Anti-theft bags get sold on fear and bought on hope, and the result is a lot of travelers carrying either far more security hardware than their trip warrants or none at all. These two bags sit either side of the line that actually matters, so comparing them is a good way to work out where you belong.
The Pacsafe Metrosafe X is a genuine security system: stainless-steel wire mesh laminated into the panels, locking zippers, a cut-resistant strap. The Travelon Metro does locking hardware and RFID shielding without the mesh, at roughly a third of the price. Both are day bags, and both are personal-item sized.
At a glance
Pacsafe Metrosafe X 20L versus Travelon Anti-Theft Metro Backpack| | Pacsafe Metrosafe X 20L | Travelon Metro |
|---|
| Capacity | 20 L | Not published |
| Empty weight | 1.87 lb | Not published |
| External dimensions | 17.7 x 11.8 x 5.1 in | Not published |
| Slash-resistant panels | Yes — eXomesh slashguard | No |
| Locking zippers | Yes | Yes |
| RFID-blocking pocket | Yes | Yes |
| Laptop sleeve | 16 in | Not published |
| Price tier | Mid | Budget |
The empty rows on the Travelon side are a finding rather than a gap in our research: the listing publishes no capacity, no weight and no dimensions. We print “Not published” instead of estimating, and on a bag you may want to fly as a personal item, the missing dimensions are the ones you would most like to have.
The three tiers of anti-theft
Useful framing before the specifics, because most buying mistakes here are a tier mismatch.
Tier 1 — concealment.A hidden pocket against your back, and nothing else. Cheap, weightless, and genuinely effective against a hand in a crowd. Most “anti-theft” bags on Amazon are this tier and nothing more.
Tier 2 — deterrence hardware. Lockable zip pulls, a clip that secures the main compartment, an anchor strap so the bag can be attached to a chair leg, RFID shielding. This is where the Travelon sits, and it is the tier that solves the overwhelming majority of what actually happens to travelers.
Tier 3 — structural security. Wire mesh in the panels so the bag cannot be cut open, cut-resistant straps so it cannot be slashed off your shoulder. This is the Metrosafe X, and it addresses a genuinely different threat.
The full version of this taxonomy, with more bags in each tier, is in our anti-theft travel backpacks roundup.
Which threat are you actually buying against?
This is the whole decision, and it deserves plain language.
Opportunistic theft— a hand into an unsecured outer pocket on a crowded metro, a bag lifted from the back of a cafe chair, a phone taken from a side pocket while you look at a map. This is what happens to travelers, constantly, in every major city. Tier 2 hardware stops essentially all of it, because the thief needs the encounter to take under two seconds and a locked zip makes it not.
Deliberate attack on the bag— slashing the panel to empty it, cutting a strap to take the whole thing. Real, well documented in specific places, and far rarer than the first category. This is what tier 3 exists for, and it is the only reason to pay for it.
Be honest about which one describes your itinerary. A week in Rome, Barcelona or Paris is overwhelmingly a tier 2 problem. Certain routes, certain overnight buses, and certain neighborhoods are tier 3 problems, and people who travel them know it.
What tier 3 costs you every day
The Metrosafe X weighs 1.87 lb for 20 liters, which is heavy for a daypack of that size, and the reason is the mesh. You carry that weight on every day of the trip, including all the days nothing happens — which, statistically, is all of them.
The mesh also makes the bag stiffer and less pleasant to pack, and the locking hardware is a small friction on every single access. None of that is a criticism of the engineering, which is genuinely good. It is the running cost of security, and it is the thing security-bag reviews consistently leave out.
On the other side: 17.7 x 11.8 x 5.1 in and a 16 inch laptop sleeve make the Metrosafe X a properly usable personal item, and Pacsafe publishing all of those numbers is itself worth something.
The habits that beat both bags
Worth saying because it is true and it is free. The behaviors below prevent more theft than any hardware in this comparison:
- Wear the bag on your front in crowds and on public transport. This single change defeats nearly every opportunistic attempt, on any bag.
- Split your money and cards. One card in the bag, one somewhere else. The loss then becomes an inconvenience rather than a trip-ending event.
- Do not put anything in an outer pocket you would mind losing. Outer pockets are for water and a map.
- Leave the main bag at the accommodation. Carrying everything you own around a city is the actual risk; a day bag is the mitigation.
- Do not bring what you cannot lose.The strongest form of security is not owning the problem — see what not to pack.
The picks
#1Best if you need structural security
Pacsafe Metrosafe X 20L Anti-Theft Backpack
The real anti-theft pick — not a hidden pocket, but a system: slash-resistant fabric, locking zippers and RFID-blocking pockets. A 20L daypack for pickpocket-heavy cities where you want to stop worrying about your bag. Priced accordingly.
Strengths
- +Slash-resistant paneling and lockable zipper pulls — actual security, not just a hidden pocket
- +RFID-blocking pockets for cards and passport
- +Comfortable, low-key 20L daypack
Trade-offs
- −Security hardware adds weight and cost versus a plain daypack
- −20L is a day bag, not a travel main-bag
| Capacity | 20 L |
|---|
| Weight (empty) | 1.87 lb |
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| External dimensions | 17.7 x 11.8 x 5.1 in |
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| Carry-on fit (our read) | Personal-item sized |
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| Laptop sleeve | 16 in |
|---|
| Material | 750D recycled polyester, eXomesh slashguard |
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| Warranty | Pacsafe 5-year limited warranty |
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Fit note. This is what 'anti-theft' should mean: slash-resistant fabric and locking zippers, not a marketing sticker. Overkill for a quiet trip; exactly right for a crowded market or a night train.
Specs read from the product listing, on July 21, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.
#2Best for most city trips
Travelon Anti-Theft Metro Backpack
The sensible middle of the anti-theft market: real locking hardware and an RFID-blocking pouch at roughly a third of a Pacsafe's price. You give up the full slash-resistant paneling, so treat it as strong deterrence rather than a vault — which, for most trips, is the honest amount of security to buy.
Strengths
- +Locking hardware and an RFID-blocking pouch at a mid-market price
- +Low-key everyday styling that doesn't read as a tourist bag
- +Light enough to work as a personal item or day bag
Trade-offs
- −Deterrent-grade, not the full slash-resistant system a Pacsafe gives you
- −A day bag — it is not a one-bag main travel pack
| Capacity | Not published |
|---|
| Weight (empty) | Not published |
|---|
| External dimensions | Not published |
|---|
| Carry-on fit (our read) | Personal-item sized |
|---|
| Laptop sleeve | Not published |
|---|
| Material | Not published |
|---|
| Warranty | Not published |
|---|
Fit note. Anti-theft is a spectrum, not a yes/no. This sits in the middle: locking zippers and RFID shielding stop the opportunist, while a determined thief with a blade is the Pacsafe's problem to solve. Most travelers only ever need the middle.
Specs read from the product listing, on August 11, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.
The honest verdict
Buy the Travelon Metro for ordinary city travel. Locking zips and RFID shielding at budget money is the right amount of security for the threat most travelers actually face, it does not read as a tourist bag, and it is light enough that you will keep using it after the trip.
Buy the Pacsafe Metrosafe Xif your route genuinely warrants slash resistance, if you carry a laptop and camera through crowded places daily, or if the peace of mind is worth 1.87 lb to you — which for some travelers it straightforwardly is. It is a well-built bag with published numbers, and it does exactly what it claims.
What we would not do is tell a first-time traveler that a city break requires wire mesh. It does not. Wear the bag on your front, split your cards, and buy the cheaper one.