****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I just returned from a 3-week trip to Europe when I used trains, subways, trams, and buses and also did a lot of city walking. I bought this purse before going because of its anti-theft features, and I was very pleased with how this purse worked during the trip. It met my needs.After reading all reviews about it on this website and others, I had been uncertain given some mixed ratings. But I had also tried to find a good travel purse for over a year, had looked at MANY different types from many different companies, and all of them had drawbacks in one way or the other. This was the best one I found and bought it. Because which purse one takes on a trip is such an important decision, I'm taking the time to explain why this one worked so well.One of my pet peeves with anti-theft purses is that the opening to the main compartment is narrower and smaller than typically found because of extra padding and slash-proof material, so it's harder to fit or find things inside. For an earlier trip, I had bought one from another well-known anti-theft purse manufacturer, and I got so frustrated with it during that trip, I never used it again.Even though this Baggallini purse has the extra padding and material, and the opening is smaller than my normal everyday purse, it still worked well and I had no complaints. In fact, I loved this purse for travel.The main compartment has an interior wall zippered pocket, slots for cards and a passport (all RFID protected) plus a pocket that fit my iPhone 15. It was also roomy enough for me to include a small mesh bag (containing some pills, chapstick, lipstick, sanitizer, a Tide stain remover stick, a few bandaids, etc.), a pair of prescription glasses, a pair of sunglasses, tissues, a coin purse for local cash, and gloves for when it was cold. The locking mechanism to secure the main compartment was easy to use and I regularly used it.The exterior zippered pocket on the front (not secured with a latch) was useful for many small items that were not valuable, like a pen, small notebook, cough drops, etc. I used the second small zippered pocket on the front, that is secured, for door card keys, train tickets, etc.Many people complained about the pocket on the back side of the purse, which is closed with a magnetic snap at the top with a zipper along the bottom. It's intended to let you slide the purse over the handlebar of your carry-on. I also found it handy, with the closed zipper, for easy access to maps or other sight-seeing info.Many others complained about the 2 vertical pockets at both ends of the purse, that they don't hold a bottle of water, for instance. That complaint didn't hold water. (Sorry--couldn't resist that pun!) I was pleasantly surprised to find, during my Europe trip, that both were useful to hold a HALF-LITER bottle of water found in many European shops. If you're trying to carry a larger bottle, well--no, that won't work. Most of the time the half-liter bottles fit perfectly, but on the few occasions the half-liter bottle was shaped in a way that it did not fit easily into one of those end pockets, I opened the bottle, drank a few gulps, and then squeezed the bottle smaller while twisting the bottle cap back on, and voila, it also fit!The end pockets also fit a small, compact umbrella that I regularly carried and my sunglasses. They were great!Last, the strap was made of a thick sturdy material and was comfortable to use in a cross-body manner. I really liked the locking mechanism so I could unhook the strap and wrap it around a chair leg at a restaurant where I was sitting to deter would-be thieves. It was convenient and gave me more peace of mind that my purse would stay with me.I did not expect this purse (or any purse) to be completely pickpocket- or theft-proof. My goal was to discourage pickpockets or thieves and make it more difficult for them to steal anything valuable from my purse, or to steal the whole purse altogether, and I think this purse worked great for that purpose. I was also careful, aware of my circumstances, held it close to my body when in crowded areas (even wearing it under a jacket at times), etc. But this purse carried what I needed on a daily basis, and it was also comfortable and convenient to use.The only thing I wish it had had, but it didn't, was a keychain strap sewn inside with a clasp. Since most hotels use door cards now for door locks, I would not have used it for keys, but I would have found it helpful to, for instance, attach my small coin purse or some other small item that I wanted to securely store inside the purse. But all in all, it's a great travel purse and I look forward to using it again.
