Having had someone try to slit my purse straps on my first overseas trip to Mexico many years ago and having completed a trip to Paris in the past 2 years, I was interested in obtaining a little peace of mind for my recent English public transport travels. This purse fit the bill.

It was large enough to accommodate my tablet, small point and shoot camera, cell phone, tic tacs, paperback and other small items without too much trouble and I simply "locked" the exterior zipper at the start of the day. (There's a small clip sewn onto the inside strap which you can clip into the zipper pull and discourage pickpockets. It's hard to unclip unless you shorten the distance by supporting the bag.)  My Oyster card, travel notes, map and 2 most used cards were left in the outside zippered pocket next to my body and accessed when needed throughout the day. I adjusted the strap length to ride on my hip and wore it across my body which helped distribute the weight while the strap width helps it from cutting into your shoulder. And while you won't win any fashion points with the microfiber bag, it does shed the rain and the walnut color helps disguise some grime.