Skooblevart’s Pickpocket Repellent

Batten the hatches!  Examine your zipper, PDQ!  Button, button, who’s got the button?

This is a simple ingredient which is ignored all too often, and which paints that clear and concise invitation on your bag or pocket … Pick Me!  Pick Me!

Consider:

Step 1, buy a nice security bag to protect your valuables while traveling. 

Step 2, buy a bunch of bulky stuff and put it in the bag so you can’t close it. 

Step 2 (alternate), keep the bag open so you can easily access your travel guide, phone, mobile device … convenience is important, after all.

Step 3, have your valuables snatched from your open bag while you’re looking over the Paris skyline. 

Who hasn’t heard the little voice in their head declare, when contemplating the hassle of zipping and buttoning and battening:  “I’ll need this again in just a few minutes anyway” or "I don't have enough hands!"  The translation by the little voice in the filch's head:  “Look in here for a free dinner! … And a show!”

Here is the correct sequence, the little voice and convenience notwithstanding.  We cheerfully acknowledge that this sequence contains little if any ingenuity or creativity on our part … with thanks to Nike, “Just Do It.”  (Apparently our slogan creativity is also lacking)

Step 1, buy the bag to keep your valuables secure. 

Step 2, buy a bunch of stuff and put everything that is bulky and replaceable into a cheap but sturdy ‘bulky items’ bag (for purposes of providing a concrete example, see the ‘ den ’).  Then close every zipper and button on your security satchel, except when you actively need to access its contents. 

Step 2 (alternate), close every zipper and button on your security satchel except when you actively need to access its contents. 

Step 3, enjoy, without really noticing, that your valuables remain in your securely sealed bag while you’re looking over the Paris skyline, and throughout the rest of your vacation.   

Tip:  Take along a ‘bulky items’ bag that folds up to the size of a pickle, and can be easily pulled out to carry the food and souvenirs you’re likely to pick up.  That way you can avoid the issue of having too many things to carry, thus overstuffing your secure bag.

Next week, we go binary ... ingredient #10.