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The single most important item I pack on my travels is my portable safe: my Pacsafe Travelsafe 12L.
For years, I’ve been recommending this product to every traveler I know. Budget, luxury, mid-range, family, solo, everything. I’ve urged everyone coming on our Central America tours to buy one for themselves.
And yet so few travelers have a portable safe. It blows my mind; I honestly think everyone should own one of these.
I use my TravelSafe to keep my valuables safe in my accommodation, whether it’s a hostel, a guesthouse, a hotel, or a rental.
Yes, hostel dorms almost always have lockers. (I’ve stayed in more than 70 hostels around the world and only three of them didn’t provide lockers in the dorms.) And nicer hotels often have safes.
But those hotel safes are often tiny — I can barely fit in more than my passport and Macbook Air.
And what about guesthouses, Airbnb rentals, and hotels that just don’t have safes? What would you do if an unscrupulous employee, another traveler, or someone off the street broke into your room and saw your expensive items lying around, plum for the taking?
Yes, in a perfect world, nobody would break into your room and steal your things. Most travelers are kindhearted, most accommodation wouldn’t want the bad publicity. But robberies still occur on the road, perpetrated by both locals and fellow travelers. For that reason, we must protect ourselves.
Enter the Pacsafe TravelSafe
The Pacsafe TravelSafe is a mesh-lined black bag anchored by a cord that you can fill, close, and lock to something sturdy in your room.
I keep all my valuables in my TravelSafe: my passport, laptop, DSLR camera, external hard drives, sometimes credit cards. I only take them out when I need to use them.
Because of this, I don’t have to carry all my valuables with me whenever I leave my accommodation. Only when I’m in transit.
How to Use the Pacsafe TravelSafe
Step 1: Put your valuables into the TravelSafe.
Step 2: Pull the cord tight, pulling the bead through the keyhole.
Step 3: Pull the cord into the smaller hole of the figure-8-shaped keyhole, keeping the bead pulled through it.
Step 4: Wind the cord around the item you’re locking it to. (This railing is just used as an example; see below for where you should lock it.)
Step 5: Line up the larger hole in the keyhole and the loop at the end of the cord.
Step 6: Put a lock through the larger hole in the keyhole and the loop at the end of the cord.
Step 7: Close the lock.
If you follow these steps, the bag will be completely closed and locked to whatever you locked it to.
What Should You Lock Your Pacsafe To?
The best thing you can lock your Pacsafe TravelSafe to is a pipe in your room. Pipes are sturdy and they can’t be destroyed without causing a lot of flooding in the process. If a would-be thief is an employee of your accommodation, he won’t want to risk hundreds of dollars worth of damage.
If you don’t have a pipe, lock it to the base of your sink. Same reason as a pipe.
If you don’t have pipes or a sink, lock it to the sturdiest thing in the room. In this case, I locked it to my wooden bedframe while winding it through the metal box spring as well.
Is a Travelsafe 100% Effective Against Robbery?
No. Nothing is 100% effective. If a professional thief is determined to steal from you, he will have the equipment to steal from you, no matter how many precautions you take.
However, the vast majority of thieves in the world are opportunistic, not professional. They burst into hostel dorms or guesthouse rooms and grab whatever’s easy: passports hidden beneath pillows, phones left in their chargers. They grab what they can and get out before they’re discovered. Breaking into a safe? Not worth the time or hassle.
Keeping Your Belongings Safe In Your Accommodation
I’ve been traveling full-time for more than four years, and although lots of bad things have happened to me on the road (I’ve been pickpocketed, mugged, shipwrecked, etc.), I have never had anything stolen from my room. (Knock on wood.)
Most people I know who have traveled that long have had something stolen from their room at least once. Even on my current trip in Central America, I’ve already heard several stories about stolen phones.
I’m sure I’ve lucked out this long because I’ve always been so careful, and a big part of that has been using my TravelSafe vigilantly.
Here are some other ways to keep your belongings safe:
Never leave your valuables unattended in a dorm or shared accommodation. Even if you’re using the bathroom for just a minute, don’t leave your laptop out on your bed.
