Skooba makes with the pictures of TSA-friendly bags (update: not really)
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jul 8th 2008 9:01AM
posted Jul 8th 2008 9:01AM
PS.- We're hoping against hope that nasty "Checkthrough" logo isn't actually printed on the bag, but given some of the TSA experiences we've had, we'd half expect it to be there as a cue for screeners let the bag pass through.
Update: Skooba's CEO let us know that this still isn't the checkthrough bag, just another illustration (sigh) and that the "the actual bag will be a full-featured, top-of the-line ballistic nylon business case, packed with cool and unique bells and whistles." Alright, so let's see it then.
The TSA shall giveth and taketh away....BLAH!
Does it have "LAPTOP INSIDE: PLEASE STEAL ME" printed on the other side of it?
watch out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7AWw7t5zj0
Fantastic. A couple of fake logos, and those already inept TSA monkeys will let anything through the checkpoints. Brilliant!
Yeah, who could forget the incident with the Macbook Air. "Duh... this is too light and thin to be a laptop - must be a bomb...".
Now I come to think about it, maybe they were scared someone would use it as a knife...
"the requirements that approved bags not have any straps or zippers and not feature any space for items that could interfere with the X-ray image"
This is otherwise known as "The 'Why Bother?' Notebook Bag"
and yet, it still has a zipper!
Maybe that rectangle with the check-mark logo is the "steal this bag" logo?
LOL im pretty sure TSA ppl at the security checkpoint will still make you take it out of the bag. i have the TSA locks on my suitcases so they can open with the master key if necessary and yet they STILL break the lock on the bag :(
My friend bought some of those special locks that the TSA can open so they don't have to cut them off. When he picked up his bag in Philly, the locks were gone, and there was a note inside saying they had to cut them off.
This bag MIGHT be useful if you could be guaranteed that every TSA agent would recognize and understand the purpose of it. Oh, they need to figure out a way to get a strap on it. Maybe some kind of quick release so you can pop the strap off and toss it in a basket? For now, I'll keep my normal bag.
I've already ordered mine... I got the "Missile Shaped" model
Does this mean no pockets for the charger? I guess I'll have to start working on a nuclear powered laptop. All I need is some weapons grade uranium. I wonder how that will go over with airport security...
God Bless the TSA... last time I flew, they ask me to remove my jacket.
I do.
Then they ask me "Sir, please remove your jacket."
I look at my jacket in the tub, and then at the tubby man in front of me, blink, and shrug.
I take off my sweatshirt.
Then they ask me "Sir, if you don't remove your jacket, you will be detained.... please"
Now it's a toss up. So I ask him. "Do I take off this jacket? (pointing at my unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt) or this one? (pointing at my pants)". I start taking off my pants-jacket. I also begin to loudly let the other passengers around me know to take off their pants-jackets, too.
They let me through, but not until I took off my rayon hawaiian jacket.
The skies are safe for another day.
Burns: Mattingly, I said yesterday that you should trim your sideburns, and I meant it.
Don Mattingly: Look, Mr. Burns, I don't know what you think sideburns are, but--
Burns: DON'T ANSWER BACK TO ME, JUST DO IT!!!
-jp
ill take my only means of transportation now a days...my magical unicorn
Seems to me you could still put a pocket on one side and then designate that side as the bottom side through the xray?
"In order for a bag to be TSA-friendly, it must be small, have no straps or zippers, and leave no room for chargers, pens, or other detritus that could interfere with the X-ray image."
So, then, why the hell do the mouth-breathers at the "security" checkpoint require me to remove my laptop from the form-fitting, velcro-closure computer sleeve, which has no strap, zipper or secondary storage?
The next 196 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes and 15 seconds are going to be the longest of my life. I can't wait.
Why didn't they just make a big ziplock bag? Those things are magic. My wife had a lipstick in her purse. Oh no, said the TSA guy, that's not allowed. Unsafe, he said. You need a ziplock bag. So she walked forty paces back into the airport, got a .25c ziplock bag from the Lebanese woman working at the magazine shop, put her lipstick in the ziplock bag and walked back. The TSA guy says, okay, you can go through now.
