Security Friendly Laptop Bags Coming Soon

Do you hate having to yank your laptop out of an overstuffed bag at security while at the same time battling to take your shoes, belt and jacket off along with emptying change from your pockets? Stay tuned, TSA friendly laptop bags may be coming from Targus and Skooba very soon.

Back in March the TSA made an announcement that they would be interested in bag companies coming up with prototype bags that would allow them to screen laptops while still in the bag. The TSA set the following requirements:

• The carrying bag cannot exceed any one of the proposed dimensions - 16 inches in height, 24 inches wide and 36 inches long.
• The materials that make up the bag cannot degrade the quality of the X-ray image of the laptop.
• No straps, pockets, zippers, handles or closures of the bag can interfere with the image of the laptop.
• No electronics, chargers, batteries, wires, paper products, pens or other contents of the bag can shield the image of the laptop.

Apparently a number of companies saw the light and rushed to design bags that met these requirements. The prototypes were submitted to the TSA this month. The TSA is now testing prototypes of these new laptop cases that allows them to see the laptop clearly without removing it from the bag. According to a USA Today article:

<blockquote>

The TSA received 52 written proposals after announcing in March that it was looking for &quot;checkpoint-friendly&quot; cases. Many ideas feature &quot;clamshell designs&quot; with two sides that fold together like a book. One side holds papers, cables and other accessories; the other side holds only the laptop.

At a checkpoint, the case would unfold and be placed flat on the X-ray belt so screeners would see the laptop in its otherwise-empty sleeve as clearly as if it were in a security bin with nothing else.

</blockquote>

Targus says that they submitted four prototypes and should be able to put laptop bags on store shelves that satisfy the TSA scan-friendly requirements within three to four months. Skooba has indicated they will also have these TSA friendly bags out around the same time.

Taking a laptop out of your bag adds stress to an already unpleasant experience, just yesterday I tore skin off of my finger causing it to bleed as I pulled my laptop from a stuffed backpack while being herded through security at Houston International. Furthermore, the TSA gets several claims each month for laptops damaged during the security check process, so the they are interested in reducing traveler stress and the headache involved with these claims.

Stay tuned, you can be sure the second these bags come out we'll be reviewing them!

 

Now if only they could design bags that allow me to carry a soda through security

 

I just hate the whole airport security business.

My main worry is whether by the time I have finished feeding things into the X-ray machine and got myself through security whether all my bits and pieces will still be at the other end of the machine, or maybe some other passenger took a liking to something of mine. I got worried the other day when one of my bags had disappeared. It then emerged from the X-ray machine for a second time.

John

 

No way. They want to sell you a drink for a vastly inflated price on the other side of security.

John

 

Can't wait for these. It's a pain traveling by air with a laptop now. I'm wondering if TSA officials can be trained well enough to recognize these bags as being TSA-friendly though. I wouldn't be surprised if users would still be required to remove their laptops at some less informed checkpoints.

 

Actually, they are pretty well informed and I'm thinking they'll be on to this. They have TSA locks for bags and stuff, and those work wonders sometimes.

However, given the rising costs of fuel and thus airfare...I think I'll pass on buying something that makes their job easier.

 

I use a Lenovo Premier leather laptop bag with zipped top access, and really don't have too much problem accessing the laptop quickly - in fact it's very easy. The most significant problem is the laptop itself, hence the desire to manufacture truly TSA-friendly bags - to keep one's expensive laptop in the bag where it belongs.

I currently take this approach: use the easy access Lenovo bag, and carry one of my older "road warrior" already-scratched-up ThinkPads. Do I take my latest ThinkPad on airplanes? Never. I just use the older one with all of the mirrored files and programs, with everything else on a USB flash drive.

Now the operative question for TSA is? How are you going to tell if it's a TSA-approved laptop bag? I guarantee you that 90% of the TSA employees are still going to ask you to remove your laptop from the case, and place it in a container for its trip through the machine to the end of the belt. All this, while you're still in the que to go through the blasted scanner - and your laptop is just sitting there at the end of the belt/rollers waiting to evaporate into thin air.

I love flying today!

 

Lol, I knew dietcoke had to make a crack about soda... (Only old NBR-ers get it)

Anyway, really excited about seeing these bags. They are going to be an absolute boon for frequent travellers, businessmen, John R, etc .

 

TSA itself might be, but are its agents informed?


Remember the MBA/TSA incident?

http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/03/10/macbook.air.confusing/

While I'm not sure if it's a hoax, these things do happen.

 

No one got training on the MBA...they don't train on that crap. They train about backpacks, suitcases, locks, etc...security stuff.

 

I wasn't aware that you had to take laptops out of cases. I'm thinking of taking my laptop from Heathrow to Malaysia, will I need to take it out of my laptop bag when going through security?

 

Yes, they'll need to X-ray it outside of the case.

Well, one can hope.

 

Bad Greg!
But you are right on this...partially at least.
Remember,security is there for a reason and contrary to what most people like to believe,is not to pick on us.
I would get a bag like this just to speed up checking, it`s ridiculously long as it is.