To bag wrap or not to bag wrap?

[Butch]

I've always opted for the wrap, when available. It's kept my Samsonite hard shell case in fairly good order since 2000 with numerous trips all over the world, but I did a bit of maths this evening and I may have covered the cost of a new case a few times over during that time.

At Bkk it's 200 or so baht, maybe more I don't recall. At LHR it's now £20 with liability to £1500. Don't ask me what I used to pay, but add it all up over 20 years with 2 trips a year (I averaged it out at £12 per trip allowing for Covid)  and I think it works out at something like £480, or 10x the initial cost of the bag itself ( very rough estimates).

As a result, maybe it's only worth wrapping the bags which are valuable, like Louis Vitton.

My Samsonite is still going strong, the initial investment of £50 was worth it, but the subsequent wrapping costs have outweighed the value tenfold. Ironically, the fewer trips you take the better value wrapping is.

I don't think I'll bother in future. The Samsonite is very old now, but still very sturdy. If I get another 5 years out of the old thing I'll be very pleased. as the saying goes "You get what you pay for".

 

 

[Freee!!]

2 minutes ago, Butch said:

I've always opted for the wrap, when available. It's kept my Samsonite hard shell case in fairly good order since 2000 with numerous trips all over the world, but I did a bit of maths this evening and I may have covered the cost of a new case a few times over during that time.

At Bkk it's 200 or so baht, maybe more I don't recall. At LHR it's now £20 with liability to £1500. Don't ask me what I used to pay, but add it all up over 20 years with 2 trips a year (I averaged it out at £12 per trip allowing for Covid)  and I think it works out at something like £480, or 10x the initial cost of the bag itself ( very rough estimates).

As a result, maybe it's only worth wrapping the bags which are valuable, like Louis Vitton.

My Samsonite is still going strong, the initial investment of £50 was worth it, but the subsequent wrapping costs have outweighed the value tenfold. Ironically, the fewer trips you take the better value wrapping is.

I don't think I'll bother in future. The Samsonite is very old now, but still very sturdy. If I get another 5 years out of the old thing I'll be very pleased. as the saying goes "You get what you pay for".

The wrapping isn't so much to protect the outside, it gives information that somebody has been in it when the wrapping is undone. And the real problem isn't that something was taken out of it, but that somebody put something illegal in it.

[Butch]

13 minutes ago, Freee!! said:

The wrapping isn't so much to protect the outside, it gives information that somebody has been in it when the wrapping is undone. And the real problem isn't that something was taken out of it, but that somebody put something illegal in it.

I don't agree.

The time frame between wrapping the bag and check in is minimal, the human interference is also minimal as the baggage route is 99% automated. The only person to handle the bags after wrapping is the Baggage handler, under HD CCTV from several angles in all international airports because stuffing drugs into random bags and having a person pick them up the other end is not a revolutionary concept in the field of smuggling narcotics. Neither is it a new one.

that's not even entering the realms of the X ray systems and spectrometers that operate, all under surveillance. If someone is going to interfere with a bag, the last place to do it is in the airport itself.

Given the level of internal Airport security, intercepting a random bag going to a random destination and inserting your narcotic of choice is going to be much harder than bribing some homeless person to swallow some condoms full of brown and given them a ticket to aforementioned destination.

If you want to open a bag, then a sharp object inserted in the zip will allow it to be opened, then unless it has a high security padlock (90% don't) you can open it to the end of the zipper and re seal, or use another method to reseal the zip, of which there are many. However, the random joe will pick his bag up, see the damage and be none the wiser assuming it's in transit damage which has allowed the bag to be protected by the wrap, if even that was the case, which it wouldn't be.

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Butch

[Golfingboy]

I thought this was a different kind of thread by its title…..

[Pumpuynarak]

4 hours ago, Butch said:

The Samsonite is very old now, but still very sturdy. If I get another 5 years out of the old thing I'll be very pleased. as the saying goes "You get what you pay for".

 

I've got two Samsonite hard shell cases that i've had for over 35 years and they've been all over the world 2/3 times a year. I am absolutely delighted with them, what a great durable product and still in tip top condition.

[karon steve]

Just out of interest I had a quick look at Samsonite's web site.
It looks like the average price of a hard shell case is now £400.

