Runnur vs. Pacsafe: which compact sling bag is best?

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I prefer to be hands-free. So I bought the Runnur Hands free Carry-all and tried out the Pacsafe Venturesafe 150 Gll cross body pack. I prefer the Runnur due to its everyday utility, but the Pacsafe is more secure and better for those concerned about street theft.

runnur

Runnur

I love the multiple pockets: everything is easily-accessed, including items in the sling's back pockets, as it can quickly be cycled to the front. It looks cooler than the Pacsafe, too, and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. Wherever I wore my Runnur—airports, convention show floors, restaurants—I received compliments. The biggest drawback is that when you bend forward, it slides off the body. So you have to hold onto it whenever gravity can't do the work. It tends to slip around while cycling, too.

pacsafe

Pacsafe

Security is the main draw of this cross-body pack. In crowds, I've had people pull at my backpack's zippers to try and get stuff inside, and the Pacsafe's smart zipper-clips prevent this from happening. Another great anti-left feature are the RFID-blocking pockets, lined with a material that prevents the contents from being scanned. I felt more secure using this bag than with the Runnur, it fit more snugly, and it lacked the other product's slipping problem.

Unfortunately, while the Pacsafe can be worn on the front or back comfortably, changing from one to the other with a quick swish isn't possible. If I had it on my back, I had to remove it completely to get at my stuff.

Unlike Runnur, Pacsafe offers a wide variety of other travel gear and bags, but this one only comes in a handful of styles.

Have you tried any similar products? Tell us about them in the forums.