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Traveling in the Age of Homeland Security

The Perfect Suitcase and Packing Tips

By Lucy Komisar

I always lock my luggage. So there I am in Miami, following a TSA [Transportation Security Administration] employee’s instruction to stand where I can see the table where bags are randomly (or maybe not so randomly) searched, so if the TSA wants to open mine, I can unlock the locks. (Otherwise they break them.)

An inspector is rummaging through someone else’s bag. Suddenly a black “ball” flips up and falls to the floor, landing under the table. The suitcase owner’s socks! The TSA man doesn’t blink. Finally, I blurt out, “Hey, Mister, I think you dropped some socks on the floor.” He peers under the table, perplexed, and finally, when I point out exactly where they are, he retrieves the socks. Why is a person with impaired vision examining our suitcases? 

It couldn’t happen to me. In the Age of Homeland Security, I’ve discovered that the best way to pack is to put clothing in zippered or snapped see-through plastic pouches. I use separate ones for socks and stockings, underwear, scarves, t-shirts. The searcher can see what’s inside and usually doesn’t pull out (and lose!) the articles. Or mess up items that can wrinkle.

A bonus: when I arrive at a hotel, I simply pull out the packing modules and put them in drawers. When it’s time to pack, I replace the modules – much faster and neater. Or if I’m looking for something in the suitcase, having things in see-through cases makes the task very easy.

Modular packing is helped by a suitcase with many dividers and pockets, especially the see-through kind.

So for my next trip a few weeks later to Porto Alegre and Buenos Aires, I found the perfect case, a 26” expandable Delsey Helium Limited 300 26" Expandable Suiter Trolley. It sells for about $200 on the internet. First, as a fanatical “research shopper” who checks and compares specs and reviews even when I buy washing powder, I found the Delsey meets all the standards of expensive $500 and $600 models. Check it yourself.

• Highest 2520 denier ballistic Dupont, Teflon protected, water repellant nylon [denier refers to size of yarn; higher is more durable] with EVA foam backing.
  

• A lightweight polycarbonate “honeycomb” frame [with air pockets running though it] that allows it to absorb hard knocks.
  

• Large, inline ball-bearing wheels partly covered by the case instead of completely sticking out, which protects them from damage.
  

• Self-correcting large-toothed coil zippers [lacking individual teeth so you can’t pull them off the track] inset away from the edge or seam so the zipper won’t tear away from the bag.
  

• Recessed locking handle that extends into the interior and stores flush with suitcase. The ergonomically designed C-Glide curved handle places the weight of the case on the wheels, and not on your hand.
  

• Feet on bottom and sides (along with a side handle) so you can stand the case either way.
  

• Bumpers” on corners and “skid plate” on bottom to prevent damage when bag hits on stairs.

And for packing: Expandable by 2 ½ inches. Three outside pockets, a removable garment bag (with a zippered compartment on the back), a hanging toiletries kit, and a mesh pocket that can be unsnapped and turned into a duffel! This suitcase is so classy, one side even has a leather name-card holder with a Velcro-fastened cover flap.

The toiletries kit is amazing. Hung with a hanger-style hook, it has a top compartment where I stored plastic bags with toothbrush and paste, shampoo and other items I expected to use every day. I used the bottom compartment for first aid, cold pills and the like. In the middle two mesh sections I stashed sunscreen, mosquito repellant, talcum, and the soaps and mini-shampoos I picked up at hotels! When the kit is folded and snapped into the head of the case, the top part is easily accessible, so if you customarily leave your case open horizontally, you don’t even have to take the kit out to get what you need.

I used the mesh pocket/duffel bag to hold an extra purse, wool scarf, gloves, a foldable sun hat, a rain jacket and other items I wouldn’t need everyday, having left NY in winter to go south, and conveniently hung on a door knob. There was even a matching soft gray drawstring bag for stockings or laundry or what have you.

The two outside pockets open wide and are thickly padded; I filled them with maps, papers, extra copies of my passport, tickets & itineraries, books, umbrella and other items I wanted to be able to reach easily without opening the suitcase and which I divided into ziplock bags. And there is a deep outside third pocket at the top of the case where after I had closed the case, I stashed what I’d forgotten to pack!

Another other important advantage: unlike with many suitcases, you can lock every Delsey pocket and compartment. (Some other brands have outside pockets with single zipper pulls or with two pulls that lack holes large enough for locks.) The Helium Limited 300 comes with one TSA-approved locked that can be opened with a government key so inspectors don’t have to break it if it is targeted. When the lock is opened, a color code changes from green to red so you know the bag was examined. I bought enough TSA locks to secure every section.

Now I don’t have to wait to see if my bag will be opened. Homeland Security, I am ready for you! 

Helium Limited 300 26” Expandable Suiter Trolly
26”x18.5”x10.5” (+2.5” expandable)
also in 22”, 24” and 29” models
www.delseyusa.com
(410) 796-5655

Images by Lucy Komisar

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