A cosmic level of stupidity that is nothing but astonishing. And it seems, universal when it comes to TSA.
I traveled to Rome earlier this year (March) and the TSA is way behind the game, Heathrow is already implementing a leave-the-laptop-in-the-bag program and there was no restriction at all on the bag. My Swiss Gear backpack was waived through no problem and there has to be 10+ zippers/straps/pockets for chargers etc.
The whole TSA mentality is utter BS it's so draconian compared to the rest of the world (excluding Gatwick, they actually are worse) and the most grating bit is that no two TSA checkpoints use the same standards.
Only a matter of time before we have to remove the hard drive, the ram and any over forma of removalables from the laptop before it goes through.
Hmmm, i wonder if there's any difference between what they use at checkpoints in the UK and in the USA, because here in London, you're not required to take your laptop out anymore. It's a relatively new development that i've noticed, something they put in place in the last 6-12 months.
Heathrow T5 already has something like this for any and all laptop bags - no need to take them out of your bag...at least one reason to travel through that terminal...
Laptop is the least of my concerns when traveling. Truly it takes 5 seconds to take mine out, put it into the bin & move on.
The big hassle for me are belts. I even switched to slip on shoes to make that process easier.
I have sunglasses that make it through & a steel watch, but that buckle always does me in. A polycarbonite buckle I'd totally go for... Google?
Did you mean: polycarbonate
511 makes the belts you describe. Can get them at your nearest emergency responder supplier. I'm sure there are other manufacturers too.
Hey all...Michael from Skooba here.
Ouch! Yikes! Zoinks! Whoah there!
The photo is *not* the actual bag we will be launching, it is simply a graphic with a rollover x-ray to promote the basic idea (I guess we should put a note to that effect on the site photos--we actually do have such a note on the product page--but we will put more "disclaimers" on the other pages right away). Truly sorry for any misunderstanding.
And no, there will not be a huge Checkthrough logo plastered on the side of the bag like a mural. Again, this image was just meant as an attention-getter (guess it got the wrong kind of attention).
The actual bag will be a full-featured, top-of the-line ballistic nylon business case, packed with cool and unique bells and whistles. There will be no "trade-off" or compromise for having the scannable feature. In other words, we think it is a bag most people would buy either way (hope that makes sense). It's a really, really nice bag, I promise.
If any of you have Skooba bags, hopefully you can attest to the fact that we don't do anything cr@ppy, silly, sloppy, schlocky, boring, or less-than-useful. We work hard at this stuff and we work hard at making techies and travelers very happy. Most of them tell us we do a good job at both. I think when you see the actual bag (we are hoping to have final photography up within a couple of weeks).
Again, sorry if our little graphic confused the whole situation and caused a stir, and again, we hope you'll bear with us to see the real deal before passing final judgment. Deal? Appreciate your consideration.
cr@ppy is not a valid domain name
I've flown quite a bit during the last few months and I generally get by with leaving my MBP in a sleeve so it doesn't get scratched up. I had a TSA agent tell me I could leave it in the sleeve on one occasion. Is there any regulation regarding what kind of bags we currently can leave a laptop in or is it up to the agent on hand?
The laptop sleeve is probably fine because it doesn't inhibit viewing of the machine by x-ray.
X-Rays aren't inhibited by much other than lead. It's not the bag that the laptop is in, it's the training of the screener and the equipment in my opinion. Look as I and others have stated Heathrow does not require you to take your laptop out of any bag period, go to Gatwick however and you do need to take your laptop out (or you did 4 months ago).
My Dell is not physically different here in the US and then somehow changes when I get to Europe so why the vast differences in procedure? It's all to placate Joe Sixpack who rarely travels and believes that anyone with a tan is a terrorist. There have been measures in place in Europe decades before 9/11 that were just as effective yet not nearly as invasive to travel.
The TSA is nothing more than the physical arm of politics 'getting tough on "x"' stance. If the image is there then it must be safer no?
noo another guy in comments said it was a thin slipper, no zippersd or straps, and he had to take it out. its pretty bad that an agent can change the rules.
