PacSafe TravelSafe 100 : Portable Piece of Mind

Since I tend to stay at hotels or friends' homes when I travel, I've never thought of using PacSafe products. I haven't felt the need to lock up my belongings in my room or to carry a slash-proof bag since my essentials fit in my jacket pockets. Then I started taking road trips again, and realized that PacSafe's portable "safes" made a lot of sense. I'm a convert.

This summer I took a 10-day road trip with my boyfriend. I ended up leaving my laptop at home because I knew we'd be leaving the car in isolated parking lots for hours at a time to visit various attractions or go for hikes along the way. I didn't like the idea that all of our gear would be is visible to passersby since we were driving a hatchback. Every time we stopped, I wondered if it was safe to leave my wallet and iPod in the car. So, I ended up carrying these items, and more, in my day pack every time we ventured out because I was worried they might get stolen. In short, my concern for keeping my gear safe impacted how I traveled, and I didn't like that.

The next trip we took I was ready! I used PacSafe's TravelSafe 100, a soft-sided lockable pouch that was easily stowable under my car seat. The heavy canvas bag contains PacSafe's Exomesh "skeleton," a web made out of tough, thin steel cable that embedded between the canvas and the nylon lining. The safe is very easy to use. All I did was stash my wallet, iPod, and some medicine into the pouch, cinch the wire drawstring, loop the drawstring around a metal bar under my car seat, and lock.

Of course, I know that if someone wants to steal something badly enough, I can't prevent it. Still, using the TravelSafe 100 gave me piece of mind because my valuables were out of site and secure enough to stop the types of thieves who are looking for easy items to snatch off of a dashboard or out of a glove box.

PacSafe's TravelSafe 100 can hold quite a few items. It's just over a foot long and about eight inches wide. I like that it folds flat when not in use. I also like the dark grey and black colors used in the material (the padlock is also black, unlike the model pictured here, as are the tops of the three included keys); this color scheme blends in well with my other luggage and bags.

Bottom Line: An ideal item for car trips. I can also see travelers using this as a storage pouch when leaving their valuables in a hotel's main safe. (If you do this, use a luggage tag to identify your TravelSafe!!). -- E.D. (Oct '10)

BUY ONLINE: $44.99, $39 at Amazon.

Manufacturer's Site: www.pacsafe.com

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