Pacsafe Toursafe: Not All Luggage Is Made Equal

We’ve bought cheap luggage. You know, the kind that looks so tempting at those ridiculously low prices, and you’re thinking in the back of your mind there must be a catch. Well, there is. We took a couple cheap bags on a trip to Bali a number of years ago, and to put it nicely, the suitcases didn’t arrive home in one piece.

I think it’s safe to say we now travel quite a bit. So when we recently took stock of our current suitcases and decided to eliminate one of our larger suitcases in favour of a carry-on, it was time to find new carry-on bags.

After chatting with a few fellow travellers, there was one brand that consistently received recommendations – Pacsafe. And there’s good reason why. These are some of the safest, sturdiest bags around. So we chose 2 toursafe 21 inch bags. Now, after travelling with them for a couple months, I’m glad we made the smart choice.

Everything about the luggage feels like pure quality – from the rugged puncture-resistant zips to silky smooth roller wheels. In fact, it’s so easy to roll that even Caius could pull a full bag around when he was just 3 years old. I can’t overemphasise how easy that makes wheeling a bag around the airport.

The semi-collapsible exterior hides a deceptively large capacity. I was genuinely surprised to find not only could I fit all my clothes and shoes in 1 bag, but also toiletries, our first aid kit, and there was room to spare. A narrow mesh pocket compartment inside provides easier organisation of small items, such as toiletries, documents, gadgets and cables.

Adjustable external straps gives the bag extra reinforcement, particularly when trying to cram in just a bit too much. The straps also make perfect handles to hang accessories, like my collapsible water bottle. 

When it comes to security, Pacsafe are the industry leaders. This bag contains a hidden eXomesh^® frame which prevents theft by slashing or accidental tearing. It’s like a giant internal pad-lock for your luggage.

Unlike regular zips, the ToughZip™ zippers can’t be punctured with a pen or sharp object. The lockable zip sliders fit a standard size travel padlock for extra piece of mind.

The front pocket is surprisingly spacious and padded for extra protection – ideal for a laptop or magazines. Padded handles on the top and side make carrying the bag all that more comfortable and loading into cars and taxis easier. An extra sturdy plastic handle at the bottom of the bag is surprisingly useful when trying to extract the bag from tiny overhead bins on planes. 

One of my favourite features the drawstring extendable covering inside the bag which helps to compact the luggage and provides that extra bit of storage capacity. It also doubles up as a guard when zipping up the bag. You know how frustrating it can be to get a piece of clothing stuck in the zipper – now this is avoided with the extendable covering shielding items inside your bag from the zip mechanism.

It’s all these small, yet smart features that add up to a much more enjoyable travelling experience. Now that I’ve experienced high quality luggage from Pacsafe, I’m never going back to the cheap and nasty alternatives.

Photos

Features

•  Anti-theft eXomesh^® internals

• Super smooth roller wheels

•  Padded top and side handles

• Strong aluminium extendable handle with comfort grip

• Drawstring extendable covering

Specs

• Materials: 420 denier nylon square dobby, PU1000mm coating

• Dimensions (W x H x D): 37 x 55 x 23 cm / 14.5 x 21.5 x 9 in

• Weight: 2.8 kg / 6.17 lbs

• Volume: 35 L / 2135 in³