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Urban walking gear

Hello all,

I will be doing some city trips later on this year and I'm looking for some new urban walking gear. So I'm hoping some of you can give some advice.
1) Shoes : Till now I've been using my hiking shoes (B-C type), but most hiking shoes make you really stand out in the city as being a tourist. So can you advice me some decent urban walking shoes with which I still can make the necessary miles comfortably?

2) Backpack : Small comfortable backpack or backpack like bag. Will be used to put in some drinks/food/cookies (kids :D ) and when needed a DSLR. Besides or usual hiking backpacks which are slightly bigger, the wife and I were also thinking about the "Fjallraven tote bag" or the "Peak design tote bag". But we're open for all sorts of recommendations.
 
Thanks for the replies so far.
I do indeed know of both backpack brands suggested ... but also for the backpack solution I would like to blend a bit more into the crowd. So more of a backpack that doesn't shout 'TOURIST' :)
That's also why we were also looking into the tote bags I mentioned. Both tote bag types can also be converted to backpacks (maybe not for long difficult hikes, but sufficient for city trips).
 
I wouldn't worry too much about standing out, as situational awareness will be your friend for staying out of trouble with nefarious characters. In fact, if someone is too friendly, they are the ones to worry about. City folks are way too busy and don't concern themselves with hassling tourists. We are used to it. I wouldn't spend the extra time, effort, and money to buy new equipment. Just be yourself.

Have fun on your trips!
 
Nobody is going to mess with you. Just go walk and tour.
Oh I'm not afraid somebody is going to mess with me or rob me :2guns:. They won't get rich robbing me :nonod:
But let me give you some background on why we're trying to blend in with the locals without it being too obvious that we're tourists :001_smile.

I myself live near a small city where during the weekend, 70% of the people in the streets (guestimate) are tourists. So like many other locals, I try to avoid the city (or at least the areas popular for tourists) as much as possible, specially on a Saturday. So, the tourists that try to experience the local ambiance are usually only hanging out with other tourists in a fake commercial setting (maybe a bit exaggerated, but you get the picture). Most locals and the real fun can be found in parts of the city where tourists seldom take an interest in.

Now from our own experiences, we often got positive reactions from "locals" for trying to blend in and absorb local culture, habits and rhythm of life. Also visiting parts of a city which are not on a tourist map. Specially in some cities/areas, this seems to be contrary to a majority of tourists who are described by locals as obnoxious, loud, demanding, spoiled and always in a rush (which in some/lots of cases I totally agree with). They admit tourists are good for commerce (hotels, bars, musea, some shops), but not everybody benefits from that and unfortunately there are also downsides of having lots of tourists around (higher cost of living, litter, disturbed peace & quiet,...).

Sooo, if you took the effort of reading the long story above :001_unsur, I hope you understand my search for "incognito" walking shoes and bag(s). So maybe for our future (city)trips my wife and I might have the same funny experience like last year when where in Vienna. Some Belgian tourists asked us for directions in English. Being Belgians ourselves, we could have replied in Dutch, but we just replied them in English. Then afterwards we could hear them saying to each other that "they were surprised that there are Austrians who spoke "English without the funny German/Austrian accent" :lol1::lol:.
 
I much rather carry a messenger bag than a backpack as things are more quickly accessible and I am less likely to inconvenience others. You are correct that city travel is tough on the feet- I have a pair of Scarpa shoes which are very comfortable (I wouldn't hesitate to do light hiking in them) but don't stand out as being garish or out of place in the city. I find that the heavier and more stable my shoes are, the better my feet feel at the end of the day/week.
 
Some places, i.e. NYC on the subway, a messenger bag makes more sense than a backpack IMHO.
I am a huge fan of Salomon trail running shoes for the casual realm and Ecco shoes for something a bit dressier but still very walkable for multiple miles over the course of a day.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
New Balance has some very nice walking shoes that don't look like hiking boots and work well with casual attire. They come in different colors.
 
More and more you see true backpacks in the city. I live in the NY metro area so you tend to see everything there. I travel a fair amount, mostly to cities and I use a daypack that I also use for hiking. I love the Osprey packs and mine is the Talon 33. It's big enough to fit the things you mentioned but not so big that it will look stupid. And since it is super soft, its profile slims down when there isn't too much in it. Just my 2 cents.
 
