Carrying camera question

you'll notice the locals all chain their hard sided bags to the luggage racks...

my camera used to be in my day pack, which is always at my feet (even in a cab in the US) - often with a leg through the shoulder strap. If its not in the day pack, its in the crumpler camera bag slung across my shoulder/over my chest. Nothing valuable should be in the bag that is on the top of the bus. Including medication...

I see such dogmatism, dkt2u! I do doze on buses, so that is why I use a cable lock with a chosen combination. The next time you are on a local bus with overhead space, look and you will see a lot of straps hanging down and clearly visible to the owners. I think that even just tying a bag that is right above you to something solid would slow down or deter a would be thief. They have to reach a good distance to reach it and then ease it toward them. To each his own, though.

not dogmatism, just good sound advice. I agree "to each his own", but I will continue to give the advice to be "better safe than sorry". It is somewhat different for a very experienced traveler where you might be more aware of the tell tale signs of something being about to happen. tieing your bag to the rack or using a cable lock is an absolute minimum. Even then though, there is no gaurentee that your bag can't be opened and items removed without you knowing it. I think anyone would admit that the safest place for your belongings is in your lap.

dkt2u, your arrogance is amusing. I fail to see what is flippant about my stating that I don't dose off on buses. It is simply a statement of fact. I also can not imagine anyone reaching up to my pack "across from me" and opening it or pulling it from the rack without my noticing it. I do strap the pack to the rack when it is feasible and have used a cable lock on occasion. Of course keeping the pack on your lap is a good method but I find it to be pretty uncomfortable in a hot sweltering bus after several hours on the road. I doze off plenty when the situation allows it but on bus rides I don't want to miss all the scenery I have traveled so far to enjoy.

well, sorry you see it as arrogance............perhaps you are confusing arrogance with experience. Telling someone who is asking how to keep there stuff the safest as possible that your stuff is safe because you never doze off on buses, in my opinion is a flippant remark. I especially think it's a flippant remark now with you coming back and saying that you dose "doze off plenty",,,,,,,whether it is when the situation allows it or not, if you are sleeping and your stuff is not on your person, then you are at more risk of something happening. IMHO the best advice is keep it on if at all possible.

I carry my camera in a small day pack that never leaves me. My travel companion made fun of me and stashed her stuff in the overhead rack with a chain and then someone sliced open her bag and took her camera and get off the bus. Dont put anything on the overhead rack sd it just makes it at a good level for theives to get at. At your feet dosent work either. If you care about it clutch it.

I ALWAYS keep my important stuff with me.......

Firefly

1. get the eagle creek or whatever cable combo lock @ any outdoors type store, you will need this to lock your backpack/luggage to the bed or table or whatever is at the hostel/hotel.
   2. about the north face daypack - you can always put it in a 'mayan daypack' which is burlap sack with a strap you can wear across your body on the side. you can even cut the north face logo patch off.
   3. if you constantly take pictures a photog/journalist vest w/ 20 or so pockets could come in handy then you wouldn't need your daypack. most digitals are compact enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
   4. i carried my daypack on my lap like a baby on chicken buses & shuttles [i also saw about 1/2 the chicken bus riders (mostly students) put their book bags in the overhead , but the other 1/2 kept the bags on their laps or on the floor between their legs.]
   5. [last & most important] always keep serious $, atm & credit, travelers cheques & passport on your body -never in a daypack. [& yes i do mean body - waist, or 'body' money belt next to skin [again at the outdoor stores]. you can always have a few bucks for the day or trip in your pocket & a 'fake' wallet with a few bucks to 'throw down' in case of thieves.]l

I was referring to my actual carry-on pack for putting up on a bus rack and it should be locked when left, even in a hotel room. A day pack is small and can easily sit on one's lap. It would be a magnet for theft if left above.

It is probably buses with frequent changes of passengers and overhead racks that have the worst problems. An overnighter where you can place the pack in a compartment above and anyone would have to lean over you and click it open to get at it is probably the safest.

I would agree at the very least to put some kind of cable lock on anything you put in the overhead rack. The majority of buses through out Central America have only a metal rack and not an enclosed storage area like you would see on an airline. Our packs I guess are medium size. I am not a back packer, but I guess you would describe them as a day pack. A little bit larger than your average Jansport students pack. We still to be safe carry those in our laps. It makes it a little more uncomfortable, but well worth the lowered risk of losing our stuff.