The Luggage Blog

Seasoned fliers know the drill: take off your shoes, dump the latte, and whip out that quart sized bag of liquids. Now, thanks to the TSA, those traveling with a laptop can keep it inside of their bag. In an effort to streamline the security process and reduce damage to and loss of laptops, the TSA called upon manufacturers to create bags that provide a clear and unobstructed view of the laptop for x-ray screening. Several producers of briefcases and travel goods answered that call and checkpoint friendly laptop bags have hit the market.

Tumi, the leader in luggage and briefcases, added a checkpoint friendly bag to their Alpha Series of business cases. The Tumi T-Pass Medium Capacity Laptop Brief features a split-opening panel along the back of the bag. It also includes foam blocks for accommodating smaller laptops. Briggs and Riley’s appropriately called, 17in. Speed Thru™ Case, uses a clam shell design to house the SpeedThru™ pocket. The laptop section features an orange lining, so you can easily tell that it is open. For a smaller version, look to Codi’s Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Case. Also making use of the clam shell design, one side is a dedicated compartment for the laptop; the other provides additional space for files and accessories.

While the TSA still reserves the right to ask passengers to remove their laptop from its case, any of these briefcases- with specially designed compartments-improves your chances of zipping through security lines.

Visit tsa.gov for more information regarding TSA’s laptop bag procedures.

Rooz Mousavi’s OBAG is definitely different that any other luggage on the market.  It’s designed to be easy to maneuver—even up and down stairs. And it’s compact to make storage much easier. And as a bonus it has a sort of futuristic appeal so you’d look pretty snazzy rolling it along in your silver plether speed-suit.  It’s just a concept design right now but it paints an intersting future for luggage design.

See more about the OBAG

Well it seems as though Tumi is always doing their best to come up with new and exciting collections.  Believe it or not, luggage can be pretty exciting and I think Tumi has done just that with their introduction of the new T-Tech Adventure Collection.

One of Tumi’s newest is the T-Tech Adventure Collection.  T-Tech Adventure is full of bright colors and the name says it all with the adventurous styles and designs that went into this collection.  The entire collection is made from Tumi’s exclusive X-Tech fabric, which is extremely durable, abrasion resistant and soft to the touch! Oooohhh you might just have to get one of these new bags!

Tumi has even created a new informational website, designated to the T-Tech label only.  This website explains all of the collections under the T-Tech label.  The new outdoorsy yet urban look of T-Tech separates itself from the oh so modern classic iconic style of Tumi.  Judge for yourselves!

View the T-Tech Adventure Collection on Luggage Online.

When you pick up your baggage from the airlines, you are usually tired and grateful to be at your destination. Most people don’t look over their bags to make sure they’re OK. Then, when they go to unpack they find something missing or torn. Unfortunately the airlines loathe taking responsibility for what they do to your bags, even though we have all watched the handlers toss our bags around and wonder why they don’t all spill open on the tarmac.

The most important thing about putting in a claim for a damaged bag is to know the game before you need to know it. The airlines will spout policy to you, if you accept that you will get nowhere. Remember, you do have the right to say, “No, that is not acceptable.”

Know what to expect:

• All airlines expect that you file a claim while you are still at the airport (no matter what time of day or night it is).
• There is not always someone available to take your claim at the airport.
• Most airlines allow up to 24 hours to file a claim, but you often are required to come into the airport.
• International travelers usually have 7 days to file a claim.
• Know your airline’s policy! US Airways, for example only allows 4 hours to file a claim.

The “customer service” agent is not always helpful in these matters. With the financial state of the airlines these days their policies have gotten stricter. Therefore it can be [Read more →]

The folks over at TwinCities had a great question from a reader regarding luggage locks.

“I bought a couple of TSA-approved padlocks. But we just returned from Rome to find the locks had been snipped off — along with most of the zipper pull. Leaving bags unlocked seems like an open invitation to any baggage handler with a little spare time, but locking invites the security people to ‘make their day.’ What is best today?”

They suggest that you use your best judgment to decide whether or not to use the locks, and mention that if you don’t use a lock, you shouldn’t store anything valuable in your checked luggage.  Even if you chose to lock your bag, you really should avoid checking valuables in case your bag is lost or damaged.

TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne urges travelers to use a TSA approved lock because the officers are aware of which locks are approved. We’d like to point out that ANYONE can recognize which locks are approved since all of them are clearly marked.

If the TSA does damage your luggage you can file a claim here.

We’d also like to add that it’s never a bad idea to report any damage or loss to the Department of Transportation as well.

View TSA friendly locks on Luggage Online.

Photo by msmail.

Briggs & Riley appeals to me because of it’s clean lines and understated appearance. I chose the olive because it is much more attractive than your everyday black case. The external handle system is what really sold me on this bag because you gain much more packing space and we all know how important that is!

Perfect For

This Briggs & Riley carry-on is my one and only suitcase. It is great for weekend trips and it even allows me enough room to pack for full week trips. The internal pockets and compartments make organizing for your trip a breeze. With the internal suiter you can bring along your best attire for a night out on the town. This bag is great for a business man or a beach bum.

Favorite Feature

The best feature of this bag is Briggs’ ingenious idea to have the telescoping handle on the outside.  It may not sound like much but every bit of space counts, when your like me and need all the room that you can get. I don’t like to check my luggage because I don’t like the extra time involved. This feature, with the handle on the outside of the case, allows me to take much more along for my trips.   [Read more →]