Best Anti Theft Travel Purse for Women: 11 Picks (2026)

In October 2007, a month into my first job in Barcelona, I rode the L3 metro two stops from Liceu with a shoulder bag that closed with one zip. At Drassanes the bag hung open and my wallet was gone, along with my residency card. I never felt a hand.

That is the theft the best anti theft travel purse is built to stop: the quiet two-second dip in a crowd. For most trips the pick is the Pacsafe Citysafe CX Convertible Crossbody, with steel mesh in the body, a wire-reinforced strap, zip pulls that hook shut and a strap that comes off for dinner. Ten more follow for other budgets, sizes and styles, each with what it does badly.

Best anti theft travel purse picks at a glance

If you want	Pick	Why
Best overall	Pacsafe Citysafe CX Convertible	Steel mesh, wire strap, turns into a small handbag
Best on a budget	Travelon Classic Slim Double Zip	Five anti-theft features in a bag 1 in deep
Smallest with steel mesh	Pacsafe GO Crossbody	9.5 x 6.3 in, two lockable compartments
Lightest	Baggallini Securtex Memento	8 oz, soft nylon, locking zips
Long sightseeing days	Travelon Classic Crossbody Bucket	Fits a 10 in tablet, bottle and umbrella
Least touristy	Travelon Heritage Small Crossbody	Canvas and suede over a steel-cable strap
Crossbody that becomes a tote	Sherpani Vale	12 L, clip lock, lifetime warranty
Tote	Travelon Heritage Tote	Zip top, two steel-cable straps
Evenings out	Travelon Tailored Convertible Clutch	Clutch, wristlet or crossbody
Phone and passport only	Travelon Boho Phone Crossbody	0.55 lb, one locking pocket
RFID only, no locks	Baggallini Modern Pocket	For resort and road trips

For backpacks, slings and unisex crossbodies, see the best anti theft travel bag guide.

Do anti theft purses work?

Are anti theft purses worth it? Yes, against the theft that official warnings for European cities describe again and again: a hand in an open bag in a crowd. The UK Foreign Office says thieves on the Paris Métro and RER “work in gangs; one distracts you while the other one goes into your bag.” Canada’s advisories name trams 15, 25 and 28 in Lisbon, trams 22, 41, 42 and 43 in Prague and the Aerobus from El Prat in Barcelona. In Amsterdam, the FCDO warns that thieves walk into restaurants pretending to sell something and leave with a bag.

Tram 28 stops near my flat in Lisbon. In February 2025, at Martim Moniz, three men pressed in at the door behind me and one of them stopped, hand on my bag, when the zip pull wouldn’t slide. They stepped off before the doors closed.

Each feature answers one of those moves. A locking zip pull beats the hand in the bag. A lock-down strap beats the grab from a café chair. Steel mesh and cable straps beat the blade.

An anti theft purse does nothing against a snatch from a moving scooter or a mugging. For those, Italy’s state police advise carrying the bag on the wall side of the pavement with your forearm over it, and the Paris police guide says not to resist if someone pulls.

On Reddit, opinion splits. In the r/travel thread on anti theft purses, the top replies say awareness does most of the work and that the bags look like tourist gear. On r/onebag, Pacsafe owners report years of use, and others suggest small locking carabiners on an ordinary zip bag as a cheap middle ground. Both camps are right: the purse buys you seconds, and your habits decide whether a thief tries.

If your trip is a beach resort or a road trip, an RFID purse for travel or the purse you already own is enough. If it includes metros, trams and café terraces in Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Prague, Lisbon or Amsterdam, the locks are worth carrying.

What makes a purse anti theft: five features ranked

Five features do the work. Here they are in the order they matter on a city trip.

1. Locking zippers

The zip pull slides into a clasp, a hook or a tunnel beside the zip, so the compartment can’t be opened with one hand in a second. There is no key or code. Opening it takes two hands and a few seconds, which is the point: a pickpocket needs silence and speed. Clip it every time you close the bag, including on the walk back from the ticket machine.

2. A strap that locks to a chair

Travelon’s Lock Down Strap uses a push-and-turn clasp to close the strap around a chair leg or post. Pacsafe calls its version an anchor strap with a TurnNLock hook. This feature matters most where you sit: the Paris police guide warns about thieves who sit behind diners and lift wallets from coats on chair backs, and says never to set a bag at your feet.

In May 2015 I spent a press lunch on Campo de’ Fiori in Rome next to a colleague who hung her tote on the back of her chair. A man spread a city map across our table to ask for the Pantheon, and when he folded it and left, the tote had gone with his partner. Since then my strap goes around the chair leg before I order.

