tkjazzer

I'm in the market for a checked-worthy garment bag.

With my frequent flyer status, I'm able to fly without paying for 2 checked bags so it's cheaper to bring my suits on the plane than ship them at $30 a box.

I've been looking around, and it's hard to not look at the very expensive garment bags by hartmann... I think they are the 50" ones are the biggest I've seen.

Does having nice luggage increase the chance of it being stolen?

My sisters and mom just had their luggage stolen somewhere between Jamaica and Michigan.... switched airlines from international to domestic... And they obviously targeted the luggage that had clothes with TAGS still on it... so they went through the bags to see what was in them.

The bags magically never showed up and each airline blamed the other. No compensation received.

Anyway, should I avoid buying expensive checked luggage so I don't have my expensive clothing stolen?

I mean 3 suits could sometimes be worth more than the 1000 dollars they give you if you bags are stolen...

Thanks!

this article recommends staying away from designer bags:
http://cbs2.com/goldstein/LAX.Luggag...2.1330368.html

slawecki

could you please post your size and your most frequent airports.

what brand of bag do you consider to be "expensive"

thank you. looking fwd to doing business.

regards

the gerald

tkjazzer

Not cool gerald. :-(

Redhead

It's a joke!

To answer your initial question - I have Briggs & Reilly luggage - not cheap but also not covered with branding or other things that make it look expensive. Fingers crossed, never an issue in two years of EXP level travel all over the world

AmericanBadAzz

I just bought some Nautica luggage (which is somewhat branded if you know what the Nautica logo looks like) and was worried about this also. I did however do DCA-MIA-SJU-MIA-DCA last month and everything turned out ok. Even after they went thru my luggage and took out the red beans and rice I tried to smuggle back into the mainland.... everything was still there. lol

(btw this is my first post)

tkjazzer

Is Tumi bag a target for theft?

It's more low profile than some, but definitely known as expensive.

Also, are checked garmet bags with male clothing more of a target than a normal piece of roller luggage?

I guess shipping is safest but that adds up very fast

BOS2DCA

I think most thieves look for labels like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, etc. They can quickly sell these on ebay or craig's list.

tfar

This is one of my pet peeves. I would say that, yes, it definitely does. My Rimowa alu suitcase gets opened all the time (well let's say half of all the time) even if there is nothing in there that could arouse suspicion, i.e. no metallic objects etc. See the thread on suspicious items in the security forum.

Tumi? You gotta be kidding. That is the number 1 known to be expensive luggage. Add some FF priority tags and it is clear that the person who owns this bag is probably above average economically and thus is more likely to have goods worthy of stealing.

Of course, if you check Gucci, Fendi, Vuitton or Hermes luggage, you are beyond recovery. Seriously, I have seen a personal item size Vuitton satchel WITHOUT LOCKS on the belt coming from Dallas to Austin. I was shocked. Who could have been that stupid to check that. It is almost a miracle this thing was still there and that not even another passenger or any other random person standing by the belt picked it up. It still amazes me when I think of it.

And you want to check a garment bag? Are you talking about the framed, wheeled ones or the soft ones without wheels? Double or trifold? In any case, these garment bags are about the worst in volume to weight ratio, meaning that considering how heavy and big they are, you cannot pack so much in them. Do they really help in keeping suits wrinkle free? Yes, but not by so much as to justify the weight, cost and impracticality. Are they stylish and easy to pack? By all means, they are.
Check out the stickied master thread on packing tips to learn how to pack a suit in almost any kind of bag without the need for garment bag.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...pack-suit.html

Garment bags are thus a particularly luxury connoted luggage type. So getting an expensive check-in garment bag is like a double whammy. Make that a triple because it is so impractical. If you check a soft sided garment bag, your suits will arrive worse than in a normal checked suitcase. So a framed garment bag is almost out of the question for the reasons above and a soft sided garment bag is non-sense for checked luggage. As a carry-on it is ok. Then you also avoid the theft hassle.

Did you consider just traveling with carry-on luggage? Would it even be possible in your case? I know that I can fit two suits in the garment panel of my Plat5 and another suit plus any other thing I'd need in the main section.

