Posts Tagged travel security
Pacsafe Venturesafe 200 – Daypack with Extra Security
If you want to make sure nobody can steal what’s in your bag without a big fight, carry your belongings in a Pacsafe bag.
Some travelers worry a lot about things being stolen out of their bag. Unlike the fears of being a terrorism kidnapping victim in the Middle East or getting beheaded by narcos south of the border, this one actually has a good chance of happening if you’re not careful. Even in places people feel are safe, it’s dangerous to let down your guard: more tourists get robbed in Italy than anywhere else. If you’re on a subway or in a crowded market anywhere, odds are someone is working the angles, trying to find a score.
As the value of what travelers are lugging along with them goes up with the number of gadgets they’re packing, you can easily have the equivalent of $1,000 on you—and thieves know it.
I’ve been recommending Pacsafe products for a long time. I reviewed a few of their items on the old version of this gear blog that are still available, like the Metrosafe 200, a portable locking safe, and a Daysafe slash-proof laptop backpack. Here we checked out a theftproof laptop bag in a more conventional briefcase style.
I like this cool little Venturesafe 200 bag because it’s a nice size for a day of sightseeing. Everything seems to be sized just right. The back pocket can hold a Kindle nicely and the phone pocket is the right size for my Android smart phone. With those two things in there (and lots of little things), I can still fit in a super-zoom camera. There are additional pockets for other items and gadgets, a clip for keys, and a secret zippered pocket facing the top.
All that’s well and good for travelers, but the real advantages to this small daypack are all the security measures. First of all, the strap over your shoulder is slash-proof and snatch-proof. A thief can’t quickly cut through it with a knife because there’s wire mesh inside. The same wire mesh goes through the whole bag as well, so the old trick of slashing the bottom of a pack and taking what’s inside won’t work with this. The extra-strong zippers tuck into little pockets so they’re hard to reach. A robber can’t unbuckle the strap without turning a knob to the side at the same time.
None of these thing will keep a really determined bad guy from just taking your whole bag—especially if you’re swinging it around while stumbling drunk down the street alone—but they put up levels of deterrent. Those will usually be enough to thwart a thief who is in a hurry and doesn’t want to get caught. They’ll move on to another mark.
Like all Pacsafe bags, this Venturesafe 200 one feels very strong and well-made, like it’ll outlast all your travels. It comes with a two-year guarantee. There are four color choices and the list price is $54—not bad for something that’s like a daypack with an insurance policy attached. It also comes in a larger 300 size that’s less purse-like or if you want to carry around an iPad or netbook.
See all the details at the Pacsafe website and check prices online, where it’s often discounted.
Pacsafe VentureSafe 200 Compact Travel Bag at eBags or get it at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on August 31st, 2011
Banjees for Stashing Your Cash
How about a new place to stash your cash while traveling?
There are lots of products invented for another type of customer that eventually get co-opted by travelers. (Swiss Army knives, Tevas, trail runners, wicking clothing, and bandanas for a start.) Here’s a new one that could join those ranks: banjees wrist wallets from Sprigs.
The primary market for these banjees is fit women who need to have their apartment key and Starbucks card with them when they go out for their morning jog or power walk. Subtract the apres-cafe and that’s my wife, so I’ve had her trying this item out as she pounds the pavement in the neighborhood.
The verdict is that this is a pretty cool item that solves a simple problem in style. When it’s hot out, you don’t want to be wearing extra clothing, so this banjee keeps the essentials on your body without you having to wear something with pockets. She likes how these are stylish and allow some personality to shine through: they come in solid reflective colors, reversible polyspandex, eco designs from organic cotton, and more.
For the traveler, the benefits are more defense-oriented: keep a stash of cash in a place where nobody is looking. Who tries to pickpocket your wrist? I’m a big fan of money pouches that go inside your pants, but you still need to keep some ready cash somewhere else for bus fares, food stalls, and market bargaining. (The quickest way to lose your bargaining leverage is to pop out a money belt and start thumbing through giant banknotes.)
Plus there are times you want to keep your valuables locked up in a room while you go out clubbing or hitting beach bars. With one of these on you can still wear your cute skirt and t-shirt but have some money or a credit card on hand—in something that just looks like a fashion statement.
If you’re the type that needs to record your every move at night and share it as well, don’t worry: there’s a phone banjee too.
See the full line at www.Sprigsville.com or get them at REI.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on April 28th, 2011
5 Things I Always Pack – Beth Blair
Freelance writer and blogger Beth Blair once worked as a flight attendant and she sometimes flies with kids, so she has learned plenty of lessons about luggage, packing, and useful travel gear. For today’s guest post, here are five things she always packs.
1. Flashlight
This tradition started back when I worked as a flight attendant and was required to carry a flashlight while on duty. Since then, my flashlight has come in handy many times including fixing a flat tire on a rental car, the night a hotel’s power went out for several hours during a severe lightening storm, and several times on airplanes when the reading light was burned out. I’ve been carrying Modus 1 by ICON (pictured below).
2. Luggage scale
I never paid much attention to the weight of my luggage since I try and carry-on as frequently as I can. However, when packing for a two-week cruise I realized how easy it could be to go over my airline’s max luggage weight, especially on the return trip home when the suitcases would be bursting with souvenirs. I use the Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale which fits nicely in my suitcase’s outer pocket.
3. Travel Carbon Monoxide Alarm
This is my newest travel gadget and I am thrilled to be packing it, just in case. Carbon monoxide poisoning is extremely dangerous because it is colorless, odorless and tasteless. I’m even more passionate about this item since someone I know via Twitter recently encountered a carbon monoxide scare while on vacation in a cabin, the gas fireplace wasn’t venting. Fortunately the CO alarm went off and alerted the guests to the problem. I have a First Alert Travel Carbon Monoxide Alarm.
