Is it safe to carry my backpack through Delhi?

Marky

I will be backpacking around India with a huge rucksackand was wondering if it is safe to walk around Delhi (or any other Indian city) with it on my back? I am worried that I will be a prime target for pickpockets or any other oportunitst thief for that matter.

I have invested in a pacsafe that should keep my bag partially protected but would like ease of mind from anyone who has experience carrying a large rucksack through India.

THanks
Mark

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Arriving in Delhi on March 7th 2007, hopefully I won't miss too many Man Utd matches on the way to the title.

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Merchant

You will be fine. It is highly unlikely you will be assaulted for your pack.

Shiver me Timbers

Don't worry about it! Even the pacsafe is a bit extreme IMO. You'll be fine, walk down the main bazaar in Paharganj, you'll see hundreds of fellow travellers sporting their bags.....you're more likely to get robbed on the streets of a European city.....I remember meeting a guy at Barcelona train station a few years ago who had been robbed 3 times that day! So relax.....

And if you don't want to miss any matches, make sure you get a hotel with Star Sports and ESPN, they show all the United games....

PeakXV

I carry a small backpack for shopping and the worst(best!) thing that has happened to me is an Indian will come and say "excuse me sir your zipper on your bag is slightly open" - concerned that I might loose something. .... have no worries about that!

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Marky

Mind put at ease. Thanks guys.

palerider

But if you wear flip flops, I'll assault you.
A nice pair of sandals please,

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almond

look out, u are in my sights now !

I 'will' assault u anytime. Not without any reason they call me LOOT*

& I might change my mind if you wear flip-flops. Sandals an you are doomed


*Lord of opportunistic thieves

ninasimone

Delhi is probably fine, but a fellow traveller was walking through markets in Pushkar and had his back pack slashed while wearing it. Not trying to alarm you. I have to say this was during Camel Fair so it was extremely crowded, not sure if this happens frequently there.

almond

That was me who slashed it, he was wearing sandals...

unclelach

The Delhi Metro, now the cleanest and fastest way to move about Delhi, will not permit entry of full size backpacks for security reasons. The police may swoop upon an unattended pack pacsafed and chained or not if pack left in a public place.

A rickshaw is a good way to get about with a pack if you are by yourself.

Read an online travel diary of a girl visitor to Paharganj who had a shoulder bag snatched. The girl kicked off her shoes and ran down the thief. Police arrived and took to the culprit with lathi!

steven_ber

Another consideration Mark....

I love people watching, in Rajasthan it was nearly always tourists I ended up watching, I saw groups of tourists with backpacks almost as big as each person, some even had front packs on as well, they had sleeping bags rolled up on top of the packs.

It was about 35 degrees, and I'll bet you anything, they were all saying to each other "Bloody hell, India is hard work".

India has some wonderful things to see, but crazy backpackers are always good for a laugh. (Yes, I'm a backpacker as well).

It makes far more sense to leave your backpack in the railway station cloakroom (left luggage) or your hotel.

The cloakroom charges about Rs20 per item per day, but all sections that contain anything must be locked. (does a packsafe count as a lock?...anyone know?)

I'll also guarantee that your money and passport will be safer if you're not carrying your backpack around with you.

Backpack + hot weather + stress = too difficult to concentrate on valuables. (I'm sure I locked that moneybelt under the backpack straps ), have a walk around Sheffield with these thing on (pack and moneybelt) for a day, keep all your money, all keys and travel & credit cards in the moneybelt and see what a pain it is always having to open and close the moneybelt, and remember that the weather is nice and cool in Sheffield.

No pack = relaxation and only your valuables to think about.

Then again, is it safe to carry a backpack through Sheffield?

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gurupaulj

I totally agree with Steven.

Rather carry a backpacker around Delhi or anywhere else, we always left them in railway station cloakrooms.

If you can lock them up great, but no one seemed to insist on it. We did however chain them together and to part of the shelf if possible.

Much safer than carrying a huge rucksack around Delhi!

I also agree that Delhi felt much safer than most of the European cities I visited, but that's just a personal opinion.

julesa

3 times??!! that's what i call bad luck. i only had one attempted robbery when i was in Barce

india is definitely safer than europe.

slumpainter

In front of the Oberoi in Kolkata I was walking with a small backpack that had my camcorder in it. Someone brought to my attention that I had a large (must've been as BIG a BASEBALL!) sized WAD of snot oozing down my back to my heels. I backed up to a wall and wiped it off. Maybe they thought I'd be so repulsed I'd get distracted and they could swipe my pack.

Not me. Just went back to the filthy hotel and washed off the filth, worrying about getting TB the whole time...

Nick-H

There are police notices here warning about distraction theft.

Be particularly careful at the ATM!

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