I’m looking at getting either the Pacsafe Daysafe 200 or the slightly smaller Daysafe 100, but I’d like to hear some first hand acounts of their products (either these packs or anything else Pacsafe makes) before I shell out US$200 (or US$150).
I’m thinking about taking this and only this bag for a trip to India and then on other trips to the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, etc.
What I need to know is: is it big enough to carry 3-4 shirts, an extra pair of shoes/sandals, other clothing, toiletries, etc. and still have room for the odd bit of memorabilia I’d buy? Are the straps reinforced with steel cables? What questions have I forgotten to ask about these bags that you can remember to answer?
I don’t know either of those, I have the pouchsafe 200 that goes nicely under or over clothing as a money and passport holder, and the stowsafe medical bag for all my meds, and the 120L mesh to go over the pack we already have for when it was shipped in the cargo holds of the plane [hubby has an eberlestock skycrane 2 pack.] Oh, and a few of the long cable locks.
I would imagine that they are the same internal size as a non pacsafe backpack of the same internal measure, so you might go to a regular store and look at that size pack. The mesh is built into the walls of the packs, and the internal capacity will be the same as any other pack of the same size.
I don’t know anything about PacSafe, but I do know a lot about backpacking the world, having been doing it since 1992.
My initial thought is: the 200 has a 28L capacity (ETA I wouldn’t even consider the 25L 100 except that it has a removable compartment that could prove handy for reasons mentioned below). That’s pretty big for a day bag, and if you can get everything you need into it, you might find it exceeds the weight limit for carry-on - different countries have different rules about cabin baggage allowance.
If you want to take this as hand luggage to avoid checking bags in, you may not pass airport security with the thing due to the mesh. If you do get it through, you will not be able to carry any liquids more than 100 ml (and even then only up to 10 items that you can fit into a 20cm x 20cm ziploc bag). Can you manage that with your toiletries?
If you do choose this bag, you may want to consider getting a collapsible daybag (that I now see the 100 has) in case you have to check it in - or if you have to load the thing onto the top of a bus or a boat, but you want to carry your camera/water/book/iPod on board.
If you’re travelling in more than one climate, you may occasionally want to pack your walking boots in a bag and just wear flip flops/sandals. I don’t think you’d get boots and everything else in the bag. As for souvenirs… forget it. You never know how big they might be. If I were travelling with such a bag I’d just mail souvenirs home as I bought them.
Next consideration: it doesn’t seem to have a waist strap or sternum support. It’s fine for day to day getting around, but if you do a trek, or find yourself having to walk a long way for other reasons, this could prove painful, as the most healthy and comfortable approach to backpack walking is to support the weight on your hips and just use the shoulder straps to hold it upright.
Finally, it looks like it might be top-loading. This is a royal PITA when you’re packing/unpacking. I’ve had one and it’s a nightmare when you’re looking for stuff. I would avoid a top-loading pack like the plague.
I personally travel with this 60L+15L rucksack - it has a collapsible daybag that stows in a little pocket, as well as a stowed rain cover. It’s the most useful backpack I’ve ever owned. Regarding security, I just use the lockable zippers, and I’ve never had a problem, but if you’re more security conscious and want to go with a bigger bag, you could buy an external locking mesh separately and use that to secure stuff in hotel rooms etc.
Just my 2c. Also, here’s a very old thread I wrote regarding what I take when I go. In the intervening years I’ve tweaked this to exclude the neck pillow (waste of capacity as they suck) and add more underwear and socks, as I think to limit them is a false economy. I always have my laptop in my daybag or locked in the hotel somewhere.
It wouldn’t be a day pack, so to speak: it would be the only bag I ever carried, all the time, everywhere. I am a very experienced backpacker (well over 5000 miles covered on foot, sometimes out for 10 days or more at a time), but I won’t be doing any of that with this bag. This would just be to carry my belongings so I don’t have to lock them up in my hotel room, as I don’t know that I’ll ever be staying in the same place 2 nights in a row. Weight limits on airplanes won’t be a problem; as a backpacker, I know how to travel very lightly.
Yeah, the security thing is one of the questions I had that I forget to explicitly ask. Toiletries won’t be a problem.
I may take a smaller bag of some sort as well, on the off chance that a) this thing is bigger than it looks and so would be unwieldy for walking around cities, markets, etc. Under no circumstances do I ever expect it to be out of my possession unless it’s locked in a locked hotel room, tho, and as I mentioned, I don’t realistically expect even that to happen.