Stay with your phone while it charges. If you need to go somewhere, use a portable charger and take it with you, or lock your phone in the Travelsafe while charging. I use the MyCharge Peak 6000 ($59.99 on Amazon).
Don’t trust strangers to watch your things. While it’s tempting to ask a Starbucks neighbor to keep an eye on your laptop, it’s safer to take your laptop with you and ask the neighbor to hold your table instead.
Which PacSafe TravelSafe Is Right For You?
Pacsafe TravelSafe 12L — This is the one I use. It’s big enough for a 15″ laptop, DSLR camera, and a few other bulky items, including my purse. $88.55 on Amazon. Note — this is currently unavailable. I recommend you look at the TravelSafe 25 instead.
Pacsafe TravelSafe 5L — This will fit a small laptop and flat items. If you have a camera larger than a point-and-shoot, you should get the 12L. $69.98 on Amazon.
Pacsafe C25 Stealth — The Stealth is a slightly different model that can fit around a small camera bag. $79.31 on Amazon.
If you’re a photographer with lots of camera bodies and lenses, or otherwise have a lot of valuable gear, consider investing in a 55L Backpack and Bag Protector instead. It works the same way as the TravelSafe; you just wrap up your entire bag in the cage. $68.51 on Amazon.
MasterLock Combination Lock — Whichever safe you use, I recommend picking up a few of these locks because it’s smart to have extras. I use these locks because they’re TSA-approved and you can set your own combination.
Trust me on this — you don’t want to wait to buy a portable safe until you get robbed. Get into the habit of using one on your next trip.
NOTE: This is not an advertisement and I was not compensated for this post — I just love my TravelSafe and wanted to write about it. However, this post does contain affiliate links. If you choose to buy through these links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which will help reduce the increasing costs of running this site. Thanks!
In almost every hostel that I have been in Europe they have lockers big enough to put all my electronics, some of them very modern! with electronic keys and everything. Also, I always do a little internet research to see if they have been, if not I just go to another hostel. I know that Pacsafe gets a lot of publicity but at the same time I had read a lot of stories of people who at the end gets annoyed by them. I’m not convinced about the bags yet.
Hey, if you’re traveling exclusively to hostels where you’re 100% sure you’ll have a locker large enough to fit all of your valuables every time, I agree, you can get away without it.
But what if the hostel only has lockers for certain dorms and not all of them? That just happened to me in Monteverde, even though it said “has lockers” on its website and all the hostel booking sites.
What if you decide to get a private room in a hostel, whether you’re tired of dorms or sharing with a friend, and it has no locker?
What if you want to travel to Southeast Asia, where hostels are considerably rarer and guesthouses without lockers are the norm?
You’re probably not always going to stay exclusively in hostel dorms. Once you plan another kind of trip, you should consider getting a portable safe of some kind.
We’ve been fortunate enough to not have anything stolen while traveling, although we did have our home broken into, ironically. After that I’m paranoid. I’ve been considering purchasing one of these for at least the peace of mind, but always just thought it would be possible for them to cut the cord and run off with all the good stuff. I like the idea of locking it onto a sink or weaving it through the bed. Anything that makes it much more difficult!
Oh, it’s totally possible that a pro could cut through it, but most thieves aren’t pros. You’re right — anything that makes it more difficult is a good thing!
I love Pacsafe, I brought one of their bags with the safe part inside to keep my camera stuff safe. It really gives you peace of mind! 🙂
I recently bought one of their day bags and I’ve been really loving it so far. Will do a review in the future!
oh heaven’s, thank you for this great tip! didn’t know something like that even existed.. would have done me good in thailand last year, when I lost my passport two days before flying home!
Oh no, that must have been so awful and inconvenient! Hope you didn’t have to change your flight.
Wow – thank you so much for this. I too, didn’t know anything like this existed! I’ve always just relied on hotel safes and the like, but agree that they won’t fit things like a laptop.
Jessica
http://www.thebellevoyage.com
Anytime. They’re so useful that I’m always singing their praises.
