Slash-proof fabric is overrated. The back pocket isn't.

The best anti-theft backpack feature is a hidden pocket on the inside that sits against your back, because that’s the one part of the pack a pickpocket can’t get to while you’re wearing it.

Everything else is marketing. Slash-proof mesh stops a casual cut but adds weight and cost. RFID blocking only matters if you’re worried about contactless card skimming, which is a much smaller threat than people think. Lockable zippers help, sure, but a thief only needs a few unguarded seconds to open them — if your valuables are pressed against your spine, they’d have to pull the whole backpack off you to get them.

If you want a genuinely thief-resistant setup: get a pack with a lockable main compartment, keep your passport, cash, and phone in that back-adjacent pocket, and never put anything important in the outer stretch pockets. That last one is the real rule. Most theft in crowds isn’t a professional with a knife. It’s somebody unzipping your front pocket while you’re staring at a map. Design your bag so there’s nothing to grab and you’re 90% there.

The best anti-theft feature is keeping your wallet out of the mesh side pocket.