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Sturdy Laptop Travel Cases?

Posted by Cliff on Thu Aug 10, 2006 09:30 PM
from the able-to-survive-long-airport-trips dept.
Portables
biglig2 asks: "You may have seen on todays news that, after a foiled attempt to smuggle explosives on a plane here in the UK, UK airlines are now banning all cabin baggage on outgoing flights. Great timing, since I'm probably flying to the States next week, and this means putting my laptop, iPod and cellphone into the cargo hold. Since I have to assume that anything I put in the hold is going to be frozen, depressurized, and repeatedly jumped on by the baggage handlers, what hard laptop cases have Slashdot users found to be indestructible?"
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[+] Best Laptop for Going Around the World? 479 comments
mitbeaver writes "I'm planning a round-the-world trip. 6+ months in developing countries, including Everest base camps 1 & 2, the deserts of Namibia and lots of places in between. I want to bring something to write (blogs or the Great American Novel) and burn DVD photo backups to mail home. I don't really need much in the way of power, but I do need it to survive the altitude, dust, moisture of tropical locations, and being hauled around non-stop for the better part of a year. I will be carrying my life in my backpack, so every pound counts. It looks like some 'semi-rugged' ultraportables exist, but the truly 'rugged' are all pretty heavy. These are pricey, and the risk of theft is non trivial. A smaller laptop is easier to keep on my person more often, which is safer (in most countries) than leaving it in the hostel/hotel. Still, the rugged guys are 2x the price — almost worth buying a cheap one and planning an on the road replacement purchase. I know we've talked about gadgets to carry around the world before, but any advice would be greatly appreciated." We also discussed laptop travel cases a little more than a year ago.
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  • Adamantium.

    Anything less, and you might as well not try.
    • With eight locks.

      The problem isn't the laptop getting dinged; it's the TSA goons stealing your computer. They must think that Christmas came early this year with all the electronic stuff they're getting their hands on today...
      • The TSA WILL bust any lock that they don't have the key for (there is one out there with a TSA skeleton key) and they will most likely damage your luggage and contents in the process. Having a sturdy lock on your luggage will also likely get you pulled aside for a strip search, especially if coming from the UK. My advice is to be a good little cattle and blend into the background.
        • The TSA WILL bust any lock that they don't have the key for (there is one out there with a TSA skeleton key)

          My brother had one of those. He went someplace, the mystery TSA agent with the key opened his bag... and didn't put the lock back after they pawed through all his stuff.

          My advice is to be a good little cattle and blend into the background.

          yes, perfectly reasonable to try to hide in the slaughterhouse line.

  • all you need to know (Score:4, Informative)

    by gus24 (946010) on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:34PM (#15886297) Homepage

    http://www.pelican.com/ [pelican.com]

    if you have the cash for the flash: http://www.zerohalliburton.com/ [zerohalliburton.com]
    • Pelican 1490 and 1520 fit/are made for laptops.

    • I second the Zero Halliburton cases. I used to work for a distributor, and kept my ThinkPad in one of the brushed aluminum cases. Never had a problem.

      My former employer's site [cases2go.com] has the cases for discount through an auction interface. They make cases for PDAs too - cool stuff.

      • And I un-second the Zero Halliburton cases, as they scream "steal me" at the top of their shiny little lungs. Pro photograpers learned that a long time ago. Get a Pelican and even then wrap a beat-up duffle around it so when it comes off the luggage carrousel it doesn't say "equipment" and no one gives it a second glance.
    • I recently bought a Pelican case for my camera and would whole-heartedly recommend them. My only complaint is that, at least with the model I have (the 1450) there is no place to clip a shoulder strap. But at least the outside of the case can take just about anything. (I regularily used it as a chair.) I don't think you'll get much better than them.

      Though I do find the restrictions on their guarantee [pelican.com] amusing:
      The guarantee does not cover shark bite, bear attack and children under five.
    • I found that the Mezzi laptop cases [mezzi.com] were significantly cheaper, and had the benefit of being available in a size to fit my laptop -- the LUXslim XXT [mezzi.com] aluminum case fit my laptop very nicely -- a Clevo D900K, power supply, external Logitech trackball, external FDD, WTR54GS wireless router, and headphones fit neatly into the case.
    • I'll second the pelican cases - I've seen one used several times as a camera case on canyoning trips. Canyoning involves abseiling down waterfalls and swimming through narrow gorges so the case spent some time completely immersed in water and took a few hard knocks. On one trip the air temperature was over 30C at the top of the hill when the camera was packed and the water temperature was 5C in the gorge. They will replace things if they do not hold up to a variety of arduous conditions - but explicitly

    • Pelican, one vote (Score:4, Informative)

      by anticypher (48312) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <rehpycitna>> on Friday August 11 2006, @05:51AM (#15887923) Homepage
      I'll add another vote for pelican cases, as they are what I use. Strong, heavy and ugly, they are perhaps the best for the money. Z-H cases are just as good, show damage a bit more, and are more expensive. If you sprung for a black macbook, then you are the type to spring for a zero-haliburton. The pelican foam insert is easily configured for maximum protection.

