hey it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're reviewing the Travelon
Anti-Theft Heritage backpack, a classic style backpack with a lot of special
safety features for travelers.
(light chiming music)
As many of you know, we're big fans of Travelon
products. We reviewed a few of their products on our channel, like the Travelon
Anti-Theft Urban backpack, so we're excited to share more of their gear with
you. First off, if you're new here, I want to
welcome you to our channel. Trip Astute is a travel channel that is focused on
sharing ways to make travel easier, affordable, and more enjoyable. Traveling
can be stressful and expensive, so we're looking for ways to help you maximize
your experience through travel tips, points and miles, and innovative gear. If
that sounds interesting to you, please consider subscribing. The kind folks at
Travelon sent us their Anti-Theft Heritage backpack for us to test out and
review. As with every review, we promise to only ever share our honest opinion.
We're never influenced or pressured to review a product in a certain way, even
if it's given to us for free. With that out of the way, the Anti-Theft Heritage
backpack has a very traditional style and look. The bag is made with
lightweight cotton canvas and suede, giving it a classic field backpack look
and feel. Though looks can be deceiving since the backpack has some unique
features that are specifically designed for travelers. Let's start with the
features and highlights of this backpack. Number 1: Locking zippers. If you look
closely at the zippers, you'll notice that all the main zippers on the
backpack have a locking mechanism and loop. This allows you to secure the
zipper and prevent pickpockets from getting in. This is especially useful if
you're traveling to places where pickpockets are rampant, like at Las
Ramblas in Barcelona or the Louvre in Paris.
While the zippers aren't difficult to unlock, they would require two hands in
most cases since thieves tend to pick the easiest targets. This is most likely to
deter most from even attempting to try pickpocketing the bag. Number 2: Slash
resistant body panels. Inside the material of the backpack and bottom is a
stainless steel mesh cage that protects your bag from slashing. Slashing your bag,
which causes the contents to fall out, is one of the most
common ways that thieves will try to steal from you. I actually saw this
happen in Rome when a thief cut open the bottom of a person's bag. After all his
stuff fell out, several thieves came by and ran off with his stuff.
Having the steel mesh built into the bag protects your belongings from such an
attack. Number 3: Laptop sleeve. The backpack
has a padded laptop sleeve that can accommodate a fifteen and a half inch laptop.
Number 4: Cut resistant straps. As with most Travelon gear, even the straps are
lined with stainless steel cables that can resist slashing. Number 5: Many
pockets. In addition to the main section of the backpack, there are three smaller
pockets. The larger of the three pockets has a keychain holder with LED light,
organizer slots for sunglasses and electronics, and even a zipper pocket
with RFID protection. This would be a great place to put sensitive items like
your passport. Number 6: Expandable side pocket. The bag has an elastic mesh side
pocket that is expandable for water bottles, tripods, or umbrellas. I like that
you can keep it zipped up when not in use.
Number 7: Backside slot. The back side has a slot that allows you to connect the
backpack to the handles of a wheeled suitcase. This is so convenient when
you're traveling and gives your back a break. Number 8: Useful straps. I
noticed that the backpack has additional loose straps in the front allowing you
to connect and hold items. You can use the strap space to attach a GoPro camera
or even your sunglasses when not in use. Number 9: Water-resistant. Lastly, the
cotton canvas is water resistant. While I wouldn't recommend wearing it outside if
it's pouring rain without a cover, it should be able to survive some light
rainfall, especially when traveling. In terms of things I wish it included, there
are basically two things. Number 1: Lack of padding and wicking on the back side.
A lot of my backpacks have an additional padding and wicking on the back side,
which is really nice when traveling in hot and humid places. Travelon has
incorporated this features in a lot of their other bags, so I would love to see
them added to the Heritage backpack. It's definitely not a deal-breaker, but just
something to keep in mind. Number 2: No chest strap. I really like
having a chest strap, especially when I'm carrying a heavy load. I know it's not
the most fashionable thing to do, but functionally, I find chest straps to
really help with reducing the strain of a heavy bag.
Again, it's not a deal breaker, but I'd love to see it added to a future version
of this bag. Overall, I think the Heritage backpack is another great bag from
Travelon. It's got that very classic look and feel while still incorporating
a bunch of modern and secure features to protect the traveler. I love the fact
that the company is constantly looking for ways to evolve normal products with
more security features. I think the zippers alone are ingenious,
and I wish all my travel bags had the same feature. It would definitely give me
more confidence when walking through crowded areas when traveling. The
Anti-Theft Heritage backpack is a $110 on Travelon's
website, but I noticed you can pick it up for much cheaper on sites like Amazon
and eBags. Though if you do prefer to order directly from Travelon, they are
offering our viewers 20% off any Travelon products. Just head to the checkout
and enter our discount code: TRIPASTUTE-20, which also gets you free shipping
on orders over $35. Also, stay tuned for our Friday video. We'll be announcing our
summer giveaway which includes a Travelon Heritage backpack. I've included links
in the video description. Trip Astute does get a percentage if you use our links. It
doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps us to continue building content
like this video. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful, please give us
a thumbs up and consider sharing our video with others who might benefit from
our content. Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.