Security with three laptops: this oughta be fun.
 

On my normal work commutes I travel with two laptops: my personal macbook pro and a HP belonging to my consulting firm. My current client has just handed me a third laptop, which I must use to access their network remotely.

And I get to drag them ALL through the TSA in LAX on Friday morning.

Who wants to take bets on:

a) whether I get secondary inspection (drug swipes, pat downs, etc)
b) the over/under on the number of people who utter the phrase "you have THREE laptops!"
c) if I can restrain myself from responding sarcastically to the b) folks. "Yeah, those things tend to breed if you leave them alone long enough."

This is a record for me, though I do have a friend who once traversed Canadian security with four laptops. That one raised some eyebrows.

I don't see what the difference is if it is one laptop or 4 laptops. There are lots of reasons for people having to carry multiple laptops and once they are through the x-ray there isn't any reason to swipe them down or otherwise. Look in any travelling consultants carry on bag and you'll find a ton of electronics.

Your real problem will be keeping a close eye on so many devices and not having one stolen at the check point. I'd recommend sticking something on that is easily identifiable to you from a distance.

I flew with three a few weeks ago, between SFO and LAS. It was no big deal. Each laptop got taken out and put in a plastic bin and x-rayed, and on the other side went back into my bags. Nobody cared.

Strange. I get comments frequently travelling with just two! I figured for sure three would get more reaction. Though I guess you're right.

We traveled with two laptops, an external keyboard, extra batteries, 2 iPods, 2 phones, a camera, a coffee table book "The Life and Times of Sheikh Zayed" (given to us by a client), a rolled up Persian carpet, a Qur'an (also given to us) and a bunch of cables.

FRA-DXB-SEZ-PRI-SEZ-MRU-SEZ-DXB-CMB-MLE-CMB-BKK-PNH-REP-VTE-LPQ-BKK-SIN-PER-ADL (broken) SYD-WLG-AKL-SYD-DXB-KWI-PRG

The books were shipped home from BKK, but the carpet stayed with us. It was rolled up and had heavy plastic over it. At each point, it got a sticker saying "Sri Lankan Airport Security Checked" (for example). That carpet caused more concern than all the electronic stuff.

I have also traveled with three laptops on several trips between Europe and the US - no problem, but get everything lined up for xray and make sure you will not beep it so as to quickly gather things on the other side.

You won't get the secondary at LAX, but you will get a few stares and some casing of your stuff for possible theft. Oh, and maybe a backache. :(

I had to carry a company laptop plus a client laptop, and left my personal machine at home--I just avoided using the client laptop for anything personal, and the company laptop for anything too personal.

We see multiple laptops all the time. Usually it's two -- I assume one for work and one for play! Even 3 shouldn't raise eyebrows, though.

Usually I'll tease the passenger that they're obviously working too hard. :)

Hey folks.

I picked a helluva first post topic but here goes...

I just came across a link at the CBP site about laptop searches.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/ad...op_inspect.xml

Looks like the TSA guy should know...you shouldn't have any probs getting thru with 3.

Thanks to ALL here at FT for the useful info I've found so far.


Phil & Liz

The largest amount of laptops I've ever seen carried through security was 12. Each one was wrapped in bubble wrap and they were stacked in two neat rows of 6 in a good-sized rollaboard. By the time the bag followed the laptops through (each in it's own bin of course) it was empty. His biggest concern was possible theft, naturally, so a couple of us kept an eye on the first ones to come through until he was through and they were all together again.

I share your concerns, although my laptop wasn't "misplaced" at LAX but another airport.

You might consider affixing a 4' antenna type wand on each, similar to what you often see on shopping carts, so that the carts do not go astray. In this way anyone mistakingly taking your laptop could be seen from a distance.

Good luck, and while you are eyeballing your three laptops, remember to keep an eye on your other possessions. I mistakingly focused on my laptop on one occasion and "misplaced" my watch.

Stay the curse!

I'm hoping you go through easily. I'll be doing the same thing in two weeks at EWR.

And one of them is the EEE, so I'm prepping myself for the "it has no hard drive, what is it?!" issues.

I just gave my eldest child a simple computer bag, so I'm shopping for a new one. Should I bother with a TSA-friendly bag, or should I just get a callie-girl-friendly bag?

:rolleyes:

I find it a bit odd that the URL in this post has "labtop_inspect" in the URL line instead of "laptop_inspect"

And it brings up the laptop page

The link is right. It's the URL where the typo occurs. A CBP typo? :eek: :p

I doubt that will happen, fortunately. (Assuming you put them all in separate bins--leave them in the bag or try stacking them in one bin, and of course all bets are off!)


Depending on how many people are nearby you in line, I'd put it at 60-75% of them. That's been my experience traveling with multiple laptops and similar gear; the Ma and Pa Kettles just don't get why you'd travel with more than one. :)


:D


Four beats me. I've taken two laptops many times when traveling for work, as I like to have my personal laptop along as well. Once had an LCD projector in addition to the two laptops, and the TSA guy at the x-ray made some silly remark about the amount of stuff I had (I also had a large-lensed digital SLR--so I had like 5 bins at that point!)

What I hate is when I get stuck with a desktop replacement model which is like 3" thick and weighs nearly 10 lbs. I wouldn't mind so much carrying extra laptops if they were little Viaos or similarly-slim laptops.

I take two and three through with enough auxiliary gear to make your head spin. Other than one retaliatory secondary in BOS, I haven't had problems, other than tedious repacking. The UK is great, the US sucks, most other countries are in between. I find it easier to deal with former/current communist/facist countries than my own.