Originally Posted by
paul21
2) Don't check a $500+ bag that likely holds $1000+ in items. $500 is better lets toss this sucker and see how it survives! Check a no-name junker over and over until it splits at the seams and replace it. Don't lock it, don't bother with the paperwork. In fact don't lock your $500 bag either, a bic pen can open it and there's probably thousands of "TSA keys" that go missing anyway.
I lock my checked bags with either a cheap TSA lock that came with the bag or a zip tie. Not because it'll stop a mildly determined person from opening it, but because I have seen unlocked bags get their zipper pull caught while traveling down a conveyor belt, only to unzip and dump their contents everywhere.
That said, I check my bags quite often and have never had a problem. Haven't even been able to claim the 20-minute rule yet!