Airline Luggage and Locks
Airport baggage systems can be brutal
Consider what luggage and locks you use
Consider what luggage and locks you use
When heading off on your adventures, consider they type of luggage you use. Airport baggage systems can be brutal. Adventures are synonymous with the classic holdall. They are cavernous, easy to manage, and flexible to carry. But as robust as some holdalls are, they are perhaps not the best type of luggage to travel through the airport baggage systems, or as easy to lock (secure).
Airport Baggage Systems Are Rough
Airport baggage systems are notoriously rough with bags. It is the nature of travelling through airports. Luggage will trundle on conveyor belts, shunt from belt to belt, trolley to belt, and then stacked tight in aircraft holds by baggage handlers. And that can happen several times en route if you are transiting other airports. If you add some inconsiderate baggage handlers, it can get a lot worse.
Security is another factor. Customs Authorities have the right to open your bag for security purposes. This can happen behind the scenes as checked luggage is scanned. If you have the ‘wrong’ locks on your luggage, they may break them, or cut them open.
Solid Protection
We have long since advocated using good solid (hardback) suitcases (such as Samsonite (or similar)) to transport your kit to its destination. Once you are there, you can decant into holdalls when appropriate to do so. The suitcase can stay in the hotel ready for the return journey.
I know it’s not always that easy, or appropriate, but read on….
Suitcases like the one pictured are just about bombproof! Made of polycarbonate (or similar), when packed correctly inside, it protects even some of the most fragile items from some serious bashing about. You can stand on them, kick them, do whatever, whatever is inside is well protected.
Materials for durable luggage have changed over the years and my trusty Samsonite is much heavier than the ones available these days but the fact it’s still going strong after several decades, locks intact, and has some serious airmiles on the clock tells me it was a good investment! The Luggage Superstore and Samsonite websites will give you an idea of what’s available. Try TKMax for some random bargains. If you travel even just once annually, good durable cases are a good investment.
My holdall goes inside the suitcase and I take it out once I get to my destination. Going on further? Well, I’m sure you can work out if this will work for you in your specific circumstances.
Suitcase and holdall. My trusty Samsonite
is still going strong after several decades.
A good investment!
Too Much Kit?
If putting a holdall into a suitcase fills half of it, it is clearly impractical and you need to deploy other tactics!
Lighten the load – a possible non-starter but worth considering.
Make the best use of your hand luggage – long-haul international flights have generous hand luggage allowances, so make the best use of that. Wear your walking boots (big and bulky) and carry anything potentially fragile.
Use both a suitcase AND holdall – some airlines have a generous checked baggage allowance (2 x 23 kg). Check the airline before you book the flight (and check ALL airlines if you have a wider itinerary). If you can use both, use the holdall for soft and lightweight items (such as sleeping bags, clothes). This way, it can get thrown around as much as they like, there is nothing to break.
Locks and Security
The security of your possessions is important from the time you check your luggage in, until you retrieve it from the carousel.
Most (if not all) Customs Officials are allowed to open your case to inspect what’s inside. Bags are screened and if needed, they are opened but can be chosen at random. If your bag is locked, they are legally allowed to cut that lock, whether it be an integral part of the case or an external padlock. If zip-ties* are used, they will slice those off and if any poly film is used, that’ll come off too. They don’t have to replace them.
* Zip-ties are useful. While they don’t prevent access, they are a good external visual indicator to you that someone has accessed the case when you first see it again.
There is little point in fighting the system, it is how it is and if truth be known, it is in the interest of our security.
Use TSA Approved Locks
The good news is that there are locking systems that can be opened with a universal ‘master’ key. It does not affect combinations, just overrides them. In the case of external locks (such as a padlock), their universal key will open it and they will relock it. Once the case is locked again, it is as if it has been untouched. If your bag has been inspected, an inspection note is placed inside the case.
If you prefer to lock your cases whilst in transit (and who doesn’t given the horror stories you see and read in the media), it is therefore better to use a case (or external locks) that are approved by the TSA. These are Safe Skies Luggage Locks and Travel Sentry.
Travel Sentry doesn’t make locks, they approve them. Each type of lock has a code that tells the Custom officials which master key to use to unlock it. They also have a red diamond logo. See how Travel Sentry works and which countries use the system.
Safe Skies TSA approved locks carry a lifetime guarantee. If they are clipped by officials, they will be replaced free of charge. See the selection of Safe Skies luggage locks.
As an example, Samsonite suitcases now use approved locks as an integral part of the case.
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