There are a few different ways to guard against theft loss while traveling. Some solutions just require some common sense (leave the Rolex at home, don't travel with gear you can't afford to lose), while other solutions are technical ones where the right travel gear can make a difference.In the latter category is this cool DaySafe 200 "secure computer backpack" from Pacsafe, the makers of the MetroSafe 200 bag I reviewed last year. If you've got your laptop and other electronics in this backpack, a thief is going to have a really tough time getting it from you. Here's what's built in to deter them:
* Lock and leave eXomesh built into the construction. It's slashproof, snatchproof, and tamperproof.
* Slashproof adjustable shoulder straps
* Snatchproof shoulder strap allows the bag to anchor to a secure fixture
* Tamperproof zippers
Most thefts occur from a plain snatch & grab, by slashing the bottom of your pack with a knife, by cutting a strap to make it slip off your shoulder, or by getting inside a locked pack by cutting the zippers. This bag thwarts all those attempts, even providing a little buckle that can fasten the bag to a belt loop while you're on the move.
Besides all that, it looks like a plain old daypack, which is a theft deterrent in itself. Are you carrying a $2000 laptop, or just a cheap camera and a Lonely Planet guide? Nobody can tell since the bag doesn't scream, "I have a laptop!"
The only drawback to all this is the bag is clearly heavier and bulkier than the cheaper laptop backpacks like the eBags one I've been using for years. For a good reason though, as there's far more padding, the laptop sleeve is removable, and the hardware is much stronger all around. There are two large mesh pockets on the side for water bottles, the usual array of pockets accessed from the front, and another hidden pocket at the top. There's a strong handle at the top for carrying the daypack by hand.
One interesting feature of this bag is that you can remove the inner exomesh compartment and leave it in the room as a separate permanent safe. You use the included padlock with a key and the attached cable to lock the whole slashproof inner bag to a permanent structure. Then you can take the daypack with you for sightseeing.
Think of the Daysafe 200 as a portable safe and insurance policy and you'll feel better about spending the $180 to $200 it retails for. This bag will keep your valuables in your possession wherever you are and as the company's tag line says, "When your gear's secure, you can do more."
See all the specs at the Pacsafe site.
Get the DaySafe 200 at Amazon
Search prices for the Daysafe 200
8 comments:
That part you can take out and lock is a really great idea. I don't want to carry my laptop when I'm out walking around, but the kind of hotels I stay in usually don't have a safe. Locking it in my main bag has never seemed all that secure.
I have to say that I will never do business with ebags. I got their weekender bag, which I love, but a strap pulled out on the first airline use, obviously because not enough fabric was sewn into the seam. ebags said their guarantee did not apply to such use (what else is it for?) and I would have to go through the entire airline damage claim process before they could consider offering me a 10% refund. So rather than spend months going through that process for a $49 bag, I spent $29 to have it repaired, and vowed not ever to buy anything from them again, and make sure as many people as I can know that they are not good on their guarantee.
So there it is.
I used one of these packs for a month in Europe this spring, mostly in Italy. For travel from station to hotel, train travel between cities, I carried a Canon 5DM2, 15mm, 16-35, 70-200 f4 IS, one flash, 2 Canon teleconverters, one spare hard drive and a laptop and a monopod on one side pocket and tripod (gitzo traveller) on the other. Total weight 45 pounds.
I was accidentally knocked off my feet on an up escalator and fell on the pack. Everything was so well padded that not one item suffered any damage--my legs got cut up and I had some other scrapes, but the back which kept all the equipment safe also kept me from getting much more damage.
Once in the hotel, in Rome, for instance, I locked everything that I wasn't using on day trips in the removable insert to something solid in the hotel room (radiator pipe) and carried a couple of lenses in the bag, which was much lighter.
I recommend this bag very highly.
Thanks for your thorough comment Griffin. I just used this Pac-safe bag on a two-month trip and was very impressed with how well it held up. Good as an in-room safe too if you have a cable lock.
Thanks for the comments on Daysafe 200. I have several other PS products and love them. Am considering investing in this product to tote my camera gear.
I have often thought of getting pacsafe stuff but never quite totally convinced myself. I must ask a question about the pic you have there with the bag stood up with the padlock on it ... OK the padlock and actual material are well safe ... but as someone who does a lot of DIY and sewing stuff ... what's the material the zipper is on made of? Zipper could be fabulously strong I grant you, but if the material its on can be slashed ...!
Sue
You can find the full specs on the Pacsafe site, but in my experience the zippers they use are about the hardest and most foolproof you can find. There's usually no place to slash that's not reinforced. Not foolproof of course, but quite a deterrent.
I will have to get up close and personal with one then i think. Thanks for a great review by the way!
Sue
Post a Comment