Backpack Safety Question

Hi all, I am going on my first trip to Paris in August.

I am looking at buying a slash proof backpack to carry my camera etc in it whilst touring. Is a backpack a good idea safety wise or do you have another recommendation?

thanks

Megan

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Personally, I would not carry my camera (or anything else that%26#39;s valuable/important) in a backpack worn on my back. Even if it%26#39;s slashproof, a professional pickpocket can get into bags unobtrusively and you would then have major problems. One example - while you%26#39;re going up or down an escalator, and someone is right behind you (or on a crowded Metro car). There are a number of threads on this site about what kinds of bags people carry to minimize that possibility (try a search in the box at the top of the column to the left of the forum topics).

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have you heard of the pacsafe products? they%26#39;re slash-proof, etc. i have a messenger type bag by pacsafe. as far as valuables, i would suggest a messenger bag vs a backpack. at least w/ the messenger bag, you can kinda bring the bag in front you. with the backpack, lots of times you won%26#39;t know what%26#39;s happening back there.

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I%26#39;ve used a backpack for years without the least problem...though I tend to prefer it slung from only one shoulder, rather than worn completely, %26#39;Val da ee Val de Rah%26#39; on the back. Wearing it slung allows me to swing it %26#39;round and get to it conveniently...and allows me to pull it %26#39;round to my front when I enter shops, cafés, down in the Metro, aboard buses (to my front and keeping my %26#39;hump%26#39; from %26#39;banging%26#39; into innocent passengers when I move or turn) or other comfined spaces...or when I am in a place where a bit more security for personal possessions is called for.

But it doesn%26#39;t really matter. The same basic rules of %26#39;..situational awareness..%26#39; apply. A backpack worn on your back is no less secure than a bag slung from your shoulder, across your chest or around your waist. If you are not paying attention to where you are, what you%26#39;re doing and what%26#39;s going on around you.

Bear in mind that the applicable term is %26#39;..crime-of-opportunity..%26#39;. If you don%26#39;t present the %26#39;opportunity%26#39;...there will be no %26#39;crime%26#39; to worry about...no matter what type of bag carries your personal possessions. More often than not, people become %26#39;victims%26#39; ***NOT*** because thieves are especially clever....but rather mostly because they%26#39;ve been careless, lazy or stupid...or all three.

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thanks everyone for your replies.

I have purchased a pacsafe handbag to take with me so maybe I will look at a tote bag that slings over my shoulder.

thanks again

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Im disappointed nobody mentioned a %26#39;fanny pack%26#39;, that expression still makes me chuckle, childish I know.....

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