3. A cut-resistant strap

Steel cables inside the strap (Travelon, Baggallini) or wire and Dyneema reinforcement (Pacsafe) stop a thief from cutting the strap and running. On a crossbody worn in front, a cut strap is the only way to take the whole bag quickly.

4. A slash-resistant body

Travelon embeds slash-resistant mesh in all five body panels, including the bottom. Pacsafe’s eXomesh is a stainless steel wire mesh built into the fabric. You can’t see either. They add a little weight and stiffness, and they rank fourth because the zip and strap features already cover the quicker thefts.

5. RFID blocking

This is the least useful feature, though every pick here has it. UK Finance told Which? in February 2026 that it has no recorded cases of criminals using a card reader in a public place to make unauthorized payments. Security reporter Brian Krebs calls RFID card theft the most over-hyped kind. Treat RFID pockets as a free extra, not a reason to choose a bag.

Feature	Pacsafe	Travelon	Baggallini
Slash-resistant body	eXomesh steel mesh	Mesh in all 5 panels	Securtex panels
Cut-resistant strap	Wire and Dyneema	Steel cables	Double cable
Locking zips	Zip pulls hook to a catch	Locking compartments	Locking zippers
Chair lock	Anchor strap, TurnNLock	Lock Down Strap	Strap clips to a post or chair
RFID	RFIDsafe	RFID blocking	RFID pockets

Best anti theft crossbody purses for travel

An anti theft crossbody purse for travel is the shape the official advice asks for. The FCDO tells visitors to France to carry a bag across the body rather than on the shoulder, and the Paris police add one detail: turn the opening toward you.

The Citysafe CX is the Pacsafe purse to start with, and the best overall pick, because it hides the strongest protection in this guide, steel wire mesh, in a bag that weighs 0.65 lb and looks like a plain nylon purse. Take the strap off and it folds to 8.3 in tall, so it doubles as the bag you carry to dinner.

• Good: steel mesh body, wire-reinforced strap, 5-year warranty, regenerated nylon that wipes clean
• Watch for: the front pocket closes with a magnet, so keep only a map or tissues there

The Classic Slim is the budget Travelon anti theft purse with all five features. It is 1 in deep, so it lies flat against your hip under an open jacket. The front organizer has RFID slots sized for a passport.

• Good: budget tier with every feature, 59 in strap with a 15 to 28 in drop
• Watch for: the polyester reads as travel gear, and the depth leaves no room for a water bottle

The GO puts Pacsafe’s steel mesh into a smaller body. Both zip compartments lock, and the main one has a padded 7 in sleeve that fits a small e-reader.

• Good: two lockable compartments, an anchor strap for café chairs, 0.62 lb
• Watch for: 6.3 in tall, it takes no guidebook or water bottle

Baggallini’s Memento is the lightest bag here with locks and slash panels, at 8 oz. The nylon is soft and water-repellent, so it folds into a suitcase pocket without the boxy feel of the Pacsafe and Travelon bags.

• Good: lightest locking pick, double-cable strap, RFID passport pocket
• Watch for: 1.5 in deep and 2.1 L, so it takes a phone, wallet and passport and little else

The Bucket is for days when you leave the hotel at nine and come back at dusk. A 10 in tablet fits inside, and the two mesh side pockets take a water bottle and an umbrella. The main and front compartments both lock.

• Good: the only crossbody here with bottle and umbrella pockets, strap clips to a chair or post
• Watch for: 1.1 lb empty and 14 in wide, and the mesh side pockets sit outside the locks

Best anti theft purse that doesn’t look like a travel purse

The most repeated complaint about a theft proof purse is that it looks like tourist gear. These two hide the hardware under ordinary fabrics.

Cotton canvas, suede trim and nickel hardware make the Heritage look like a weekend bag from a department store. The anti-theft system is the same as the Classic line: slash-resistant panels, a strap with two steel cables, locking pulls and a Lock Down Strap.

• Good: the least touristy crossbody here, 3 L, phone and e-reader fit
• Watch for: canvas marks more easily than nylon, and the 13 to 25 in drop is short for tall travelers

The Vale works as a crossbody, shoulder bag, tote or fold-over, with eco-leather trim that dresses it up. It holds 12 L, and Sherpani backs it with a lifetime warranty.

• Good: four ways to wear it, fits a 10 in tablet, chair loop lock and zipper lock tunnels
• Watch for: the slash protection covers the bottom and strap, not every panel, and it sits in the premium tier

Best anti theft tote bag for travel

A tote without a zip is open to any hand on a crowded train. If you want a tote, buy one that zips shut and switch to the crossbody strap whenever you board a train.

The Heritage Tote is the travel tote for museum days and flights: 13.5 in square, with front, rear and two hidden side zip pockets. Both straps hold stainless steel cables, and either one locks to a chair.

