Sturdy Laptop Travel Cases? 100
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?"
Simple... (Score:2, Funny)
Anything less, and you might as well not try.
Re:Simple... (Score:2)
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...
Re:Simple... (Score:2)
Re:Simple... (Score:2)
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.
Re:Simple... (Score:2)
2 / Take a picture of you bag content, zip and lock it
3 / Take Luggage Insurance or check your credit card coverage in case of "lost or destroyed items"
4 / Sue ! ASAP ! when you discover you miss some stuff (you should check your bag while STILL in the airport, better while still into the luggage zone
5 / 10 % of all benefits to be sent to my paypal account. Just answer this post 8)
I've been one of the monkey luggage handler during a piss poor summer.
We ha
Re:Simple... (Score:2)
It's funny, becuase when I last travelled from the UK (month ago) they had signs up all over the place specifically saying not to put you laptop into the cargo hold. I had to take the computer out of my carry-on every time
Re:Simple... (Score:1)
all you need to know (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.pelican.com/ [pelican.com]
if you have the cash for the flash: http://www.zerohalliburton.com/ [zerohalliburton.com]
Re:all you need to know (Score:1)
Re:all you need to know (Score:1)
Don't make it look valuable! (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Re:all you need to know MODEL NUMBERS (Score:3, Informative)
Pelican cases are too big (Score:1)
Re:Pelican cases are too big (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:3, Informative)
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.
No, no... (Score:2)
Re:No, no... (Score:2)
Re:No, no... (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
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.
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:1, Flamebait)
First of all, this "ban" won't last long. Primarily because airlines would go out of business if they didn't have business travelers. The reason they would lose business travelers is because the airlines aren't willing to take on the liability of corporate "laptops" in their cargo holds. If I bring a notebook with $4 million dollars worth of data on it, I can guarantee that the airline would prefer that I carry it on, rather than "check it in" to the cargo hold.
Second, why would you link to a
Re:all you need to know (Score:2, Insightful)
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
Second, why would y
Re:all you need to know (Score:1)
And by "checked luggage" I of course mean "carry-on." I wish you could edit posts...
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:1)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2, Informative)
um they are currently unrelated fiscaly; from wikipedia [wikipedia.org]...
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:1)
precisely (Score:2)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Pelican, one vote (Score:4, Informative)
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
Re:Pelican, one vote (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Re:Pelican, one vote (Score:1)
As a previous poster mentioned, this is quite untrue. Additionally, you don't have to have a TSA approved lock, either. When you're checking a locked bag, you simply open it up for inspection, then relock it afterwards. Having recently traveled with a security item that needed to be locked and not accessible, I know this to be true.
Cheers!
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Absolutely: Pelican. Perfect for any high-value frangibles. Optional foam interior that you can custom fit to whatever you plan to put inside. Waterproof. Airtight. Guaranteed forever. (Well, unless "abused beyond normal and sensible wear and tear". While they have a fairly lax sense of the words "normal" and "sensible", they expressly exclude "shark bite, bear attack and children under five" from coverage.) The gorilla from the old commercials could probably beat open Samsonite luggage with one.
Nope, I
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
I highly recommend buying your Z-H from a luggage store that carries defect / damaged items at a discount. You can save a couple hundred $ t
Another satisfied pelican customer (Score:1)
Re:all you need to know (Score:2)
Having said that, practically all airlines will NOT ALLOW YOU to check a laptop, and if I recall correctly the TSA backs them up on this. Just carry the laptop in your, um,
Well the trick is to be smart about it. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Well the trick is to be smart about it. (Score:3, Informative)
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)
Belt it! (Score:2)
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)
Re:Pressured, somewhat heated (Score:2, Informative)
There Can Be Only One (Score:3, Interesting)
Takes a beating, nary a scratch to show for it, and you look like Jack Bauer all the while.
Re:There Can Be Only One (Score:3, Insightful)
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)
Re:the only really good way to ship your laptop (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:the only really good way to ship your laptop (Score:2)
Their pickers have, in the past, folded bumpers (fenders) and windscreens to make them fit onto the trucks...
Re:the only really good way to ship your laptop (Score:2)
Re:the only really good way to ship your laptop (Score:2)
At the time (9 months ago) it would have been easier for me to travel with the thing, drop off at his house and return on the red-eye.
I'd pack the items well (using your usual laptop case) in the middle of your normal luggage (and make sure you have a good backup before hand!
ROFL (Score:1, Funny)
theft (Score:3, Informative)
Re:theft (Score:2)
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
Travel Insurance (Score:2)
Re:theft (Score:2)
Forgive me for being a possible language jerk, but did you intentionally leave out a word in order to write cool?
Re:theft (Score:2)
Normal luggage works.... (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
Re:Normal luggage works.... (Score:2)
Not a good idea! (Score:2)
Re:Normal luggage works.... (Score:2)
Not what you would want, but for others... (Score:1)
Re:Not what you would want, but for others... (Score:2)
Re:Not what you would want, but for others... (Score:2)
DIY (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:DIY (Score:2)
Because bringing a CASE FOR A GUN on an aeroplane will not arouse suspicion AT ALL.
Re:DIY (Score:2)
Re:DIY (Score:2)
Looked pretty slick, actually. Nobody knew it was a gun case until I opened it up and showed the shotgun I had inside.
Still, somehow Delta Airlines put a 1" hole in the side of the thing. I can't say exactly what the sides were made of, but a swift stab at it with my 4.5" tanto blade from CRKT didn't puncture it. Ho
Biggest problem...... (Score:2)
It's a common misconception. (Score:3, Informative)
It's a common misconception that cargo holds are not pressurized or climatized.
Common, but dumb. (Score:3, Insightful)
You know, the fact that they transport LIVE ANIMALS down there probably should have been a clue
Starlight (Score:2)
Re:Starlight (Score:2)
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 "
Filtered (Score:1)
Grrr.
Re:Filtered (Score:1)
Bah! (Score:2)
Beats about everything out there.
No Locks allowed (Score:2)
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?
Pelican (Score:1)
No (Score:3, Informative)
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.
pelican cases are wicked (Score:1)
Destruction should be last of your worries (Score:2)
biking (Score:2)
Use FedEx (Score:2, Insightful)
Absolutely, positively.... (Score:2)
Re:Absolutely, positively.... (Score:2)
Roadie cases (Score:2)
ATA Rated (Score:1)
Otterbox (Score:1)
Something for the Apple users (Score:2)
If your laptop needs a stable secure way... (Score:1)
...of being used at home, I definitely would not recommend the Freedom Furniture Laptop Table.
I bought one of these laptop tables a few months ago, assembled it, RTFMd, checked the bolts, RTFMd again, rechecked the bolts, and sat down at it with my brand new Acer Ferrari. The angle wasn't comfortable, so I adjusted it... and watched my brand new laptop flip onto the floor and shatter the screen.
Paraphrased, Freedom Furniture have replied with " *shrug* ". Video demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/wa [youtube.com]
Traveling with your laptop (Score:1)