What Makes a Backpack Anti-Theft
The term covers four features. Most packs carry two or three of them rather than all four.
Lockable and hidden zips. Zip pulls that clip together and take a small padlock to slow an opportunist right down. Hidden zips sit under a flap or along a seam, so a thief has to find them before opening them.
An RFID-blocking pocket. A lined pocket prevents a scanner from reading the chip in a contactless card or passport while the card sits in your bag.
Slash-resistant material. Denser weaves and reinforced panels resist a quick cut from a blade. Ballistic nylon and heavy-denier polyester both push in this direction.
Padded laptop storage. A suspended, padded sleeve protects the most expensive thing most people carry, and a sleeve that opens against your back is far harder to reach into on a train.
A pack that covers all four gives you the widest coverage. A pack that covers two of them, positioned well, still removes the theft that actually happens to most travellers.
Quick Comparison of OGIO's Anti-Theft Backpacks
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Model
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Best for
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Capacity
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Standout security feature
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Price (AUD)
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Renegade DNA Backpack
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Long-haul trips with a heavy tech load
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27L
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Crushproof vault pocket plus a back-panel passport pocket
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$239.99 (RRP $299.99)
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Pace Pro Max Travel Bag
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Carry-on only trips of a week or more
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45L
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17-inch padded laptop sleeve inside a cabin-sized pack
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From $244.99 (RRP $305.99)
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Alpha Venture Backpack
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Two to five day trips where the pack doubles as a daypack
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38L
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Lockable main compartment zippers
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From $202.99 (RRP $289.99)
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Gambit DNA Backpack
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Under-seat carry-on and daily commuting
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25L
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Back-panel passport and valuables pocket
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$208.99 (RRP $259.99)
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Alpha 25L Backpack
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A hidden pocket at the lowest price in the range
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25L
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Hidden passport pocket, 17-inch laptop sleeve
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$139.99 (RRP $199.99)
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Pace Pro 25L Backpack
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Business travel alongside a wheeled case
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25L
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Hidden passport pocket plus a 1680D ballistic body
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$208.99 (RRP $259.99)
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Pace Pro 20L Backpack
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City day trips and light commuting
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20L
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Slim padded 15-inch laptop sleeve against the back panel
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$175.99 (RRP $219.99)
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Prices reflect the OGIO Australia site at the time of writing.
The Best Anti-Theft Backpacks for Travel, Reviewed
Renegade DNA Backpack
The Renegade DNA suits the traveller carrying a laptop, a tablet, a camera and a charger brick, all at once. Its standout feature sits on the back panel, where a passport and valuables pocket presses flat against your spine while you wear the pack. Nobody opens that pocket without moving you first.
A crushproof vault pocket takes sunglasses and a phone. The patented RSS laptop compartment suspends a 16-inch machine away from the base, so a hard set-down on a station platform does not travel through to the screen. Twenty-seven functional pockets and a full panel opening make packing straightforward at 3 am. At 27 litres and 1.5kg, it holds a genuine week of tech without pushing into checked-bag territory. Take a closer look at the Renegade DNA Backpack.
Pace Pro Max Travel Bag
At 45 litres, the Pace Pro Max carries a fortnight of clothes and still measures 55cm x 35cm x 23cm, which keeps it inside standard cabin dimensions on Australian jet services. Travellers who refuse to check a bag get the most from it.
Its security case rests on placement rather than hardware. A 17-inch padded laptop sleeve holds the most valuable item in the bag, and the pack rides on your back rather than beside your feet at a café table, which is where most theft happens. Anyone flying a 7kg cabin allowance should note that a soft pack of this size gives you far more usable weight than a wheeled case does.
Alpha Venture Backpack
The Alpha Venture holds the strongest genuine anti-theft hardware in the range, because the main compartment zippers lock. That single feature changes how a bag behaves in a hostel dorm, on an overnight bus and in a luggage hold.
It also carries a secure passport pocket among its nine external pockets, a side-access sleeve for a 16-inch laptop, and a clamshell opening with mesh packing compartments. The detachable hip pad converts into a crossbody sling, so you leave 38 litres at the accommodation and walk out with a small bag that sits in front of you. For a 2 to 5-day trip, that combination does two jobs properly. See the full spec on the Alpha Venture Backpack.
Gambit DNA Backpack
The Gambit DNA gives you the same back-panel passport pocket as the Renegade DNA in a smaller 25-litre frame that fits under an economy seat. Reviewers repeatedly call out that under-seat fit, which matters when overhead lockers fill early.
A soft-lined pocket protects a phone screen, and the RSS compartment takes a 16-inch laptop. Twenty-one pockets keep cables and documents apart. At 1.3kg it works as a daily commuter pack at home and a personal item in the air, making it the most versatile pick here for anyone who travels a few times a year rather than monthly. Details sit on the Gambit DNA Backpack page.
Alpha 25L Backpack
The Alpha 25L delivers a hidden passport pocket at the lowest price point in this guide. First-time travellers and students get the most value from it.
It weighs 1kg, holds 25 litres and takes a 17-inch laptop, which is unusual at this size. Eleven pockets and two water bottle pockets cover a full day of walking. It carries less security hardware than the Alpha Venture, so treat it as a solid day pack with one properly concealed pocket rather than a fortress. View current colours on the Alpha 25L Backpack page.
Pace Pro 25L Backpack
The Pace Pro 25L looks like a professional bag rather than a travel bag, and that matters more than people expect. A pack that reads as ordinary attracts less attention than one covered in security branding.
A hidden passport pocket handles documents. The body uses 1680D ballistic polyester and a 900D water-resistant coating, which resists abrasion and light rain on a city commute. A raised, padded sleeve holds a 15-inch laptop, and the trolley pass-through slides it onto a wheeled case at the airport. Twenty-four pockets sort everything else. Check the measurements on the Pace Pro 25L Backpack page.
Pace Pro 20L Backpack
The Pace Pro 20L is the day-trip option. At 45cm x 28cm x 15cm it stays small enough to keep in front of you on a crowded tram, which is the single most effective anti-theft technique there is.
It holds a 15-inch laptop in a padded sleeve, weighs less than the larger Pace Pro packs and still carries the range's organisation. City breaks and short commutes suit it best. Anyone packing for more than a long weekend should size up. Compare it at the Pace Pro 20L Backpack page.
How to Choose the Right Anti-Theft Backpack for Your Trip
International and long-haul travel
Long trips need capacity plus a lock. The Alpha Venture and the Pace Pro Max both work as a single bag for two weeks, and the Alpha Venture adds lockable main zips for hostels and overnight transport. Anyone comparing sizes across the whole range will find the travel backpacks collection sorts this out quickly.
City breaks and day trips
Small beats large in a crowd. A 20 to 25 litre pack sits high on your back, swings round to your front easily, and gives a pickpocket less surface to work with. The Pace Pro 20L and the Gambit DNA both fall in this range.
Business travel
Business travel rewards a bag that looks unremarkable and pairs with a wheeled case. The Pace Pro 25L does both, and its trolley passthrough means you push one unit through the terminal rather than carrying two. The wider business backpacks range covers the alternatives.
Daily commuting
Commuting is where a back-panel pocket earns its place, because you spend twenty minutes a day pressed against strangers. The Renegade DNA and the Gambit DNA both position valuables against your spine, and both survive a daily load of tech. The full anti-theft backpack range shows how they compare on capacity.
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