Don't forget to grab 10% off LEVEL8 luggage if you're looking for a new suitcase: bit.ly/4co54Hp (discount code: ProjectUntethered10 ) Got any more clever carry-on packing tips? Share 'em with everyone in the comments! 👇
A saw a poor woman panic that her late husbands knife would be thrown away. Seeing this as I was sitting in front of the mail out area waiting to pick up my son. I told her I would mail it to her, which I did.
You can forget that some small items are already in the bag before you start packing it. That's why I think this (to always empty the bag before packing it) is such a great tip. I once spent some 2 hours in the airport in Santiago de Cuba (after arrival, not before departure!) being interrogated by some very annoyed security personnel who kept asking me if I have any memory sticks with me. As it happened I had quite a few (I'm a geek working in IT...) so they checked every single one of them on their computer (which looked like an old Intel 386 machine, I was surprised it even had USB ports). They were still not happy. I was at a complete loss. They rescanned my luggage in the X-ray machine and they kept getting angrier with me. I had to empty the bag and lay everything in front of them. Then I realised what they were seeing in the X-ray machine: I threw in my big checked suitcase a small backpack I only used to go to beach. I was convinced it was empty but it wasn't - in one of the pockets I had one cheap MP3 player that I only used while at the beach. Once I took that out and they checked it they calmed down, but it was quite an unpleasant experience overall. Very good tip - empty the bags before packing them.
@@ProjectUntethered the Fanny pack is good but when your at airport security you have to take that off and put on the conveyer belt so anyone one can try and grab it.
As a pilot and the retired Health & Safety Chairman for Pan Am, I will NEVER wear synthetic clothes on a flight- they melt on your skin in case of any fire in an emergency. Also, you can use fabric paint to ‘decorate’ your baggage (it can even be tasteful)- that makes the bags very unique. Also, I ALWAYS keep the things I would be heartbroken if I lost in my possession at all times, never checked.
Plus synthetics stink of BO faster on long haul flights. I had a scarf that is synthetic on my last flight, used it as a blanket. It smelled of BO by the end
Husband is also a commercial pilot and taught us all to wear comfortable shoes, never sandals, and no synthetic clothing. I cringe when I see flip flops and lycra/yoga pants.
Yes, that's also why I always take an appropriate thumb drive adapter to plug into my phone and camera, so that I can back up all of my photos and the like to a pair of thumb drives. One of those goes into my luggage in case something happens to my carry on and the other goes into my pocket, so that if for some reason we have to abandon the aircraft quickly, the files that can't be backed up are in my pocket and I don't have to even be tempted to try to bring any of my stuff with me. (I'll also often times upload a bunch of that stuff to the cloud if I have time and access to a connection, so that none of that really matters)
I was stopped at security with a *tiny Swiss army knife (I thought it was compliant). It meant a lot to me so didn't want to throw it away. But I couldn't mail it to myself. So I went into the nearest restroom and stashed it on top of a light fixture. I retrieved it when I returned through the same airport- two weeks later. (Kinda grossed me out, but....)
I got stopped for having a Swiss Army card in my wallet. It’s a credit card size pocket knife, scissors and nail file. I totally forgot it was behind all my actual credit cards. I had to throw it away or I would miss my flight. Crazily I flew out with it no issue but on the return flight I was stopped. And this was on a domestic flight!
Decorate your suitcase with bright, kid-themed stickers. They not only make your luggage more distinct, but thieves are more likely to assume it's full of cheap kids' stuff and leave it alone.
Unless you are a thief, how do you know what thieves are looking for? I am willing to bet that they are looking for opportunity over specifics for luggage.
I like the packing cubes because it keeps everything together and if someone's going to rifle through your suitcase, going to Security, you don't have things fall out.
@@erin.x they don't need to open the cube if only clothes are in there, they can see that on x-rays. If they saw something suspicious in there, they would open it of course.
