I am planning on packing two bags for my flight. Checking the pack, and then using my day pack as a carry on – just so I have the things that I need for my flight to Paris. However, once I get there – I am making sure to leave enough room to put my day pack inside of my big pack so that I’m not lugging around two bags in Paris. I think that’ll work best for all legs of my trip – i’m thinking that is my best bet..
time will tell..
:>

I usually keep them separate. Some daypacks collapse really small but most of the good-quality ones (which are more comfortable and distribute weight better) don’t squish down so small. Besides, I always find I end up needing the space. I regularly switch items between the daypack and big pack depending on what I need for that day.

You can always carry the big one on your back and the small one on your front. Most of the time, you leave the big pack at the hostel anyway and just carry the daypack.

I’m betting that even people who start their trip with the intention of squishing one inside the other will end up keeping them separate most of the time.

I agree segacs. You will probably be switching things between the two packs, and carrying your daypack in front gives you easy access to everything in there opposed to having to take your whole pack off just to grab a bottle water, camera, ..etc.

What are you planning to carry in your daypack? Personally I only carried my digicam, a local guidebook, map or two, umbrella (smalled one I could find at brookstone) and a sweater or wind breaker. I fit all that with some extra space in a very small 920 ci backpack. Since the weight was so little I had no need for real weight distribution (though it had a hipbelt if needed, never used it) I could even throw in a 32 oz water bottle if I wanted and an extra layer of sweater or jacket.

When taking it I either squished it into my main pack (not that great of a fit, harder as I accumulated things over the trip) or just "strapped" it onto the outside of the big pack. It was easy to do since there was four straps that covered the main outside. Tighten it down a little and it feels like part of the main pack.

Actually I rarely used my daypack for that sort of thing. I never really went walking around cities with a daypack. My little purse/pouch was big enough to fit camera, sunglasses, sunscreen, map, torn-out guidebook pages, wallet (most money stashed in money belt, only enough for the day in the wallet), etc.

I used my daypack as a carry-on bag on airplanes or trains or buses, in which case I kept my pack pillow, paperback book, CD player, etc. in it.

I also used it for nature hikes or things like that, when I would take my rain poncho, binoculars, sunscreen, bugspray, etc. in it.

Plus, I used it as a bag to take to the beach.

The rest of the trip, I mainly stored stuff in it that I didn’t want to get wet or crushed among the rest of the stuff in my big backpack. Or things I needed to find easily, like medication, extra batteries, deck of cards, CDs and player, souvenirs, etc.

I have a day bag that fits in my back pack but by the end of the trip (since I use a very small backpack) it is usually used seperatly most the time because I accumulate crap (and get lazy about re-packing logically)

One thing people frequently forget when packing is that you may have weeks to stuff all your crap into your pack the first time, but after that you’ll probably only have a few minutes to repack each morning while on your trip. When you roll out of bed at 7am and have to be at the train station by 7:30, you will need to throw your stuff into your bag as quickly as possible. That’s where that "laziness" that Lex mentioned comes into play.

I take a couple of packing cubes with me, which are a matter of personal preference but I find they make it easier to organize and repack stuff each morning. I also have been known to take a shopping bag or extra bag for stuff I buy until I can manage to ship it home or somehow pack it in my bag.

And #1 tip: leave extra space! Don’t fill your backpack till it’s bursting before you leave. Leave some room for the stuff you will accumulate.

Somehing I do while moving around is use my daypack in front with my most important things, or stuff I use a lot (maps, compass, etc; It helps to keep the balance while walking to have some weight in front. When I land in a city I leave my backpack wherever I’m staying or in a train station and walk all day with my small daypack, where I keep camera stuff, water, windbreaker and a couple of important papers. Something very important is some deodorant, and so if I ever don’t come home for a day or two it’s no problem. ( I leave extra room for food in case I need it)…

Sequacs; What is a pack pillow??? Does it take up a lot of room?

A pack pillow is a small pillow that packs down very small into its own stuff sack. Also known as a camping pillow in some stores. You can get one at most travel, camping, or sporting goods stores.

It’s not necessary of course, but mine came in very handy to sleep on buses or trains, or when the pillows provided by a hostel were less than adequate. Of course, you can save space by just taking a pillowcase and stuffing a sweatshirt inside, but the pack pillow took up very little room and it was nice having it.