Keeping your money safe while you travel is imperative and as the years go by, I think about it a lot less than I used to. I wrote an article about how to keep your money safe while traveling and wrote about my hate for money belts in the past – I shared tips on how to hide extra cards and cash. You can read all about those tips here. For me, it’s about traveling as you would at home but having back-ups set aside. You also have to be more alert. Money belts aren’t exactly inconspicuous! But these days with people talking about bag-slashing and such, readers ask me ALL THE TIME about buying anti-theft bags. There are tons of them on the market but as I always go for Ebags brands (they tend to be of the same quality but cheaper price tags), I decided to try one out and share it with you. This is an Ebags anti-theft purse review!

When searching for an anti-theft bag, it was key to find one that was not “ugly” because I care way too much about my outfits (lol) or obviously anti-theft, so that it didn’t draw attention. This bag was the best find, although it’s not “cute” perse, it’s not ugly and it’s better than the other ones I came across.

The bag I tried out is the Ebags Anti-Theft Crossbody (Medium). I could have chosen the small for this trip and if I didn’t have a camera, I would have. I actually ordered both and have the small at home for when I do trips that I can just use my phone to take photos. Let’s check out this bag and see what makes it anti-theft.

Ebags Anti-Theft Purse Review

I took this bag with me on a two-week to Panama to try it out. This was my FIRST time in Central America and to be honest, I didn’t know how safe it would be – particularly Panama City. FYI: it was totally safe but there were some areas that we had multiple locals come up to us and warn us to keep our cameras hidden as to not get robbed so I think there are some issues with theft and pickpocketing. Panama City seemed like the perfect first place to take this Ebags anti-theft purse and try it out.

Here is what makes this Ebags purse “anti-theft” from their website:

Pacsafe’s RFIDsafe™ pockets help keep your personal information safe from unwanted scanning

Proprietary features, including Turn & Lock security hooks and Snap & Lock mechanisms help stop bag snatchers

Innovative Pacsafe features like eXomesh® slash-guards and Carrysafe® straps protect against cut and run theft

Premium self-repairing YKK® RC coil zippers ensure a lifetime of opening and closing

You can pull the straps to just 13 inches when you want it closer to your body in crowds like on public transportation or in the markets. The zipper took me a second to figure out but now that I get it, it’s pretty genius. If you recall, I got pickpocketed in Barcelona and had I been using this purse it would NEVER have happened.

Ebags anti-theft purse review: how organized is it?

It’s no secret I love to be organized when I travel, from packing with the KonMari method in mind to loving my Ebags professional Type A backpack to bits, I always look for items to keep my things in place when I’m on the road. This one has the bonus of safety, but it still needed to be organized for me to like it and luckily it was. Let’s take a look!

I’ve put inside my airport essentials and just took these before heading off to my flight from Panama to Mexico. I’ve got a separate slot for my Kindle, the main slot for a portable charger, camera lens I don’t like to throw in my carry-on, wallet, and sunglasses. Then a pen slot, passport slot, and on the top left you see “RFID” where I’ve hidden another debit card and some money.

I’ve got these other bits to add but no worries, there are more secret pockets and it expands.

There is a little quick-snap pocket on the back for things you don’t need to “hide away” and want to access quickly.

Exterior organization pocket, and side stash pocket perfect for tucking away your phone.

There is a lined pocket inside for your Kindle or iPad. It also separates the two big pockets of the purse inside.

The lining on the inside is thankfully not black but silver, so that you can actually see inside of it.

You’ve got two pens pouches inside, two pouches for small items, and a key leash with drop pocket to keep keys handy but secluded from your other belongings.

Expandable main compartment for extra capacity when you need it – like when you buy souvenirs! Just me?

These three photos are to show you 1. the way the locks work 2. secret pockets, and 3. how it expands. If you look at the top left photo, you can see the way the zippers are locked so it can’t be pulled open, but let’s say someone did fiddle with it and got them undone – they cannot pull at the zipper still, as it has to be slid through the fabric, as seen below.

This purse has many elements that make it safe and the more I played with it and used it, the less I cared it wasn’t “cute”. It is plain enough to blend in (and let’s be honest with my camera out as a blogger I look like a tourist anyway), and it’s so organized that this is a YES for me. Especially for big cities and for those readers who ask me about traveling in India and keeping your money safe, I highly recommend this bag.

Interested in this purse? You can click here to buy it directly from Ebags.com for $84. Compared to other Pacsafe bags, this is a very good price. You can choose grey, eggplant, black, or blue. I think the black is the best to go with everything – fingers crossed they come out with a tan/neutral color!