How do I carry my stuff around in Italy (i.e. camera, water bottle)
May 8th, 2005, 03:44 PM
#21
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I'm with Marilyn...I'm a backpack user. I carry a Tumi backpack purse to work every day in NYC. It has an interior zippered pocket where I put my wallet. I'm carrying a more sporty looking backpack to London. It has 2 interior pockets for my wallet, and the outer zipper is hard to open because it's rubberized, so I think I'd know if someone were trying to get in there.
May 8th, 2005, 05:00 PM
#22
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My husband and I both carry a backpack, mine is more of a purse/backback style, his is a small daypack (not the knock people over size). In both cases the main thing I look for is either a double zipper or a ring or something to hook the zipper onto. Then I use one of the tiny luggage combination locks. With one flick of a number I can get it open but with knowing that a thief couldn't get it open. Even with those precautions we still use moneybelts for passports, money, credit cards,etc. But I do carry my camera in the backpack. I have found backpacks are much easier on my back/shoulders when walking many miles over many hours as I do whenever I'm traveling (especially in cities).
May 9th, 2005, 09:53 AM
#23
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I highly recommend the messenger bag option -- easy to get to your stuff and pretty secure because of the long outer flap (mine also has two clips two get through). I adjust the shoulder strap so that my hand can rest naturally on the top of the bag if I'm in a crowd or on the metro or such.
By the same token, my DH has carried the same smallish leather backpack through London, Manchester, all of Ireland, Paris, Rome, Siena, Venice, Mexico, Jamaica, various U.S. cities and Guatemala without incident.
Just be aware of your surroundings. And pick a bag that won't break your back after a few hours of sightseeing.
Happy travels!
By the same token, my DH has carried the same smallish leather backpack through London, Manchester, all of Ireland, Paris, Rome, Siena, Venice, Mexico, Jamaica, various U.S. cities and Guatemala without incident.
Just be aware of your surroundings. And pick a bag that won't break your back after a few hours of sightseeing.
Happy travels!
May 9th, 2005, 10:35 AM
#24
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Also be aware, if weight is a factor, that leather is considerably heavier than microfiber or other synthetics.
I do swear by my Eagle Creek daypack, for all sorts of reasons. Excellent internal organization, a mesh outer pocket for water if you like, a padded divider in the main compartment that keeps my camera from jabbing me in the back, and backpack straps that can be zipped out of sight so the bag can be carried over-the-shoulder like a messenger bag or purse.
I do swear by my Eagle Creek daypack, for all sorts of reasons. Excellent internal organization, a mesh outer pocket for water if you like, a padded divider in the main compartment that keeps my camera from jabbing me in the back, and backpack straps that can be zipped out of sight so the bag can be carried over-the-shoulder like a messenger bag or purse.
May 9th, 2005, 10:48 AM
#25
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I'm the backpack type. I've carried a backpack everyday since I was 6 years old and know how to handle one. I carry a backpack to work (in lieu of a purse) and I carry a backpack on vacation.
After seeing some of my friends try to re-adapt to a backpack on a recent vacation, I've come to believe that backpack use is a skill. Swinging the pack off one shoulder and carrying it under an arm or swinging it around to be a "front" pack, is an effortless and instinctive action for me. I'm also so in tune with its size and location, I dont bang other people with it (I've been hit in the head way more times with someone's handbag dangling off their upper arms, or in the thigh with someone else's hard briefcase, in a crowded bus or train). The proper backpack use on a crowded bus/train is to either use it as a front pack or remove it and put it between your feet, depending on the situation.
If you aren't used to backpacks, it may be most uncomfortable for both you and those around you. But if you are a regular user, there's nothing else quite like it.
After seeing some of my friends try to re-adapt to a backpack on a recent vacation, I've come to believe that backpack use is a skill. Swinging the pack off one shoulder and carrying it under an arm or swinging it around to be a "front" pack, is an effortless and instinctive action for me. I'm also so in tune with its size and location, I dont bang other people with it (I've been hit in the head way more times with someone's handbag dangling off their upper arms, or in the thigh with someone else's hard briefcase, in a crowded bus or train). The proper backpack use on a crowded bus/train is to either use it as a front pack or remove it and put it between your feet, depending on the situation.
