Why does every tourist have a backpack

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I travel, I typically carry a backpack. I'm usually traveling with my family of four and I have the pack with the travel supplies. It usually has a mini first aid kit, ponchos for rain, a small waterproof container with snacks for my family of four (like granola bars, and such), water bottle, hats for sun, sunscreen, bug spray, a travel towel, backup battery for phones, flashlights. We've used all of those things regularly. So, this is supplies for two adults and two children who don't carry much on them.

What is the travel towel for? I’m assuming you aren’t talking about a beach day?

In case you have to hitchhike the galaxy.

Don't panic.

As the person who carries the travel towel, I have to say that I love the HHGTG spin-off. We're a big science fiction family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or large sling?

I understand for hiking. But in 2023, in an urban settings what in the world are people carrying around that requires the need for a full backpack.

We travel all of the world and have never had the need for any type of bag to go sightseeing, walking, exploring in a city.

I carry medication in my pocket, my Apple Watch, small wallet and nothing else. DH brings his phone, slim battery back up, small wallet, glasses wipe, tiny flashlight, pepto, small tiny foldable bag which are all in front pants pockets. Slim battery goes in back pocket.

Sounds like your DH could use a backpack to carry everything around for you.

The "Pepto" detail has really made this thread come alive.

OP if you are a troll, bravo!

I am not a troll.

He doesn’t wear, never has worn cargo shorts. The items I listed aren’t big. I don’t know why everyone makes it out to be a pile of stuff. The back up charger is about the size of credit card. The glasses wipes are two little packets equivalent to hand wipes you get at a bbq restaurant. The flashlight is tiny, about the size of my pinky, only a couple of inches long and has come in handy a few times. The wallets holds three cards. The pepto is four chewable tablets. We are both adventurous eaters.
The bag that he brings is a collapsible shopping bag it is about 4”x3” and less than1/2” thick.

If you need pepto with you at all time, you are NOT an adventurous eater.

Some people - like me - have a food intolerance and if we inadvertently eat the wrong food that Pepto is a necessity.

[Anonymous]

Saw French tourists here yesterday. All with tidy backpacks, including the kids. Looked fine.
Speaking French probably improved the appearance.😎

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am wearing the wrong kind of pants but if I load my pockets too full things tend to fall out when I sit or use the bathroom.

Same. Once I had my phone in my back pocket and forgot and it fell into the toilet! I'd much rather carry a bag than try to stuff all that stuff in my pockets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP:

This is what I stayed for! Love you pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am wearing the wrong kind of pants but if I load my pockets too full things tend to fall out when I sit or use the bathroom.

Same. Once I had my phone in my back pocket and forgot and it fell into the toilet! I'd much rather carry a bag than try to stuff all that stuff in my pockets.

OP here as I posted above it is a few small items. Not noticeable at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am wearing the wrong kind of pants but if I load my pockets too full things tend to fall out when I sit or use the bathroom.

Same. Once I had my phone in my back pocket and forgot and it fell into the toilet! I'd much rather carry a bag than try to stuff all that stuff in my pockets.

OP here as I posted above it is a few small items. Not noticeable at all.

What do you do for water? Snacks? Or do you not venture too far from restaurants and convenience stores?

[Anonymous]

There’s something called photo camera with lenses. People use it when traveling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am wearing the wrong kind of pants but if I load my pockets too full things tend to fall out when I sit or use the bathroom.

Same. Once I had my phone in my back pocket and forgot and it fell into the toilet! I'd much rather carry a bag than try to stuff all that stuff in my pockets.

OP here as I posted above it is a few small items. Not noticeable at all.

OP, I respect that you have stayed, and as they say on Twitter, are just posting through it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not OP but I have a personal pet peeve about people wearing backpacks in public transport and other crowded areas because they turn around and hit short people in the face. You have to front it, or carry it by your side in crowded areas.

We always used a backpack when the kids were little because there were so many little things we needed. Now that they are teens I only use the backpack if we are taking a day trip on a train or something and want to bring books, an umbrella, etc. I use a cross body that will fit my glasses and small sunscreen etc. for our last trip I also bought a couple of the shopping bags that fold down to a little square that I hitched onto my bag. They were great to have to throw in little extras we might pick up through the day.

I have a pet peeve of people who stand to close to me in the metro.

Ha! The idea that you are entitled to any personal space on a subway is laughable. Never been to Tokyo, huh? You are just lucky if you get on. Your face *will* be in someone else's armpit, and someone else's leg will be shoved up against your ass. Please spare yourself the embarrassment of trying to assert a 1.5 foot bubble of space around yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, don’t you hydrate? Or you one of those constantly buying plastic bottles?

I always carry my backpack— even when out in the US. I have water bottles, snacks, books, wallet, chargers, sanitizer, first aid, and whatever else we need. I have 3 kids but used to carry the backpack while traveling in my 20s!

I mean, I do think this concept of constant "hydration" is pretty new. When I was growing up, kids did not carry around reusable water bottles all the time, and I don't recall an epidemic of dehydration. We just went to the water fountain if we were thirsty.

As an adult, I do not carry a water bottle around NYC, where I live, or around the urban metropolises that I visit, unless it is extremely warm. I will bring water to national parks and rural areas, where there's no guarantee of a cafe for me to get a drink. So while I do not support OP's anti-backpack stance, I also don't buy into the hydration hysteria that has gripped so many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, don’t you hydrate? Or you one of those constantly buying plastic bottles?