      One caveat for anyone flying with pelican or z-h cases. They have been the drug smuggler's cases of choice for years now, and have a tendancy to get pulled by drug agency enforcers with alarming frequency (close to 100% in my case). There is a myth that having a nice rubber seal around the edges keeps drug sniffing dogs from doing their job, and the number of drug couriers lingering in prisons around the world shows that dogs are better trained than that.

      When you travel with an expensive case, always put it inside another bag, I use a backpack which makes it easier to transport, or it will attract thieves like nothing else. I've seen one computer guy who let his daughter decorate his pelican with pink hello kitty stickers after painting it fluorescent pink, it stood out in any crowd, and was a useful deterent to thieves walking off with it.

      You can't lock checked bagage any more, so just put a security seal on the case to see if it was opened. Ensure that your laptop cannot boot without a password, and any and all sensitive data is on a fully encrypted partition, with full backups left at home or online. All the other things you can do, such as noting serial and model numbers of everything you check is important, since if you fly regularly the chances of finally losing the laptop to thieves approaches one. Put the list of valuables on a post-it inside your passport and carry it with you. Airlines will not reimburse you for the cost of a laptop, you have to take out additional insurance which specifies full replacement costs. If you buy your ticket with a credit card, they may claim to cover losses due to theft, but often the small print requires you to provide them with a list of items well in advance of flying in order to actually have coverage.

      the AC
      • They have been the drug smuggler's cases of choice for years now, and have a tendancy to get pulled by drug agency enforcers with alarming frequency

        I haven't had DEA issues, but I did have the TSA swab the outside and inside for explosives the one and only time I went through US security with it.

        You can't lock checked bagage any more

        Yes you can, if you get one of these [thetravelinsider.info] locks. There are a few manufacturers of them. Pelican has some in their lineup.
      • I think the unspoken commentary regarding the finish they put on Zero-Halliburton cases is: if you're rich enough to afford it in the first place, then you're rich enough to replace the damn thing every time it gets scratched.

        That's actually the biggest reason why I would avoid it, or any other kind of obviously high-end, high-tech luggage. You don't want the bag that has your expensive stuff in it, to look like it has expensive stuff in it.

        If I had a Z-H, the first thing I'd do before I checked it in at the airline, would be to put it in a nondescript duffel bag. Maybe something tremendously ugly and/or distinctive (a giveaway bag from the "Swan Lake Camp for Retarded Youngsters" would work well). Particularly since the maximum claimable value for luggage is limited by law to something fairly low, and downright worthless on international flights, you really don't want to have a few thousand dollars worth of stuff stolen. When that nice shiny piece of brushed aluminum or stainless steel fails to come around the luggage-recovery belt, you're going to be out thousands of dollars worth of luggage and gear.

        I think the airlines' liability for checked luggage is limited to something around $9.07 per pound with a maximum of $400 per passenger; disguising your bag so that it doesn't grow legs and walk off seems to me, to be a whole lot more important than looking sharp when you're carrying it around.

        I'd get a Pelican case, or other kind of hard transport case, and then always check it inside of some other crappy bag. Not only will it protect the "real" case, but it'll make it a little less obvious that whatever's inside the bag is valuable enough to warrant such a container.
      • First of all, this "ban" won't last long.

        I think you're right, but the question still has merit. There are plenty of times you'd like (or at least I would like) a hard case for a laptop besides throwing it in the cargo hold. I said in another reply that I just got a Pelican case (BTW, remembering a similar ask /. question ages ago; thanks to the probably several people who suggested it); this was for a trip to Norway I just had. I used the case even though I carried it as checked luggage.

        Second, why would y

      • Second, why would you link to a website "halliburton" site? Are you fearmongering (ala Republican: let's scare people and take their civil rights), or are you a Democrat: we're not afraid of being blown up in an airplane (because we know the statistical odds)?

        um they are currently unrelated fiscaly; from wikipedia [wikipedia.org]...

