The Cut Test: Which Material Should Your Travel Bag Be Made Of?

 

Thieves and pickpockets have been the bane of travellers for centuries.

Their tactics and tools evolve as quickly as the strategies and technology meant to stop them.

Each year thousands of Australians become victims of theft on their journeys around the world.

Anti-theft travel bags are readily available on the market to discerning travellers, offering a variety of protection features and often at a reasonable cost.

But what should the modern traveller be looking for in an anti-theft bag?

It’s a material world

Quality anti-theft bags provide protection for your valuables by offering straps that are difficult to slash, panels that can’t easily be cut, pockets and compartments that can’t easily be unzipped, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) blocking technology to prevent credit card and passport skimming. 

Many anti-theft bags use Kevlar, a tough material, or are fitted with steel mesh. The Zoomlite Metroshield Anti-Theft range, however, uses a unique military grade cut-resistant material, woven using high-density knitting machines, that provides the highest quality protection available.

On the internationally recognised ISO cut resistant grading system, which gives fabric a score from 1 to 5, Zoomlite’s fabric scores a 5, the highest level cut resistant grading possible.

Kevlar, which usually scores a much weaker level 2, is less desirable in an anti-theft bag because it is highly UV-sensitive. Long exposure to sunlight makes it susceptible to weakness and discolouration over time.

Zoomlite’s unique design and fabric ensures durability in strength and appearance for long-term use. This fabric is being used across the world by law enforcement agencies, mental institutions, and other venues where there is a need to ward off the risk of vulnerable material being slashed or torn.

Our unique fabric gives it an advantage over steel mesh as well, because it’s stronger, lighter, and more durable. It’s far less likely to damage your belongings or cause cuts or injury to you if the bag is damaged in any way.

We are proud to produce this extremely durable fabric for you to use to keep your valuables safe on your travels or in everyday use.  

How do Zoomlite bags prevent theft?

For thieves who favour slashing bags so that the contents spill out into their waiting hands, our bags reinforce the vulnerable front, bottom and side panels of the bags with this special fabric. If a thief cuts your bag, our fabric’s incredible strength will ensure that your valuables remain safely in place.

To stop bag snatchers who use knives to cut straps and make off with travel bags and their contents, we use the same material as the bag along with a flexible steel cable inlaid into the strap. The flexible cable is coated with plastic and lightweight, yet invisible to the naked eye. While the straps are incredibly strong and difficult to cut, they are very comfortable to wear, even for extended periods of time.

As an added protection measure, most Zoomlite anti-theft bags come with a Safe 'n Secure feature that allows the shoulder strap to be unhooked from one end of the bag, looped securely around any fixed post, like a chair or table where you are sitting, and back onto the bag. Whenever you need to, you can secure your bag and greatly reduce the chance of a thief grabbing it while you’re otherwise occupied. 

Strength and beauty

Just because you have a super-secure, anti-theft bag made from military-grade fabric, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style and convenience.

Our bags are designed to look like a stylish everyday bag with all the style and organisational features you need.

You can choose from an impressive array of bags in all styles, colours, and sizes with features you want such as internal organisation with multiple sections, padded laptop and tablet sections, cross body straps, water bottle holders and more. The fabric used for Zoomlite bags, aside from offering superior strength, is soft to the touch and tear resistant. Many of our bags are water resistant as well.

Wait! There’s more?

Did we mention that all Zoomlite anti-theft bags have special dedicated pockets and sections that are made using a unique shielding material?

These dedicated pockets block the unauthorised scanning of your credit cards and passports. You can keep your personal information safe from thieves who quickly download your credit card information and ID data using handheld devices.

Standard wallets, purses and pockets provide no protection against this technology but these special compartments of our bags do. 

We’ll also help you thwart pickpockets who love crowded areas where it’s easy to unzip a bag and snag a wallet or camera. To combat this, we make the compartments of our bags harder to navigate for pickpockets by incorporating lockable zip pullers to make them extra secure.

Considering the amount of time it would take for a thief to get into the compartment, they are likely to move on to easier targets. 

Enjoy your day, worry less 

As a traveller, you deserve to enjoy that well deserved getaway without spending your time worrying about thieves that are out to steal what matters to you.

Find the perfect secure travel bag in Zoomlite’s Metroshield Anti-Theft Collection today and enjoy greater peace of mind knowing your valuables are safe.

You’ll have a stylish bag that offers you the very best protection and a dedicated travel companion for many adventures to come.