Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody Review

Where do you take a sling? To the store, to work, on a trip? If you’re looking for something with plenty of space that comfortably goes to any of those spots, you’ve come to the right place. The Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody is a flexible option whether you need something that looks a little nicer but isn’t too fancy for jeans or sweats. And since Pacsafe makes it, you know it has eco-friendly materials and built-in locking features to keep your gear and the planet safe.

We’ve taken it shopping, out for dinner, and even camping throughout our testing period. Want to know more? Read on!

External Components

The Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody is a 3L bag with an adjustable strap that you can wear over one shoulder or across your body, depending on your preference and how long you adjust the strap. It includes an elastic keeper, which stays in place better than we experienced on other Pacsafe crossbody bags, and we appreciate not having to tug the excess down repeatedly.

This strap isn’t just a strap—it’s a Carrysafe strap with a line of Dyneema wire running along its length to prevent slash-and-grab thieves from taking your stuff. It’s permanently attached to the left side of the bag but connects with a TurnNLock clip on the right, which allows you to hook the bag around the back of a chair or a table leg so no one can grab it without you knowing. It’s easy to use: simply flip the lock to the right to depress the clip and then flip it back to the left to lock it. While it’s not super secure, it shouldn’t be a super-smooth process for someone unfamiliar with the mechanism to undo, seemingly slowing them from grabbing your bag.

The crossbody is made with recycled polyester, which is water-resistant to 1000 mm and holds up well in light rain. It has a vaguely trapezoidal shape, with a broader opening and a narrower base, which is broad enough to stand upright on its own. The material is a little shiny, but so is the metal hardware, from the YKK zippers to the unbranded adjuster on the strap and the tiny Pacsafe snap-like logo in the bottom right corner, so we think the styles blend well together, especially with the Black colorway we’re testing. You can also get it in Taupe or Navy, though we think the shiny hardware complements the darker colorways best.

Along with being good for the environment (the bag is made with post-consumer recycled polyester equivalent to seven recycled plastic bottles, and the water repellent is free of nasty PFCs), the crossbody is beefed up with eXomesh slashguard, a criss-cross of wires embedded between the exterior and the liner. It provides security, structure, and includes a bit of padding for comfort; we don’t feel any gear poking out of the bag when wearing this sling.

There are a few more locking mechanisms to chat about on the Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody, each connected to a zipper. You can push the front compartment zipper through a zip tab at the end of the track to keep someone from quickly opening it while you’re wearing the crossbody on your back. We must warn you that it will slow you down, too, but the peace of mind is worth it when walking on crowded city sidewalks and crammed into public transportation. If you’re going to store a lot of cash inside, you could also add a travel lock since there’s a hole in the zipper pull and a webbing tab at the end of the track; just pop the lock through both of those and no one will get inside without a lot of effort. We feel the zip tab is enough, though, and only use it when feeling very insecure in our surroundings.

However, the zip tab is easier for you to use than the locking mechanism for the main compartment. That connects with a zip clip, which retracts into a little pocket at the end of the track when you’re not using it. To engage it, pull it out, depress the clip, and slide it through the hole in the zipper pull. Sounds simple, right? In theory, it is, but it usually takes more effort in practice. You must pull hard on the clip to stretch the elastic enough to get a good grip on the clip, and the clip is so large that it’s often difficult to get the zipper pull completely inside the gate. Because of this, it isn’t something we engage daily, or even often, because it’s then slow to get your phone or whatever else you’ve stowed in the main compartment; however, if you want to secure your gear, this gets the job done.

Fit Notes

The Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody has the same style as a small tote or tall purse; it’s taller rather than short and squat. It doesn’t rest tightly against your body, even worn crossbody, but instead hangs freely by your side or against your back. That makes it really comfortable to wear and helps it fit with different outfits, from dresses and skirts to jeans and shorts, since it’s not crushing into your top. You can adjust the strap to sit over just one shoulder if that suits your style better. Either way, it has a polished aesthetic that isn’t too fancy or precious for more casual use yet can accompany you to a business meeting or lunch as easily as to explore a museum or a new town.

Inside The Crossbody

There’s a lot of space to fill inside the Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody, yet not a ton of compartments to go over. We’ll start with the bag’s front, which opens with that horizontal zipper we mentioned earlier. The pocket extends from the zipper to the bottom of the bag and spans its entire width, so you have a lot of space to play with here. It’s a simple drop pocket, and it shares capacity with the main compartment, so we use it for travel bottles of hand lotion and sanitizer, tissues, lip balm, and other gear you need to access regularly, like gum.

A battery bank and cord also does well here; it’s really up to you to decide what you want to grab from this section and what you want to get out of the main compartment. When the locking mechanisms are disengaged, they’re equally convenient to access.

The main compartment zipper is recessed about an inch from the top of the bag on each side for water resistance. Presumably, the lips of material sticking up on either side of the opening will keep some water from getting inside your bag. However, we find the zipper often doesn’t lie flat between the two sides but instead protrudes above them. That doesn’t hurt anything other than aesthetics and is easy enough to remedy—just push it back into the channel after zipping it up.

When you open it, you’ll spy a zipper along the back panel. It reveals an RFIDsafe pocket where you can stow your passport and minimalist wallet to protect sensitive information from data thieves. It’s a pretty big pocket, about the size of the front compartment, so you can hold all the passports for your travel party if you wish or use a larger travel wallet without worrying about it fitting.

There’s more organization on the other side of the bag, too. Two deep slip pockets easily fit most standard-size phones, though they swallow mini models. They’re also a great spot to slide in sunglasses. In front of the right-side pocket is a pen or stylus slot and a slimmer, shorter pocket for earbuds or something similarly-sized. These three pockets are adaptable to various gear, from battery banks and cords to tissues, a wallet (if you’re unconcerned about data protection or have one with built-in RFID blocking), a flashlight, or a snack bar. Whatever you need to carry will likely fit into one of those pockets, and if it doesn’t, there is plenty of space in the middle to fill with more or bulkier gear.

We actually find it a nice combination of organization and open space adaptable to different use cases and situations. Its 3-liter capacity can bulk up pretty nicely to accommodate packable jackets, a travel umbrella, and even a shorter water bottle, yet it lays flatter when you have less to bring along. Combined with the (mostly) easy-to-use locking features that are pretty unobtrusive and the materials that dress up or down, we think the Pacsafe W Anti-Theft Crossbody is a great choice for travel and every day. It’s just up to you where you want to take it.