[Derek Dangleberries]

Oddly enough I always wrap mine at BKK but never at LHR ... I think it is a subconscious decision based on price ...

But here is a story that will give you all a sharp intake of breath ....

I spent 2 years working around PRC..Every 3 months or so I 'd fly down to HK on a visa run and to pick up a cash advance to cover expenses ... This was normally around 20,000 USD handed over in a brown envelope (normally in a hotel bar!).

On this occasion, I just plopped it at the top of my hand baggage and set off.... For some unknown reason that still makes me shudder, I put it on the belt as check-in!!! It was only when I was en-route that I realised that my carryon bag that was now in the hold wasn't locked, had a dodgy zip which was prone to bursting open with 20,000 USD sitting at the top in a brown envelope!

I have never been so happy to see my bags come through untouched with all contents present and correct !!!

 

[Golfingboy]

2 hours ago, karon steve said:

Just out of interest I had a quick look at Samsonite's web site.
It looks like the average price of a hard shell case is now £400.

WTF?

[karon steve]

22 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

WTF?

My thought as well. Maybe I am looking at the wrong case?

https://www.samsonite.co.uk/suitcases/?prefn1=customProductMaterialGroup&prefv1=Hardside

[Golfingboy]

2 hours ago, karon steve said:

My thought as well. Maybe I am looking at the wrong case?

https://www.samsonite.co.uk/suitcases/?prefn1=customProductMaterialGroup&prefv1=Hardside

In 2018 just before my first flight in 4 years, I spoiled myself with a red Swiss standard hard 21” carry-on….was $300, I think after loyalty miles were counted my net was $75 CAD. Yes I think that was a great deal not to be seen again, was on sale, plus Aeroplan, Hudson Bay Co. AND my AMEX all added benefits 

If I’m not mistaken, this still confuses the hell out of- are there 2 different Swiss xxx luggage companies, or is it all under same umbrella? 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Golfingboy

[Jambo]

On 9/12/2023 at 11:01 PM, Golfingboy said:

I thought this was a different kind of thread by its title…..

To Wrap, or not to wrap?

That is the question.

Never, ever orally speaking.

[Golfingboy]

19 minutes ago, Jambo said:

To Wrap, or not to wrap?

That is the question.

Never, ever orally speaking.

Tell me about it…..thinking of retiring to Colombia…..so many ladies available for a decent rate….then you see in Spanish “adicional-oral natural, anal…..etc” I’m thinking many of them are keeping very busy because I also see much different rates for the hour coming to your place versus incall, plus they all want taxi fare for the “trouble”

Anyway, not going over just yet, I’ll figure it out OK if I was getting free shags in Ching Mai. But FFS don’t say your rate is, say, £30 for a full hour, she does “everything”….but BTW it’s £10 for uncovered, £15 for this, £ 20 for that….bullshit

[Derek Dangleberries]

On 9/13/2023 at 3:34 AM, Butch said:

If someone is going to interfere with a bag, the last place to do it is in the airport itself.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-66816550

These were caught by CCTV ... I wonder how many times they (or others) have got away with it 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Derek Dangleberries

[forcebwithu]

15 hours ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-66816550

These were caught by CCTV ... I wonder how many times they (or others) have got away with it 

That's the reason I don't go thorugh the magnetometer until I see may bag enter the chute for the x-ray machine. I'm not about to leave my bag out of my sight and risk security having a go at liberating valuables from my bag.

[Golfingboy]

@karon steve Just a quick look at Costco’s site showed me this…..If I needed 3 and was travelling I’d be all over that

Roughly 7500 THB/£175

[Golfingboy]

On 9/14/2023 at 1:20 AM, Golfingboy said:

In 2018 just before my first flight in 4 years, I spoiled myself with a red Swiss standard hard 21” carry-on….

If I’m not mistaken, this still confuses the hell out of- are there 2 different Swiss xxx luggage companies, or is it all under same umbrella? 

I found this genius article that kind of explains my confusion above……and has still left me mixed up

Kind of like when I discovered ROLEX is set up as a non-profit…..What in the actual f—k, they’re charging the price of a car(or 3!) to put on your damn wrist, and that’s a charity? SMH 🤦‍♂️ 

 

https://backpackies.com/blog/wenger-vs-victorinox-vs-swissgear