have any of you ladies here ever used the magellan slash proof sling bag? its kinda cute and looks like it might not be too big or too small. it is made of slash proof material, has steel cable in the sling strap and an interior front clasp closure. we wil be in italy in june thru july and i keep hearing about pickpockets and purse snatcheres......could i be concerned? do i need all this extra security or will a regular bag be good enough? thanx

I don't have that bag - but one thing that concerns me a bit about steel re-inforced purse straps is precisely because they don't give/break. Seems weird - but their main selling point is why I wouldn't want one. If a purse snatcher drove past on a scooter and grabbed for the bag - he would also be dragging me since the strap wouldn't break.

I'll just stick to my money belt, and use any old handbag to hold mostly "non-valuables"

I actually just bought this bag on Thursday, based on MonicaPeliggi's comments on an earlier post(I am sure I massacred her screen name, SO SORRY!!) If you can find her trip report to Italy, she has a link to her photos, and there are some with the bag in them. She bought it in cranberry.

I recently purchased one for my mom and like it so well I am ordering one for me. It is very flat and fits comfortably on the shoulder, while lying close to the body. Lots of pockets and also nice looking overall.

Best advice is to make your bag as inaccessible to thieves as possible so that find someone easier to steal from.

My GF always wears her bag slung across her chest, generally under a coat.

I'm a fan of Fossil brand myself. They make nice small leather bags that can be worn close to your body. I don't go in for the specialty "travel security" pocketbooks for the reasons JanisJ mentions above.

Hello randola, I was going to buy one of those "security bags" quite awhile ago but I didn't as various friends in Italy told me they can be dangerous, per janisj comments. I just use whatever bag I would use here at home.

I never thought about the scooter issue! I used the Magellan purse in Paris last summer. It was great---tons of pockets---very organized.

Now, I have to decide if I will take it to Venice, Milan and Cinque Terre in July. Are scooters an issue all over Italy, or is it primarily Rome?

never even considered the scooter issue....guess i need to think more about this before i buy anything

Speaking of "theft by scooters". My SIL who now lives here in N CA where I do was born and raised and lived in Rome until he came to N CA 8 years ago. He had returned to Rome and was walking down a street not in the historical section of Rome around 9:00pm one night with a couple of friends. He had his cellphone attached to his belt on the left side of his body. He was walking closest to the street. A scooter came up behind him and removed his cellphone and took off before he or his friends actually knew his cellphone was "gone".
So even the natives have problems.

Again I would NOT use a security purse/bag.

I wear my bag across my chest and in the front of me. In cooler weather, I wear it under my jacket or sweater for security. Otherwise, it falls to my hand and I keep ahold of it.

I do think thiefs and gypsys target certain "marks". I was mugged at Milan aiport but an elaborate scam was used to convince me on old man was having a heart attack at my feet. I of course, went to help and my bags were stolen, including my purse with passport. Per the airport police, I was the ninth person that day to be ripped off by the same pair.

Backpacks are the worst, as I learned in Paris, no matter how they are designed. These guys and girls are good.

I have also had the gypsies throw a "baby" at me but luckily had just read about this area (Rome termini) having this particular problem so did not react. They picked up the "baby" and went to find another mark.

I always carry just what I will need for the day and keep the rest locked up in the safe or safe deposit box.

IMO, regular bags with straps are very easy to cut and I prefer the extra security. As one who spent many years in NYC, being very aware of your surroundings as in any big city is a must.

I carry the same type of bag when I am in NY, Chicago, etc.

I have a theory about travel purses... and why I believe it is best to use a normal one that you are used to carrying at home:

I think mistakes are more likely to be made when you start doing everything in a new way when you travel - using a brand new pocketbook, trying different systems to keep track of things, hiding your stuff here and there. It's confusing!

I have never been pick-pocketed (knock wood) but I *have* forgotten momentarily where I tucked that extra $100 cash or 2nd charge card or whatever, that I'd "hidden" for safe keeping somewhere among my own belongings!

<<< never even considered the scooter issue....guess i need to think more about this before i buy anything >>>

Some people say you should hang your bag over one shoulder as it means that if a scooter thief snatches the bag then you don't go with it. My viewpoint is that it makes you more likely to have your bag stolen as it's easy to get at both by scooter thieves and the "more traditional" grab and run folk.

Always keep the bag as close to your body as possible as it gives less scope for a thief to operate and carry a small amount of cash that is easily accessible for day to day stuff.

My wife got a security bag for Christmas and she really likes it.
We were in Rome in 2001 and saw a guy try to swipe a bag by riding by on a scooter. Apparently the lady had a security bag or a good leather strap because it jerked him off the scooter. Yes, it pulled her over but she wasn't hurt, he was! The police were on him very quickly and they took him away. It was very gratifying to watch!

Aha! My theory concerning the physics of theft-by-scooter is confirmed.

Considering the forces involved, a thief is much more likely to be pulled off his seat than the pedestrian being dragged down the street. I will continue to carry my day bag bandolier-style, and anyone who grabs it and holds on is going to meet me close-up and personal.

My step mother-in-law who just had a second or third hip replacement was dragged along the street in Peru because whe would not let go of her bag. No serious injuries, but the trip was cut short. So I would not count on the person on the scooter to be the worse off in such an encounter. More basic question to the idea of a security bag: How often do pickpockets cut the strap or the bag rather than pickpocket the bag unobserved until too late?