I think I’ve just been very lucky so far because I honestly never considered getting something to store my valuables while I travel. But what you said struck me; I can’t afford to wait until it happens to start being smart about my stuff. Thanks for pointing this out, Kate!
Anytime, Marie! You need to get one for your big Eurotrip!
Totally agree!!! I have the 5L, and along with my packing cubes is the best thing I take travelling! Peace of mind is highly underrated!
although tied it up under a sink once in Vietnam and it got soaked due to a little leak….whoops!
Yikes! That’s something to check on. If you secure it beneath a sink, a rain cover wouldn’t be a bad idea.
What stops a thief from just cutting the bag open?
I was just wondering about this
I think you’ll find like a lot of Pacsafe bags there is a layer of mesh/wire in there to protect against slashing.
This is what I meant about professional thieves vs. opportunistic thieves. Professional thieves will have bolt cutters strong enough to cut this lock open. But the vast majority of thieves are opportunistic, not professional, and won’t be carrying that kind of equipment or have enough time to destroy a safe.
In the rare event that a professional thief robs you by using his equipment to cut through the mesh or thick cord, that’s why you have travel insurance to back you up.
It’s the same as bike locks. Professional thieves have saws and bolt cutters strong enough to cut off locks, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth investing in a bike lock. The vast majority of bike thieves are opportunistic and go after bikes that are unsecured or otherwise easy to steal.
Jo and Lana, this exactly happened to me. An employee in a hostel in Nicaragua waited for a time the hostel was empty and let an accomplice in to cut through my bag. It would have taken some time, and it was not opportunistic. I lost cash and credit cards but not my passport fortunately.
As Kate mentioned, travel insurance covered my cash and the bank covered the money used on my cards.
As an unashamed plug for Pacsafe, after I posted a photo of the bag with a hole on their FB page, they contacted me and sent me a brand new model 12L Portable safe and an RFID passport wallet – wait for it – all the way to Costa Rica at their cost!! Very few companies stand by their products like Pacsafe. Like you, Kate, I wouldn’t travel without one!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Paul!
Thanks for the review! I’ve been wondering how religiously people actually use these. I’ve been considering buying the 55L bag protector because it seems it’d be easy to throw my whole backpack in it and lock it up that way. I need one just for my mental state if nothing else. Leaving behind a camera and laptop while traveling makes me nervous.
I’ve had the big full-backpack PacSafe for about 10 years and I hate that darn thing. My spouse insists we take it on our trips and we rarely use it, plus it is huge and heavy. I hadn’t seen the smaller version Kate listed here until today….looks like a much better option to me.
I used the big cage on my trip to Southeast Asia and I much prefer using this version of the portable safe!
I’ve used both the bag protector and the TravelSafe in the past, and I massively prefer the TravelSafe. It’s just so much easier to use, rather than wrapping up your whole backpack (though I do think the bag protector is best for people like photographers who have tons of valuable gear).
I am going to start a 6-8 month solo-backpacking trip to SE Asia and I am trying to decide between the bag protector and the TravelSafe. The TravelSafe definitely sounds more convenient, but what do you do with the rest of your belongings when you leave for the day? I.e. Are you ever concerned about your entire backpack getting stolen?
Also, I can’t thank you enough for all of your informative and entertaining posts! You have been an amazing resource in my planning!
I recommend the TravelSafe over the bag protector because it’s easier to use and roll up. Keep your valuables in your TravelSafe; nobody is interested in stealing your dirty laundry!
I don’t know if you already went on your trip but they have the travel safe x15 that’s made to fit inside their Venturesafe X – backpacks. I just ordered so can’t review but I think this combo will make me feel safer when traveling alone. Good luck!
Hey Kate! The last few weeks I wondered whether to buy a PacSafe or not and I think you just convinced me ;)! I’ve always traveled with simple stuff (e.g. a cheapass backpack and no further ‘equipment’), but I think this one may be worth the money!
Your passport alone is worth quite a bit, no matter how simple a packer you are!
I love this post! I’ve heard a ton about the PacSafe but now that I’m starting to travel more I feel like I should really invest… especially the part about using it even in AirBnB type accommodations! I’m going to Puerto Rico in a few weeks and staying in a house my friend rented, think I should get one for that trip? (Really! I’m wondering now!)
