Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Backpack

This backpack holds a lot, including iPad, phone, passport, wallet, small hair brush and a water bottle in the side pocket of which there are two, one on each side. The straps don't slide off, which has been a problem with other backpacks I have tried. It has safety features for securing the zippers on the top. I ordered it in blue and I used it on transatlantic flights. It fits nicely under the seat in front.

I have had this backpack for over 10 years now (almost 11 years!) and it has held up remarkably well. I have traveled all over the world with it, including Afghanistan and Ukraine, and it is my go-to carry-on for the plane (fits easily under the seat). It’s large enough to hold a large iPad and plenty of other items for travel (portable power banks, charging cables, snacks, small books, and so on), including a water bottle on the side (and an additional water bottle in a second, zippered pocket). There is a nice interior pocket in the closing flap that I use for small electronics/airpods, flashlight, etc. The front pocket is very useful for smaller items. What has impressed me the most is that after more than a decade, it has really held up. I’ve overloaded it at times and used to often for travel, and yet it feels as good as it did new. No problems. Other bags I have had have suffered tears (particularly the straps) or rips over time. This one hasn’t had any issues at all. I prefer to buy once and keep something forever. That is what drove me to write this review - my satisfaction with a product that has gone the distance, and more. I have never had to test the anti-theft mechanisms built-in to the bag, thankfully, but in questionable areas, it is my go-to backpack with the two-handed pockets (zipper mechanisms), mesh, and interior cables. While this backpack is great for traveling (i.e., it fits under an airline seat and is fairly light and right-sized for city touring), it is not a full-sized backpack so if you are going camping or need to stow a lot of gear, you will probably need to look elsewhere. It works really well for day travel, though.

I just used this on two trips and it was a GREAT bag! It’s not that heavy, has padded straps, and holds a lot for a small bag. I wanted something that wasn’t too big, but had a lot of space. No bag is perfect, but this definitely fit most my needs. There is a lot of room inside, considering it's a small bag. The bag has a lot of give to it because of the fabric, so you can fit a lot. I had all my daily stuff, teen/husband stuff I had to hold, and random small things I bought throughout the day (items that weren't too big). There is a great side pocket for my water bottle and it never fell out….this was important and so convenient. The pocket probably won't fit those bigger water bottles. There is another side pocket that is zippered. I kept my battery pack and other small things in it. The front pocket section has room for different things, card holder pockets, and a key holder chain. I like that all the zippered pockets can lock, so no one can open my purse from behind....that's why I bought it. I had to get used to there just being one zipper you have to move across to open for each section, but it wasn’t a huge deal. Nothing ever fell out. My only wish would be that there was a big zipper pocket area on the inside of the main compartment. I just kept two pouches of items for money, credit cards, and other things in the open pocket area inside the main compartment. It’s a deep pocket inside which is good. The fabric is easy to clean. I was really happy with the purchase, and happy I got it on sale. Even with all my stuff in it, it was comfortable to wear all day walking around. Just know it's not a big bag. Definitely a good day bag that isn’t too big and fits stuff if you need an extra small bag to carry. This is not a big bag if you need it for a lot of stuff. I have similar bags, but this was good with the anti-theft clip. Oh, I saw someone posted their clip broke. Mine never broke, but I do see you can buy antitheift clips on Amazon if needed for the bag to replace.

This is my second purchase of this backpack. No, nothing’s wrong with the first one, I just want to be sure to have a backup - that’s how much I love it! Holds a lot without creating a bulky silhouette; can be use as an everyday carry item or for travel; lovely security features that help prevent slash-and-grabs and pickpockets; seems quite dirt/grime resistant but is also easy to spot-clean when it happens to pick up something. If only Travelon would listen to me and other purchasers and add double- instead of single - zippers to this pack and an outer security pocket on the back, this backpack would be The One and we could live happily ever after. I’d be willing to pay more for that! Until then, we’re sticking with this pretty great pack, but the search continues for the perfect (backpack) partner of a lifetime!

