When you’re on the road for a few weeks at a time, it’s essential to have travel gear you can trust. After globetrotting to several countries in the past decade, I’ve become better at travelling a little lighter and knowing exactly what I need. Two pairs of flat shoes – check. Dr. Scholl’s insoles – check. One medium 4-wheeled suitcase – check. Three packing cubes (can’t live without) – check. And a good daypack? Let me get back to you on that one.

After being pickpocketed in Buenos Aires a few months ago and getting rips in my $20 cheap backpack in Turkey after only one trip, I learned my lesson. I needed to invest in better gear.

Pacsafe Venture Safe 15L GII Anti-Theft Daypack

Pacsafe is a Hong Kong-based company started by two Aussie globetrotters in 1998. After visiting over 80 countries and sailing most of the world’s oceans, Pacsafe was born out of a need for no-nonsense travel security. I truly believe the best travel products out there are created and tested by travellers themselves. The brand is known for its unique safety features and slash-proof technology and also has North American headquarters in Seattle.

I heard about Pacsafe online and wanted to give the brand a try on my next trip. I ordered the Pacsafe Venture Safe 15L daypack and received it in the mail from Seattle just before my trip to Japan. The daypack has 5 safety features and is slim in size, yet roomy and includes a padded sleeve to fit a 13” MacBook.

Pacsafe Test in Japan

I travelled to Japan a few weeks ago and it is one of the most safest countries to travel so I wasn’t too worried about thieves, but it’s always good to have some peace of mind especially after being pickpocketed abroad only a few months ago. I wanted a good backpack that would be comfortable, wouldn’t rip AND would have all safety features I was looking for.

I tested the Pacsafe on my three week trip to Japan.

WHAT I LOVED:

SAFETY FEATURES

The Pacsafe Venture Safe includes 5 safety features which I haven’t seen in other backpacks before:
• eXomesh slashguards – I felt much safer with a bag made of built-in slash-proof stainless steel and snatch-proof wires.
• Slashproof backpack Carrysafe strap –peace of mind for us knowing the straps can’t be easily slashed
• Smart zipper security
• Turn & lock security hooks – we used this feature a lot. It’s an extra step for pickpockets. They will get annoyed and give up trying. You can even lock one end of the arm strap around a chair when you’re at restaurants or cafes – a really good feature to prevent grabby hands from taking your stuff.
• RFIDsafe blocking pocket – extra safety for credit cards and passports to prevent identity theft. Although we didn’t use this that much, it’s good to know we had the option especially for future trips.

VERSATILE IN MANY WAYS:

• Carry-on: On a long haul flight, it’s essential for me to pack magazines, books, snacks, medicines, ear plugs, eye shades, toiletries and more. After stuffing all of that in there, the bag STILL had room.
• Camera bag: Once I landed in Tokyo, all the carry-on items came out and were left in the hotel. Instead, my SLR camera fit nicely into the Pacsafe bag when it wasn’t around my neck. There’s enough padding inside so the camera doesn’t get damaged.
• Daypack/Overnight bag: From Osaka, I travelled to Mount Koyasan for 1 night before coming back to Osaka. Instead of lugging around my suitcase, I left it at our hotel and took the Pacsafe bag instead. I packed both mine and my husband’s clothes and toiletries for the night and backpack was still comfortable.

TABLET STORAGE

A bonus: A sleeve on the inside provided extra protection and a separated compartment for our tablet which we’ve started carrying on recent trips.

DURABLE

When I received Pacsafe, I could tell right away it’s made of really good material. The weight distribution is much better in Pacsafe than the camera branded backpack we bought a couple of years ago. The camera backpack stores a lot of the camera equipment on the bottom of the backpack so it’s very bottom heavy. Putting our camera instead into the Pacsafe bag made it a lot more comfortable because the weight is distributed throughout the bag and the thicker, padded straps and padded back were comfortable and didn’t dig in.

WATER BOTTLE/UMBRELLA HOLDER ON EACH SIDE

A key feature for me when I’m looking for daypacks. I do a lot of walking when travelling. Most of the time it’s to really hot destinations where I’m chugging water back every few minutes. Other times, I travel to places in off season where it drizzles every few days. Instead of digging around my backpack to find water or an umbrella, the Pacsafe daypack has outside pockets where I can grab and go. [/styled_box]

WHAT CAN IMPROVE:

•ADJUSTABLE STRAPS: the Pacsafe Venture Safe has sternum straps and waist straps to make the bag more comfortable on your back. However, I do wish it also had adjustable arm straps to get the fit just right.

•WAIST STRAPS: The waist straps are a bit long and got in the way at times.

•PRICE: $125.00 – a bit on the expensive side, but with built-in slash proof technology it’s worth it.

Verdict

After testing out Pacsafe in Japan for the very first time, I can say it’s one of my best daypacks so far and I feel it will last a long time. Definitely no rips! It’s worth the investment for globetrotters especially for the safety features, slim design, laptop compartment and roominess. Desi Globetrotter approved.

Disclosure: Thank you to Pacsafe for sending me the Venture Safe 15L GII Anti-Theft Daypack to test and try out. All views are my own.

Photo Credit: Desiglobetrotter, Pacsafe.