Belkin FlyThru Bag Review

by Allison Johnson

Travelers, rejoice. Gone are the days of taking your laptop out of your bag at security checkpoints ... kind of. We reviewed one of the new TSA approved checkpoint-friendly bags and overall, we had some positive results.

The Belkin FlyThru laptop case meets the criteria recently approved by the TSA as one of the new checkpoint-friendly travel bags. These bags are designed with a compartment solely intended for your laptop. When the bag is unfolded, it will offer airport security a clear x-ray image of the computer while allowing you to keep it safely tucked in the bag. Everybody wins. Three designs have been approved by TSA. The FlyThru bag unfolds in the butterfly style pictured below.

To find out more about the regulations, follow the link to TSA’s website.

http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm

Belkin FlyThru Laptop Case Specifications

Sized for both standard and widescreen laptops up to 15.4"

Exterior: 13" x 16.5" x 4.5"

Interior: 11.25" x 14.8" x 0.8"

Removable shoulder strap with foam padding

Screen Test

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that airport security will comply. Even with a specially designed bag, airport security officers can still ask you to take your computer out of the bag if they feel this is necessary. Is a bag that may or may not make it through security worth the $60 price tag? A member of our editorial staff took it on a security checkpoint test run to find out. She unzipped the bag and placed it properly on the conveyer belt. Initially, the security officer was not pleased. The bag was sent through a second time. Finally, security was satisfied, and the bag ultimately stood up to the test. Victory.

Taking it to the Streets

I road tested the Belkin bag, taking it to the mean streets of the suburbs to see how it functioned with day-to-day use. My Dell Latitude E6400, a comparatively slim laptop, fit snugly inside and was secure in the durable foam lining. With it slung over my shoulder, I think I looked pretty sharp with my sleek, black laptop bag.

However, I noticed a creaking sound coming from somewhere on the shoulder strap with every step I took. Loading it with enough weight seemed to put stress on the plastic attachments between the strap and the body of the bag. A persistent creaking sound ensued. I preferred holding the handle and skipping the strap altogether. No hassle, no noise. This is easier to do when you aren't juggling luggage and boarding passes, but for general purposes, I liked the Belkin FlyThru bag, even when I wasn’t flying anywhere.

Conclusion

Overall, I would recommend the Belkin FlyThru laptop case to a traveler of any kind. Compact, with a solid design, I felt confident that my laptop and gadgets were well protected inside this bag. It had a few quirks, and airport security wasn’t all warm and fuzzy about it. Ultimately, it did everything we asked it to do.

Pros<o></o>

• Simple design
• Foam padding kept laptop secure
• Passed through airport security (with a minor hiccup)
• Compartments and pockets keep belongings organized

<o></o>Cons

• Persistent creaking sound from shoulder strap
• Airport security might still be skeptical of the bag

Pricing and Availability

The Belkin FlyThru Laptop Case (F8N094) is now available in the US on the Belkin website for $59.99.

 

Nice review!!I quite like this bag!

 

If security wants to run the thing through a second time, what's the point? You're wasting more time than simply taking out the laptop.

 

Hopefully TSA officers become more used to seeing these types of bags so they don't force a second through. Otherwise it's actually slower than just going through the exercise of putting the laptop into a bin.

 

Nice review there!

It's not so bad for those that travel alot!


Cin

 

I agree with MGS2392 - as a former business traveler who has had more than my share of dealing with worthless and needlessly unpleasant airport security people, if they are going to stop you and run it again, then you've wasted more time than you would just taking it out of the bag.

Basically, if you want to travel by plane in the U.S., your laptop should be in an external pocket that you can flip open in 2 seconds to take it out, and that's that.

Otherwise, the high school drop outs that the government is hiring to f--- with you (to train you to stand in queue, take senseless orders from morons including about what you're even allowed to say, and allow your body and belongings to be inspected on demand and without cause) are going to take the opportunity half of the time, and the bag is going to be more trouble rather than less.

 

I didn't know that it takes that long to take a laptop out of a bag during airport security checks that you have to design a bag around it.

 

I'm with Bordello. I've never thought "UHG! Now I need to take out my 6lbs laptop? this is CRAZY!!". It's a handy thing I guess but for me, it's not a reason to buy the bag.

 

My ThinkPad Premier leather bag, that's actually made by Targus for Lenovo, is a top-loader with the SafePORT air-cushion system, and I can access the ThinkPad in seconds. I just returned from a long business trip, and on three occasions during the trip, I was in security lines behind travelers using TSA approved laptop bags. In each case, TSA either requested them to remove the laptop and place it in the plastic bin, or required them to go through the scanner again. I hate taking out my expensive ThinkPad and placing it in the plastic bin prior to going through the scanner, but all TSA-approved bags seem not to be cutting it - at least for the time being.

This is only one prime example of a disadvantage of being a first adopter of a new product. Until the TSA employees become fully informed and experienced with these new bags, the bags are really no improvement. And, a short note on the TSA employees - I, too, have been frustrated by long security lines, and the TSA employees' attitudes sometimes. But, they have a very important job to do, and if you've ever dealt with the public in your job, you can understand how tough their job really is, especially given their pay scale. Dealing with "Joe Q" public every day is a thankless job.

 

Thanks for the in-depth review Allison! This was one of the bags that I was considering last week, but at the end I went with the Tom Bihn CheckPoint Flyer I'm also thinking of doing a review once I receive my bag later this week.