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66 of 67 found the following review helpful:
 Best travel bag ever Apr 25, 2008
By Khun Nali
"Nali"
I bought one of these before I moved to the jungles of Thailand for 6 months and I must admit, as a poor traveler I balked at the price and I had my doubts about it's claims of anti-theft. I carried this bag with me every single day, through four different Southeast Asian countries, in cities, in jungles, airports, on busses, trains, and taxis. This bag survived crowded markets with sly thieves and "slash artists", three motorcycle accidents, rainstorms, dust storms, a riot and more wild stories than I can recount. In that entire time I was never robbed, and my things (namely, my notebooks and camera and phone) never got wet. The inside is roomy, and there aren't too many pockets for things to get lost in. The zipper has a clip on it so when you feel you need some extra safety you can lock it and unlock it quickly and discreetly. When I used it I had a small wallet with a little chain that clipped nicely into the inside of the bag so I could always find my money fast, and never worried about someone lifting it while I wasn't paying attention.
I like this bag because of the anti-theft, but it also doesn't look as ugly as most travel bags tend to. Although it certainly isn't something that I would carry around at home, it doesn't scream "tourist" and if you buy the black one it's unobtrusive and doesn't call attention to itself.
At the very end of my stay the steel wires in the straps started to fray and poke out, scratching my arms. However, when you take into account that this bag was on my person literally every day for 6 months it's hard to be critical. I would buy it again, and I would recommend it to anyone who is traveling in an area where they worry about theft.
47 of 47 found the following review helpful:
Well worth the money Mar 11, 2009
By Passante
I was able to see this bag in reality at my local REI, explore the inside, and try it on before buying. It seemed to be what I'd been looking for so I went for it (a red one). And it has worked out so well over the past couple of years, that I am ready to buy a black one.
Versatility: wear it over your shoulder, across your body, or even as a pseudo backpack (how we used to wear our school satchels in pre-backpack days in England): (1) hang the bag over your right shoulder; (2) reach your left arm around behind you and hook it through the left side of the strap to hoist it on your back. Convert it back to a shoulder bag in seconds and wear it into museums. Try that with a regular backpack -- they'll make you check it! With this you can carry all your valuables with you.
Safety: All the safety features the manufacturer's description mentions work very well. And if you're going the backpack route, you can wear it so that the two exterior zipped pockets are against your back. Only the side pockets are exposed -- i.e., water bottle and folding umbrella. Nothing is 100 percent theft-proof but if you do that and fasten the main zipper with the safety feature, it's about the best you can do on your back. I looked at a lot of backpack-shoulder bag combos, and everything I saw left the front of the bag exposed once you wore it as a backpack. (Remember, if you're in a crowded place, you are always best to keep the bag across your body and in front of you.)
Capacity: For me it works fine. It's not a camera bag but on travel it will carry my Olympus SLR and one lens (and the external flash if I really felt I needed it) along with an umbrella, a guidebook, maybe a cardigan, a bottle of water, my PDA and cell phone. (By the way, I ALWAYS carry just enough money for the day and my credit card in a small, flat purse that I wear across my body or in a money belt.) The bag won't carry a laptop, but it will carry a netbook of the size of an Acer Aspire One or similar. You could add a small point-and-shoot and a paperback or a Kindle/other e-book reader, or a small sketchbook and pencils.
Organization: There are interior pockets: one long zipped pocket and one shorter zipped pocket (e.g. makeup, credit cards); then there are gusseted pockets in the main part of the bag, one of which is Velcro fastened. For me the bag has hit it right. I've owned bags with more pockets than I need and they end up unused and getting in the way when I try and put larger stuff in main part of the bag.
Those are the pros, and honestly I can't think of any cons. I use mine as a daytime purse-cum-small totebag in the city as well as for travel. No, it wouldn't look too cool at the opera, but nothing is all-purpose.
Last time I was in London a friend commented on the bag and said she wished she could get one like it. I sent her one and she is very happy.
38 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 Coulda, shoulda, woulda Sep 21, 2009
By lagirl55
This "coulda" been the greatest travel bag ever, the maker "shoulda" made a few adjustments in design and if they had, I "woulda" given it 5 stars.