I always carry my backpack— even when out in the US. I have water bottles, snacks, books, wallet, chargers, sanitizer, first aid, and whatever else we need. I have 3 kids but used to carry the backpack while traveling in my 20s!

I mean, I do think this concept of constant "hydration" is pretty new. When I was growing up, kids did not carry around reusable water bottles all the time, and I don't recall an epidemic of dehydration. We just went to the water fountain if we were thirsty.

As an adult, I do not carry a water bottle around NYC, where I live, or around the urban metropolises that I visit, unless it is extremely warm. I will bring water to national parks and rural areas, where there's no guarantee of a cafe for me to get a drink. So while I do not support OP's anti-backpack stance, I also don't buy into the hydration hysteria that has gripped so many.

We had water bottles growing up, although they weren’t as nice as now (probably lots of BPA) and our summer vacations were largely things like camping, the pool, the beach.

OP seemed to be focusing on urban environments, and I cant think of many cities that have regular water fountains. Can you? Rome is the only one that jumps in my mind. I’m one of those people that sweats a lot in warm weather so yeah, I’m carrying water. I’d also prefer to keep my kids hydrated because once they’re dehydrated and melting down it’s too late. But you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, don’t you hydrate? Or you one of those constantly buying plastic bottles?

I always carry my backpack— even when out in the US. I have water bottles, snacks, books, wallet, chargers, sanitizer, first aid, and whatever else we need. I have 3 kids but used to carry the backpack while traveling in my 20s!

I mean, I do think this concept of constant "hydration" is pretty new. When I was growing up, kids did not carry around reusable water bottles all the time, and I don't recall an epidemic of dehydration. We just went to the water fountain if we were thirsty.

As an adult, I do not carry a water bottle around NYC, where I live, or around the urban metropolises that I visit, unless it is extremely warm. I will bring water to national parks and rural areas, where there's no guarantee of a cafe for me to get a drink. So while I do not support OP's anti-backpack stance, I also don't buy into the hydration hysteria that has gripped so many.

I was chronically constipated growing up. Now that I'm an adult and know what to do--hydration is an essential part of avoiding that. Also I used to have killer headaches when I was a kid. Went to a specialist for migraines. Guess what? Staying hydrated also staves off my headaches. Maybe you were fine while dehydrated, but not everyone was. I'll keep my water bottle in my BACKPACK with me whenever I want; because why on earth does anyone care? The op is weird. I had someone criticize me for bringing stuff for my kids to a baseball game and then she--I kid you not--asked me for sunblock for her kid because she didn't have any (after priding herself on not bringing a lot anywhere). Can we all just do what works for us and not freak out when someone does it differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, don’t you hydrate? Or you one of those constantly buying plastic bottles?

I always carry my backpack— even when out in the US. I have water bottles, snacks, books, wallet, chargers, sanitizer, first aid, and whatever else we need. I have 3 kids but used to carry the backpack while traveling in my 20s!

I mean, I do think this concept of constant "hydration" is pretty new. When I was growing up, kids did not carry around reusable water bottles all the time, and I don't recall an epidemic of dehydration. We just went to the water fountain if we were thirsty.

As an adult, I do not carry a water bottle around NYC, where I live, or around the urban metropolises that I visit, unless it is extremely warm. I will bring water to national parks and rural areas, where there's no guarantee of a cafe for me to get a drink. So while I do not support OP's anti-backpack stance, I also don't buy into the hydration hysteria that has gripped so many.

OP here and this how I view it also. I think the water bottle obsession is a bit much. As I said in my original post I am talking about urban settings.

There are plenty of opportunities to have water/fluids throughout the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, don’t you hydrate? Or you one of those constantly buying plastic bottles?

I always carry my backpack— even when out in the US. I have water bottles, snacks, books, wallet, chargers, sanitizer, first aid, and whatever else we need. I have 3 kids but used to carry the backpack while traveling in my 20s!

I mean, I do think this concept of constant "hydration" is pretty new. When I was growing up, kids did not carry around reusable water bottles all the time, and I don't recall an epidemic of dehydration. We just went to the water fountain if we were thirsty.

As an adult, I do not carry a water bottle around NYC, where I live, or around the urban metropolises that I visit, unless it is extremely warm. I will bring water to national parks and rural areas, where there's no guarantee of a cafe for me to get a drink. So while I do not support OP's anti-backpack stance, I also don't buy into the hydration hysteria that has gripped so many.

This is not 1982. There are no more water fountains. They went the way of phone booths. Plus, unlike the 80s, we now know how important hydration is to our health and well-being, and that soda does not serve as a form of hydration. We also know how terrible it is for the environment to be purchasing endless amounts of plastic water bottles. We're a family of 5. I'm not going to buy 5 water bottles every time we need to drink something.

I bet OP is also one of those people who complains about parents and families. Guess what? The parents traveling with those backpacks are getting ahead of their kids and anticipating the meltdown downs by packing food, water, clothes, sunscreen, and everything else that we can think of. I like preparation and having things on hand so that I don't have to go to a CVS when I travel - which is just so wasteful.
Plus, what a waste of travel time to go shopping when I could just take goods with me? I'd rather be out walking and touring than spend my days in line buying supplies that I already have.

Plan better, OP.