It’s totally your call whether to use it or not, but I think it’s a good investment for all sorts of future trips. (Also, will anyone else be in your house? Cleaners? Maintenance people? Owners? That’s a good reason to use a portable safe in an entire house you rent.) Have fun in Puerto Rico; I really want to go there!
This is so helpful!! I’m going to Colombia in two weeks on a tour and one of the nights we are sleeping on hammocks in a national park… I’ve been considering not bringing my DSLR camera because of this night but now I think I’ll invest in a PacSafe. Thanks so much for your review!
Anytime! Camping is another great time to use a portable safe. Make sure you get some kind of rain cover if you’re anchoring it outside, though!
Well, you just talked me and boyfriend into getting one of these. We’re leaving for Costa Rica/Mexico this weekend, so we’re heading to REI to get this or something similar now.
For those who are skeptical, I think it’s important to note that a substantial amount of theft in the world is opportunistic. So you’re protecting yourself from that. A ‘professional’ thief will absolutely be able to steal all of your stuff no matter what protective measures you take. That’s what insurance is for. 😉
Kate — Next time (when I have more lead time) I’ll buy through your affiliate links! Would love to support your site.
Diana, I’m so glad to hear that you’re getting one for your trip! And thank you for your kind words — no worries about the commission, but so nice that you’d like to support me through the links in the future. 🙂
We had borrowed a Pac Safe years ago when we travelled to SE Asia, and so for our rtw last year we invested in one and didn’t use it once! It was nice to have though, and fortunately we had no issues, other than carrying around the extra weight.
It’s not THAT much extra weight though, right? Very light bag! I’m surprised you didn’t use it — did you secure your valuables in any way?
I use a combination of a masterlock and a pacsafe retractable lock to lock my bag and then secure my bag to the sturdiest thing in the room. It won’t protect me from slashing unfortunately but it seems to work for now.
I’ve been thinking about picking up one of those but not sure if i want the extra weight. If I’m staying in a dorm room- where I am 99% of the time I probably will put my valuables in the lockers anyways because i couldn’t exactly secure this to the shared bathroom sink and I feel like it would look too tempting just sitting there in the room secured to a mattress.
To be honest, it hardly weighs anything at all. It’s very light.
If you already have a bag lock and you’re 100% sure you’ll have large enough lockers at your disposal, I think you can hold off for your upcoming trip, but it’s a good thing to get for future trips, especially if you’re heading somewhere like Southeast Asia where hostels aren’t as common.
This looks good! I haven’t seen them before! I’ve got by with a tiny padlock all these years, but I know if someone really wanted to break into a locker with that on, they probably could!
These are the best. Especially traveling where you travel, you should get one!
Hi Kate,
It’s interesting you wrote this review since I got a Pacsafe several years ago after reading a recommendation by you.
You’re right, it is a good (and ingenious) thing to carry with you in certain environments. And if I was going to be on the road for an extended period, unsure of what conditions might be, I wouldn’t leave home without it.The only problem is that in some places you really have to look about for something substantial to lock it onto. But you’ll always find something.
BTW, noticed that your nails almost match the color of the keyhole.
Jim
Thanks, Jim! You’re right, sometimes it can be a challenge finding something really sturdy, especially if you don’t have a bedframe OR a sink. And the nails were a total accident!
key hole is purple, nails are blue. ( just to be precise!)
definitely going to buy one for 12 week trip in Europe!
Just bought one of these! I had thought about it a while ago, but passed, but traveling around with having to rely on hostel lockers (or just hiding stuff in my locked suitcase) did make me nervous. I have a business trip at the end of the month, and I’ll be including some personal vacation time there as well, and having a way to secure my work laptop when I’m on the vacation portion will definitely make me feel better!
I’ve never heard of the pacsafe before Kate, but I’ll certainly think about it!
In the past, whenever I went to Asia, I kept my laptop at home and only took the ipad and phone. They went wherever I went and that included my purse. I never left my purse/passport etc in the room unless it was in a safe or locker.
