<BR>We are going to be spending a week in Interlaken this May taking different daytrips and mountain excursions using the trains, trams, cables etc. We do not plan on doing any hiking, just short walks. <BR> <BR>Instead of our usual "shoulder bag", my hubby wants to purchase an inexpensive, lightweight backpack just to carry a few items such as our sweaters, camera, snacks etc. <BR> <BR>We have never used or purchased a backpack before and would appreciate any recommendations or suggestions you may have for type we should be looking for or any you have found which you especially liked for this type of use. <BR> <BR>Thanks for any suggestions and information you can share.

Try Eagle Creek at www.eaglecreek.com/html for well made and well designed products.

The state of the art daypacks in the Uk are Craghoppers Dynamic Balance range. they have a 25litre pack and and a thirty litre pack for c £45 and c£50 respectively. (www.craghoppers.co.uk) <BR> <BR>The other good buy is the North Face Shasta for £30. <BR> <BR>I don't know how accessible there are in the US (not that I'm automatically assuming that's where you are) so look for <BR>:- Durable, well made, comfortable with a padded back that's still robust enough to offer support. Big main compartment- big enough for basic day walking kit; pockets should be designed for a purpose and not just stuck on for show; some have a useful interior pocket for keys etc;robust zips; padded shoulder straps; chest strap as well as waist strap; zip all the way round (well, not across the bottom)for easy access -though some people like the traditional top flap. I think it's a pain. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps

Having done considerable stomping around the Canadian Rockies and the Alps near Interlaken, Saas Fee, and Zermatt, I feel totally unqualified to answer the question about back packs.! <BR>Why? Because everybody has a different need. Buying a day pack is a lot like buying clothes. You have to get what you think is right for you. <BR>Let me suggest that you look at REI's web page, L. L. Bean's web page, and visit a good outdoors supply store that has a good line of packs before you grab one. I personally feel you need about 2400 - 2600 cubic inches of space for a day type pack and 4,000 to 4,500 cubic inches if you plan to tote a tent and a sleeping bag for a 4 - 6 nighter. Also, get a pack that is rain resistant. The wet stuff has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. <BR> <BR>No matter where you go in the Alps, you will need a few extra items. For example, it might be quite nice on the streets of Grindelwald, but when you reach the First gondola station, you have gained about 4,000 feet and the weather changes. When we went last year, it was a good thing I had my rain outfit and my fleece pullover in the bag along with water, lunch, and other equipment because we got caught in a driving rain storm at the Daubensee, up on the Gemmi Pass. <BR>If you get a pack that is too small, you will not have a place to put your supplies and extra equipment when you want to take a long trek. If the pack is relatively huge, then you are lugging around extra bulk. If the pack is a little too large, you will have extra capacity and never notice it. You can always put less in a bigger pack. <BR>So survey the market, decide what you like, and purchase according to your needs. Just be careful and do not underestimate what you will be carrying. One feature I deem essential however is a waist belt to keep the pack from slipping around. And zippers that fully enclose the main compartment are useful too to keep out rain. <BR> <BR>The field is competitive because of all the student book bags that are on the market. So sturdiness is usually a problem. Those bags get drug around, dropped, carried by one strap, scuffed, kicked, loaded with heavy books, and hold up a couple of years. But for hiking, I still think you need to look for one that has rain resistant features.

OOOPPPS. I meant to say that studiness is NOT a problem. The way some college students sling those things around, I am surprised they last 6 weeks. But I see them virtually threadbare hanging in there.

Double OOPS. I gotta quit taking this anti histimine, it blurs my vision. <BR>STURDINESS.