First off, here are the pictures for the ad on Amazon:
As you can see, it appears to be a low-key bag with an easily accessible panel for credit cards and pens, maybe a mesh pocket to hold water bottle on the side. It probably wouldn't fit a lot, but enough: wallet, phone, keys, a small paper notebook.
Unfortunately none of this is true. Here are the pictures of I took:
First off, the colors aren't even the same. I liked the low-key black on grey look because it didn't scream "teenage tourist" like the bright blue logo featured here does. That's not a huge deal, but it wasn't what I expected. The stitching along the edges also seems a little more raw than advertized, but still not a dealbreaker.
Then I opened it.
Positive note: Please notice the carabiner that you can lock your zippers into, making it that much more difficult for a thief to slide in and out of your purse without you noticing. Also the nice security hole that you can slide your headphones through so you can listen to your music without jeopardizing the safety of your MP3 player.
Despite all of this, the first thing I noticed was that the nice accessible front panel was conspicuously absent. Where are my credit card and pen slots? Where's the pocket for my water bottle?
Oh they're inside!! Well that's.....not where they appear to be in the ad....at all.... The more I looked at the bag the more confused I became about the pictures on Amazon. the only way to get such deceiving pictures would be to turn the bag inside out. Why would you do such a thing? Not only does this mean the accessible panel I was so intrigued by does not actually exist, it also means that all the space saved by toting your water bottle in an external pocket is now being wasted because you are carrying it in your bag.
Also, I don't think this pocket is even big enough to hold a water bottle. I could get three of my small girl fingers into this pocket. Pathetic. If you could get a water bottle in there, the bag probably wouldn't close. There is room for a wallet, keys, and phone, but probably not anything else.
However, there this bag still has still a lot of positive features:
- Anti-theft: Travelon is known for its anti-theft features. There's metal mesh in the bag and strap so they can't be cut. The strap can be hooked and unhooked with a lockable carabiner so you can hook it to your chair at a restaurant, your bed at the hostel, or your seat on a train. There are also the locks for the zippers and hole for headphone cords I mentioned previously. None of these things will stop a truly determined thief, but the goal is to make them believe it's not worth the trouble. Most theft is a crime of opportunity. Take away the opportunity.
- Size: It's small so you shouldn't be able to fit enough in it to really weigh you down.
- Convenient: In addition to the main compartment there are two generously sized pockets. One pocket is in the top flap where you can store things which you will need multiple times in a day but no thief will care about, like maps and chapstick, and the other pocket is in the back and could fit a small book. There's also a nice shallow non-zippered compartment within the main compartment. I imagine this would be the best place to keep your phone or wallet, something you will need to access mutliple times and possibly get out quickly, but still want protected by the locking zippers.
Overall grade for the bag itself is an A.
However, the grade for the advertisement is an F and I will be returning it because it is not what I need/want personally. I have not given up on the Travelon brand because, as I said, I do like the safety features.
But instead, I recommend the Pacsafe Venturesafe 150 GII.
But instead, I recommend the Pacsafe Venturesafe 150 GII.
