I’m often tasked with testing out new brands of luggage as a travel writer, which recently involved flying with a beautiful—and rather pricey—white leather–wrapped trunk.
After a short hop from Colorado Springs to Houston, it was spit out onto the conveyor belt looking like it had been put through the wringer. Chunks of the fabric were gouged out, and unwashable black marks streaked across the sides. When I mentioned the state of the bag to the brand, they replied, “You should have used a cover or plastic-wrapped it.”
While I’ve seen myriad travelers get their suitcases and duffel bags spun into layers of plastic at airport kiosks like Secure Wrap, Seal & Go, and TrueStar over the years, I’d never done it myself and always wondered whether it was worth it. It’s a thought I’d wager many other travelers have had, too. Here’s what I unearthed about wrapping your luggage in plastic.
How much does it cost to plastic wrap your luggage?
In the United States, the cost of wrapping a single piece of luggage ranges from $15 to $35. The higher fees typically come with additional travel insurance or are charged for irregularly shaped items, such as golf clubs or wheelchairs. Similarly, some companies, such as Seal & Go and Secure Wrap, affix a trackable sticker to the higher-priced wrap jobs, allowing travelers to get updates on their bag’s whereabouts. However, an Apple AirTag or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2, two types of tracking devices, might be more accurate and are reusable, unlike the single-use stickers.
What does plastic wrapping your luggage do exactly?
Plastic-wrapping your luggage adds an extra layer of protection from scratches, dings, gashes, and bad weather. It’s not infallible, though. The wrapping won’t, for example, prevent exposed wheels from getting caught on a corner somewhere and breaking off or from handles being bent by mishandling.
Wrapping can also be used to keep luggage somewhat intact if the luggage is a state of disrepair, like, for example, if the zipper busted somewhere along the journey and now won’t stay closed. Plastic can also deter would-be thieves from rummaging through your stuff or smugglers adding items to the bag, as the wrapping makes it harder to access the inside of your bags. But plastic isn’t the only tool at travelers’ disposal for keeping their bags secure.
“If you want to keep your items safe from theft, it is a good practice to put a lock on your luggage,” Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, said, adding, “Of course, if the luggage triggers an alarm during screening, the bag will need to be opened and inspected, which is why it is important to use a TSA-compatible lock.”
How does TSA handle plastic-wrapped bags?
All luggage is always screened by the TSA. “If a checked bag triggers an alarm while being screened, it will be opened and inspected so that the TSA officer can resolve the alarm. That happens regardless whether it has been wrapped.”
At all U.S. airports, each bag goes through a 3D scanner that can identify anything with potential to explode. If a bag sets off the alarm, TSA agents review a 3D X-ray of the bag and either wave it through or pull it aside for physical inspection. For the latter, the plastic is cut off and the bag searched in an inspection room equipped with CCTV cameras.
Afterward, the agent may toss the plastic wrap or attempt to tape the plastic back together. Some companies, such as Seal & Go, are able to rewrap bags that were cut open by TSA.