Those New Balance shoes seem pretty nice. A friend of mine also suggested Forsake shoes.
Till today we have been using a backpack indeed (Granite Gear, which is very handy), but you never can have enough types of bags :) . So besides the Tote bag I mentioned earlier for my wife, I think I might indeed look at a messenger bag.
 
A very slim backpack that I recommend is by Deuter. The pack contours to your back and is multifunctional.

If you ever wanted to bike or go an a day hike, you can insert a water bladder and it will serve as a camelback type pack.

It can also be very unintrusive for city walks or errands.

Here is a link with information and a video on rei. Please note you can find a better price.

Deuter Speed Lite 20 Pack
 
In the modified immortal words of Press Teddy Roosevelt, " Walk softly and carry a big gun".
There are some urban areas, that I would not go unless well armed.
 
Oh I'm not afraid somebody is going to mess with me or rob me :2guns:. They won't get rich robbing me :nonod:
But let me give you some background on why we're trying to blend in with the locals without it being too obvious that we're tourists :001_smile.

I myself live near a small city where during the weekend, 70% of the people in the streets (guestimate) are tourists. So like many other locals, I try to avoid the city (or at least the areas popular for tourists) as much as possible, specially on a Saturday. So, the tourists that try to experience the local ambiance are usually only hanging out with other tourists in a fake commercial setting (maybe a bit exaggerated, but you get the picture). Most locals and the real fun can be found in parts of the city where tourists seldom take an interest in.

Now from our own experiences, we often got positive reactions from "locals" for trying to blend in and absorb local culture, habits and rhythm of life. Also visiting parts of a city which are not on a tourist map. Specially in some cities/areas, this seems to be contrary to a majority of tourists who are described by locals as obnoxious, loud, demanding, spoiled and always in a rush (which in some/lots of cases I totally agree with). They admit tourists are good for commerce (hotels, bars, musea, some shops), but not everybody benefits from that and unfortunately there are also downsides of having lots of tourists around (higher cost of living, litter, disturbed peace & quiet,...).

Sooo, if you took the effort of reading the long story above :001_unsur, I hope you understand my search for "incognito" walking shoes and bag(s). So maybe for our future (city)trips my wife and I might have the same funny experience like last year when where in Vienna. Some Belgian tourists asked us for directions in English. Being Belgians ourselves, we could have replied in Dutch, but we just replied them in English. Then afterwards we could hear them saying to each other that "they were surprised that there are Austrians who spoke "English without the funny German/Austrian accent" :lol1::lol:.

Great post!
 
I'm a bit late to the party here, but my recommendation for urban footwear would be decent running shoes. They tend to be comfortable, light, have decent levels of padding and support, and certainly won't make you stand out in a city. Many long distance walkers here in the UK use running shoes, rather than relatively stiff and heavy leather boots or shoes. The protection supposedly given to your feet by the latter types really isn't necessary or welcome when plodding along pavements.
 
I'm a bit late to the party here, but my recommendation for urban footwear would be decent running shoes. They tend to be comfortable, light, have decent levels of padding and support, and certainly won't make you stand out in a city. Many long distance walkers here in the UK use running shoes, rather than relatively stiff and heavy leather boots or shoes. The protection supposedly given to your feet by the latter types really isn't necessary or welcome when plodding along pavements.
Any suggestion on brands and types?
Never been able to find a pair of running shoes which don't give me instant sweaty feet.
That's why till now we've been using hiking shoes/boots (low and mid high - the non-leather ones which are not as heavy).
 
I like New Balance running shoes, but that's mainly because they suit my foot shape and are sold at a factory shop near where I live, so there's always a good selection to try on. However, any good shoes from the likes of Nike, Brooks, Saucony and the like should be equally satisfactory. As for sweaty feet, look for shoes with plenty of mesh ventilation, and wear wool socks, which I've found to be far the most comfortable in all conditions. Smartwool, Darn Tough and Icebreaker all do good merino woll running socks.
 
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