Backpacking is a great way to see India. Being able to carry your belongings on your back - out of your way is very convenient. It frees you up from the otherwise constant hassle of people offering to carry your bags as well. It also has some limitations. Generally you cannot carry as much, and the security of the bag is not as good as a suitcase.

Getting a decent backpack is important. If you are going to be doing much travel outside of the cities a cheap or poorly made pack will make for an unhappy journey.

My Recommendations: Lowe Alpine bags are great. I have used them and strongly recommend them. I have used this specific model and it worked out great.

A big issue you will face with a backpack is security. Most backpacks are not easy to lock closed and theft (especially while sleeping on the train) is a serious concern. Depending on how paranoid you are you have 2 options.

• Pacmate. This is a metal mesh net that you can lock your pack in. It's isn't as heavy as it might sound and not very inconvenient to get on and off. Once your pack in locked inside, you can then lock the pacmate to your train seat.
• Backpack Bag. There are many different variations on this theme available. Some of these are just large duffel bags that you can put your pack in. Other versions have places for the pack straps to emerge so you can actually still wear it (although generally uncomfortable). Once the bag is inside, luggage locks can secure it and its handle can be locked under your train seat. The backpack bag is also nice because it will keep your pack from getting filthy

My Experience: I have used 3 different backpack on my trips. The first was a borrowed old blue monster of a pack. It had a plastic external frame was was not a very good fit. I learned my lesson.

The second time around I bought a brand new Lowe Alpine (see above). This bag was great compared to the first one I used. It was cool enough to wear comfortably even in the hotter places.

For the last trip I did something different. I packed my stuff into some nasty old duffel bag. Once I got to Bangkok I bought another Lowe Alpine. The bag turned out to be just as good as the first Lowe. It was however much larger and that had its benefits and drawbacks.