I'm going on a road trip around California soon - San Francisco, LA, Grand Canyon etc. Spending most of the time in different cities, no beaches or anything.
I was planning on taking a leather backpack as a day bag (something like this). Carrying a shoulder bag often hurts my back, I always carry a lot of stuff (water bottle, purse, sun cream etc) so need a relatively big bag, and I thought a black leather backpack would go with any outfit.
However, my mum has got me thinking that maybe it's not a great idea as anyone behind me could just reach in and take whatever they wanted.
My problem is that I don't know what else to take and don't really have any other suitable bags so would have to buy something new. Am I being paranoid and should I just take the backpack, not pack anything valuable and perhaps stuff a thin jumper/cover up on the top (usually do this anyway as I always get caught out by freezing air con!)?
Or should I find a new bag and if so, what should I look for?
Thanks!