I wanted a travel purse, with slash-resistant strap and body, lots of pockets--one that would remove the need to carry a day-pack when traveling. What this had (negatives):
1. two, small zippered outer pockets, which were useless.
2. a water-bottle end pocket which was so tight I couldn't find a water bottle which would fit.
3. an umbrella end pocket, which only my eyeglasses fit into. Never found an umbrella which would fit into it.
4. useless card slots inside. Tried putting my library card into one of these and they are so loose it slipped right out. So much for using these for a credit card or driver's license.
So I took this brand-new purse, ripped out the side seams, made some alterations and now it has the following:
1. Removing the stitching between the two small zippered outer pockets gives one large zippered outer pocket, perfect for maps, brochures, etc.
2. Replacing the water bottle and umbrella end pockets with black mesh water bottle pockets with cord locks made these much more useful. In addition to holding water bottles, the cord lock allows each to hold things such as bottles of hand sanitizer.
3. While the side seam was open, I tore into the useless card slots and made them into another pocket, with Velcro closure.
This is now, truly, the perfect travel purse and I love it.
But why did I have to do such alterations on a new purse?
Didn't anyone at the manufacturer ever try using the thing?
-M
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Great Travel Bag and Has Become Everyday Bag Dec 20, 2010
By A. Carter
"Lost, Dazed and Confused"
I am really appreciating the size, convenience, and security of my PacSafe CitySafe 200 handbag. A key word in that statement is, "handbag." I admit that for many of my trips it would have been too small to be considered as my 2nd carry on. But for an upcoming trip to Europe, I wanted to pack light. It is ample size to carry anything I need to have easy access to on the plane. Yet it's also small enough that on the way home, I can put it in a larger bag. {Stow larger bag in overhead and keep handbag with me.}
Because of negative comments and reviews, I decided to see one of these before making my purchase. When I went to a local business to see this bag {and others} I took along my Raines umbrella, some travel guides for Germany, and my 20 oz Diet Pepsi. Everything from my current leather purse fit plus the items I brought with me. So maybe the company took to heart some of the comments about bottles & umbrellas not fitting in side pockets? Mine fit perfectly. Also, I had seen that there were 2 small outside pockets. Now the outside pocket is one long zippered compartment. It's perfect for holding maps, brochures, and even smaller travel guides. I like to keep a yearly calendar book in there.
I love that it carries everything I need, I have plenty of room, it's easy to organize and it's a lot lighter than my leather purses. Granted, it's not a dressy purse. But I have other purses for that. However, I went with black because when traveling it's easy to coordinate as most of my wardrobe will be black. Also, black is less likely to show dirt and easier to keep looking clean. The lighter color inside makes it easier to find items in the purse.
I had not planned on this becoming a daily bag at home. But that is what has happened. Between trips to the hospital, doctor's offices and running errands; it has been very versatile. I've taken advantage of the safety features already. Most times I do lock the purse and when it's not on my shoulder it's secured next to me. It seems to be of top quality and very well made.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Delivers as promised, stylishly Dec 04, 2008
By Jessica Roberts
I also hesitated for a long time about this bag, not certain if it was worth the cost. It wasn't until a friend had her purse slashed twice while she lived in Ecuador that I decided to go for it. I just took it on a trip to Mexico and was very pleased with it.
The anti-theft features are good - I haven't had the slash-proof technology tested (yet?) so I can't speak to it, but I know it's this company's strength, so I hope and assume it will work. But the zipper closure clip and the shoulder strap that can be fastened around a chair are wonderful features that I used every day. It brought me significant peace of mind - I think I didn't realize how anxious I used to be until I was able to stop worrying.
I looked at black in person at REI but it looked to boring for me, so I bought the red and I love the color! (And I got a lot of compliments on it.) It's ever so slightly bulky, because of the padding, but by the same token the main compartment could easily fit a guide book, an umbrella, and a windbreaker, not to mention a camera, map and sunglasses...so I think a little bulky is worth it.
For Christmas this year, I'm planning to buy one for the unfortunate friend who had her bag slashed. I could see it being a good present for adventuresome friends for years to come.
I'm ever so slightly concerned to hear that another reviewer had the wires fray, and I hope that won't happen as I plan to use it whenever I travel.
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