As you say, it is easy for your luggage with contents to be worth more than the $3000 they may or may not pay you. In that sense, if anyhow possible, I'd always go for carrying on the expensive items. A possible solution might be to get a rolling 22" carry-on (buy what you like, even a fancy one) and another soft-sided suitcase or duffle which you check. The bulky and not so expensive stuff like underwear, shoes, toiletries goes in the checked low-profile bag. The expensive stuff like suits, computer, tech toys, jewelry goes in your carry-on. At the destination you can let the soft bag ride on the carry-on.

For really nice bags that would fit the bill and cost way less than the Hartmann, check this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...eat-deals.html

For example, this vertical garment bag:
http://www.rickspicks.biz/catalog/in...i?prod=56&cat=

Plus this duffel:
http://www.uwantsavings.com/detail_LUGGVD25BLK__50.html

...and you are absolutely golden with luggage that is the Vuitton of nylon luggage yet so rare that almost no-one knows it and built like a tank. It also has the garment bag feature you like.

Or there is this one:
http://www.finksluggage.com/v22ts.html

It has a suiter panel but is not a full-blown garment bag than the other one above. The price difference is just because the rickspicks is a particularly good deal since usually the garment bag is more expensive than the suiter panel model.

Till

tkjazzer

Tsa lock or zip tie on your tumi grade luggage?

I wondered if anyone zip ties and tsa locks... But then I thought, if the tsa unlocks and cuts the zip tie, they wouldn't replace the zip, they'd only just relock it... Right?

I assume all baggage handlers and thieves have TSA keys by now...

I then thought that having a zip tie on tumi grade luggage would just draw even more attention to baggage thiefs.

I thought I read somewhere that the tumi tsa locks have a mechanism to tell you the bag was opened... But I couldn't find that on their site.

The tumi 50" framed checked alpha garment roller bag is so much better than any other Ive seen, it's hard to be content with an inferior bag... But at this point in my life, having that many clothes stolen would be a finacial hit I cannot afford so I will probably go without for now.

tfar

Did you read and consider my post?

TSA locks only have the advantage that your locks and zippers won't be destroyed. If you get TSA locks get the ones with Search Alert feature. They throw an indicator if they were opened. Check immediately at the airport.

Otherwise, I just got a bag of 7" colored zip ties. TSA does have black zip ties as replacements but they most likely won't have neon green. Consider the zip tie more of a seal to tell you if your luggage has been tampered with. Do not include same color zip ties INSIDE the checked luggage or they will just re-use those to close your bag again.

Also read this:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ification.html

I am trying to find a thread I made on theft-proofing luggage.

Here it is:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...revention.html

With all this info considered you should be able to make an informed decision that won't make for any regrets.

Till

SuperFlyBoy

Hi Till,

Where does one pick up these colored zip ties from - any hints?

Thanks!

tfar

Home Depot. $2.79 for a bag of 100 ties. Lowe's and Radio Shack should have them, too.

Or Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?ur...e+ties&x=0&y=0

I think the correct term is "cable ties" but usually people know what you mean when you ask for zip ties.

Best to use colored ones, as the TSA might have black ones on hand to replace yours. But they most likely will not have the same color on hand.

Till

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Setting aside is it more attractive to thieves, have you every looked at baggage handlers loading luggage onto an aircraft. Most bags are beat up within the first year. Fairly durable luggage yes, expensive luggage no. Would you buy a Porshe just to have your teenager bang into walls and guard rails?

UKAAFAN

You're absolutely right. I can NEVER understand why those morons check in with LV luggage. I think it looks quite tacky anyway.

To be honest, if you do check in expensive (it's all expensive anyway) luggage and it it gets nicked, it serves you right for putting image before common sense.

tfar

+1 to both.

That said, I own a big Rimowa suitcase. The thing MUST be checked. Everyone knows that Rimowa gets banged up easily but withstands the abuse even if it won't look pristine anymore. The reason for getting it was that I wanted a light and sturdy hardcase solution. Could have bought an unlined Delsey or Samsonite instead but they didn't have the 4-wheeler. And frankly, the Topas just look friggin' awesome even with dings/

BUT one thing is clear. The Rimowa gets opened more than any other suitcase of mine by TSA. Wonder if they are are really looking for dangerous goods or just for expensive things to steal inside.

Till