In Europe, I’ve always been a little bit more relaxed as in bringing the laptop along, but again purse/passport/phone never left lying around, so perhaps a pacsafe is good for peace of mind anyway!
Wow, I had no idea these existed. I tend to travel really light and keep valuables (passport, small camera, wallet, and a flip phone that I probably couldn’t give away) in a safe or on my person but if that ever changes, I would def. get one of these. Thanks for the tip!
I had no idea this even existed!! What an amazing idea.. I’m still not sure I’d leave really valuable things like my passport/credit cards that I would panic without, but my laptop is quite big and it was often a struggle to get them into lockers in Thailand although I always managed somehow! I’m definitely going to consider buying one of these for my upcoming trip to India! And for sure I will purchase it through your blog! Awesome post! Thanks for the great tip 🙂
http://thelifeofastudenttraveller.blogspot.co.uk/
Glad to hear it, Steph! Thanks.
Oh my gosh! Thanks Kate, I didn’t know this existed, it seems like such a good idea. I might have to order one soon! I will knock on wood and say….nearly four year and I have been fine, nothing stole, well- nothing significant.
I’m terrified of it though, I have gone as far as HIKING with my MacBook Air. Lucky it’s light, but still… Really? It’s a bit ridiculous.
Thank you for this, I hope you get a massive bonus for shedding light on this product! I’ll order from your link if I do order! 🙂
Looks to be a good item however the lock looks kind of small ie can get picked easy. Is that not the case?
Most people don’t have the ability to pick locks. Most opportunistic thieves don’t have the time to pick a lock. If a pro picks your lock, there’s nothing you can do against a pro.
Sink drain pipes are meant to be easily disassembled for clearing clogs. The nuts are usually only hand tight, and the pipe only keeps a little water in it that is easily cleaned up with a towel. I wouldn’t trust it to protect my stuff from even a casual thief. It may act as a psychological deterrent, like signs on your house stating you have a security system, but it’s also an attractive nuisance that would even tempt Mother Theresa. I’d be tempted to undo the pipe, dump the bag on your bed, and attach a “security fail” note to it.
I think attaching the bag to the bed frame makes the most sense. Especially if you do it at the back of the bed tucked out of the way.
Anyway, it’s a neat product, and I’ll probably look into getting one.
Hi Kate! I didn’t read through all of the comments, so it’s possible that someone already asked, but how does this bag hold up to a sharp knife? If I’m storing my laptop or camera in the bag it would seem fairly obvious by its shape or feel and if someone really wanted them, what’s stopping them from slashing it with a sharp knife?
It’s a stainless steel mesh surrounded by two layers of fabric. It should be knife resistant.
Check the comments above — I answered that a few times and think I’m done saying the same thing over and over. 🙂
kate hi how are you, I really like your writing and hopes to continue to follow your website …
TQ
Just the thing I was looking for but couldn’t find. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Though I’ve been travelling since the 80’s, I have never had anything stolen, apart from my travellers checks in Greece (don’t need them now) but then I have always stayed in hotels or friends’ homes. Never been a backpacker. Travelled in Europe for six months in a camper van. Been to Morocco, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. My biggest problem is that I stupidly leave things around and forget where I’ve left them. Lost my passport at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, but found it later at the Information Desk. Left my camera equipment in the cafeteria at the same airport. Went back later and found it still sitting where I’d left it. Forgot my passport and a large sum of money at an information counter at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. I need someone to watch over me so that I don’t get stolen. I am about to embark on my most adventurous trip ever. Leaving the counrty of my birth (South Africa) and not ever going back. I have no idea where I’m going to end up. Thanks Kate for this post. I’ll get one of those Pacsafe Travelsafe 12L via your site soon.
Wow this is incredibly helpful. Hostel accommodations may or may not have security for our personal belongings and it is very important to keep our things safe. What I usually do, I don’t bring too many gadgets when I travel. Only important documents, wallet, my phone and camera. But this article really give me an idea on how to handle carefully my luggage. Thanks, appreciate it!
