The main reason why people carry locking courier bag, briefcase style locking courier bags, or custom briefcase style locking courier bags, is because they are carrying something valuable. A locking courier bag provides many levels of protection. If it is water-proof, anything inside it will not get wet and thus avoid any potential damage resulting from water or moisture. The same is true if the locking bag is fire-proof – if there is an unexpected fire, you can escape the building or vehicle on fire and even if there is fire everywhere, the contents of the bag remain secure (it is an entirely different conversation if you leave any fire-resistant bag inside a burning house or car for hours; no bag will survive that kind of fire). Another protection a locking bag provides its contents is being protected from the eyes of people who do not need to see it (what’s inside the bag could be confidential documents). Last but not the least, a bag with good lock protects the item from pickpockets who could easily steal items from inside an ordinary bag especially during transport or when commuting.
All these things considered, should you feel confident when traveling carrying a locking courier bag?
The confidence should be about knowing you did everything possible to secure the item in terms of picking the right bag to use to carry it in public when traveling or during a commute. But you should not be too confident that you abandon caution. Remember: a bag with a lock provides protection, but it cannot protect itself from circumstances that could result in it ending up in the hands of other people.
What does this mean?
It means that when you are traveling and you are carrying something valuable, always exercise standard safety and precautionary measures, even if the valuable item you are carrying is stored in a secure bag.
Stay Awake When in Public Transportation
Commute can be boring and sleep can come quick especially when you are tired. It is not uncommon for commuters to fall asleep while traveling. Nothing makes it easier for thieves and petty criminals than than taking something valuable from someone sleeping. Locking courier bags protect the items you are carrying, but if you are sleeping and careless, your bag is vulnerable. Once your bag is stolen, the crooks can definitely find a way to circumvent the locking mechanism and extract the contents. If you are traveling with someone, make sure one of you is awake. If you are alone and sleep is inevitable during long travel, find a way to make sure the bag is latched securely to your body so that if someone tries to take it, you will be roused from sleep. If you have to use handcuffs, do it, especially if the contents of the bag are important and hard or costly to replace. If you are seated beside someone, you can politely ask that person to wake you up if someone is trying to get the bag or if it falls off from your grasp while you sleep. Tell them this, since people in public spaces tend to mind their own business and they usually do not mind others.
Always Observe Your Surroundings.
Like what was mentioned earlier, the locking courier bag is a moving target, so always be alert. Watch how people behave. Observe how they look at you and your valuables. One way to discourage thieves and like-minded criminals is to let them know you see them. If you are walking and the road feels like an ideal spot for mugging, avoid it and find another way. The advantage of being alert is it allows you to react fast when something bad happens. A perfect example is a viral video of a woman tossing her bag inside a gated house when she detected several men approaching and intent on mugging her. The men end up with nothing as they immediately turned tail. The woman was able to save her valuables and other belongings because she was alert and observant.
Don’t be Careless
Sometimes, the reason you lose somethings is because you are careless. You put your bag somewhere hidden from your view so when you get up to leave, you fail to notice the bag. Or sometimes, you take our eyes off of your stuff for too long it makes it easy for thieves to swipe them. A locked bag is useless if you are not mindful about keeping your careless habits in check.
Valuable Items, in the End, are Just Items
The most important part of being alert when traveling carrying a valuable item is having the presence of mind to detect real mortal danger and making the correct decision. There have been many news about how people end up dead during a mugging simply because they tried to fight off the muggers, refusing to give up their belongings. No one has to die for cash or any material item. If, despite your best efforts to avoid this situation, you still end up in one, just give what they want. If you are using a locked, your only consolation is that it will take the muggers some time to open the locked bag. And who knows, this just might buy enough time for law enforcers to chase and apprehend the crooks. If the items taken from you were recovered, that’s great. If not, you just have to suck it up. You can still coordinate with law enforcers to recover your items.
Conclusion
The best we can do is to always make sure we’ve done everything in our capacity, and that applies even in the mundane task of transporting important and valuable items safely and securely. When it comes to traveling carrying valuable items – may it be cash, jewelry, medication, confidential documents – due diligence requires using a durable locking courier bag and placing the important items inside.