locks for soft luggage

[skiladyldp]

Hello, sorry for the dumb question. I bought a set of soft luggage for our first cruise. We have not done a lot of travel and our luggage was very old. My question is, how do you lock soft luggage? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Jancruz]

Hello, sorry for the dumb question. I bought a set of soft luggage for our first cruise. We have not done a lot of travel and our luggage was very old. My question is, how do you lock soft luggage? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

As long as it has zippers, no problem locking it..but be sure to use TSA locks or they may be cut off..

Jancruz1

[skiladyldp]

I did a search for soft luggage locks but I still have no idea what to buy. Can anybody provide a link please to something so I have an idea what to look for.

[JimandStan]

This is a link for the type of locks that you ask about:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-4683Q-TSA-Approved-Luggage/dp/B000HWPJRU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346167272&sr=8-2&keywords=tsa+locks+for+luggage

[skiladyldp]

Thank you so much for the link. Now I know what to look for.

[Paulchili]

I did a search for soft luggage locks but I still have no idea what to buy. Can anybody provide a link please to something so I have an idea what to look for.

 

Here is a link to TSA approved locks:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm

You can probably find them at Target, Walmart, etc

[JimandStan]

You can probably find them at Target, Walmart, etc

 

For anything that is available in either of those stores, I'd much rather use mail-order. Everything about them, from their overcrowded parking lots to their disorganized stock is exhausting.

That said, we have not bothered with luggage locks since the hard-Samsonite days. We travel a great deal and the only item that has ever gone missing was an Art of Shaving safety razor that was erroneously confiscated BY the TSA. :p

They returned it eventually.........but it took THREE YEARS.

[skiladyldp]

I ordered them from Amazon. I am more concerned about the Hotels rather than the airlines. I have never used the locks before and have never had anything missing. I feel a little better about placing these locks on my luggage in the Hotels. I want to lock up my ipad and laptop when I am out. I know they can be broken easy but it may be a deterent.

[Marebear]

I travel frequently and have given up on using TSA approved locks because they are usually taken and I usually pay up to $15.00 apiece. I now buy brightly colored plastic ties from Magellans that I can cut off with a nail clipper. It has saved me a considerable amount of money. I never pack anything of great value in my bags except clothes and shoes!

[LHT28]

I never knew they had special locks for soft luggage ...

I just use the same locks for hard & soft cases except when flying into or out of the U.S. ...Then I use zip ties

 

Many hotels have safes in the room or you can ask the front desk to lock up your valuables

 

Even with a lock there are ways for people to get into your cases without you knowing they were there ;)

[geekybiker]

Any zippered bag is easy to break into without cutting the lock.

Look for a bag that you can lock the zippers in position to prevent this. (Some bags will have a D ring at the end of the zipper track. People can still break in, but they can't easily reseal. Hard luggage with hinges is the way to go if you want some security on suitcases. However most of the time its not about making it impossible to break in, just making someone else's bag an easier target.

[Baby Hughy]

They are readily available at AAA & CAA officess.

Bill

[kimanjo]

I use Ty-wraps from the hardware store. They can be easily cut with nail clippers like a previous poster said. You just send one end through one hole in the zipper pull, and the same in the other zipper pull and ta-da, your'e done.

 

I dont keep anything valuable in my checked bags, they are really just for trying to keep the bag zippered closed and all the contents spilled out!

 

The TSA can cut them to get in, if they need, and are a LOT cheaper than locks!!!

 

I keep a few extras with me, so I can put new ones on when heading home.

[Paulchili]

I use Ty-wraps from the hardware store. They can be easily cut with nail clippers like a previous poster said.

 

Can you have nail clippers in your carry-on?

[kimanjo]

You can bring nail clippers in your carry-on, even scissors with blades less than 4 inches.

 

You can bring folding scissors, found in the notion department of a fabric store. I actually have a pair of those too. Or even on Amazon.

 

 

Any questions, here is the TSA site

 

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#4

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I too use cable ties. Just leave a little gap for easy removal, then clip off the extra ends. Store the clippers in an outside zipper pocket of checked luggage. Carry conventional locks for hotels, land travel.

[Christine Frances]

I ordered them from Amazon. I am more concerned about the Hotels rather than the airlines. I have never used the locks before and have never had anything missing. I feel a little better about placing these locks on my luggage in the Hotels. I want to lock up my ipad and laptop when I am out. I know they can be broken easy but it may be a deterent.

 

Pacsafe has a portable safe - we just ordered one and it is great for travel. We have two iPads and a SLR camera plus passports, cash etc that we would like to be secure in a hotel room if we are out.

http://pacsafe.com/travelsafe-12l-portable-safe

[JimandStan]

What kind of hotels are you people staying in that those type of precautions are necessary? :eek:

 

I'd be much more tempted to throw the $70 cost of that travel safe toward the purchase of a smaller lighter Tablet.

Those Dell Mini's are virtually palm sized and you can pick them up for about $200 anywhere-

Stan just picked one up, and the IG processor is like lightning

[Ms Understood]

Christine, Can you explain how that PacSafe works? Seems like a thief need only take the whole thing? What am I missing?

----------------

Helen

[JimandStan]

Christine, Can you explain how that PacSafe works? Seems like a thief need only take the whole thing? What am I missing?

----------------

Helen

 

The travel safe has an intrinsic steel cord that must be fastened around something non removable in the room.

 

They suggest a column, because you know how common they are in the average hotel room. :rolleyes:

[LHT28]

You can also buy just a cable that attaches to you computer I used to take mine & then wrap it around the desk chair

maybe someone would question a person dragging a chair down the hall with the laptop:D

Then again....

[Christine Frances]

Christine, Can you explain how that PacSafe works? Seems like a thief need only take the whole thing? What am I missing?

----------------

Helen

 

Our friends cable locked them to the bed frame and then tucked it under the bed. They also use it to lock stuff in the trunk of the car (attached to part of the car frame). This is the mid sized one. The smaller is great for passports, wallets and point and shoot cameras. We are getting one because we are staying in Rome for 5 days between cruises and we don't want to worry about our stuff left in the hotel room. This spring we had a house rented in Buenos Aires for a week pre cruise and the safe was broken. Everyday before we went out we were looking for different hiding places to stash our stuff in the room and our traveling companion had her Opal necklace ripped off her neck (she was wearing is because she didn't want to leave it in the house). It's not for everyone but we take a lot of stuff:). I do like to bring some nice jewelry as well

 

 

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[Christine Frances]

The travel safe has an intrinsic steel cord that must be fastened around something non removable in the room.

 

They suggest a column, because you know how common they are in the average hotel room. :rolleyes:

 

Sorry if I offended. Just trying to help the OP.

 

 

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[wassup4565]

Wow, always worth reading every thread! Thank you so much for the info about nail clippers and small scissors being okay.

 

I am very happy with cable-ties (cops now use them to handcuff people), but wasn`t sure I`d be able to break into my own luggage when I finally arrived. That worry is now behind me.

[Royalco]

Personally, I always lock my luggage with a TSA lock through the

zippers joined together. I am not concerned about theft as I never pack anything of value. However, I am very much concerned that someone might put something INTO my unlocked luggage and I become a "carrier" of an illegal substance for them through customs, etc.