What is the best touring backpack for traveling europe?

I'll be studying abroad in europe this fall and am looking for a good travel backpack. I'll be visiting various countries for weekend trips so I need something big enough to hold enough stuff but not so cumbersome that it is difficult to travel with/carry around.

Eagle Creek has some nice bags....mine's 10 years old and has seen a lot of action without any problems [eaglecreek.com]. They have a lot of models to choose from.

If you're only going on weekend trips, maybe you can get by with a large day pack.

This past autumn, I spent 2 months overseas, and really liked this "secure" daypack that kept my valuables safe. It has a removeable mesh bag that's lockable, the straps have wire in them, etc. This would be also good as a bookbag, etc. during your study term. The price tag is a bit high but it's well made.

http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=22

[next larger version]
http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=67

I wore it on my back all day [on bus, in metro, in many different crowd situations] without fear that someone was breaking into it and stealing my camera, etc....on the notorious Bus 64 in Rome, train stations, etc.

I wish they had this when I was a student overseas over 20 years ago.

Potato bag will look good and trendy. Well at least it fits a lot.

If you're not carrying around a ton of stuff, then a nice day-pack sized backpack is the "Ivar" that is carried by Magellan's and TravelSmith (which are two very respected travel oriented catalogs). The Ivar Backpacks have internal shelves that allow you to organize whatever you're carrying. And because your stuff is more balanced in the pack (and it's not all sitting at the bottom), it's more comfortable.

So... (if you see a picture of an Ivar you'll understand better)... you might put your camera and other miscellaneous stuff on the top shelf, some clothes in the middle shelf, and books/notebook on the bottom...

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