goingtoitalia

I'm wondering if some of the very knowledgeable Fodor's women can offer some suggestions for a good bag to have for day trips in Italy. We will be mostly in smaller towns and villages, probably only in one city during our stay. We're looking to do some hiking in the CT also, so it needs to be a versatile bag, I don't want to bring more than one. I've heard many concerns about safety, so it should be something I can keep a good eye on.

Thanks in advance!

handmaiden

I really don't understand what you are looking for. The kind of bag I would carry around town would not be anything that I would carry while hiking. For hiking, I would probably carry a rucksack.

Are you looking for a specific brand or style? If you could elaborate more, I may be able to help you. I am an urban professional in a large fashion-forward American city and know a great deal about handbags.

My daughter, Emily, just bought me a beautiful Yves St. Laurent bag for my birthday. I can't wait to take it to Vegas with me in October!

Christine

goingtoitalia

I guess I was hoping to combine a hiking bag and a daytime bag so I wouldn't have to bring more than one. My boyfriend will have a rucksack for our hiking days, that's why I thought perhaps I could get away without one.

I'm just looking for ideas of a good style of bag, and if anyone had a particular brand to recommend that would be great also. I'm not too terribly concerned with being fashionable, I'm a pretty casual girl.

I know that's still kind of vague, but did it help to clarify at all?

handmaiden

Well, I would try to find a bag that has a long enough strap that would enable you to drape the bag across your body. This will leave your hands free to take photos or look at maps. It will also enhanse saftey as a would-be thief will not be able to snatch your bag and run.

You also want a bag that is large enough to carry your personal items along with travel items like camera and maps.

Do you live in the U.S.? Check out bags at TJ Maxx or Marshall's if you don't care about carrying around an expensive designer bag.

Hope this helps.

Christine
God Bless America

L84SKY

Let me just add, find one with a good zipper and I like zippered compartments inside.
Because I like smaller bags, I take my camera along to make sure it fits.

barbmc

goingtoitalia...Here is the one I used just last month in Italy. It is more sporty looking...I actually was looking for one that looked a little more feminine but this worked. It has tons of pockets. It has shoulder straps AND straps to wear around your waist. When the bag got too heavy on my shoulder I actually put on the waist straps and that helped. May have looked stupid but at that point I didn't care!!! Would be good for hiking.

http://www.rei.com/product/47814909.htm

suze

I don't like to buy new bags for trips, they never work out the way I hope. I pick from one of my normal ones at home. Usually a leather 'hobo' style one with a wide strap that can go over shoulder or long enough to go across the torso with a zippered top.

Girlspytravel

HandM-I just DID check out the bags in those places, and found nothing, but then I went to Ross (which I have never been in, but went in this weekend, and was surprised at the selection of goods!) I found a Ralph Lauren black travel bag (I only carry a black travel bag-all black, must have outside pockets and it must have a zipper at the top, and not snap) with outside pockets-a bit sporty, but quite roomy-all in black-no overstated logo or anything.

carylspall

I never carry a smart bag through the day - just a drawstring lightweight nylon bag which holds our bottle of water, sunglasses, camera ,tissues,wet wipes and guide book.
I feel that thieves would maybe by-pass my scruffy bag for something more sophisticated!

Girlspytravel

That is a good point Caryl-my RL is a black nylon bag-you'd never know it was designer, or really, even "smart"-I think the drawstring bag (which I'm also bringing-as it can double for storage) is a good idea for tripping around, precisely because of its non-attractiveness to "scippatori" (bag snatchers)

auntieapple

For our recent trip to Italy, I used the Magellan's bag that is discussed in this post and it was great. Highly recommend.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34782468

pavfec

LeSportSac Deluxe Everyday Bag

http://www.lesportsac.com/store/7507_3640.html

This is the one I have and I LOVE it. It's roomy, has lots of zippered pockets, is lightweight and has an adjustable shoulder strap so you can wear it across your body or just over your shoulder.

It comes in a number of funky designs. I can't say enough good things about this bag. I just bought it in NYC at the end of June and have only used it at home, but I'm really looking forward to using it next month during our trip to Berlin and Amsterdam.

mjdtravelers

I just came back from a 3 week trip to Italy. I used one of those backpacks that has one strap that crosses over your chest. Mine is from the Gap, but you can buy one at any sporting goods store. It was perfect because it holds a good amount and you can wear it many different ways. I mostly wore it with the strap across my chest, but when I found myself in a not-so-safe area, I could easily pull the bag to the front and have the strap on my back. I highly recommend a bag like this cause it is not too bulky and you always have both hands free. I also think the less zippers the better. If you have a bag on your back with a lot of zippers and compartments, it is easy for someone to come up behind you and open one of them without you even knowing.

Word to the wise, I felt completly safe in all my travels with the exception of Naples. DO NOT trust anyone there. We had a man dressed in a transit station uniform offer to help us with our luggage. Turns out that he was a con-man with a fake uniform who wanted 20E per bag. Always be aware of your surroundings. Men will follow you in hopes you set down your bag. Don't be afraid to yell "NO" to them. They hate the attention being brought to them.

One more thing, I brought the unscented Huggies baby wipes with me and it was a life saver. They easily remove the sweat and dirt.

Have a great trip!

Mimar

I bring a Save-your-back bag that doubles as a backpack. I bought it from Norm Thompson; here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/cmtmz. My bag is black microfiber. I just bought a second one. I especially like the outside pocket that doubles for carrying a water bottle/umbrella -- depending on the weather.

The only problem I've had security-wise was on the Paris Metro, when I absent-minded wore the zipper facing backwards; it kept getting unzipped by would-be pickpockets. However, there are many inner pockets and I didn't lose a thing. I finally turned it around (easy to do) and even wore it in front some times -- to discourage thieves.

Rachopickle

mec.ca has some terrific bags-you can get them in a few colors and they work well as a purse or a daypack. They're a great company to deal with. (I have two small handbag/daypacks and use them both all the time)

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1155509911859


http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1155509911860

rosetravels

If you go to www.ellingtonleather.com they have a section of lightweight, well-priced travel bags. I have the Great Escape which works well. The strap can be short or long so that I can have it across my body.

If I were choosing today I might go with the Stella Travel Tote/Pack.

handmaiden

barb, your bag looks very useful, but what would you do if you were going to a nice restaurant or to the theater? Your bag would look terrible with heels and pearls. You want to have a little style, don't you?

I think a basic black leather bag would work out better.

Christine

goingtoitalia

Thank you all for these great suggestions! Now I just have to decide which will work best for me!

barbmc

handmaiden.... We don't go to fancy restaurants so the bag works fine. I don't ever take heels and pearls on vacation unless I was going to a wedding and then I still wouldn't wear heels.

If you look at my original message I said that it was a little too sporty looking so I will be on the lookout for a different bag for the next vacation. But...It still has to have a lot of pockets.

ellenem

Here's one that I found and liked. It's worn across the body as most recommend.

http://www.tumi.com/tumi_collections...?modelid=41710