4. Lollipops
There is nothing more painful than plugged ears while flying, especially for children who don’t know how to pop their ears. Usually medication won’t kick-in quickly enough and that’s where the suckers come in handy. Right before descent I hand my kids a lollipop and let them suck away. I’ve even shared them with adults in pain and they’ve worked. I pack classic Tootsie Pops, they last longer than other versions.
5. Business cards
I’ve found that carrying a stack of cards imprinted with pertinent information is time saving and convenient whether I’m traveling for business or pleasure. They especially come in handy when a baggage agent needs to log your information after the airline loses your luggage.
Beth Blair is a former flight attendant turned travel writer specializing in family travel and safety. She writes for Aviation Security International magazine and is co-founder of The Vacation Gals. Learn more about her on her personal site BethBlair.com.
See other guest posts in this series: 5 Things I Always Pack
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on October 14th, 2010
For the Badass Traveler: Swiss Army Soldier Knife from Victorinox
Want to carry what the Swiss Army is really using these days? Then check out this Victorinox Soldier Knife. It has a locking blade that opens with one hand, a few key tools, and grips on the side that keep it from sliding in your hand.
Carry-on bag rules and airline gotcha fees have put a dent in the use of Swiss Army knives by travelers, but I still carry one on any trip where I’m going by car or when I know I will be checking a bag. For more than 100 years, these knives have been the ultimate double-duty travel gear items. They open bottles, open cans, punch holes, saw wood, drive in screws, and—on the one I’ve had for ages—even open wine bottles and trim a beard.
I got a Victorinox Swiss Army knife as a birthday gift from Mom right before my very first trip around the world. This was in the early 1990′s. I used it on that trip, then on a second one around the world. Then a third. At this point the knife has probably seen action in more countries than Jason Bourne and it’s still working fine. Victorinox can confidently provide a lifetime warranty and know that very few people will ever need to cash in. These knives hang in there for the long haul.
This Soldier Knife is an update on the usual red knife with a white cross, with several refinements. It’s less slippery, is an army green color, and looks more like something a real army person of any kind would use. It feels more serious and hefty than the one I’m used to using, but is only slightly heavier, at close to five ounces. It lists for $60, but goes for less at retailers and online shops like Amazon.
The key difference in this model is a main blade that can be opened with one hand. This could be quite helpful when rock climbing, spelunking, or mountaineering, but I also used the function a few times while doing home repairs and gardening around the house. Sometimes you just don’t feel like putting down the stuff in your other hand.
The blade then locks after you open it, which can be good or bad. The good thing is it won’t suddenly close on, say, your finger. When you are sawing something with the serrated part, there’s no movement in the blade—it’s locked in place.
The bad thing is, you then need two hands to close the blade. So let’s say you’ve flipped out the blade with one hand, done your task, then need to move on, with one hand still occupied. Now what? Since you opened it with one hand, how do you now have two free to close it with? Should I hold it in my teeth, Rambo-style?
Maybe I’m just clueless and this is why I’ve never pictured myself in an army, even one like Switzerland’s that eats chocolate more often than it tells enemies to eat lead. It’s probably also why the fact it has been “Field Tested and approved by the North American Hunting Club” doesn’t do much for me either. But for those with better training (or coordination maybe), this is a great knife.
See the full Victorinox knife line at Swissarmy.com. Buy the Swiss Army Soldier Knife at the links below.
Get it at Buy.com
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on March 18th, 2010
Women’s Edition Travel Medical Kit
About a dozen years ago, when my husband and I were packing for our first-ever camping trip together, I asked him where his first-aid kit was. He looked at me like a deer in headlights. Needless to say, my husband does not live the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared.”
I bought myself a soft-sized travel first-aid kit soon after that weekend getaway, and have brought it on many of our adventures since then. (I’d check the brand, but it’s buried in the confines of my winterized RV.) Though I’ve (frankly) made little dent in its contents, I know that if I’ve got a burn, blister or bite to deal with on family camping trips, I’ll be the parent to come to the rescue with the proper ointment or bandage.
Now I’ve got first-aid goodies to call my own, with the Women’s Edition Travel Medical Kit from Adventure Medical Kits. This company makes dozens of first-aid kits specifically designed for various types of travelers, adventurers and sports enthusiasts — from mountaineers to paddlers to hunters.
Decidedly non-prissy (and not pink!) the Women’s Edition Travel Medical Kit contains a typical supply list you’d find in any travel first-aid kit — such as bandages, gauze, painkillers, moleskin, antidiarrheal medicine and antibiotic ointment — but also items geared just for the girls, such as tampons and cramp-relief remedies. I’m also partial to its compact-size, 200-page “A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine” as well as the “Visual Communication Tool” chart: if you find yourself in a foreign country and unable to communicate to medical personnel there, you can point to images to explain, say, that you’ve been bitten by a dog or that you’re allergic to bees.
The kit — which measures about 7 x 5 x 3 inches when full — is meant to be used among up to four women on a multi-day trip, but it does contain many small, one-use items, so you’ll need to refill the kit as you go through them. And of course, you could just compile your own travel medical kit from items you already have in your medicine cabinet (it would certainly be cheaper to make your own), but my guess your homemade kit would be much bulkier than this one.
For one-stop-shopping, I give this Women’s Edition Travel Medical Kit a thumb’s up for it’s handy, streamlined case, valuable medical guide, and extra pockets to supply your own items if you like.
Purchase the kit online at Adventure Medical Kits for $60. Better yet, check out Amazon.com: right now it’s selling for only $33.60 — a relative bargain!
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Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on February 5th, 2010
