Locking baggage mostly adds resistance to accidental opening.
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I always check my one bag as I canât possibly lift it up the planeâs bag compartment. They are not allowing batteries in checked bags so TSA always opens my bag as I put my 17" laptop there. H takes his in his backpack so his is never open.
Iâve had checked bags double checked with a TSA note multiple times. I think thatâs because we often travel between homes with a lot of stuff, so our bags are not typically filled with the usual clothing & toiletry items. Nothing was ever opened, however (that I am aware of). Iâve also written notes that ask that they re-pack any items removed exactly as they found them. There is an art to packing breakable items. Sometimes that works.
Flew out of SLC to NYC twice this ski season. First time they didnât like the old fashioned safety razor in my carry on. Made me throw out the blade. Didnât have the heart to point out the two additional spare blades in the same case. Second trip, They decided my wife had too many under 3.5 oz liquid toiletry items even though they were all in the a quart plastic zip lock like they were supposed to be. Left the checked ski bags alone this year. In previous years, theyâve often opened the ski and boot bags.
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I always bring my favorite frying pan with me to Hawaii if we are staying in a condo. Even if I have it in a carryon, the TSA doesnât bat an eyelid. I usually try to pick the security line with a CAT-like scanner not a 2D scanner so they could see âyup, it is another crazy lady with her Scanpan.â
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That TSA insta account I mentioned earlier ⊠one of the posts was someone whoâd brought a microwave as carry-on⊠!!!
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Just think I must be the most boring packer ever. Clothes, toiletries, shoes, books.
I have had TSA bust my portable nebulizer that I accidentally packed instead of hand carryingâ$250 they wouldnât reimburse. Have also had them carelessly repack a bag of mango chutney that had been perfectly wrapped, causing it to break and have to be discarded! Made me very very annoyed!
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I started using more packing cubes partially as a result of experience with TSA âchecked luggageâ checks.
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I think Iâve posted this before, but my son was into slack lining so he took his slack line with us on vacation. He just had to explain what it was and was OK, but did get held up by security. Another time he took his gymnastics rings, and they did multiple tests on them. It wasnât TSA but security in another county I was worried about. Same kid decided he needed to bring his bull-whip (why he decided to buy a bull-whip I have no idea, but he spent a fair amount of time âcrackingâ it in our yard). In any case, I told him he could bring it, but it had to go in my actual checked bag, NOT his carry on. So, we are leaving the county, and I get called to security where they do an extra bag search. I was really worried about how I was going to explain having a whip in my luggage.
Fortunately, my husbandâs bag for some reason had my name on the luggage tag, and I didnât have toâŠ
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Maybe the TSA in SLC is hoping to get a shout out in the Book of Mormon on Broadway?
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I had a Le Crueset pan in my carryon luggage last time I flew to phoenix. I thought that would raise some eyebrows, but it didnât.
DH, OTOH, has had his carry one opened and rifled through many many many times. Neatly packed, and then a big mess.
At least TSA leaves a note when they go through your checked bags. When we went to visit DD in the Peace Corps, we had three bags each of miniature Hershey candies. When we got to our destination, there was only one of each left. These were giftsâŠoh well.
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@thumper1 , it could have been TSA, but in many places, particularly outside the US, your luggage is vulnerable to other airport personnel. That practice of getting your bags wrapped in plastic (so common in many poorer countries) has its roots in that.
They must have been happy with their chocolate haul!
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Iâm quite sure it was NOT TSA. Our friends in South Africa said this happens often.
We just had to split the chocolate gifts a different way.
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I mean⊠surelyâŠsurely that is a potential weapon?! 
Re getting things stolen. I used to live in Africa. Had things stolen many times. And luggage ruined because they cut the zips. When you see people with shrink wrapped luggage âŠthatâs why. Service offered at all my home country airports, for good reason. When I fly domestically in the US, I donât even bother to lock my luggge.
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see post above.
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We laugh, but Iâve often wondered why Iâm allowed to bring my knitting needles and crochet hooks on flights. I could surely do some serious damage with them.
(Shhh⊠donât want to give the TSA any ideas.)
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At one point after 9/11, knitting needles were not allowed to be carried on planesâŠ
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And yet I keep slipping through, even on an international flight. Maybe a type/length restriction? Crochet hooks are just as dangerous.
So is my Scanpan! 
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