PacSafe Stuffsafe & Lidsafe

[Stephano]

I recently bought both of these and would recommend them to deter casual theft. If you have memories of walking around historical sites in the heat wearing your hot jacket, or carrying your helmet or one boot then these could be the answer.

The Lidsafe will keep your helmet secure without taking up space in a top box. It's well made with a steel mesh inside the material so there are no rough edges to damage the helmet. The outer material is also waterproof. If you have a second one for pillion riders you can also keep a spare helmet strapped on the seat without worrying too much about losing it.

The Stuffsafe is a bit fiddly to begin with and, unlike the LidSafe, the steel mesh is independent of the material stuff sack. Hence, I discovered that it's easier to fill the sack separately and pull the mesh over it when filled out. It will easily hold a pair of MX boots, a bulky jacket and a helmet or two.

Even better for me, I use 2 SealLine Dry Bags on my bike. (I think they are the Baja 20.) One is for my tent and the other is for sleeping bags et cetera. Both of these bags, when full, fit side by side into the Stuffsafe which gives the option of securing all my sleeping equipment if necessary.

The Stuffsafe also comes with a roll-up carrying pouch and belt. Since the steel is very flexible it can be worn around the waist as a means of carrying it.

To me, the weakest point of these products looks to be the padlock but that might be because I am used to seeing poor quality ones. I'd like to think that Pacsafe maintain their reputation with high quality padlocks which equal the security of the steel. If anyone has tested their padlocks let me know.

As mentioned, these might not stop a professional thief who has targeted your bike but they are great for when you just pull up in a new location and have to leave the bike unattended.

For best prices, avoid specialist shops and look on the Internet, e.g. eBay.

Stephan

[Frank Warner]

I used a pack safe - the type that goes over backpacks.
It weights 0.5 kg. I used it once in 4 weeks to leave the helmet and stuff on the bike. One of the worst things about terorisum is the cloak rooms have gone .. they were so handy to leave stuf at.. err back to the pack safe .. I think having it seperate works better as the gear is lighter, you get to chose the bags (I like the backpacks with the air space on your back) and you get that wire tail to go through the rear wheel too.

All about choice.

[Mermaid]

I use a Pacsafe Cablelock - basically a wire cable with a loop at each end.
I thread the cable through the sleeves of my jacket, round the chinbar on my helmet and through handlebar/engine bar etc. to lock it all to the bike.
Obviously easier/quicker to get through than the mesh nets but deterrs the casual theft and weighs next to nothing.

[Stephano]

Originally Posted by Frank Warner

that wire tail to go through the rear wheel too.

Neat idea, Frank. I'll try that too.

Mermaid, you're right, the cables are good too and lightweight but I 'm a fan of clunky MX boots when touring so I'm really happy to have something secure to dump them in now.
Stephan

[zap2504]

Originally Posted by Frank Warner

I used a pack safe - the type that goes over backpacks.
It weights 0.5 kg. I used it once in 4 weeks to leave the helmet and stuff on the bike. One of the worst things about terorisum is the cloak rooms have gone .. they were so handy to leave stuf at.. err back to the pack safe .. I think having it seperate works better as the gear is lighter, you get to chose the bags (I like the backpacks with the air space on your back) and you get that wire tail to go through the rear wheel too.

+1
Plus, not every thief knows about the PacSafe brand. I like the steel mesh visible over my waterproof bag. Stuff the bag with all your riding gear (so now it's not visible) and wrap it in the PacSafe mesh (so now it'll be there when you return).