The Ideal Backpack for Travelling Safe

Being avid travellers who enjoy going off the beaten path, it also means that we have to be on our guards almost all the time. Whether we’re on the local train or bus, or exploring busy streets, it helps that our bags kinda take care of themselves.

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Enjoying the view in Nepal with our Pacsafe bags!

Both of us had the opportunity to test out the highly raved about Pacsafe backpacks which pride themselves to be anti-theft. So we put our bags to the test during our 1 month travel in Nepal; read on to see what are our thoughts on our Pacsafe bags!

1. Strap your bag to the seat and be at ease as you sleep

There are many situations when you find yourself not daring to doze off for fear that your bag might be missing by the time you wake up, ie. in the public bus, train or even at your hostel. You might try hugging your bag to sleep, but once you fall asleep, it’s impossible for your hands to still be grabbing on tightly to your bag.

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At the airport taking a nap, with my bag safely secured to the seat

Having a smart strap, we were able to simply secure the bag to our seat and go to sleep peacefully. It’s a twist and lock mechanism, not foolproof but definitely acts as a deterrence to potential thieves.

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An easy turn and lock strap that makes it harder for a thief to grab the bag

2. Lockable and hidden zips

One thing about carrying backpacks as compared to luggages is that most backpacks cannot be locked. Which is quite a bummer as being backpackers, we have to carry a lot of cash on us and we’ll feel so much safer if we can leave some cash in our bags and lock it up safely.

Good news is that our Pacsafe bags’ zips are all lockable which is such an ingenious idea! We can safely keep our valuables in our bags, lock it up and travel with a peace of mind. Alternatively if you prefer to not use locks, you can just use the hidden zips where you have to remove it from its hidden sleeve before you can unzip the bag. But we felt that these hidden zips were a little too troublesome though as it’s not that easy to remove it also.

3. Prevent thieves from slashing your bag or straps

This is quite an interesting feature that is exclusive to Pacsafe bags; Slashguard technology. Unknown to thieves, there’s actually a wire mesh in the bag strap as well as within the fabric of the bag’s front, bottom and side!

(Photos taken from Pacsafe)

4. Attached raincover that’s convenient to deploy

Previously for our other bags, we usually had to buy separate raincovers. Raincovers are essential if your bags aren’t waterproof which applies to most bags. For our Pacsafe bags, there’s already an inbuilt compartment at the bottom of the bag to store the raincover and it’s really very convenient and easy to deploy it when needed. Saves the trouble of having to buy and pack another raincover separately.

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5. A LOT of compartments and pockets!

This is one of our favourite plus points about Pacsafe bags. Usually when we travel, our packing list is often made up of so many different category of items and it’s so much easier to pack with different compartments/pockets for different things! Especially for Daniel who has a lot of camera equipment and gadgets, some in really small sizes such as his SD cards or extra batteries,etc.

6. Front/back loading for easy access

Most backpack come with a top loading access, see photo below for a better understanding. My first backpack was a top loading pack and it always drive me nuts whenever I’m trying to find something in my bag. For some reason, the item that I’m trying to find is always at the bottom of the bag.

Example of a top loading backpack (Photo taken from Google)

Whereas for our Pacsafe bags, the design was so much smarter. Daniel’s 60litres bag is able to open up fully almost like a suitcase, make it really easy for him to pack and find his things. Whereas for my 40litres bag, I can either open from the top which has zips down its side almost all the way to the bottom, or I can use the back access which is fully padded too. Safe for keeping laptops, camera, etc!

Tip: Use packing cubes to help compartmentalise your backpack!

7. H2O compartment and access point for the water tube

Super important for trekking and outdoor activities! Previously my main backpack had no access point for the hydration point and I ended up having to leave a small gap between the zips for my water tube. Not ideal when it starts to rain, or when the zips slowly start to open wider after awhile and my things start spilling out. I like how the bag even has a velcro strap to keep the water bag in place so that it doesn’t start to sink down.

8. Sleek and beautiful design

Who says backpacks have to be traditional and ugly. We both personally chose Pacsafe out of the different bag brands available and we like the look and feel of our bags! The colours are not bad too! Although I would have preferred a more feminine colour for mine, but I guess they had to choose a neutral colour.

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Pacsafe VS X40 PLUS. Would have preferred pink/orange/purple though!

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Pacsafe VS 55L GII Travel Pack

9. Lightweight and compact

One important feature about choosing a bag for trekking and backpacking is its weight. You’ll want the bag to be as light as possible without compromising on its quality. Pacsafe has quite a good balance between these 2 features.

Daniel’s empty bag is around 2.3kg which is considered very light for a 60litres bag! Whereas mine weighs around 1.8kg with nothing in it. Also both our bags come with the straps at the side which help to tighten the bag and make it even more compact.

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Daniel’s using the Pacsafe VS 55L GII Travel Pack as his main backpack and Pacsafe V25 Camera Anti-Theft Camera Backpack as his day pack. Gina’s using Pacsafe VS X40 PLUS for the main bag and the Pacsafe VS X22 Adventure Backpack for the day pack.

Where to buy in Singapore:

The Planet Traveller
Marina Square
6 Raffles Boulevard #03-126
Singapore 039594
TEL: +65 6337 0291
BUSINESS HOURS
10.30am to 9.30pm

Paragon
290 Orchard Road #04-15
Singapore 238859
TEL: +65 6732 5172
BUSINESS HOURS
10.30am to 9.30pm