What kind of luggage to take inter-railing in Europe

Backpacks don't make any sense to me, unless you're actually going hiking or biking or something, where every ounce counts and comfort is extremely important. Or if you're going somewhere where roads and infrastructure is less developed and you'll be walking around on dirt roads, or through rough villages. Traveling in much of Europe is much more about arriving at a train station, standing in line, getting a ticket, juggling documents at the ticket window, walking over to get a coffee, walking down the track, get on train, then get out at the destination and to a bus or taxi or walk a short distance to the hostel/hotel. Backpacks are a royal PITA in those situations. If you're in line, you're either wearing them (looking like major tourists and kind of jostling others in line) or they're balanced awkwardly against your leg. You can't stack another bag on top of it, while using another arm for groceries or a handbag or umbrella. If one person needs to go do something, it's difficult for the other to handle two bags at once. Personally, I also like not sticking out by announcing I'm a backpacker to everyone within the immediate area. Dark jeans or black pants, and semi-decent luggage makes you look more like a local than an out and out foreign tourist, which in my experience has meant a dramatic decrease in people trying to hassle us or pick our pockets. Anyway - it depends on the type of travel and location. For regular travel in most of Europe, I'd definitely bring a rolling suitcase, or more likely my Eagle Creek which has serviceable backpack straps and wheels and an extendable handle. I wouldn't go hiking with it, but it's perfect for the rare occasion when a rolly bag isn't useful.

I used keychain rings - split loops - to keep my zippers zipped when I didn't want to padlock them. It adds just enough difficulty to keep a pickpocketer from stealthily sliding them open.

It turns out that pack shopping in Ireland was a bust, nothing even remotely suitable available anywhere I could get to (to be fair, I live in a small city). But I went to visit my sister in Scotland recently and both pack shopping and outdoor shopping in general over there is awesome. So I came back with an Osprey http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/womens/ariel_65_1 for myself and just ordered an http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/mens/aether_70_1 for my husband. I ended up with a 65L pack because I could not find the 55L one available anywhere, but it's really adjustable so I'm just going to partially fill it then cinch it down (then try not to use it as an excuse for shopping). We did look at a lot of different packs and bags, keeping in mind the really great advice from here, and the Osprey ones won hands down. I'm super impressed with the quality and looking forward to lugging them around the place. So thanks!

There are backpack things with wheels on the bottom that you can carry on your back or wheel around like a suitcase. And backpacks can often be locked simply by putting a little padlock through the zip(per)s. So it's not an option to be ruled out, necessarily.

I have used PacSafe whole-bag mesh with success on an RTW trip (not a PacSafe bag, but rather a collapsible steel cable mesh that completely enveloped my backpack, such that it could be worn while enclosed or else locked to something sturdy). Any security can be defeated by the dedicated thief, but it's only a matter of being the harder of two targets... As for backpacks, I am a recent convert to the Osprey Porter series, having previously used RedOxx (I still love it, but not for long trips) and Dana Design. I most recently used the Osprey on a multi-week multi-country Europe trip and found it eminently reasonable.

Yes - get a backpack lock or even, low-tech, some twisty ties to tie the zippers together. The more a thief has to futz with getting your bag open, the less likely they will even bother and the more likely that you will notice. Another advantage of having a smaller pack is that you will be more likely to feel it if someone is trying to open it. If you're sleeping on the train or whatever, use the pack as a pillow, or keep it close to your head, or loop your arm through the straps, again so that you will probably wake up if someone is messing with it.

If you're traveling in cold weather, make sure you take into account the bulk of your coat/jacket, in terms of both fit and space. Also, if you're in a crowded place and need to stand still for a while to study a map, try to stand with your back to a wall so it's not exposed while you're distracted. Select a pack with very few outer pockets, especially those that bulge out (which are easier to open without making the mark aware). IMO, backpacks > suitcases because it's so much better to have two hands free at all times. Plus, cobblestones UGH. I always travel with a backpack that I bought for ultralight hiking; it only has one massive pocket that's really unwieldy for a pickpocket to open. In addition, I always walk around with a purse (a shoulder bag with a thick strap) so it's obvious that my backpack doesn't contain any valuables.

For situations where you arrive before check in time or have to check out long before your train, ask if the hotel will store your bags. I've never had trouble with this, and I never stay anywhere nice. My recommendation for finding a pack is to go to a camping/outdoors store or wherever travel packs are sold near you, and try a bunch on. Last time I went shopping for a pack, my criteria were: ~45 L capacity Comfortable Zip closures around the sides of the bag as opposed top loading and closed with a latch. Under $200 I ended up with an Osprey Kestrel, which has three out of four of those: it's a top loader, which is definitely still my least favorite thing about it.

The Osprey Porter looks really great but it's not available in Europe, ug. Importing one would be super expensive thanks to international postage, VAT and the courier company's made up customs charges, so I really need something I can buy in person or online from within the EU.