If you aren't used to backpacks, it may be most uncomfortable for both you and those around you. But if you are a regular user, there's nothing else quite like it.
May 9th, 2005, 11:25 AM
#27
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You can carry a lot of stuff in a duffel bag. Sweater, poncho, camera gear, souvenirs.
Mine has a big, wide strap that's sewed to the bottom, and the other end of the strap has a clip on it. You close the bag by threading grommets onto a ring, and the clip on the strap secures the ring, locking it shut. You can't open the bag unless you take it off and unhook the clip.
Wearing the strap bandolier-style makes the bag virtually invulnerable.
Mine has a big, wide strap that's sewed to the bottom, and the other end of the strap has a clip on it. You close the bag by threading grommets onto a ring, and the clip on the strap secures the ring, locking it shut. You can't open the bag unless you take it off and unhook the clip.
Wearing the strap bandolier-style makes the bag virtually invulnerable.
May 9th, 2005, 12:39 PM
#28
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My co-worker had her backpack "locked" with twist-tie, but someone on the Paris metro just took a razor and slit the bottom to steal her camera. Now I always keep my bag in front of me in a crowd.
May 9th, 2005, 01:17 PM
#29
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For years I've used the small microfiber backpack that Rick Steves sells on his site (around 20USD). Nice and squishable for the suitcase, too. It has a couple of those netting-type water bottle holders on each side and lots of pockets. For security, I've always used large safety pins, pinning the zippers together. When I'm in subways, buses or other crowded areas, I just turn it to the front and hold onto it. Never had a problem.
Happy travels!
Happy travels!
May 9th, 2005, 01:18 PM
#30
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Wouldn't a backpack whose bottom had been slit suddenly weigh a lot less, which its owner would notice? And wouldn't the stuff tumbling out make a lot of noise, not to mention a pile on the floor?
I don't understand how slitting the bottom could work to a thief's advantage.
I don't understand how slitting the bottom could work to a thief's advantage.
May 9th, 2005, 01:53 PM
#31
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For my past two trips to Europe, I've used this vertical tote bag from eddie bauer. It's very lightweight and the strap is long enough to go across my chest. I typically carry around my camera, a map, and a guide book. Sometimes, I'll put in a small bottle of water I can refill. It's worked great for me.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B00064C4A4
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B00064C4A4
May 9th, 2005, 02:13 PM
#32
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Robespierre, I believe that the thief cuts a slit in the bottom of the bag. Everything doesn't fall out, but the thief gains access to the contents despite your precautions of locking zippers etc. By the time you notice something is amiss it's too late and there is no sign of the thief.
May 10th, 2005, 05:19 AM
#33
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Robespierre-
Yes, I think water bottles, guide books, etc. falling down the backs of your legs would alert most people!
I wasn't there for the slitting incident, but from the way she described it, the slit wasn't on the very bottom, but on the front near the bottom.
She thinks they must have used something very sharp because she didn't feel a thing. The slit was just big enough for the thief to put his hand through to feel around; he just pulled out her camera, but left the guidebooks, etc. so maybe the weight didn't change too much.
She is a frequent world traveller, so I was very surprised that she would let down her guard like this. She said that she felt secure since the zippers were locked together. I just thought it was a good lesson that locks won't always keep thieves out, so everyone needs to hold onto their bags securely in crowds.
Yes, I think water bottles, guide books, etc. falling down the backs of your legs would alert most people!
I wasn't there for the slitting incident, but from the way she described it, the slit wasn't on the very bottom, but on the front near the bottom.
She thinks they must have used something very sharp because she didn't feel a thing. The slit was just big enough for the thief to put his hand through to feel around; he just pulled out her camera, but left the guidebooks, etc. so maybe the weight didn't change too much.
She is a frequent world traveller, so I was very surprised that she would let down her guard like this. She said that she felt secure since the zippers were locked together. I just thought it was a good lesson that locks won't always keep thieves out, so everyone needs to hold onto their bags securely in crowds.