        Zero Halliburton was originally a metal fabrication company called Zierold Company, which in 1946 changed its name to Zero Corporation. In 1952 Zero, which until then had no relation to H

      • You have 4 million dollars worth of data on a freakin' LAPTOP without a backup at home?! I call that irresponsible. You're fired! :-)

  • Well the trick is to be smart about it. (Score:4, Informative)

    by jellomizer (103300) * on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:36PM (#15886313)
    First get a good Hard Case for your laptop, while Soft Cases are good for normal usage, with luggage being tossed around and odd pressures being pressed on the laptop, a hard case will take the pressures not the laptop. Plus to keep it extra safe against all the tossing about I would put the case in with your clothing and have it packed tight (but not too tight) so it will can take the extra abuse of being tossed around a bit. Finally if you are worried about the cold Keep your laptop running as long as possible, perhaps with some app that gets it really hot, then when you need to give it to be shipped turn it off, and imeadtaely place it in the case, and in your clothing. The Case and your clothing will act like a blanket and keep the laptop warm for a few hours, and above damaging cold for more time. This should allow your laptop survive a trip.
    • >The Case and your clothing will act like a blanket and keep the laptop warm for a few hours, and above damaging cold for more time. This should allow your laptop survive a trip.

      Flight time between Heathrow and New York is approximately 7 hours. Check in time prior to a flight is at least 1 hour. I suspect your plan will be about as useful as a snowball in hell.

      Furthermore, the specifications [apple.com] for a MacBook Pro (just picking a computer at random here) indicate that it is perfectly fine for storage between

  • Samsonite (Score:3, Informative)

    by joe90 (48497) on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:38PM (#15886325) Homepage
    Something like this -> http://www.luggageonline.com/product.cfm?product_I D=1499 [luggageonline.com] as long as you don't mind the cost.

    • Hard cases are good, but be sure to put a belt around it. I can still remember hard cases when they were popular last, and think I still have a Samsonite in the closet. One wrong drop and they sprung open unless they were locked and locks were not 100% effective. You can't lock anything anymore and a belt will hold it closed when the catches fail. Just wrap a good belt around the middle through handle and make sure nothing is loose and can catch.

      Good luck. I'm hoping I don't have to fly for the next s

  • Pressured, somewhat heated (Score:4, Informative)

    by picaro (871495) * on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:39PM (#15886328)
    No, I don't mean this discussion. Aircraft holds are pressurized and generally heated, as least to keep them above 0C.

  • There Can Be Only One (Score:3, Interesting)

    by RobotRunAmok (595286) on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:39PM (#15886332)
    Err, make that Zero [zerocorp.com]

    Takes a beating, nary a scratch to show for it, and you look like Jack Bauer all the while.
    • Yeah but unfortunately, unlike Jack Bauer, us normal folks can't go and hunt down and execute the asshat who steals our stuff while in transit, because it looked like something that would be chock full of either expensive electronics, Columbian cocaine, or bundles of fresh $20s.

      Don't put expensive stuff in something that looks like it's designed to transport expensive stuff. You'd be better off putting it in a cardboard box padded with Styrofoam. (That being how they ship laptops to you in the first place,

  • the only really good way to ship your laptop (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Ship them ahead of time via FedEX / UPS / Purolator in the original shipping container or something close ?
    • Baggage handlers may be monkeys but the guys at the shipping companies are great apes, I am 10x more worried about packages then I am about luggage as far as damage, of course misrouting happens more often to luggage.
    • I've had Fedex put a forklift through one server and another carrier lose the customs paperwork on another (3 years of hassles and six figure deposits when moving stuff about). Sometimes it is better to organise another machine in the country you are going to visit if you have to let the thing out of your sight. Knoppix, ssh to where your files are and a rental can solve problems.

  • theft (Score:3, Informative)

    by Joe The Dragon (967727) on Thursday August 10 2006, @09:52PM (#15886407)
    People usually keep their laptops with because of the theft risk. So don't get someting that stands out as a laptop or other high value item.
    • I think I would place my laptop in a case inside the regular luggage.
      Same for camera equipment.

      They will probably release the tight rules once the situation normalizes.
      I think only fluids will be banned in the near future.

      Theft could be a problem, if it gets lost the airlines reimburse on weight
      and not on value (never lost my luggage, dunno).

      Less personal junk in the airplane cabin could result in faster boarding ;)
      • Insure your luggage with travel insurance (much more common in Europe I think). Take pictures of the insides of your packed luggage before you leave and store them on your gmail account.

