Jos. A. Bank Genuine Leather Backpack

Leather is heavy and not at all waterproof. It needs continuous care to remain in good shape.

So:

• heavy
• high maintenance
• expensive
• leaks

So if all you care about is “pretty” then go for it!

Thanks, Cindy. :)

What Cindy said.

But if you are doing a different kind of travel than most people here — I.e. being whisked in a private car from airport to hotel to sight — I guess it would be fine.

What Cindy and Kim said. :O)

I have a Coach leather backpack that I used to use for work (parking lot to office; office to parking lot) and would never travel with it because of the reasons already given. As I'm a day hiker as well, I can promise that you'd definitely want something lighter weight if you're going to use it for daily sightseeing. Weight also comes into play if intending on using it as a carryon, as you want most of your weight allowance to be what's INSIDE that bag and not the bag itself.

For safely reasons, I generally don't advise backpacks for city sightseeing, or wouldn't put anything in it that you couldn't afford to have swiped, anyway. Also, the smaller, the better for attractions with bag-size limitations.

Eagle Creek.com is a great place to find travel bags of all types and sizes. EC has been around a long time and designs practical bags. You can have confidence in EC products. Also, Patagonia.

From a practical perspective , leather bags went the way of travelers checks and rail passes many years ago . Take a look at Bean's of Maine , great products , wear like iron , and high quality - https://www.llbean.com/?nav=gn-hp

Thanks, everyone. I definitely decided against it. I do appreciate your taking the time to share your wisdom. :)