Anti-theft crossbody bag for women... good option?

Hi! There have been lots of discussion on cross body options. Simply type in Cross body in the search box and lots of responses will appear. Good luck.

Travelon Anti-Theft Signature 3 Compartment Crossbody Straight Pocket Shoulder Bag
You can find it on Amazon for about $55.

I have been travelling to europe for many decades,,,never used a anti theft bag, they are too heavy for me, compared to the lightweight nylon bag i carry, its got a good closure , and a wide (comfy) strap so i wear it cross body, here and abroad.

I have a PacSafe Metrosafe 200. I've been using it since 2010. Well, I used it for a few trips, but I carry carmera stuff now, so hubby carries it, which is why we got black. They are pricey - I got mine second hand (and barely used) on ebay for about 2/3rds the price of new.

Some people feel the security features are overkill and make the bag heavy. Even without the security features, I like the layout...the daily money goes in the back zipper that is against the body. There are two pockets on either side that will hold a small water bottle (not a hard plastic one, but the flimsier disposable ones they make water bottles from now - a little squishy is good) or a travel size umbrella. The middle compartment we carry our guidebook and/or iPad mini and/or map, along with Kleenex, gum, any other little daily things (lip balm, candy, wet wipes) and our credit cards.

Under the front flap (which is velcroed) there is a zippered compartment and behind that zipper is another compartment where we keep our extra money and passports (we don't use money belts, and you'd either have to be a magician or we'd have to have the whole bag stolen to lose that stuff...any excessive extra money is left in the room - we may carry an extra 100-150 of the currency for the day along with 20-30 in the back zipper). All the zippers are 'lockable' but we rarely lock them. I think they actually have an easier to use feature now where the zipper tabs lock together - this feature isn't on ours - and seems like a quicker way to lock the zippers than the way you do on our bag (clip them thru the side - like a carabiner type clip.)

And this may make it sound like we carry a ton of stuff and the bag is packed to the gills, but we don't over stuff (we won't carry an ipad and a guidebook - one or the other). And hubby doesn't mind carrying it because it doesn't look like a 'purse'. And I imagine 20 years from now we will still be using it as it's very durable.

Before getting the pacsafe, I had one of those leather Buxton organizer bags - because I'm nothing if not organized!

I don't particularly care for cross-body bags that are specifically for travel, prefer something I would use all the time--as long as the main compartment zips closed and there's some organization inside plus a wide pocket across the back for maps, I'm happy. Sometimes I take a Coach leather bag, sometimes a funky canvas one from Smoking Lily. If you want unique, lightweight and sturdy a good option is also LeSportsac.

I'm a big Pacsafe fan. My husband and I both have the Venturesafe 150. My sister has the small backpack camera bag. And our friends have a tradition everyday backpack style one.

Pacsafe makes several crossbody bags.

See discussion on cross body straps without breakaway feature vs. "Vespa" purse snatchers:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tourist-scams/assault-is-bad-end-to-a-great-trip-to-italy-using-rick-steves-advice

... a man on a motorcycle cut onto the sidewalk in front of my wife (I
was walking behind her), grabbed the strap on her purse and
accelerated away. To prevent pickpockets, the strap was crossed over
her chest and it was a sturdy purse so it did not come free. The
result was that she was forcefully pulled to the rough pavement
hitting head first. She suffered a concussion and numerous fractures
in her face and left hand. She had to be transported to the trauma
center for CT scans, a cast, bandaging, and extended observation. We
did not lose any possessions, but we would gladly have given them up
to avoid these consequences which are still lingering several weeks
later.

Thank you all for your advice, suggestions and direction! I will look into several options to decide what will work best. You guys are great!

If you have a TJMaxx near you check there before you order something. I was in my nearest one last week and they had a number of the Travelon bags.

I prefer a regular cross-body purse that is as light as I can find. I've settled on the LeSportsac Everyday bag which has worked for me over the last 3 years.

Pam

I have a Mandarina Duck bag that I bought in Roma two years ago, small enough to take into museums but it holds a water bottle, wallet, iPad mini, phone, map, with room to spare. It's ver light weight.

Just another plug for PacSafe. We've just about worn ours out (9 years old) and the new ones I've looked at appear to be lighter weight than the old ones.

If you decide against an anti-theft bag, I really like Rick's Guide Bag.

I traveled alone for three weeks in Italy last spring. Before going I bought (and loved) the Pacsafe Metrosafe 250 GII Anti-Theft Shoulder Bag. I purposely bought one on the small side to keep from overloading myself. The locks were a great thing to have when I felt I needed them. It has lots of inside pockets and compartments. And it's fairly stylish.

We spent 6 weeks in five countries last fall and even though I packed super light, I ended up with TWO anti-theft crossbody bags. Both were by Travelon. The larger was the Signature Hobo and the smaller was the Classic Small Cross-Body.

When we were going to be traveling, I used the larger bag and was careful that all my papers and valuables were in that bag when we were in train stations, airports, etc. However, that larger bag was way too big compared to what I like to carry day-to-day. When we got to our destination, valuables went into the hotel safe and I used the smaller bag for traveling around towns. Both held up well. Neither was good looking, I guess, but that is not ever a concern for me. The littler bag was NOT waterproof. Had I known before, I would have sprayed it. As it was, I used Ziploc bags to keep my smartphone, passport and wallet dry.

So much depends on what size bag you like to use. Most of the Travelon bags were too large. Using two ended up being perfect.

Have a GREAT trip!

Use the search bar at the top of the page and enter "man purse" for oodles of great replies and lots of links that Forum posters sent me about favorite travel bags they've used (men and women) when I asked for help finding a day bag (a Christmas gift) for my husband. I had great fun looking at all the options - there are SOOOO many great choices, very few are gender-specific. I ultimately ended up purchasing Rick's Veloce Guide Bag for iPads for both of us for a variety of reasons, including the price which was far more affordable than many of the other brands. We travel with our phones and small tablets (these bags have perfect compartments), they are very roomy despite a more compact size than other styles (rectangular shape keeps the bag very close across your chest), and with a small carabiner it's a cinch to hang a nalgene bottle on the strap. Or an umbrella for that matter, although we don't travel with umbrellas, just a thin, hooded waterproof jacket that folds as small as a napkin. Unless you have a large camera (we use our phones), there is plenty of room in this bag for a digital, a guide book/maps, snacks, etc. The anti-theft bag I used for 8 years was purchased at a fancy luggage store, lots of bells and whistles, metal chain through the shoulder strap, etc., but since it held a LOT of stuff I would make the mistake of carrying around too much. The smaller the better IMO, less attractive to robbers, harder to grab on to.