Taking vacation! Have any of you lost your knives from your luggage?

[peshkabz]

I am taking vacation for the first time in years - flying south to San Diego. I want to take my Salsa and Meerkat with me and put them in the check-in luggage.

Have you guys had knives stolen out of your luggage? I understand we cannot lock our bags - so we are at the mercy of any employee .... at the airlines.

 

[mumbleypeg]

Flying from and to San Diego I haven't had anything go missing. I have had stuff looked through. I keep sharp stuff in a seperate bag inside my luggage. It looks like another dop kit.

Mike

 

[Matches]

I don't know whether it helps or not but I tuck knives and other small valuables into a shoe and jam a pair of sox in. I haven't lost anything but I only fly about once a year.

 

[brownshoe]

Since the new rules went into effect, my luggage has been inspected every time. This last time, my knives were obviosly moved from where they were originally packed. I've never had anything stolen. By the way, places like shoes, jars, dirty underwear, lingere, etc. are where any good thief, and I assume also the TSA, will look for valuables or contraband. Don't bother to hide anything in your luggage unless you really think it out, it's not really worth the time.

 

[Gollnick]

Don't forget that you DO have the option to be present and supervise when your bag is inspected and then to lock that bag after the inspection is complete.

This new mandate for 100% inspection of checked baggage is not what any airport in the US today was designed to accomodate architecturally. The machines used are huge, very heavy, and require heavy-duty electrical service. Every airport has had to improvise. As a result, the exact arramgements differ from airport-to-airport. In some cases, you may have to haul your bag a considerable distance. The best thing to do is call the airline ticket desk at the airport you'll be departing from (not the airline's national 1-800 number, but the desk at tha airport you'll be departing from) and ask them what the arrangements will be.

 

[rt014]

I fly frequently and did have a Spyderco Endura and Leatherman Juice stolen from my bag. (My guess is that it was a TSA grab). I did file a claim with the airline (American) and they paid for them (several months later).

Take the advice above and be present while they physically lock the bag after inspecting it. And if you do have something stolen file a claim so maybe it will be investigated and maybe the sh*t bird will be caught.

 

[Tightwad]

When I travel I always (now days anyway ) take
knives I can afford to loose.....those from my
junk drawer.

 

[dboy]

I had a microtech LUDT "disappear" from my checked luggage on a Northwest flight to Wisconsin...I had the police at the airport write a report and get statements from the employees at the airport...I made sure a big deal was made of it with a very visible police presence and in return the airport NW manager had a check cut for me for $200 that day (the knife only cost about $150)...I also had personal property insurance as a backup.

PS: I'm active duty military so the auto knife issue probably wasn't a problem with the police...although I don't think they realized a MT LUDT was an auto, and I intentionally didn't point that out to them.

 

[crucible]

I travel frequently by air (about a total of 18 weeks a year), and have checked in a Leatherman Wave and a BM 550 Griptillian every time without problems. I agree with the position that you should only check in knives that you can afford to replace.

George

 

[brownshoe]

I would verify Golnick statement that you can have your bags checked in your presence and then locked and never opened again. I was told by TSA in Austin that they still pick bags at random for secondary searches and they will break your lock in this instance. In reality, most locks on suitcases are there only to keep the honest people honest. I and any theif work their salt, can get through many if not most suitcase locks and you'd never know we'd been through your bags.

 

[Benjamin Liu]

So far I've only flown once since the "no lock" rule and nothing was stolen. When I fly I will NOT bring any customs with me since it takes more to replace them than just money.