I fly alot these days. Depending on the airport (smaller ones are MUCH worse) I may or may not have to run my liquids (in the designated quart size bag, no larger than 3 oz each) through in a bin by themselves or maybe I can set them on the top of the bag or maybe I get looked at like I'm a retard for even taking them out of my bag or maybe I get pulled aside and searched for even having liquids. "Oh Noze... this guy is gonna brush his teeth on a business trip... SEARCH HIS TERRORIST BUTT"
Before long riding on "IT" from that 'South Park' episode http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entity_(South_Park) will be a reasonable alternative to the full cavity search the TSA puts us through.
The Transportation Stupidity Administration and their lobotomized minions are going to be a PITA no matter what kind of bag is used. I'll continue to carry my usual laptop bag and take it out when needed.
Well I wonder if one can get by now with the notebook in a sleeve and then in a bag. When they say take it out of bag you do, leaving it in the sleeve. I don't know how far one could push it and not get detained or worse. You never said sleeve you said bag or case.
I wouldn't push it. I have tried it gently, but no dice. They make us remove our notebooks from their fitted sleeves, even a spandex wrapper.
I have even seen them object to object to a UMPC / MID in a clear ziploc bag or a transparent nylon case with zipper.
As we all know, the clear ziploc bags are fine to scan liquids and cosmetics, but when you put a UMPC or MID in it ... it may interfere or they might miss something
I can only hope it will relax in the near future.
TSA, now where amI going to hide my external drive full of pron and that utility knife I stole from Macgyver? Hmmm?
Is it really that hard? Anyone who flies for business for a living knows the drill, and we have it down to a science. It's the folks who do not fly, that WBMC all day long. Stay home or drive. Thank you for doing a great job TSA!
Again, why not just have a second bag with accessories and a strap that you velcro onto the laptop sleeve?
I think it would be extra funny if the logo was an X-ray opaque material.
I have never been required to take electronics out of my carry-on bag in Europe (even one loaded with stuff for a 2 month vacation). Only in the US ... where they seemingly need to inspect it by hand all the time, swipe it for residue, etc. At least we're not continuously required to boot things up any more to prove they're actually functioning units.
I'm very picky about scratches on my stuff so I diligently try to pad and protect things. For notebooks I commonly use a form fitting foam sleeve or spandex wrapper ... but have never been unable to walk through with that at a TSA checkpoint. Every single time they make me remove it. Even though there is no pocket, no zipper, ... and a plastic window showing the mac logo through. Reasoning being that I could have the sleeve lined with ... whatever is going to interfere with the scanner. Like a lead sheet of 8x10?!
My new swiss gear bag with easy remove laptop sleeve, with handle, similar sort of to what is pictured. No dice.
They even fuss over a UMPC in clear ZIP LOCK bag !
I can understand there is difficulty to see through a carry-on bag loaded with electronics ... so I don't mind the laptop out of the bag thing. But, what I do really mind is that you can't have it in custom sleeve you bought for it, or in a luggage designer's sleeve (think samsonite has them as well) that matches and fits your bag's front pocket.
And, of course the government's solution is that we're going to be required to buy dufus looking $25+ TSA approved one size fits all laptop wrappers?
Very sad. Just like the TSA approved locks they cut / break off ... if they don't cut the zipper handles and keep the lock! We have been victim of that. Good luck trying to calling them about it. No identifiable information on that paper that's a copy of a copy. It is ridiculous.
So that's in a large part why we fly less. It is just a big hassle. You used to be able to jump on a plane in a half hour ... flying was fun. Now you need to go hours early, TSA is rude, planes are tchock full.
BTW. Ever tried to find out if you can fly with something that is not on the forbidden list and not a weapon in any shape or form? TSA HQ will not give you a clear answer and leaves it at the discretion of the screener to let you through or not ... or if you will be forced to abandon the item.
Like the staff will know that.
The TSA will continue to hound you.
Why? To reinforce the fact that you should be fearful.
MMMM.. I love me this culture of fear. <makes chicken noises>