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I was wondering what brands of backpacks are popular in Paris, France and Berlin, Germany because I'm the type of traveller that likes to wander under the radar without people knowing that I'm a tourist...here in North America Jansport and Eagle Creek are used a lot. So, what brands are popular across most of Europe?

Or, what travel brand backpacks are popular all around the world?

Also, I'm looking for urban backpacks not trekking ones. I just want to learn what brands of everyday bags are popular...and I suppose it doesn't have to be popular but just a local brand.

verve
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    To have a better camouflage, in addition to buying a local branded backpack you should also pretend to be a mute.. – Nean Der Thal Jun 22 '13 at 16:59
  • @ HaLaBi: Unless I know the local language. ;-) Any tips on some local brands? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:20
  • the swiss army one... – Nean Der Thal Jun 22 '13 at 17:50
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    A person with a backpack with hardly any idea of the local landscape and dressed as an american. Yep.. You're going to blend in just fine... – Karlson Jun 22 '13 at 17:54
  • @ HaLaBi: In which country is it popular? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:54
  • Or serial killers on the hunt.. – Nean Der Thal Jun 22 '13 at 17:56
  • @verve swiss :D – Nean Der Thal Jun 22 '13 at 18:00
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    @ Karlson: You don't even know me and are you telling me university students in Paris and Berlin don't use backpacks? Only shoulder bags? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 18:06
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    I think the point is that there are about a hundred things more likely to get you tagged a tourist than the brand of backpack you're wearing. – Michael Borgwardt Jun 22 '13 at 22:58
  • @ Michael: But in cities it's sorta multicultural and I don't dress as a typical even in North America. I'm more trying to avoid people say, on the metro knowingly glance at my bag and treating me "differently" cause now they are pretty sure I must be a tourist to wear that one. – verve Jun 23 '13 at 01:16
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    The only people who are going to recognise your backpack as American, rather than an obscure European brand they have never heard of, are those familiar with the American backpacking scene – DJClayworth Jun 23 '13 at 03:07
  • Eastpack is popular in Holland, don't know about other countries. – Bernhard Jun 23 '13 at 14:30
  • @ DJClayworth: Well, the angle I'm looking at is not whether they are familiar with the American scene but familiar with their own urban backpack brands and whether they are aware something I'm carrying has never been seen before. – verve Jun 23 '13 at 20:59
  • Why do you treat Paris and France separately? – Danubian Sailor Jul 22 '13 at 05:26
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    No, it's Paris, France as one. The comma is just formatting. – verve Jul 22 '13 at 09:33
  • Decathlon products or Deuter that is not so famous outside Europe – Pixie Jul 23 '13 at 08:53
  • Eastsport backpacks are in fashion in Paris. http://www.citadium.com/marques/C-48078-eastpak – James 'Dr. Huxtable' Feess Aug 16 '13 at 22:36
  • Your first lesson in blending in with the locals is not to refer to the city as "Paris, France". – DJClayworth Nov 27 '22 at 14:54
  • @verve how will someone who is unfamiliar with North American backpacking know if a brand they've never seen, is just a brand they've never heard of (too trendy, too cheap, too new...) or a brand used by North American tourists? – matt freake Nov 27 '22 at 15:32
  • @DanubianSailor, Paris, France distinguishes it from, say, Paris, Texas. – Carsten S Nov 27 '22 at 18:42
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    @mattfreake As an American hiker I would classify packs into the serious trail packs and others. Anything foreign would simply be "other", I wouldn't realize it was foreign. – Loren Pechtel Nov 28 '22 at 03:13

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For Germany:

  • The most inconspicous backpacks are either Jack Wolfskin or Deuter. Seriously, while traveling it is like a lighthouse: Hello, compatriot !
  • Other popular brands: Arc'teryx, Eagle Creek, Tatonka, The North Face, Thule, Vaude or special brands like PacSafe.
  • But you can always use a cheap No-Name brand: They are also quite often visible.

For moving under the radar: No Hawaiian shirt or boxer shorts, especially on the beach.

