I threatened to buy my husband a "European carryall" while we were in France. (They had a nice selection at Galeries Lafayette). Then he could say, a la Jerry Seinfeld, "I carry a purse!"

I kept getting "whacked" by people with backpacks when I was in Rome. They turn around apparently not realizing that another 2 feet is sticking out behind them and believe me, trams, busses, metros and the like can get quite packed with people.
I hate'em as well. Besides, what are you all trying to carry while you're out and about? I understand a camera, but nowadays, they're small...and maybe a water bottle.

I like to bring a small backpack.

Water bottle, snacks, camera, guidebooks, maps, room for souvenirs or goodies from the market, etc. It's the big backpacks that people wear & whack others. A small one doesn't get in the way, and the 2 padded straps make it comfortable to wear if you are walking about town.

Common sense says don't put passport, wallet, money, etc in an outside pocket, and keep the bag in front of you in a crowd.

Fear of getting it slashed randomly on the street are way overblown. Relax and enjoy your trip - you'll have a much better time not being paranoid at every turn.

We brought a backpack as one of our carry-ons, and also brought a small daypack from Eddie Bauer that goes across the body. We used the daypack almost exclusively - it wasn't big enough for our water bottles, but we have aluminum bottles with carabiners, and we clipped them.

We used the large pack one day when we knew we'd be gone all day without a chance to pit-stop at the apartment. On the bus, I held it on front of me, and the rest of the time, we had it over one shoulder, so a good portion of it was under our arm, kind of. While it was a necessity because of the schedule that day, we hated carrying it. Too much stuff to haul all day, too icky-touristy, too "always-there."

Btw, I didn't carry my purse at all except for on the plane and a few times when we went to dinner near the apartment.

I use a "Save-your-back" bag that switches to a backpack. It's from Norm Thompson: http://tinyurl.com/cmtmz

I find the backpack feature very useful when dragging luggage or renting a bike. And it's not that big. But I just use it as a daybag: map, guidebook, umbrella or bottle of water, etc. All my valuables, except maybe cash for the day plus one credit card, stay in my money belt hidden under my clothes.

All you people who say you've never been pickpocketed, do you imply nobody is? Or it just happens to stupid or naive people? Well, I'm pretty stupid when I'm jet-lagged in a strange city where every thing is in a foreign language and maybe a foreign alphabet.

My name is Edward2005 and I am a moron/dork/idiot who uses a backpack.

I foolishly think having both hands free when walking through an airport, train station, or city street is a good thing. I see now I was wrong. Oh the time I have wasted with my foolish ways!

I have never bumped into anyone with my backpack, perhaps because its girth is no more than that of a pregnant woman. I consider this one of my life's great failures. I aspire to correct this and by Thor's Hammer I will someday achieve it.

I also long for the days of checking my luggage and hoping against hope that some minimum wage flunky will select my bags for a disappearing act. But if that doesn't happen, maybe I can be happy with all the reading I can get done while waiting by the luggage carousel.

Alas, I have seen the error of my ways. From now on, I will abandon my backpacking ways and forever assign one of my arms to pull all my crap behind me on wheeled luggage, forcing those behind me to give me 4-5' clearance to the rear. With luck, I will be able to attempt this while walking uphill on a gravel road to a B&B in the Alps where the reward for using such gear is at its maximum.

Backback wearers don't intend to batter others and they don't know when they do knock into others because they have no sense of feeling coming from their backbacks. (While traveling by train or bus in Europe, notice locals who have their hands out to protect themselves when in the proximity of backpack wearers.)

My opinion. If you are not doing camping or mountain climbing why would you need a backpack. Don't most of us just leave our bags at the hotel anyway? I surely am not about to carry my stuff while visiting the sites that I came to see. Heck, I take nothing that doesn't fit in my jacket pockets. However, each to their own.

I've used this North Face messenger style bag on several trips and will be using it again in September.

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/...mp;language=en

"If you are not doing camping or mountain climbing why would you need a backpack."

To keep hands free while toting luggage through airports, train stations, city streets, etc. My soft-sided pack lets me form-fit it to overhead compartments.

"Don't most of us just leave our bags at the hotel anyway?"

Yes, and what makes you think a backpacker doesn't? A backpack is just a form of luggage. We unpack it at the hotel and go exploring with only what we need, just like anyone else.

@ Edward2005:
If you weren't so quick to be sarcastic and defensive, you would know that the OP is talking about using a backpack as a *daybag* not their main piece of luggage.

I would recommend a messenger-type bag that is slung over the shoulder and neck. Both hands remain free and you can swing the bag in front of you to get what you need (or to protect the contents while on public transport, etc.).

Ah yes. Still, it's fun to go on a sarcastic rant now and then. Why the facts get in my way?

You said you will carry:
"guide book(s), language book, a small wallet with minimal euros needed for the day, assorted medicines, hand wipes, mini-umbrella, poncho, light cardigan, flashlight, small make-up pouch, another book that doesn't belong to the guide book/language book category, flash drive (with scanned images of my family's passport pages, itinerary, tour papers, airline e-tickets, insurance info, etc.), a small digital camera, tissues, sunglasses, candy, some cookies, small bottled water."

You need not be the pack horse for the whole family--all that is going to weigh you down considerably and surely you won't need it all every day. I think many of those items can safely stay in the hotel room.

