autre003

I am scheduled to spend some time packing around France and Spain over Xmas and through the New Year but have not traveled internationally with my pack. ome questions I hope seasoned vets can help me with:


1) When I pack and get to the airport, should I just send my pack through to the "throwers" normal style? Should it be wrapped in a garbage bag or have the straps tucked?

2) Is it wise to have locks on any, none, or all of my zippers?

3) what other good advice can some people give me....?


Thanks erebody!

U2fan

In my experience they prefer you to have tucked in as many loose straps as possible. I haven't had them say it has to be in a bag but every airport is different so I suppose it's a possibility. If that's the case though, you could quick get one from a packing type store inside the airport. Or just have one folded up in your pack in case you need and it and it could come in handy later.

And in my experience with locks, well, you can't have them because with security these days they have to be able to open your bag at any given moment in its journey to the next place.

You'll be fine!

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The Monsignor

I travel pretty frequently with packs (military style, all sharp corners and straps) and have found that to make everything pretty simple, I buy a cheapo duffle or stuff sack to cover the pack in (large enough to hold the pack, light enough to pack inside or strap to the outside of the pack when not in use) It keeps all the straps and stuff from getting caught (many airports have automated luggage routers in the bowels of the terminal, they shuttle your bags from the counter to the gate without any human assistance, ensuring there are no witnesses when your bag gets routed to Ickistan by mistake)

It's not really enforced, but the airlines can be picky about loose dangly things on your pack.

locks, eh, they keep casual pilfering down, but they're not gonna make them pilfer-proof. The new transportation requirement has you using only approved locks, which the TSA guys can get into (which means anyone will be able to) I prefer it, to make it harder to rip me off.

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LiveFreeorDie

^The TSA locks unfortunately will get cut off just like the regular ones. I had this happen to me the first time I used one. Then, just this week I overheard a ticket agent telling a lady to unlock her TSA approved lock and he said the same thing...many TSA agents do not have the special tool and they will just cut the lock anyway, so don't bother with them. Leave your pack unlocked when checking it at the aiport, but bring locks for the hostel.

Also, some travelpacks come with a built in pack cover the folds out of the bottom to cover your straps. I know many Eagle Creek packs have this feature. Might check your pack closely to see if you have this. If not, use a garbage bag or nylon laundry bag.

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worldwidemike

On your international flight, check and see if your departure airport has one of those shrink-wrap machine services. I don't know how much they charge, but they have the clear cellophane type material they wrap around your bag to seal it up. Of course, nowadays, these have to be located where they can do it after TSA checks your bag.

worldwidemike

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marc873

Pulling up an old thread! But is it just me, I have NEVER checked my pack at the airport. To me, thats the beauty of the pack, even on the smallest planes, I have been able to fit it in the overheads.
I love this because you never have to worry about landing somewhere, and your luggage does not.

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Dig

I thought a pack was too big (length) to fit in the overhead area?

buzzingtalk

yeah, would be nice to know what sort of packs can fit in the luggage compartment. would love to ifnally travel without checking in and out but nto sure how big/small a pack can be to get away with it.

marc873

This is the pack I use, and I believe joe7f uses. Anyway, I take the day pack off, pull the compression straps tight, and it fits easily, even on express flight planes (smaller) I have squeezed it in. I have lived out of this pack many times traveling for long periods and had no troubles

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