Souvenirs will be mailed home asap; I just meant it would be big enough to carry them until I could mail them. As for boots, well, nothing short of a real backpack would ever be big enough to carry my boots. I wear 15 EE boots, eh. On the trips I’m planning currently, I’ll mostly be wearing sneakers of some kind.
I won’t be carrying a lot of weight; under 20k for sure, more likely 10-15k, so the lack of a waist/sternum strap shouldn’t too much of an issue.
Top loading has never bothered me. That’s what stuff sacks are for.
Thanks for the link to the Altai. I bookmarked it to look at others later, as well as your other thread.
I won’t be taking any electronics other than my iPhone and a pair of bluetooth earbuds and a solar charger, so the laptop/iPad space isn’t necessary. As I said, I know how to travel light and prefer to make do with less stuff than carry more weight.
The thing about the external mesh is that I’m concerned with having the bottom of the pack sliced open. With an internal mesh structure, I won’t have to worry about that. I did meet a guy yesterday who has one of Pacsafe’s external meshes tho, and he gave it an unhesitant and enthusiastic thumbs up. I’m just not sure it’s going to fit my needs for the trips I’m planning tho, which will involve some touristy stuff, but also being in crowds of headbangers.
My current daypack, for just going out here in Nevada/Utah/Arizona, etc. is a Gregory Redwing 2000, and I find it comfortable and roomy and no trouble for up to 25k. That’s what led me to think the Daysafe 200 might be a good fit for me.
Are there really places in the world where thieves routinely cut open backpacks while they’re being worn to get at the contents? But where they wouldn’t just do violence to you and steal the whole pack?
I saw this (or something a Lot like it) for sale at a AAA site a few years ago but I never got to buy it before they discontinued selling it. This link is going on my favorites. I may never set foot in Europe again but this will do nicely day in/out in NJ.
Yes, lots of them. In India, thieves will take a razor blade and slice open your freaking pocket to steal your wallet, for instance.
On the Daysafe 100 page are 2 links to a blogger who tells stories (with pictures showing the damage) of nearly having his pack stolen by people working under his seat on a train while the conductor distracts him. Thieves are ingenious and shameless, and most will do whatever they can short of an actual physical confrontation to relieve you of the burden of your possessions.
I’ve never used a PacSafe backpack, but I have used a couple of their purses. They are pretty cleverly designed and I’ve felt pretty secure with them even in areas known for their pickpockets. That said, the fabric on the purses didn’t hold up very well. I imagine the bag will be good for a few rough trips, but it won’t be a lifetime investment the way a regular high-quality backpacking bag would be. My old Eagle Creek Continental Journey bag has been through absolute hell for over a decade with no noticeable wear. You can’t expect that from the PacSafe.
I certainly think it might be comforting to have in India if you are going low-end, where even within your hotel room you might want to lock stuff up. But of course, you also run into the problem of your backpack being worth more than the assortment of dirty clothes inside of it. And of course no fancy backpack will protect you if someone lifts it off the top of a bus while you are sleeping, or if someone walks up with a knife and demands you hand it over. There is no substitute for being aware of and in contact with the stuff you would like to continue owning.
Anyway, just be realistic about your safety needs- if $200 is a lot for you, you are not carrying any specific valuables, and you already have something that works I’d just use what you have.
Unless you are planning to be on the road literally every day, you will probably want some sort of daypack/man purse for being out. Even the lightest packer will be less mobile/safe/comfortable carrying around all his toothpaste and dirty socks everywhere. In India (and pretty much everywhere else) hotels should have no problem storing your stuff behind the front desk until evening when you check out. It’s a pretty standard service. Last I knew, Indian train stations also have left-luggage desks where you can store your things (well-locked, of course) for a day or two between train rides.
If you know how to pack light, go for it. The highlight of my life was a month-long trip through Mali with a regular old Jansport book bag. When you are travelling rough, it’s a huge advantage to be able to take your bag on the bus/train bed/taxi seat with you instead of stowing it in a trunk or on top of the bus or whatever.
In India, at least, a lot of the souvenirs are mass produced and can be picked up in any city. I bought 99% of the souvenirs in Delhi the night before i flew out, and just checked them in a cheap duffle bag that I bought on the street.
I have this one, but I’m a woman, so I can carry something that looks like a purse. It seems sturdy and as though you couldn’t cut through it - to the best of my knowledge, that’s never been tested.
