Pacsafe Citysafe 200 Review: My New Favorite Travel Purse

Review of the PacSafe Citysafe 200 travel purse

I purchased a new travel purse for a recent trip, the Pacsafe Citysafe 200 (specifically, [easyazon_link keywords=”Pacsafe Luggage Citysafe 200 Gii Handbag Black” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]Pacsafe Luggage Citysafe 200 Gii Handbag in Black[/easyazon_link]).

My need for a new travel purse was two-fold:

Having recently downsized cameras to an [easyazon_link keywords=”Olympus micro 4/3″ locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]Olympus micro 4/3[/easyazon_link] with one zoom lens from a [easyazon_link keywords=”DSLR Nikon” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]DSLR Nikon[/easyazon_link] with multiple lenses, I would be leaving my well-worn and beloved [easyazon_link keywords=”Epiphanie camera bag” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]Epiphanie camera bag[/easyazon_link] behind.

Second, since I usually check my suitcase, I needed an accessible pocket to carry my [easyazon_link keywords=”13″ MacBook Air” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]13″ MacBook Air[/easyazon_link] with me through airport security. Although big and a bit unwieldy, my camera bag had held all these things and more.

Here’s how the Pacsafe Citysafe 200 handbag fared in my opinion.

Pacsafe Citysafe 200 Review

When it comes to finding the perfect travel handbag, I always feel a little like Goldilocks.

The travel purse that holds everything is too big. The one that doesn’t is too small – besides being barely big enough to hold my wallet, it would sure look cute flitting about town.

There are seemingly endless tradeoffs to consider, and in some cases analyzed to death. Judging from the 1000s of [easyazon_link keywords=”travel handbags” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]reviews of travel handbags on Amazon[/easyazon_link], I’m not alone.

I have to ask myself: “Will I be carrying both cameras and extra lenses?”, “Will it hold my laptop?”, “Will my husband be embarrassed carrying it?”, “Is it going to fall apart?”, “Is it safe?”, “Will I be comfortable carrying this handbag into a nice restaurant? Is there a danger they might think I’m carrying a bomb?”

And last, but not least, “Is it cute?” (Definitely in direct opposition to possibility of husband being okay with carrying it.)

Official Pacsafe Citysafe 200 Video

Citysafe: What I Love!

I was struck by Citysafe’s clean and classic lines combined with being constructed of durable materials. Offered in a variety of cross-body and backpack styles and colors, they don’t draw attention to themselves. While I wouldn’t call them cute, neither do they say, “Urgh! That’s ugly!”

With sizes indicated by numbers (50 – 400), they run from mini to gargantuan, making choosing the right size for me and this trip somewhat challenging.

After reading tons of customer reviews ([easyazon_link keywords=”pacsafe citysafe 200 handbag” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]see some gems here[/easyazon_link]) and much deliberation, I settled on the Citysafe 200 in black.

When I un-boxed it, I was rather stunned by its large size. I wondered if I had ordered the Citysafe 400 model by mistake. Then I started loading it up.

The inner pocket configuration of the Citysafe 200 seems to have been thought out with someone like me in mind.

Various sized pockets and one zippered pouch neatly accommodate business cards, pens, and personal items, with two large compartments for separating my camera from the rest.

The light green lining in the interior made it easy to see everything.

On the outside, there is one good sized zippered pocket plus two small open compartments at either end for putting your cellphone and other small items for quick access.

The bag is padded meaning that my camera was adequately protected from potential drops and bangs. (If you’d like to convert any purse into a camera bag, check this out).

I was surprised how easily my MacBook did fit in the inner compartment. But getting all three: my camera, Macbook and power code in was a bit of a squeeze!

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[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B006QN2VKW” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]

Really Impressive Safety Features

As the name implies, Pacsafe bags have many safety features. Their website states: “At the heart of every innovative Pacsafe product is one clear purpose. To watch your back while you travel, so you can focus on having fun and doing more.”

Most touted is Pacsafe’s use of RFID technology, which protects items such as credit cards from identity theft.

The Citysafe 200 features one RFID protected pocket that fitted my wallet perfectly. I felt strongly about this feature, as my husband was a victim of this kind of theft several months back at an airport.

Additional safety features include straps that are reinforced with lightweight stainless steel wire to thwart bag slashers from slicing through them.

One of my favorite safety features that gave me a bit of peace of mind when out and about on busy city streets was relatively low tech: a simple zipper lock for the main compartment designed to deter pickpocketing attempts.

Was my husband comfortable holding it?

Last but not least, while I would often have the camera, my husband was perfectly comfortable carrying this travel handbag. Unless you look closely, it could pass for a camera bag; yes, a little on the big side, but not totally boxy.

As long as it holds up, my [easyazon_link keywords=”Citysafe 200″ locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]Citysafe 200[/easyazon_link] is going with me everywhere. It works so well as a work bag. Since returning home from our trip I haven’t moved out of it!

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Any Downsides?

The only thing that I consider a downside is that although the strap is adjustable, when weighed down with all my things, it doesn’t stay put, meaning that sometimes the bag would end up hanging down too low. But I probably can find a solution to this.

Also, depending on where I was traveling, next time I would also pack a [easyazon_link keywords=”cute clutch handbag” locale=”US” tag=”tbelles-20″]cute clutch[/easyazon_link] for carrying in the evenings.

Tags: Pacsafe Citysafe 200 Review, Pacsafe Citysafe 200 GII Handbag Review