Great epic report!
I'm a rock climber and often have a backback or some sort as I board in first class. When I was younger, I definitely would get looks and the occasional comment. I'm glad when the airline personnel politely ask in which class am I traveling. They are doing their job to keep first class exclusive. As for the fellow passengers who assume you are in the wrong place, just smile and ignore. It's a technique that will always win out.
A couple of years ago, I was teaching in Munich and had flown down to South Africa on Emirates in FC. The funniest moment came at the gate in Dubai on the way home when I ran into several of my students and their families who had spent the week there. The gate was chaos and the minute they called for the FC pax, I wished them a good flight. I didn't stick around for their reactions but I did hear whispers about it when I was lecturing the next week!