Do not smile automatically at people. It is not that you cannot smile, it is more that you here either smile slightly the whole time because you are in a good mood or this likeable man/woman addresses you now. It is difficult to explain, but there is a typical subconscious smile which appears at once at eye contact that tells people at once: "Tourist from the USA".

You are allowed to ignore people or remain silent as long as no one addresses you and it is also no problem to look back if someone looks at you. It is a widespread habit in Germany that people are sitting outside in a Cafe/Park and watch the passersby.

Using "Paris, France" or "Berlin, Germany" is also a sure sign of an US-Tourist: No European uses the country name for cities because the names are unique.

Michael Borgwardt
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Thorsten S.
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    London. London, England? Always makes me laugh (as a British person living in the US). – Jeremy Miles Jun 22 '13 at 20:12
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    Well, there is a Berlin in US and a London in Canada! :-D And, there is a place called Paris even. I just thought I would state the country and not assume everybody knows where I mean. I mean maybe someone is in fact asking about London, Canada! – verve Jun 23 '13 at 01:21
  • I believe you would be referring to London, Ontario. Saying 'London, England' is useful if you try flying out of Toronto to one of them. – DJClayworth Jun 23 '13 at 03:05
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    @verve: I did not criticize the usage because I think it is simply a force of habit: The USA is vast (4th greatest), densely populated and has many duplicate city names, so the usage to call out the state is straightforward. The thing is that it is US specific and Europeans in general are using the least surprise case: They are adding only the state/country if it is important. "Berlin" is always "Berlin, Germany" unless stated otherwise because it is a capital and has a population with more than 3m while the US ones have less than 30k. – Thorsten S. Jun 23 '13 at 13:35
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    @verve: it doesn't matter. No one says "Berlin, Germany" any more than they'd say "New York City, New York". Also there are non-unique names in Europe, but state/region name is not used to differentiate. For example Frankfurt might be considered is ambiguous, thus you have full names such as Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt an der Oder. – vartec Jul 23 '13 at 10:22
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    As soon as you start talking people will know you are a tourist let alone how you refer to your cities. Brand of backpack is likely the least of your worries if you are trying to stay undercover – EdmundYeung99 Sep 20 '15 at 21:54
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    @vartec Really, no one says “New York, New York”? I’m from New York; calling it New York, New York isn’t that unusual. No one would say “New York City, New York,” but then “city” isn’t actually a part of the city’s name and that’s only used to differentiate it from New York state. – KRyan Nov 23 '15 at 18:34
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    @vartec Bø, Telemark vs Bø, Nordland. – Taemyr Nov 24 '15 at 08:54
  • @vartec Bangor, Gwynedd and Bangor, County Down (UK). That being said, I do agree with your point that duplicate place names are nearly absent in Europe for decently sized towns, while the vast majority of European capitals are duplicated at least once in North America. – March Ho Nov 24 '15 at 15:14
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    @KRyan: Of course Americans say "New York, New York". Some may even say "New York City, New York", though that's where it gets slightly silly. Vartec's point was that European cities are only disambiguated when strictly necessary, and then (almost) always in the style of New York City or Kingston upon Hull / upon Thames / on Soar / by Sea / by Ferring, or Frankfurt am Main / an der Oder, or Aix-en-Provence / Aix-la-Chappelle. (The last one is the French name of the German city of Aachen, which in German has no disambiguation.) –  Nov 28 '15 at 08:09
  • And note that the majority of your brands are actually US brands. – Loren Pechtel Nov 28 '22 at 03:14
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As for France and other European countries (Spain, Poland ...), go to Decathlon. That's the most popular sport store by far, it is reasonably priced and the quality is good, they invest much in R&D.

I would recommend actually buying your backpack there than in North America, I bought one at Mountain Equipment Coop, the Canadian equivalent, and for the same price I would have had a little better backpack at Decathlon (more comfortable with more pockets).

