chatmax

+2

4444

100% agree. im all for having nice things but with the abuse luggage takes it's just not practical to use expensive luggage. if it gets nicked up too bad. it's a bag...

chatmax

I still enjoy reading that thread. Informative and quite funny. I've taken up some of those tips especially from shiv's posts.

AndyL1506

I typically travel with two standard size Tumi carry on bags. These bags are on the higher end of Tumi and they look it. One was $1,295 and the other was $1,499. If for some reason I do check either of these bags they ALWAYS end up with the TSA inspection sticker on the bag tag alerting me that they�ve been opened. The more expensive bag doesn�t have zippers and uses metal latches to close it. I can�t count the amount of times I�ve been paged at the gate because TSA couldn�t figure out how to re close the bag. Every time I�ve asked why it was opened to begin with I�ve been given the same �it was random� line which is total BS. I travel with my brother often who uses a much less expensive Samsonite bag that has never once been opened. Looking back I wish I had purchased less expensive bags but I needed the quality. It�s the TSA employees more than fellow passengers we need to worry about when it comes stealing. TSA clearly can spot an expensive bag and absolutely has the opportunity to open them at will and in some cases take what they want. In my opinion it�s the physical bag they target and has nothing to do with what kind of priority tag it�s labelled with.

abmj-jr

Ten year-old thread.

Spanish

Sometimes, it's what you pack. I have a particular pair of shoe trees that makes a bag much more likely to be TSA checked, whether packing it as carry-on luggage or checked luggage.

Expensive luggage doesn't always mean expensive goods. Then again, I suppose thieves could be selling the luggage itself for a high listing price.

Bummer that you're having the issue, though.

Do you have a photograph of your luggages? Perhaps that'll providing some relevant informations...

darthbimmer

I expect the criminally minded would target expensive suitcases. A $1200++ bag is more likely to contain expensive items than a $100 bag or even a $400 bag. The fact you see TSA notes on yours, though, makes me suspect the motives are not malicious.

Is it possible your bags are made of a material that interferes with x-ray scanning? Might they have metal infrastructure that looks suspicious on an x-ray or blocks the view too much of what's inside?

Maybe something you carry looks suspicious. @Spanish mentioned shoe trees... When I've packed shoe trees, the large metal shafts/springs in them frequently have triggered secondary inspection for hand luggage. Carrying a lot of electronic devices, including chargers, cables, and batteries (a challenge my partner often faces) can trigger the need for an inspection, too.