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Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 Anti-Theft Travel Gear Review
A pictures illustrated consumer review of the "Pacsafe TravelSafe 100" anti-theft portable travel safe with instructions.

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FedEx Box & Pacsafe Gear
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Pacsafe TravelSafe 100

 
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Product Features Illustration
In anticipation of an upcoming trip, I began researching ways to keep our valuables safe and prevent theft from ruining a vacation.

We'll be staying in a variety of accommodations such as hotels, hostels, and vacation rentals which probably won't have in-room safes. I was also concerned about leaving passports, cash or electronics inside an unattended rental car.

I quickly discovered that the line of "Anti-Theft Travel Gear" products from a company named Pacsafe were the best solution for my concerns.

I spent hours perusing the collection of bags, backpacks, purses, pouches, locks and wallets on the Pacsafe website.

I finally chose the TravelSafe 100 ($44.99) for smaller valuables and the TravelSafe 12L ($69.99) for our 2 netbook computers.



 
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TravelSafe 100 Description
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Slash, Snatch & Tamper Proof
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TravelSafe 100 Rolled Up
My plan is to use the Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 to secure our passports, backup credit cards, a compact digital camera, extra cash, a 2.5" WD 500GB external hard drive, camera battery charger, a PDA and a smart phone.

I thought about just getting one large Pacsafe bag for all our valuables, but I'd rather reduce our risk of having everything stolen by having two portable safes.

I'll hide each of them in different locations in our hotel rooms or rental cars.

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TravelSafe 100 Laid Flat
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Size Comparison Items
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Inside of Bag - "eXomesh"
The Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 came with a sturdy padlock and three keys rather than just two like most padlocks.

Including a third key is really thoughtful of Pacsafe.

You can leave one key at home with a trusted person, give another to your traveling companion and keep the last one for yourself.

If somehow both you and your traveling partner lose the first two keys, you can have the family member or friend back home send you the third key via FedEx to your destination anywhere in the world.

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Pacsafe Padlock & 3 Keys
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TravelSafe 100 Closed
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Hard Plastic Locking Device
Also included with the Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 are usage instructions, a warranty card, and a little booklet explaining the various security features of the bag in a variety of languages.

Some of the features detailed in the booklet are the eXomesh high tensile stainless steel wire mesh, the hard plastic locking mechanism, the cinch shut security cable, and the two heavy duty "Slashguard" fabric panels that surround the eXomesh.

Other types of Pacsafe bags have tamper proof zippers & compartments, snatch proof anchor locks & clips, and slash proof belts or straps.

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Packed Full of Valuables
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Valuables Inside TravelSafe
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Valuables Removed
I was surprised by how well put together and sturdy the Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 feels when I first laid hands on it.

Closing the bag for the first time took a few extra seconds since the new material is a bit stiff.

After a bit of practice, sealing and locking the bag became very easy.

To close it, you just have to pull the steel cable until the small gold bullet shaped piece of metal comes out of the last silver metal eyelet.

Then pull the gold piece through the larger opening in the purple hard plastic locking mechanism and push it over into the smaller opening.

Put the lock through the large opening in the purple plastic piece, secure the cable to something secure, and close the lock over the loop at the end of the cable.

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Camera, PDA, Phone, Wallet
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2009 Honda Accord Trunk
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Multiple Metal Openings
The picture above shows just how much stuff the TravelSafe 100 can actually hold despite its small size.

I was able to comfortably fit a jewelry box, a camera charger, an LG Incite smart phone, my wallet, a compact camera with case, an empty compact camera case with batteries, a WD 500GB 2.5" external hard drive, and an HP HX4700 PDA (4" screen) with soft sleeve.

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Secured In Accord Trunk
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'09 Accord Passenger Seat
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Secured To Bar Under Seat
Once I was done experimenting with what items could fit inside the TravelSafe 100, I moved outside to try locking it inside our cars.

The test vehicles were a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix sedan and a 2009 Honda Accord sedan.



 
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TravelSafe 100 Tucked Away
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Empty Glove Box
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Secured In Glove Box
The trunk of a 2009 Honda Accord has plenty of openings in the stamped metal that the steel cable can be looped through to secure the security bag.

At first I chose a spot that left the bag dangling in the middle of the trunk.

A location further in the rear of the trunk that is more out of sight would probably be best.

If possible, I'll try to hide the bag behind luggage, a cooler or some other bulky low value item.

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Glove Box Locked
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Secured To Bed Frame
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Wrapped Around Metal Bars
Then I tried locking the TravelSafe 100 under the Accord's passenger seat and also in the glove box.

I wouldn't recommend using the glove box as a place to lock up and store this bag.

The only point to loop the steel cable around was the relatively weak metal latch for the glove box's locking mechanism.

If you do secure the bag to a bar under the seat of your car, try to gently tuck it out of sight under the seat or cover it with the floor mat.

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Attached To Metal Table
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'01 Grand Prix Seat
I also practiced locking the Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 to the leg of a metal table, and to the underside of a metal bed frame.
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Attached To Bar Under Seat
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Tucked Under Seat
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Pontiac Grand Prix Trunk
The area under the passenger seat of the Grand Prix was much larger and free of obstructions than that of the Honda Accord.

I would have no problem stuffing the security bag with delicate electronics and tucking it away under the seat without damaging anything.

Despite the presence of a large subwoofer speaker enclosure, it was easy to lock up the bag to the STB (strut tower brace) inside the Grand Prix's trunk.

I also discovered that I could gently pull the trunk's carpeting away from the metal panel and slip the TravelSafe 100 into the void.

This made the presence of a security bag in the trunk almost undetectable.

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Secured To STB Bar
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Tucked Next To Subwoofers
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Pull Trunk Carpet Away
Overall, I'm very impressed with the quality and security features of the Pacsafe TravelSafe 100.

The approximately $40 retail price is well worth it for the peace of mind it offers in return.

Most criminals are opportunistic and are only looking for an "easy score" or a quick "smash & grab" robbery.

I believe that this Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 will do an excellent job at discouraging thieves and preventing our small valuables from being stolen.

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TravelSafe Hidden
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Concealed Behind Carpet
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Hidden High, Out of Sight
For more, check out some of my other galleries by clicking on the following links: Pacsafe TravelSafe 12L Review, Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS Review, WeatherTech FloorLiner Car Mats Review, SanDisk Sansa Fuze MP3 Player, Acer Aspire One 10.1" Netbook Review, Sunforce 50012 Solar Battery Maintainer, Canon S5 IS Digital Camera Review, LG Incite CT810 WM 6.1 Smartphone Review, Canon SX20 IS Review LG Invision CB630 Review, Lil' Sync USB Charger, and the HP iPAQ HX4700 PDA Review.
 
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