Actually they sell different brands (still all designed by the same company, Oxylane), each for a different sport category: Quechua for mountain sports (except Winter sports, which is Wedze), B-twin for cycling, Rockrider for mountain biking, Kalenji for running and also team sports I think, Tribord/Nabaiji for aquatic sports, ...

You will see everyone with bags, clothes, and whatever sport equipment from this store in France. But then if you wear it in North America, be prepared to see French people talking to you in French!

By the way I still find this is a strange request.

Vince
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    I'm strange. ;-) – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:25
  • They sell MEC in France? Any other brands common or at least only sold in Paris? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:26
  • No I bought it in Canada. If I was in France I would have bought it at Decathlon ;) – Vince Jun 22 '13 at 17:27
  • Oh, Decathlon is not a brand but a store carrying different brands? Newfeel and Quechua seem popular in the store. What's the French word for everyday backpacks? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:30
  • So, each brand is for a specific sport? – verve Jun 22 '13 at 17:35
  • yup, or group of sports. Quechua for mountain sports except Winter sports (Wedze) for example. And most households in France have at least one Quechua bag, I would say. – Vince Jun 22 '13 at 17:37
  • @verve look at http://www.decathlon.fr/C-313423-sacs-a-dos-et-accessoires – Vince Jun 22 '13 at 17:42
  • Wow, you can get a mini-bag for a mere $4.95!! Cheapest ever. How can they afford such low prices? – verve Jun 23 '13 at 01:22
  • Hello? Quechua is the most popular student tourist brand in Poland (because it's cheaper) and almost noone speaks French here :) – Danubian Sailor Jul 22 '13 at 05:28
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    @Lukasz: Do you mean only foreign students use them? Or do you mean tourists AND students...? – verve Jul 22 '13 at 09:31
  • @verve: Besides France, Decathlon is very popular in Spain and central European countries, including Poland. Local students use them. – vartec Jul 23 '13 at 10:27
  • @vartec I included these countries in the answer. – Vince Jul 23 '13 at 15:04
  • Both of the answers are helpful but how do I credit both? :-( – verve Jul 25 '13 at 06:44
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    @pnuts Wow, forgot I even asked this question...alright, will do Master. ;-) – verve Nov 01 '14 at 02:31
  • Use Eastpak brand, they were popular in Europe some time ago.. – user3450 Oct 31 '16 at 21:52
  • I use here in Copenhagen backpack with HP logo which I bought years ago at local pawn shop, just an idea for you, lot of people are going to specialised computer courses and get these backpacks as gift, quite common practice in Europe IMHO. – user3450 Oct 31 '16 at 22:03
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Not actually a backpack, but what I do is to get a decent plastic or fabric bag from a local market chain.

Not only does it make me inconspicuous, but teaches me to not to pack unnecessary stuff as well. To have one hand busy all the time helps against carrying a camera and other traveler's stuff in hand all the time.

One must be careful, though, not to forget the bag somewhere.

Pavel
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(a) You will probably be identified as a tourist whatever you do.
(b) Nobody will mind (and neither should you -- after all, you are a tourist).

As for backpacks: the mere fact that you are toting a big friggin backpack in the first place is the biggest giveaway, regardless of branding. If you want to be mistaken for a local, leave your backpack at the hostel.

TonyK
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At times some brands of backpack have a period of being in fashion.

The brands named in the question have had their time of fame and are still used quite a lot by some groups and well used by the average European.

But there are so many brands, and even so many more backpacks with fantasy brands or without brands at all, that no single backpack will stand out as from a particular country.

What makes you stand out as a tourist is how you dress, and that is fashion more than regional differences, and how you fit in. Some people will fit in as 'local' whatever they wear and however they look, others will never fit in even when they wear the same as the locals of their age, due to small differences like how you smile and how you look or not at the others on the street.
So do not worry about the brand of pack, or even its size, just behave as you would do when dressed as the others in the street and you will likely fit in.

And if not, you are a tourist and there is nothing wrong with being a tourist, nobody is bothered by the nationality of a single tourist as long as they try to fit in.

Willeke
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Why not have a look at Amazon? It's one of the largest online retailers in Europe.

Carl
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