Beware the TSA

[SpeedRacer 1]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/elliott/5797824.html

Also, here is how they can open your luggage even with a lock on the zipper: http://mosh.nokia.com/content/3EB82A6FB8ADF170E040050AEE040FBA

Speed Racer
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[Scoop 0]

If you're really paranoid you could buy police type evidence bags. They are see through and once sealed are tamperproof. The only way to open them is to cut or rip the plastic.

http://www.waproducts.net/section4/teb_seal.html

Quite what they would make of all your possessions being bagged up in police evidence bags, however, is another matter!

I tend to take my valuable or fragile items on as carry on.

[mnealtx 0]

Many airports have bag wrap services now - something like a big roll of saran wrap - pretty hard to cut and still leave your luggage sticker on, from what I understand.

With that said, I don't leave valuables in my checked bag and I have a routine for the security checkpoints - I put everything from my pockets into zipped pockets in my jacket. My shoes and jacket go into the first bin. My laptop goes into the second bin. Then my carryon bag goes through. I time it where I go into the detector once all my bags are into the x-ray machine, and get to the output of the x-ray about the same time as my laptop comes out.

That way, if TSA decides to hand-search me or swab my laptop, I already have all my stuff to hand so I can take it all with me with little chance of someone going through my stuff without me being there to see it.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706