    • People usually keep their laptops with because of the theft risk

      Forgive me for being a possible language jerk, but did you intentionally leave out a word in order to write cool?
    • Good luck with that if you're travelling internationally now.
  • Just pack it in the center of your clothing and it will be fine. I fly way to many miles - on the last leg of a multi continent trip, just missing the UK fiasco by a couple days - and always travel with a pair of laptops. Granted, I (use) to make it a point to do everything carry-on, but I would usually slip the spare thinkpad in the center of my suitcase and the other in my laptop bag. No fancy containers, just clean laundry at the start of trip, dirty stuff at the end. If you get a nice 'laptop' case, hard sided or otherwise, expect it to get 'lost'... A beat up bag works great.

    Looking at the TSO website, it looks like the folks not traveling with 'carry-on' electronics are from the UK. Domestic flights say laptops can travel with you. No more bringing a bottle of water, however. I'll find out when I fly home tomorrow.
        Joy.

  • DIY (Score:4, Interesting)

    by twitter (104583) on Thursday August 10 2006, @10:32PM (#15886610) Homepage Journal

    Masonite, styro-foam insulation and liquid nails make a good, quick hard case. You can add layers of squishy foam to further cushion a fall if you want. I put them in my laptop bags. If I have to go someplace soon, I'm going to pack my laptop back inside my clothes canvas bag. That should be good enough for the 12 foot fall you should expect your luggage to experience and in turn be hit by the corner of a hard case from the same distance.

    If you want something fast for ordinary luggage, go to wall mart and see if any of the gun cases are big enough. They have plastic shells and squishy foam liners.

    Nothing is fool proof so I'm going to avoid travel if I can until this stuff blows over again.

    • go to wall mart and see if any of the gun cases

      Because bringing a CASE FOR A GUN on an aeroplane will not arouse suspicion AT ALL.
  • My wife worked for a major airline and tells horror stories from watching baggage handlers. As a result, she carries (well, used to carry) almost everything breakable as a carry-on. I recommend a steel case with firm foam padding. You can custom-cut the foam to fit your laptop and other accessories. Personally, I'd overnight it ahead of me in a laptop shipping box.

  • It's a common misconception. (Score:3, Informative)

    by IANAAC (692242) on Thursday August 10 2006, @11:05PM (#15886755)
    The onlything you'll have to worry about is baggage handling.

    It's a common misconception that cargo holds are not pressurized or climatized.

    • It's a common misconception that cargo holds are not pressurized or climatized.

      You know, the fact that they transport LIVE ANIMALS down there probably should have been a clue ... what do people think they do, give Fido an oxygen tank and a blanket for the duration of the trip?

  • I recommend these cases [starlightcases.com] above all others, including Pelican and Samsonite. Highly impact resistant and waterproof.
    • I agree on the Starlight cases. I don't own one personally, but I have a friend who swears by them for transporting firearms and camera equipment, and they're built solidly. (Actually this is the first time I have heard anyone other than him mention them.) Except that I have no real need, I'd love to order several for all my photo gear.

      Not that Pelican cases aren't tough, but if you look at an equivalent Pelican case and Starlight next to each other, it seems to me that the Pelican cases are a little more "
  • A soft bag from here http://www.tombihn.com/ [tombihn.com] and a brain cell http://www.tombihn.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scre en=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=TB0300 [tombihn.com]

    Beats about everything out there.
  • As I recall the airlines or TSA also strongly discourages you from locking checked baggage unless you use one of their "approved" locks [tsa.gov].

    What a time to be a baggage handler with an E-bay account!

    And how will corporations react to having their sensitive corporate data floating around unknown places out of the hands of their employees, or even lost forever in misdirected luggage?

  • No (Score:3, Informative)

    by elronxenu (117773) on Friday August 11 2006, @01:31AM (#15887300) Homepage

    Since I have to assume that anything I put in the hold is going to be frozen, depressurized, and repeatedly jumped on by the baggage handlers,


    None of that will happen.

    Your valuables will simply be stolen by the TSA.

  • Worry about theft. So if your port of departure does not allow locks, eg USA, make sure you declare value of items and insure them or whatever. I got a netgear router worth 60$. I put it in my check in baggage. On delivery I open and see the box is there so I am happy. I reach home and open the netgear box, and I see its empty. the Airline was Cathay Pacific, which is considered among the more reliable ones! If you browse some camera forums, you will see so many cases of lenses and accessories being stolen

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