The only hard and fast rule is to put what you can't do without (credit cards, passport, etc.) under your clothes or safely at the hotel. As for the rest, do what you like.

"Please post links to some of those first hand accounts from Italy so I can become better informed."

ipod_robbie:

Here are two recent threads:

1. Money Belt - Neck, Waist, or Leg?

2. On my 20th trip - they got me! Robbed in Barcelona

Hmmm, this backpack topic has generated quite a bit of talk.... Will read up on all your suggestions tonight when there's more time.

Ciao.

Why does people need to carry around food and bottles of water?

I really ask in earnest--there's almost always a store, cafe, restaurant, someplace to get a drink if thirsty and food if hungry while out and about. People are you really all going to die of dehydration and hunger by not carrying the food/water?

It's heavy and bulky too.


**I do realize that there are people who carry water with them normally to work and such, I don't get that either and it isn't because I'm not a water drinker--I drink 3-4 liters a day, I just have no interest in carrying it around.

Another small back pack carrier here!

I carry water because it's NOT available at the top of the Duomo when I need a drink after walking up xxx steps.
I tend to drink half a litre per hour or so when walking around and carry about 1 litre with me then buy more as I run out or in Rome refill bottles at a fountain.

It's just more convenient to carry some water than stop every half hour or so to buy a drink.

I was given one of the slash proof bags last summer. I liked the bag style -- lots of pockets that fit my stuff -- but I hated the slash proof strap. It's stiff and doesn't conform well to one's body and it's just generally awkward to deal with. And it makes the bag heavier and less pliable.

When I travel, my bag is to hold maps, guidebooks, sunglasses, and phone. I use a cross body messenger style. My money and credit cards are in a small leather pouch in my front pocket with a cord attached. I either pin the cord to my waistband or loop it through my belt loop, more to make sure it doesn't fall out than from any abundance of caution.

el

I too did not like the slash proof purse (PacSafe) that I ordered. It was stiff as poster above stated and heavy as well. I carry a lightweight purse (LeSportSac) and it is large enough so that I am the one carrying map & guidebook.

Bottom line is you need to get rid of 1/2 the stuff you plan to have your group carry on a daily basis. If you are truly worried about the theft issue then walking around with backpacks stuffed with expensive electronics is a really bad idea. I understand the need for ipods on the plane or in the room but why do you need them to walk around the city? Do you plan to use it for museum podcast tours? What about the cellphones - not sure I know why you'd ALL carry a phone. Multiple cameras I do understand and it has been a great addition to our trip scrapbook to have lots of pictures taken by different family members. We each carry our own camera - My artistic teen carries the big expensive one around her neck with a hand on it at all times - ready to shoot the great shot or just for safekeeping. I carry my smaller digital in my (lightweight) purse and my husband carries his in a camera pouch attached to his belt.

Regarding food & water - I like to carry one water bottle but we make a point of stopping every 2-3 hours for some refreshment of some sort - whether it is a meal or just a drink or ice cream. Is someone diabetic? If so, I understand then the need for cookies & candy, otherwise I don't get it - there is much better food to be had while you are out walking around.

Also, you most certainly won't need your other non-guidebook book. And, hopefully, you will not need both an umbrella AND a poncho each day. I also doubt you'll need the cardigan. Unlike where I live (Atlanta) not everyplace in Italy is cold all summer due to A/C.

I suggest that YOU go ahead and carry a purse and rotate the rest of the stuff in one small daypack that is carried by the other 3.

Thank you to all the posters who kindly took the time to give advice.

With just a few days to go, and after ordering quite a number of items from Magellan's and Travelsmith(and quite a bit of returns too, I think we finally have our act together.

To clarify things, let me explain that we were in search of day bags for my family to use that would SECURELY hold the stuff we needed for our day-to-day activities. With this being our first trip to Italy, our anxiety is quite overblown regarding the potential problems that may occur to naive and unsuspecting people like us.

We did order the PacSafe DaySafe 100 for my husband and found it to be too bulky and extremely heavy. It was described by Magellan's and rightfully so as the "Fort Knox of Backpacks". However, back to the store it went, and my husband finally liked the other alternative: Travelsmith's PacSafe Secure Day Pack:
http://tinyurl.com/6qagwz
a lighter, more manageable version. It is not as pliable as he would like, but maybe that's because of all the mesh inside that makes the pack slash-proof. And, it merely protrudes about 4-5 inches from his back, a really sleek profile. DH is the electronics person, so his pack will hold his camcorder, new bulky camera, cell phone, guide book, water bottle, and if needed, a poncho or umbrella.

My teens really love the PacSafe Small Secure DayPack.
http://tinyurl.com/6b3aug
It's very soft and supple, not what you would expect from a security-type of pack. It's smallish, but would be able to hold everything that they need for the plane trip and daily activities.

For myself, we got the CitySafe 200 Shoulder Bag. http://tinyurl.com/6q2a5r
I'm not too crazy about the style, but it's black and it's not too frumpy, and it has a lot of good reviews from satisfied users. It's a little on the larger size (but sleeker profile), and can be worn diagonally, messenger-bag style. I'll secretly stash my other purse in my suitcase, and depending on my comfort level once I see how Rome is like, I may decide to use my normal purse from day 2 onwards.

All four of us will have either a money belt or the belt wallet that loops around the belt and goes under the skirt/pants.

Thanks again, everyone!

And I, for one, would like to hear you report back from your trip - specifically on how you felt, security wise.