpose. Could have saved some serious money by skipping the EC bag, if I'd realized in advance what a little gem that "free" Civita bag would be. I've machine washed (air dried) it a few times, and had to replace the spring-loaded fasteners on the side pockets (dog chewed 'em) but that was cheap and easy to do. I like it so much I got the Civita shoulder bag which I also like but haven't used as much as the original one. Love how lightweight they are and how easy to toss into your suitcase when packing!

I've used a Civita daypack for years. It packs down flat and rides in my main bag so I only have to keep up with one. When I use it, it holds a fleece and a rain shell in addition to the usual camera,notebook and map. I've got a messenger bag and like to use it but , for the usual load, the Civita just works better. If I didn't have such bulky items I'm sure that I would prefer the messenger bag.

Norm, I am a big fan of the messenger bag. My bag of choice is the Osprey Astro Messenger Bag. It has more than enough room for all my necessities when out and about for the day.