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United Kingdom, Belfast
1 Level
521 Review
0 Karma

Review on πŸ‘œ Pacsafe Citysafe Cs100 Women's Handbags & Wallets in Black by Carrie Williams

Revainrating 3 out of 5

How to pack and unpack

This women's bag offers extra protection against theft when travelling. To start off, I often see reviews of people buying PacSafe products for trips to Europe. I did a postdoc in Europe, lived there for over a year and traveled through Europe many times. It's kind of funny because Europe is a bit safer than the US. The violent crime rate is much lower (they don't have guns) and the pickpocketing rate is no higher than in the big US cities. However, it must be recognized that international travel comes with an added risk factor: you don't want to lose cash, credit cards or, heaven forbid, your passport when traveling abroad. This buys you extra security for those moments when you're admiring historical architecture in places full of tourist fellow travelers and not paying much attention to the surroundings. Lockable zips, built-in mesh are all good features that can help you "sleep better" - even if the odds of getting robbed in Europe are pretty low, while in violent countries these little security features don't stop burglars. Either way, it's one of those things that aren't really necessary but nice to have. Bought for my wife. She didn't like the style and how the lockable zippers worked. Finally sent the bag back. I can understand her feelings. I'm a man, I can lock and unlock it, but it might be too difficult for a woman. And the look of the bag. It's either for retirees who don't care or for hippies who don't care. Functional but not beautiful. Goes well with jeans and sweaters. The size of the bag corresponds to the standard size of a women's handbag. Neither big nor small. Ideal for wallet, passport and a few small items. A tiny umbrella might fit, but nothing more. Many have complained about not being able to figure out how to close the double main zipper. It's not difficult, but you have to understand it because there is a trick. There are two ways to do this. The first option is to block only one of the sliders. This is how PacSafe shows it in the promotional video available on this Revain website. This is the easiest way. The second option is to close both zippers. To do this, you must a) move the first slider to the end. Don't complete it yet. b) Slide the second slider towards the first, but leave a gap of about 1 inch between them so the zipper isn't completely closed, so if you want you can put a couple of fingers through the hole in the zipper and into the bag can stick. c) Now, without letting the sliders slide towards each other, pull both pullers (the pullers are the handles attached to the sliders) into the zipper clip. A zipper and two sliders form three bars, so to speak, that converge at one point. In this position, they are all the same length. So the trick is that you have to unzip the zipper about an inch when blocking! To unlock the pullers, follow the same sequence: Slide one of the sliders open about an inch so you can slide a couple of fingers between the sliders. Then unzip the zipper and remove the pullers from it. With a little practice it becomes very easy. Unfortunately, whether you attach one slider or both, the slider, zipper and length of strap form an unsightly loop in between. It can be seen in the stock images, but the manufacturer has skillfully photographed in such a way that this cloud does not stand out, although it is visible. In fact, the bag does not hang from a strap but from a zipper puller that is fixed in a zipper clip. This is an odd design that looks ugly and makes you doubt that the puller will last. A longer puller on the second slider might be an easy fix. Different zipper design can also be a good solution. I have a few PacSafe items (including a backpack which is really good) and this is the worst design (least user friendly) I've seen from PacSafe.

Pros
  • Free for educational purposes
Cons
  • Insecure