The outside of the bag is made with a very heavy & stiff material, between the outside & the inner liner exists a wire mesh that is tough to cut. Now if you were just keeping money in this obviously there is an issue that someone could theoretically slash the fabric using a heavy duty knife & simply "fish out" the money, which is why using another safe inside this is a good idea.
I use a
Helix personal safe inside my PacSafe. This is
available on Amazon for $18.59. It fits inside easily, but it's big enough closed inside the PacSafe that even if a person could jimmy the lock through the PacSafe mesh, they'd not be able to actually open the Helix safe within the PacSafe. Many personal safes of this size are made with a durable plastic, but this one is actually made of metal & is still light enough to tote around. Plus, it also has a tether, which means you can use the tether from the PacSafe & from the Helix to do "extra duty".
When you check into your hotel look for a place where the safe system can be securely tethered.
- Some hotels (oddly enough) use cement in their closet areas, so if the closet rod runs into a cement wall then secure the safe on the closet rod. Shower rods sometimes run into cement as well, so they are another place you can check, tether the bag to the inside of the shower curtain & throw a towel... just don't have people use your shower if you go with that method.
- The pipes underneath the sink of the bathroom shower.
- A metal bed frame. It's really unlikely that anyone will try to move the entire bed system to get to the safe, & it will keep them from simply walking off with the safe.
- The back of the bathroom door knob, with a towel placed over the bag.
There's also a system called MiLockie, which some of you may be interested in. Here a video on YouTube about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH_heRDM7d4
I like my solution because I never have to worry about if the hotel has a safe, & it's totally portable so I can take it anywhere!
Also, don't think its just hotel staff... sometimes it can be total strangers. Watch how easy this man gains access to a room!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIvW76ejTzQ
If I go down & complain to the front desk about my key not working they'll probably ask me my name. I've had cleaning people do exactly what they man in the video above did though... of course my hotel room key really wasn't working & the room was mine. It demonstrates a point though, getting access to a hotel room is far too easy to be leaving large amounts of money around.
Other tips:
1. Use hotels with inside access only whenever possible. You will be safer. I've had multiple friends stay at motels, & a few which had doors that opened directly to the parking lot (no hallway) have had their doors messed with or hotel rooms broken into.
2. The second floor is generally the safest. The first floor makes it easy for people to break in from the window which looks to the outside of the hotel. The height of the second floor lowers that risk, while making it still easy for you to get out if something like a fire ever occurred.
3. Hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door & inform the front desk that you don't need the room cleaned. This will also help protect from things that might go missing. You can easily take out the trash yourself, tidy up, & get more towels from the front desk.
4. Thieves are less likely to target rooms closer to an elevator, because their is a higher risk of being seen.
5. Always get the name of anyone who helps you to your room with your bags. If your bags never make it to your room, it will be easier for you to know if the person was really staff or a thief.
6. Before you book, ask if the room has a deadbolt & a chain lock. Most these days do, but it's still good to ask. Just
don't think they are 100% full proof for your safety,
both can be compromised! However, you still should take every safety precaution that you can. These examples might be a reason though to look into personal protection... which I won't get into on this thread.
Another thing I should mention, for any ladies who have considered featuring, MANY MANY features have had their trailers stolen with props, costumes, etc. If you ever plan to travel like this
GET BUSINESS INSURANCE! Trailers in general seem to be targets, not only of features but
music bands, motorcyclists, etc. When thieves see trailers its like waving a big red flag to them that there is probably something important inside. They won't try to jimmy it open, they just take the whole thing & open it later.