Great article Kate, really helpful. I’ll have to buy one tomorrow, though I do have a question. Forgive me for not reading through all the replies, you may have already answered this. How about the little padlock. Does that come with the bag and is it unbreakable as well? I always thought that unless you buy a super large and strong one and thus very heavy and bulky padlock, they too can be broken with a hacksaw? Thanks in advance for answering and forgive me if this is a stupid question 🙂
The ones I recommend you buy separately. And yes, it’s possible to break a lock, but only professional thieves will have the ability to do that — the average opportunistic thief won’t have a hacksaw with him.
This looks great! My hubby is always worried about “cleaning lady” type thieves. I think I’m going to invest in this before our trip!
Two questions that may sound weird but : can this go through carry-on travels and doesn’t it feel heavy to load around?
Absolutely and it’s not that heavy, but you might have trouble fitting it into a carry-on bag with everything else. Depends on how much room you have; I know most people fill carry-on bags to bursting!
Thanks for the review Kate! I’m gearing up for my travels and have been looking into different travel gear for safety and convenience. I will definitely look into the PacSafe. Cheers!
Helpful review. Thank you!
Hello Kate,
This post reminds me of my experience in Macau. Yeah, I have a carry-on small backpack everything was there my passport, Macau Dollars, and even my SLR camera, and all the essential things during my travel. But the thing was, due to excitement of exploring the place, I left it in the bus! I should probably use a bag with cord and tied it up to my belt next time I travel. Thank you for sharing this post!
Sincerely,
Ada
Definitely a handy item, it being a small size and seems fairly lightweight, too!
I’ll tell you a PacSafe item which turned out NOT to be handy for me and a different item which did.
The PacSafe mesh wire Backpack and Bag Protector (55L) ended up getting sent home with a friend who visited me here in New Zealand. It’s awkward to put on over a bag and it’s too heavy to carry all over the world. I think if someone really wanted to steal something from your big backpack, they’d just pick it up and run with it regardless of mesh wire wrapped around it or not.
My TSA locks on my bag afford me enough piece of mind. I have two main zipper compartments on my MEI Voyager bag. With one TSA locking up each compartment, I leave my backpack in my room without worry. I just buckle it to a bed or something to make it more annoying for someone to snatch up in a quick steal.
just FYI-i was told by a friend who works for the TSA to only use the TSA approved locks if are locking up suitcase during a flight-but these locks are made to be opened with a special tool they have, and many thieves also have the small tool as well. it’s a little more than opportunistic, but since smaller than say a bolt cutter to carry, probably not as safe to use those locks when leaving things in your room.. i have used the pac safe purse for many years now-the zippers can be locked together, and the handle has 2 steel cables in it so can’t be cut thru. the handle also has a self locking release at one end so can be separated and looped around the chair for example so that no one can pass quickly by and snatch it-or for the forgetful person can be wrapped around your waist so you don’t leave it behind! it’s my always travel purse, just bought another one for upcoming trip to italy that is a little larger. great option for women-they also make a securable fanny pack with same mesh and locking zippers but i personally don’t care for the look of wearing a fanny pack. I was pick pocketed in rome as we were getting on the public bus by an innocent looking 14 year old girl-before i had the pac safe purse. she had her hand under the flap and the zipper pushed open in seconds-luckily all my money and passport, charge cards were inside my money belt that i always wear-all she would have gotten was guidebook, water, gum and lipstick-haha! it pays to take a little extra precaution-even when traveling at home in the USA, not just abroad. also be wary of hotel safes-my friend had her things stolen from her room safe in chicago at a very nice hotel in a nice part of town..management has keys to open those safes, for example if someone leaves safe locked when they check out. If those keys go missing or are not secured, thieves can simply open those safes. 60 minutes had a piece about this a few years ago. have fun traveling, but stay safe!!
I was thinking about buying a small safe for my car but thats a great alternative. I agree with you that the most thiefs are non-professionals and thats why pacsafe is enough protection most of the time 🙂
Wow! That’s one good stuff to keep your important things safe. I might consider this in the future. For now, I’m contented with hostel lockers. LOL…
This is awesome! Thanks for posting. I will admit that I get overly trusting of people in hostels and tend not to look my stuff up. I know, bad bad bad! Now that I’ve been traveling with more expensive equipment and my computer I will definitely pick one of these up for my next big trip. You can never be too safe these days.