For an upcoming coach train trip from Chicago to Albuquerque I searched for a backpack that met these criteria: It must be scaled to my 5’ size while being roomy enough for a weekend, secure, well constructed and usable also as a day bag. This bag meets these criteria! Here is what I easily fit into this bag for my test pack: An Amazon Basics small packing cube holding a pair of jeans, a long sleeve knit shirt, 2 pair of socks and underwear, a bra and a caftan; a Travelon light weight toiletries cube (approx 8”x6”x3”) holding deodorant, toothbrush and paste, a couple of prescriptions, a small bag with foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick and another clear zip bag with liquids (lotion, shampoo, hairspray, conditioner); my IPad in the tablet/laptop slot at the back of the main compartment; a small zipper bag with backup charger, earbuds, adapters, phone and battery cables; my knitting (for multitasking while watching scenery); snacks (a small bag of nuts, one of candy, an apple, a couple of chocolate bars and a can of the powdered drink I like). All of that went into the main compartment. In the front flap pocket I put some pens and a guide book. My wallet, a coin purse and my phone went into the secure zippered side pocket but these also would have fit in the front flap pocket. That's a lot of stuff! Kind of like the clown car trick. When fully loaded the bag still only weighed 11lbs and didn't knock me down or make me look ridiculously overburdened and clanking with gear! On the underside of the top flap is a zippered pocket that I didn’t use and I also didn’t use the credit card and passport slots in the front flap pocket. That pocket also has pen slots and a narrow pocket that my phone would have fit into if I chose. My travel documents will fit there nicely. My IPad easily fit upright in the 9 1/2” wide inner slot in the main compartment which is not padded but more to keep your tablet from falling over the other contents. The main compartment can open to 11 1/2” at its widest so keep that in mind if you intend this bag for your laptop. Using packing cubes kept things organized while leaving space on each side at the wider bottom to stash snacks baggies or other small items. Let me also vanquish one common complaint that Travelon must have heard often enough to fix: The straps are completely adjustable. In fact each can be shortened to only 18” from shoulder attachment to hip or extended all the way to 32”. The straps are nicely padded and backed with breathable mesh though the back of the bag itself is not. It appears to be sturdily constructed. My wish list to make this the perfect bag would include changing the water bottle pocket to elasticize mesh, adding a sternum &/or waist strap, breathable mesh for the whole back, using dual zippers on top and front flap openings, and offering more interesting colors. Where’s a nice lively red?! Lastly, some commenters have ridiculed the size of the bag as not being adequate apparently because they are big people. Their size doesn't mean this is a bad bag, it just means they didn’t read the specs to choose an appropriate bag for their stature. And take a look at what I fit into it! Once the bag gets through the shake down trip and has a few more miles on it I’ll come back and comment on it’s durability. Happy trails!

I purchased this backpack before our trip to Spain, and now I use it every day! I have so many great things to say about it, here I go, in no particular order: - It’s very lightweight. I packed it on my back for hours and it didn’t hurt my shoulders/backs/etc. Even when I had it loaded down, it was comfortable to wear. - It can hold a LOT of stuff! I put so much stuff in this thing during the course of the day, and it never seemed to be too full. I didn’t purposefully try to max it out or anything, I would just put things in during our outings and I was surprised at how much stuff I could keep stuffing into it. I used it as my personal item on the airplane and I had mine loaded with my large iPad, Kindle, a Laptop!, my crocheting, snacks, a bottle of water, my travel sleep stuff (inflatable pillow, neck rest, eye mask), and other random crap. It holds all that and is still comfortable to wear—impressive! (It even comfortably holds a bottle of wine and breadsticks!) - The anti-theft zippers are great. They are a little tricky to use on the fly, but with them latched you do NOT have to worry about someone opening your zippers and stealing your things, especially when you have it on. You still look like a tourist because you are wearing a backpack, but at least I didn’t feel like I needed to wear it front-facing for security. I felt like my money was safe when using the bag as suggested (with zippers locked), and didn’t experience any issues with pickpockets or theft. - It’s basic, but attractive. I did a lot of anti-theft backpack research before settling on this one, and I definitely feel like I made the right choice. It’s a great backpack at an excellent price. It’s sturdy, durable, reliable, and I now use it everyday as my “purse.” Love it!

I travel a lot.. and in Europe it's difficult to juggle the carryon requirements and having a around the city bag/purse. I've been a travelon customer for awhile given all the extra security they build into their items while still looking nice. Since the main compartment is one large compartment rather than normal backpack sections it has enough interior room to stuff a lot in for the plane (had multiple phones, chargers, regular purse items, plus a rolled up sweatshirt and rolled up jacket...). Once i got to my destination i could take out all that i didn't need and then i had plenty of room to buy stuff while was out and about. It's also great is you travel in shoulder seasons and actually do want to keep a sweater/lightweight jacket/ gloves etc in it and not have to wear all the extra gear all day for the weather changes. My favorite travelon backpack finally fell apart and they no longer make it so over been going thru various others to find a new go-to. This is the first that hasn't left me wanting compared to my original!! There are also side compartments, one that zips and one that's open but deep... Great for water bottles or umbrellas! The only thing i wish all these travel bag makers would ditch (or make options) is the divider and padding to allow to put a tablet or small laptop in there. It creates a useless divide for me and takes up space (though not much) that could always be valuable! It's rather have a larger zippered pocket there if nothing else.

This bag is a great fit for me. I'm a "mature" lady, so the size and features of this work much better than a school or hiking backpack. It is well made, and I expect it to be quite durable. It has a nice variety of pockets, including one on the underside of the top flap. The security features are wonderful, and I love the fact that the flat bottom allows it to stand on its own. The U opening to the main compartment makes it easy to see everything without having to open the bag like a clam shell. The side pockets are large enough to hold my 24 oz drink and large smart phone securely. Of course, no bag is perfect. I do wish the key clip had been put on the same side of the front compartment as the zipper pull, so that you don't have to open that compartment almost the entire way to retrieve your keys. I also wish there were some way to stiffen the back a little without adding much weight. If the bag isn't full, the back tends to fold in halfway down, which can make it a bit difficult to retrieve things from the bottom. I would also love to see some brighter colors available. But these are minor things. In fact, I like the bag so much that I'm using it in place of a purse. It's lighter than my usual leather bags, and it's nice not to have the weight dragging on one arm. The straps are nicely padded and aren't stiff. This bag holds everything I need and has more than enough room to hold lunch for work or a change of clothes for overnight too! Definitely recommended.