[Geronimo]

[MiXX]

That's why I always plastic wrap my suitcase - especially when travelling to South America.

[Brian]

how do you plastic wrap a suitcase?

[thegmanifesto]

Brian -

"how do you plastic wrap a suitcase?"

Ha.

I think its a Miami/South American thing.

They have these cats out front of the airport that spin and wrap it real quick.

I have never done it as I thought it might be a red flag that I was carrying drugs.

I have really only ever seen it in MIA and South American airports.

[Brian]

in this day and age the TSA has the ability to go thru whatever they want anyways so i cant imagine the old saran wrap trick would still work

[Caligula]

(05-09-2011 10:04 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

I have really only ever seen it in MIA and South American airports.

I've seen it in Italy too. There they have machines that do it for you.

[thegmanifesto]

(05-09-2011 10:51 PM)Caligula Wrote:  

(05-09-2011 10:04 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

I have really only ever seen it in MIA and South American airports.

I've seen it in Italy too. There they have machines that do it for you.

Yeah, I may have seen in in Europe a little.

It is definitely not a Wessyde California thing.

We are too busy, creasing our khaki's, puffing Chronic, hitting up picnics, hitting switches and throwing up signs.

[Roosh]

I never lock my bags. Never had problems.

I keep my electronics on my back. They can steal my bathroom items, USB cables, and clothes if they really want.

[Moma]

When I brought my danish porn over from Europe to Miami, they popped my locks and stole my shyt. Everytime I lock my suitcase, they damage that bitch. Nowadays I don't even bother, all I got is oversized shoes and clothes so unless someone has a link to sell Dwayne Wade used clothes and shoes, they usually leave my shyt alone...*touch wood*

[Vacancier Permanent]

I travel light, just a carry on. This way, no worries about waiting to get them checked, or waiting at the end for my luggage let alone any problem with opened bags and or stolen stuff. Travelling light is the best way to travel, you're the first out of the airport and in most cases you can buy for a lot cheaper all the stuff you may need once you get there (specially in SA or in SEA).

[MiXX]

The purpose of plastic around your luggage is not to prevent anyone from stealing from you....nope. That's not it at all.

The purpose of plastic wrapped around your luggage is to prevent someone from planting 10 keys of Coke, Marijuna or contraband in your luggage, which you will ultimately be responsible for, even if you claim it's "not yours".

So, if you claim your bag, and someone has opened it...it wil be obvious as the tough plastic will be torn, at which point you have a fighting chance to say someone broke into your luggage and planted drugs using you as a mule.

When someone wants to plant illegal drugs/firearms etc in your luggage, they by no means want you to be aware of it, and use you as a mule to get through customs. Anyone trying to look for a mule will not pick a plastic wrapped baggage:

1. It is extremely tough to cut all of it open even using a sharp box-cutter - it's a bitch.
2. You will immediately know someone has tampered with your luggage and can take immediate action.

So, you want to prevent crooks adding (illegal) stuff to your luggage, and not really stealing toiletries, cables or dirty clothes.


Mixx

[Heretic]

Using plastic wrap may deter handlers from getting into your bag, but almost guarantees that they will treat it worse. It's more of a piss off for them than anything. I personally never check bags; too much of a hassle.

[whosyourdaddy]

I think that i read somewhere that in Buenos Aires, that they even have the plastic wrapping devices as well. So all they need to do is cut the plastic and then re-wrap.

It can also be an indication that "there's something valuable in here", just like if you lock your bags. And these days TSA needs to be able to get into your bags as well.

I think the best thing to do is to take whatever you can't lose in your carryon and whatever you don't care about in checked baggage. BTW, don't ever check anything in when flying to EZE in Buenos Aires. I did a google search and found they like to break into everything. And i read that your chances are really really high of losing your bags, getting them stolen or having a 5 day delay in getting your bags on airlines like TACA, LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas. You'll end up having to return to the airport 5 days later to pick up your bags even if you're on the other side of the country.

[Tuthmosis]

This is why I use a hard-shell Samsonite clam case. The four wheels make it easy to push/pull, the hard side protects my shit a little better, and it's much harder to tamper with casually. It has a built-in TSA-approved combo lock (they have a special device that opens it for them).

It's worth the extra coin.

   

[zanetti]

my travelguide recommended getting your suitcase wrapped when going to and from cuba as local airport workers are known for taking items

[Screwston]

Is it pretty common losing bags when traveling overseas? Shit. What a great way to start off your trip

Moma - I was thinking of bringing back a dvd or 2 from every country I go to. Have a nice foreign flick collection at my crib

[Steven Lurkel]

Not every zippered bag will magically open when using the ballpoint pen trick. I know, because I used to spend ten hours a day working in baggage security at an airport. Tuthmosis is right on about the Samsonite clamshell bag, but if such cases aren't your thing, try to get something with a heavy duty zipper (Blackhawk, Northface, make some tough duffels/backpacks.) Most luggage locks are bullshit. Even though we had a lot of skeleton keys, there were guys who could pick their way into just about anything...the rest of of us got by just fine with a crowbar or bolt cutter. If you just want some piece of mind that folks aren't poking around in your bag, zip ties are a cheap and easy way to keep out the curious.

Roosh has the right idea, though; if you're concerned about theft, keep your electronics and valuables in your carry-on. Not to mention, odds are your bag is going to take a bit of a beating whilst the two of you are separated.

And one more thing, in my experience, people plastic wrapped their bags for BOTH reasons; to prevent theft AND/OR to deter tampering/smuggling.

Safe travels, fellas.