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Flashpacker Guide to Packing a Laptop Backpack With Travel Gadgets

By Kathleen Crislip, About.com

10 of 10

10 - Safe Skies TSA Luggage Locks Secure Your Gear

TSA Luggage Locks - Safe Skies Luggage Locks Photo

Lock It Up

Photo Courtesy Safe Skies
The last travel must-have for your laptop backpack is a set of luggage locks to keep its contents safe -- you're carrying some spendy tech gear. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) allows baggage screeners to clip luggage locks, sift through stuff and send a bag on unlocked. Let's not have that. And whether checking a bag or not, you need to lock it.

Safe Skies Luggage Locks

    The torch logo on these Safe Skies TSA luggage locks tells TSA baggage screeners that they can open bags, using TSA-supplied keys, and relock without clipping the luggage lock. And the company will replace a lock if it does get cut. Four-dial heavy duty combo locks come in five cool colors to help with luggage ID -- beauty brass key versions, too. I've tried these locks; I like 'em.

    Compare Prices

I carry three TSA locks and, if I check luggage, use two to lock my backpack (main compartment and zip off day pack), and keep one in my carry on shoulder bag -- if my locks are clipped at an airport, I thus have a spare. The two locks lock my backpack's zippers in my lodging or one locks it in a hostel locker, and I lock my shoulder bag's zippers with the third while I'm walking around.

Luggage locks are a way to avoid avoiding lost luggage while hanging about in airports, too.

And that's it -- your locked laptop backpack is packed with the best tech travel gadgets. Happy trails!

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