Confused about daypacks
 

I'm reading all about daypacks for traveling in Europe and I'll need to get one for my first trip there to substitute for my purse. However, is there a difference between an official travel daypack, and just a school backpack? They all look like normal backpacks to me. Also, I thought that the purpose of a daypack (along with a moneybelt) was to ward off pickpocketers, but aren't backpacks easy targets? Would I use combination locks for the zippers?

Before I wanted to just take a carry-on suitcase (a tiny 17" rolling one that fits under plane seats) and have my daypack squish into my suitcase while flying. But apparently the limit for MyAir carry-on luggage is 15 pounds! That definitely won't work for my suitcase, so I'll need to check it and therefore my daypack wouldn't need to squish down very small since I'll use it as my carry-on. So I'm thinking an ordinary backpack would work...?

Since you're going to check a bag anyway, I wouldn't make it a 17" one. I'd choose a wheeled big that's a bit bigger (say 20-22") but still easy to use. (Find one that's light-weight before filled.) Then, find a daypack or purse that you'll want to use on a daily basis and not something big and bulky.

I use a purse that is designed like a daypack (www.libaire.com) with a main zipper that is facing my back and therefore not accessible unless I take the purse off my shoulders.

There is no "official travel daypack." It's whatever works for you and that might be a school backpack. If a small lock on the zipper would make you feel better, then use one.

I'm confused, too!

I tote a small bag (as a European male, it does not embarrass me) in which I keep things that, if they were stolen, would be an annoyance rather than a real problem. Things like guidebooks and maps, sunglasses, pipe-smoker's accoutrements, a few tissues, whatever. I won't use a backpack because it is cumbersome and a temptation to thieves. There seems little point in locking a bag, because thieves would have no compunction about cutting it.

All my real valuables are stowed on my person, and hard to get at.

Correction: www.libaire.net

I use a money belt for important stuff like credit cards and passport. I put a small amount (under 100euros) in my pants pocket. I use a small purse style back pack for everything else, like guidebooks and camera. If they get into my backpack they're not going to get much, but I would hate to lose my camera.

hit enter to soon.

The reason I use a back pack is comfort. It makes my shoulder hurt to carry a purse or bag all day. With a back pack you have both hands free.

My wife and daughter are teachers. They use their school backpacks as daypacks. The daypack I bought for myself is a little smaller than their packs, but both sizes work equally well.

We use small locks to secure the zippers for the central section of our packs only because thet's where we keep our cameras (in the bottom of the pack with at least a jacket or sweater on top). We put nothing of value in the outer pockets. All money (except for what we'll spend that day), credit and ATM cards, passports, and plane tickets go in our money belts and/or neck pouches.

For our daypack, I use a bag that Eagle Creek no longer makes (though they have something similar, I think).

It's primarily a shoulder bag, larger than a purse, that carries all those usefull things like guide books, maps, umbrellas, water. I usually wear it slung across the front of my body. It has backpack straps that are usually concealed, but can be taken out to allow the bag to be carried as a backpack if necessary. I do carry some valuables in it, in a small change purchase in the bottom. As the bag is rather deep, and has a zipper AND a flap over the zipper that snaps closed, I feel secure (DH carries passports & another credit card & most of the cash in a neck pouch).

However, I have recently decided that my bag is too big, and I'm going to downsize next trip to a slightly smaller bag. IMHO, regular backpacks are bigger than I need on a daily basis, and they are not as secure as something carried in front.

I wouldn't carry a school bag but many folks do. As I woman, I just think they are too masculine and ugly. I just wouldn't wear one except out hiking or something, not in the kind of clothes I wear around a city. I have a black microfiber tote bag I use sometimes, and another I bought in Paris that's just a city totebag, basically. I also have one that converts from a handle-type tote bag to a backpack (which is convenient) by unzipping some straps. If you are walking a ways, that really does help some. I also have a relatively thin nylon backpack I fold into other things that is completely unconstructed and I can use for a sweater, books, etc. for walking around.

People don't use daypacks to fool pickpockets, you misunderstood that. They are just for convenience.

Your responses were really helpful, thank you. I'll definitely be carrying a waist moneybelt with my passport, tickets, credit card and a decent amount of cash in it. (I'm female, and going in August so the neck one won't work for my clothing, and I may not have pockets on me either).

As for the rest of it, I'll want a day's worth of cash, water bottle, a guidebook/map, camera, and maybe a sweather and umbrella. I thought about carrying a small shoulder purse that fits securely under my arm which would be full when carrying a small amount of cash, one credit card, and camera in it. Are little purses likely to be taken off an arm entirely, or just unzipped and items removed? I think I could prevent them from taking it entirely with my arm down by my side.

Then maybe a small backpack with all my water bottle, guide book, sweater, and umbrella if need be... a purse, backpack, and moneybelt seems like a lot to be carrying though.

I'd rather just skip the purse and put the camera and cash in my backpack. Someone mentioned that a small combination lock is really easy to be cut open while they are pickpocketing? How common is it for this to happen?

Sorry, RedDaffodil, I constructed my sentence badly. I meant that a thief would cut a bag which had a lock, not the lock itself. It's much easier to carry a small sharp knife than bolt-cutters!

An associated point is that the use of a lock suggests that the bag contains something worth protecting and, therefore, worth stealing.

Most petty thieves operate by stealth rather than by violence. Dipping is more common than bag-snatching.

Your best defence is to be generally alert, and allow the thieves to focus on those who are not. Remember, most of us escape safely.