Gee, so if I had a bag of 100 RFID chips..

I always use just two bins. One for my laptop, another for my jacket, DVD player, MP3 player, cell phone, & keys.

I have been traveling with a DVD player since late 2004. After the first 2 or 3x through where I left the player in my carry-on, and the carry-on was pulled for secondary, I learned my lesson. Ever since, I have always been taking the DVD player out of my carry-on, even before the new electronics policy.

... if a "private" bin for each is a real issue:
Amateur radio transceiver
balun and dummy load (don't start!) for above
2 digital cameras
GPS
cell phone
MP3 player
portable CD player
power supply, chargers & batteries for above
and, oh yeah, CPAP (minus distilled water, of course).

Always travelin' light,
Deacon

Oh yeah, I can relate... Been there, done that..... BTW, almost always no questions asked. You're right, the dummy load is for TSA to question, it's right up their alley! Funny thing is, I've sent my FT-917 through in my bag a number of times, almost never questions asked! It's the 20M dipole that got pulled out and examined (short trip to SJU)
Oh well!

My CPAP almost always gets pulled out to have their fingers run all over it!

If I'm reading your post correctly:

1) BB + Laptop in one bin = sent back
2) Shoes + freedom baggie + DVD player = ok (assuming nothing was stacked/layered)
3) BB + Laptop + purse = sent back

If you're traveling with a purse, why not just toss the BB in there? My takeaway is that you should always leave your laptop separate (a practice I always follow anyway). Small electronics, like BBs, cellphones, and digital cameras (along with my watch or any other metal objects) always go in my bag when passing through security.

I'll join the chorus and say that at no airport, DTW and LAS included, have I been instructed to use separate bins for small electronics. One does have to allow an un-stacked view of a laptop, DVD player, or video camera, but all other devices can be left in the carry-ons. This is not to say that a plethora of devices won't result in a hand-screening (an associate of mine was held up while they took a closer look at his shaver, of all things), but there is no requirement to separate them. Unless you get a cranky TSO on a power trip.

I have recently overheard the TSA yelling to remove "all electronic devices" from luggage. At the same airports (TPA, LAX), I safely ignored the TSA and removed ONLY my laptop.

On both trips, my carry-ons included the following electronic items:

• Laptop (for the TPA trip, I had 2x laptops with me)
• iPod
• Bose QC2's
• Canon 30D DSLR camera (w/ 300mm f4L lens attached)
• Canon 350D DSLR camera
• Additional lenses: 24-105mm f4L, 10-22mm
• Batteries, large flash, etc.
• Cell phone
• GPS unit (Garmin eTrex Vista)
• External USB hard drives, 2x
• Cables + power supplies, etc., for all above

(the above manages to fit in one rollaboard + my laptop bag--although I carry the 30D + lens over my shoulder vs. in a bag)

I have had a few TSA'ers grumble about not removing the portable hard drives before, but even where they were barking "all electronics out," I have not had a problem with just removing the laptops. Only two bag checks over the past 6-8 months, too.

Wait a minute-I thought Blogger Bob & his buddies said the 'all electronics out' mandate was the work of a few rogue screeners (somewhere) & had been dealt w/thanks to it being reported on the blog? If I'm not making this up (been driving for 6+ hrs vs. flying to LA to avoid the TSA, btw!), then see if there's a 'Got Feedback' thread for any of those airports you mentioned in the original post & submit a comment. Can't hurt.

Of course, if I am simply confused, then just ignore me

I go between BNA and LAX on a regular basis and have never seen anyone suggest that I do anything other than take my two laptops out and give them each a bin. iPod is in my briefcase; BlackBerry is in my briefcase also unless I forget to take it off, in which case I put it in a bin with one of the PCs; NeatReceipts scanner is in my rollaboard with two laptop adapters and assorted cords. Never a problem.

A bin of electronics all lying flat and not stacked on each other will allow the TSOs to see what they need to see. Anything else is overkill and slows up the flow through the checkpoint.

I figure I'll try again on Monday when I fly from DTW again. I always put the laptop flat but according to the previous responses to my post, I'll leave the BB in my purse or briefcase. On the way back, as it is an International Flight I will have to go through security at CUN and IAH. Maybe I'll try a different approach at each security checkpoint. As long as the laptop is alone in a bin, I should be okay, right?

I simply wondered if anyone else was being hassled about electronics in separate bins. Seems some of you have and some not. As I mentioned, it's only been recently that I have noticed this trend.

As this trip Monday is half business and half vacation, I wanted to bring my camera, but I am tired of worrying about all the carry-on electronics. I have to have the laptop and BB for work, but I'm on the fence about DVD player and camera.

BTW- I noted someone saying they leave their baggie of liquids in their bag? I've never seen that allowed and have heard TSA agents going through the lines telling us to get the baggie out. Has this rule changed? I would LOVE to not have to dig for it every time I go through security. (It's hard enough to remember to get every bit of electronics out.)

I'll certainly be paying attention to what is and isn't allowed at each airport!

Man, something is very wrong when you're worried about bringing a camera to your vacation because you don't want the anxiety of worrying about what you have to put where at the security checkpoint.

Look, I'm at two or three airports every week. In the last couple of weeks I was at NRT, SFO, LAX, SNA, BOS, EWR, and so far this year I've been at 18 airports total.

I have *never* taken anything out of my over-the-shoulder sling bag to put into a bin other than my laptop and my freedom baggie and I *always* put those two into the same bin.

I have never not-once heard a peep from anyone at any airport about this. Things that remain in my bag or my jacket pocket when they go through the belt are:
- digital camera (small one)
- blackberry
- Sony PSP
- Cowon A2 (video player, a bit larger than a PSP)
- iGo juice70 power brick with all adapters
- zipped bag of USB flash drives, USB wireless modem, adapters, chords, etc.

The exception to above was when I forgot my freedom baggie in my carry-on and no one noticed or said a word about it, and the few times I was on the blackberry right before going through and so I put it *in the same bin* as the laptop and the freedom baggie.

Now, my laptop is a Thinkpad X60 so it's small and the freedom baggie or whatever else I put in the bin with in never overlap or touch each other. Maybe that's made a difference, I don't know. But I wish folks didn't have to have anxiety when they travel about something like this - traveling can be stressful enough as it is to some people... So the TSA agents who are causing this unnecessary additional stress: to you!

Isn't that an oxymoron? Video cameras don't use film. I haven't taken my video camera through security for about 6 months, but I did not put it in its own bin when I did (it uses tape -- is that what you meant?). Unless things have changed, I've never separated any of my (huge amount of) electronics, and only put my computer in a bin.

Fine, tape, whatever it is called. Just not digital or DVD storage.

That's what it's called (and it makes no sense to distinguish between tape, hard drives and solid state storage). It's not TSA SOP to remove cameras. I've run into these morons on occasion -- I had one TSO who insisted that I take put my printer and put it in a separate bin. I refused and said, "That's not procedure. Give me a secondary, then, but I'm not taking anything out except my laptop." He gave me a sour look and waived me through.

If the printer is considered a "full-size electronic device" or whatever ridiculous term they use to describe portable video players, xBoxen, DVD players, etc. then the request for the printer out might not have been completely unreasonable. But that's a different story...