Hey, it’s all good now. As long as you start doing it in the future!
Nice review, but I don’t recommend using the pipes of a sink as a base. Someone could unscrew the pipes in less than a minute and your bag will be gone. My wife has a Pacsafe bag and she loves it. We just got another one, but haven’t used it yet. I may return it for the one that you reviewed.
This is great info; thanks for the tips and all the photos!… going to buy one before my trip across the US then onto Australia and SE Asia. 🙂
Glad to hear it! It will be especially helpful in Southeast Asia, where safes are rare.
NEED NEED NEED! Thank you for this post! On my recent trip to San Juan, PR, our safe would not work properly, and when we finally got it open, I didn’t trust that it would open back up. Luckily, our hotel had a safe in their office, which we used, but I do prefer to lock items in something myself…I’ll have to buy one of these! Thanks so much!!
So glad to hear that, Denise!
Thanks for the in-depth review! Will definitely consider one of these for my next trip.
I love this review! You convinced me!
Definitely an essential part of my packing list now!
Glad to hear it, Steph!
Hi Kate,
Thanks for the suggestions. As a photographer and videographer I constantly worry about keeping equipment and data safe, especially in low-cost budget conditions. Was a bit skeptical about the weight at first but after checking the 12L comes out at 1.1 pounds? I have two other questions:
– would you know if there’s a waterproof version?
– as far as you can tell, is the material sturdy enough to resist basic attacks (ie a sharp knife) ?
Just relaunched OOAworld, feel free to check it out connect, and enjoy your travels! Thanks!
http://www.ooaworld.com
I personally didn’t take a knife to it myself, so I can’t say for certain, but it’s quite sturdy. As for a waterproof version, I don’t think there is one yet. There should be!
Thanks for the great tip Kate. I think when you’re not staying in budget hotels, you often forget to be as vigilent. Occasionally I’ve just locked things into my suitcase but this looks much more sturdy. By the way, is it possible to cut through the mesh?
Hi, Qin — take a look at my responses to the same question above.
This is the perfect thing ever! What a great piece of advice! As my honeymoon trip is coming up, I’m worried about my phone, camera, passports, etc. Thank you so much for a great review, I can’t wait to purchase one!!
I want one.
My mum’s friend stayed at a pretty fancy hotel in Thailand. She put her emergency money in the room safe and didn’t touch it the whole time she was there. It was in an envelope so she didn’t check it until she got home and there was $500 missing out of it. So, of course, now every time I travel I get the ‘don’t use the hotel safe’ lecture.
Also, I’ve never had problems with an Airbnb place but you don’t know… the hosts do have access to the place.
just an extra to note, you can’t always rely on hostel lockers- in Cambodia another backpacker broke into EVERY locker in the hostel reception and stole all he could carry (phones, wallets, passports, laptops, cameras etc). The police had to be paid to investigate. He was caught on cctv and arrested but just paid the police more to let him go. So I guess nothing is foolproof but the harder you can make it for the thief the better?
Great review! I just bought two pacsafe products. I opted for the 55L backpack protector that wraps around the outside of my bag. This one you review looks awesome too. It was hard to decide. I’m a little concerned after reading one of the comments on here about it. I wanted the ability to put my nice camera backpack in it too. Or to wrap my whole backpack with it on a train if need be. I also splurged and got the small Citysafe CS50 for when I don’t want to carry a large bag around with me. Have you ever run into a circumstance where there wasn’t something to lock it to?
Occasionally I don’t have anywhere to lock it, but in that case, I’m able to find a locker somewhere.
After reading this post, I took your advice and bought myself a Pacsafe. It was the best decision. Even though, where I was staying in Mexico City was a safe and comfortable, the bag gave me peace of mind that I needed. I didn’t have to worry if I misplaced my passport or extra cash in a drawer or my luggage somewhere. So, thank you for this post!