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I was thinking of bringing a backpack with me for my trip to carry most of my important things such as money, passport, and probably my camera. (I don't like the idea of leaving my stuff back at the hotel where I can't keep an eye on it, and I'm not so sure on whether the hotel safe is secure?)

But anyways, what's the deal with these? Am I allowed to bring backpacks into wherever without worrying about being harassed or having someone ask to look inside of it? I know this might be silly but here in America (post 9-11) we have very tight security everywhere and I just want to make sure that I'm not going to get strip searched for carrying something on my back lol.

What about other places of interest? I'm pretty sure Amsterdam has a lot of backpackers so I should be okay right?

backpacks are totally legal no need to worry

You'll be fine, what i would do is get a small padlock of some kind to lock the zip shut, the pick pockets like backpacks.

When I backpacked Europe this summer I always had a monstrousity of a bag on my back, none of the CS's had a problem with this, just make sure you always keep an eye on your shit no matter how high you are, I never let anything out of my sight and because of this I didnt get robbed, I also did the same thing with a small combination lock but that was for my huge pack not my daypack.

-Rasa

In the warmer weather I always keep a daypack, 'cept at nite. If it's colder and I'm wearing a jacket, I keep my shit in my jacket pockets. I like to carry books and a rain jacket, but I won't keep money or my passport in a backpack. If you're staying at a hostel, it's always advisable to carry a lock for the lockers.

Gonna carry a backpack myself, just to shit we buy and stuff, but i wouldnt reccomend having important things there, since a backpackslash is pretty easy to do and not uncommon around europe

You guys are so outdated, get a Man Bag Jeez, it's much more civilised and discrete than a hulking great rucksack. Very sensible and come in a range of sizes. I have 3 different sizes depending on uses, can get a laptop and all my smoking shit in the biggest one

Think record bags if the idea of a man bag doesn't work for you, but i'd never be without mine. Saves all my pockets too as all my keys and money are kept in there not damaging the pockets

So then where do you gusy recommend storing important stuff? By important stuff I pretty much mean my money, camera, and passport. Obviously I can keep the money/credit cards/wallet in my pocket, but what about my passport? Is it really a better idea to leave it somewhere back at the hotel where I can't keep my eyes on it that having it with me at all times? Same goes for the camera. I mean perhaps the passport can be stored in my front pocket at all times, but the camera? lol

I'm just a little concerned about my hotel's security. I'm staying at the Hotel Internationaal and while it gets decent/good reviews, there hasn't been many comments on its security. I've also read a lot about pick pockets in Amsterdam. If it helps, I'm a 6 foot 1 inch male who weighs 180 and I'll be travelling with another 6 foot 1 inch male who weighs 225 (plays football). So I don't think we'll be the "ideal target" for undesirables, but hey, what do I know?

Again, you guys tell me. I'm the rookie here.

use 10dollars on a Eaglecreek moneythingy,

Soulrider, you have the wrong name, its not called a manbag, but a purse;):P

SoulRider wrote:You guys are so outdated, get a Man Bag

How erm....metro-sexual of you.....

I use a back pack and leave really important shit in the hotel safe with a signed and dated recipt...

I just use a couple of old tesco bags.......

i always bring a backpack. a school type/day pack one. It gets annoying to carry around and its not uncommon for me to start leaving it at the hotel towards the end of the trip. It does come in handy though. I usually carry a jacket(if im there in the fall or winter) and my weed/smoking gear.

Dont forget to clean your bag out of weed/ hash and weed crumbs. Also doesn't hurt to let it air out overnight and spray a bit of fabreeze/air freshener or cologne in there.

I dunno if large clunky backpacks would go over too well in the smaller shops. (Christ, Grey Area is small enough, imagine trying to move around in there with such gear on your back.)

Also walking around with your backpack everywhere tells potential robbers/pickpockets, "Hey, over here I am a tourist". If they can tell that you are also wasted, then they score a huge jackpot.

Museums might not dig having a large packpack brought in. (Think about it. If you wanted to steal an item, a lage pack might be a good thing in which to carry it out. Hence, their loss prevention folks might say, "no dice".)

If you just leave you clothes (and other "non-vlauable" in the luggage/backpack, or, better yet, unpack them, then I don't think anyone would be stealing them? (A junkie can't pawn off used shirts, no? )

Also, if your hotel's security is that bad, why stay there?

If you do have "valuables", like a camera, laptop, or some kind of mp3 player, then these are small enough to carry around with you in a laptop bag.

Other than that, why would you bring large and bulky valuables with you (Which would require a large and bulky packpack in which to store them), when visiting for a short period of time?

You'll have to decide what you need to do, but think of it this way: How would you deal with this, when on vacation in the USA? Then apply the same methods.