• Good: zip top, hidden slash-resistant panels, a deep RFID wall pocket
• Watch for: 2 lb empty, and on the shoulder strap the bag rides behind your elbow

Small anti theft purses for evenings and light days

You don’t need a full crossbody to walk to dinner. These carry a phone, cards and a passport, and not much more.

The Tailored Convertible wears four ways: clutch or wristlet, crossbody, waist pack and sling. It’s the one to take to a restaurant where a nylon crossbody would look out of place.

• Good: the dressiest pick, removable 61 in strap, all five Travelon features
• Watch for: 5.25 in tall, so large phones fit but a passport wallet won’t sit flat

The Boho holds a phone or two, cards, cash and a passport in a drop pocket, on a wide guitar strap that’s easy to swap from shoulder to shoulder.

• Good: 0.55 lb, one locking compartment with a wide opening
• Watch for: no room for a wallet, keys and sunglasses at the same time

When an RFID purse is enough

Some trips don’t need locks: a beach week, a road trip, a resort where the bag stays in a room safe most of the day. In those cases a purse with good pockets is enough, and RFID blocking comes as an extra.

The Modern Pocket is a regular Baggallini crossbody with RFID lining: light water-resistant nylon and many pockets. It has no locking zips, no slash panels and no cut-resistant strap.

• Good: 8.96 oz, organized, wipes clean
• Watch for: none of the protection that matters on a crowded metro

Anti theft travel purse comparison

Purse	Size W x H x D (in)	Weight	Slash-resistant body	Locks to a chair
Pacsafe Citysafe CX	10.2 x 11 x 3.2	0.65 lb	Steel mesh	Yes, wire strap
Travelon Classic Slim	9 x 10.5 x 1	0.70 lb	Yes	Yes
Pacsafe GO	9.5 x 6.3 x 2.8	0.62 lb	Steel mesh	Yes, anchor strap
Baggallini Memento	9.75 x 7 x 1.5	8 oz	Panels	Yes
Travelon Classic Bucket	14 x 11 x 4	1.10 lb	Yes	Yes
Travelon Heritage Small	9.5 x 8 x 2.5	0.90 lb	Panels	Yes
Sherpani Vale	14 x 10 x 4.5	15 oz	Base and strap	Yes, chair loop
Travelon Heritage Tote	13.5 x 13.5 x 5	2.0 lb	Panels	Yes
Travelon Tailored Clutch	9 x 5.25 x 2	0.70 lb	Yes	Yes
Travelon Boho Phone	4.75 x 7.38 x 2	0.55 lb	Yes	Yes
Baggallini Modern Pocket	8.5 x 8.5 x 2	8.96 oz	No	No

Every bag in the table has RFID-blocking pockets.

How to carry a purse where pickpockets work

A locking purse fails if it rides behind you with the clasp open. These habits come from police and foreign ministry advice:

• Wear it across your body, in front, with the zip facing you (Paris police).
• Walk with the bag on the side away from the street, forearm over it (Polizia di Stato).
• Keep your phone in an inside pocket, not an outside one, and off café tables.
• Split your valuables: one card in the purse, one in the hotel safe (FCDO Spain).
• Be wary of the spilled drink, the stain on your shirt, the petition and the stranger with a map. Canada lists all four as distraction tactics in Spain, Italy and France.
• Plainclothes “police” who ask to see your wallet are a known scam in Spain and Prague.

On a September 2013 press trip to Naples, a scooter rider slowed beside me on a narrow street off Via Toledo and reached for the strap on my street-side shoulder. I had it across my body, so the strap snapped tight and he rode on. I’ve worn it on the wall side ever since.

City	Where official advice says thieves work	Source
Barcelona	Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gràcia, Plaça de Catalunya, Sagrada Família, Park Güell, El Prat and the Aerobus	Government of Canada
Rome	Public transport and main sights; Termini and the 64 bus named in past warnings	British Embassy Rome, 2013
Paris	Métro, RER lines, mainline stations, café terraces and ATMs	UK FCDO
Prague	Main station, Můstek and Muzeum metro, trams 22, 41, 42 and 43	Government of Canada
Lisbon	Trams 15, 25 and 28 and crowded stops	Government of Canada
Amsterdam	Central Station, De Wallen, trams 1, 2 and 5 and trains to Schiphol	Government of Canada

Barcelona recorded 94,517 thefts in 2024, the lowest figure in a decade outside the pandemic, and 23.3% of them happened on public transport. For a wider read on the countries, see the safest cities in France and the safest cities in Portugal.

What goes inside matters as much as the bag:

For the rest of the suitcase, build a list with the packing list generator, and keep toiletries in a separate travel makeup bag so the purse stays light.

Anti theft travel purse FAQ