I used a bright pink hockey tape to wrap around the handles (but not the one that goes up & down) for my dark grey/black suitcase. Since it's hockey tape it will withstand lots of manhandling by airport personnel, and the bright colour really helped me see my bag on the carousel ASAP! DayGlo yellow or green hockey tape would work, too (Amazon has lots of this stuff). Cheaper than coloured luggage.
Nora Dunn has commented on fanny packs and and stuff'able neck pillows as now more often NOT being allowed. A few weeks ago I watched someone else's site and this woman spoke specifically that at check in , the person at the desk said that the fanny pack was a personal item and therefore her personal item "bag" was unallowed. Fortunately she was able to stuff the fanny-pack into the personal item bag, but the person then wanted to weigh the bag to ensure it still met the weight limits for a personal item bag. Someone else reported that when she had a cushy neck pillow, the person at the desk wanted to weigh the neck pillow along with the personal item bag saying too many people were stuffing them with more clothes, which was hiding weight. And so I don't know if those two hacks work anymore.
First off, Nora is awesome! Second, I personally haven't had any issues in ~100 flights, but since others have experienced problems, it seems like a "your mileage may vary" situation. Perhps one thing that has helped me is that I am pretty discreet with my fanny pack and pillow (I ALWAYS use a fanny pack, but only sometimes use a pillow). My fanny pack blends into my clothes - or is under my jacket - and I usually swing it around my back whenever I have to go to the check in counter. The pillow is also usually clipped to my personal item which is on my back (my body is blocking it from view) or on the ground in front of the counter where the check-in agent can't really see it. Long story short, you're much less likely to have issues if you try to be as discreet as possible. If you set your fanny pack down on the counter and have a giant neck pillow around your neck, then you're kind of asking to get called out. All that said, if I ever did get called out about either of those things, I would probably (politely) argue pretty hard. Since these things are attached to your body during the flight, they aren't taking up any extra space in the overhead bins or under your seats, so it's ridiculous to charge extra for them. They are no different then wearing clothes with tons of pockets.
I should've read your comment before I made mine. Qatar did that to me: "Your purse AND your carry-on have to be weighed together AND be 7kg. Anything in your pockets?". They weren't 7kg, but as their dimensions were okay, they allowed me to go (it was less than 8kg). Because I was wearing a hoodie with a big front pocket, they wanted to know if I had anything there.
@@_DROM_Brooo thats why Im watching so many of these videos, specifically because of how strict Qatar can be. Im flying out of sfo in late november. Where did you fly out of
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of things having a "home." My passport lives in a specific pouch, and that pouch lives in a specific pocket of my carry on.
I just returned from a quick trip to Florida over the 4th of July weekend, and Airlines are cracking down on extra items such as blankets, stuffed neck pillows, fanny packs, and the like. They are being very strict and are telling passengers to ONLY have two bags, that's it. Also, if you think you can get away with a Starbucks bag or any other airport purchase bag and add more to it, don't do it. I saw several people getting busted for trying to do that as well.
@@ProjectUntethered I planned a last minute 4th of July weekend trip and had to use Southwest Airlines. Will never make that mistake again. They canceled my return flight and didn’t offer any type of compensation. Also, neither flight was on time. So, they’re watching people like hawks and making sure that everyone sticks to a two bag minimum. ✌️
@@ProjectUntetheredSouthwest started with two items only back in February. As stated in the original post, this includes neck pillows. Medical bags are not counted as one of your bags. Also, only one of your bags can go overhead.
Unfortunately it is becoming more and more common for airlines to pressure people to check their carry-on luggage at the gate (at no cost to the passenger), but if everyone is at the 2 bag limit there should be enough overhead bin space to accommodate all the passengers. This would be the way to provide good service to customers. It's a disappointing thing to hear at the gate that there is a full plane and limited overhead storage space requiring that some bags will NEED to be checked. This should be unacceptable.
Southwest Airlines has announced that neck pillows, blankets and anything else you have strapped to the outside of your luggage, counts as an additional item. Put it inside or plan on putting it in the garbage can.
The international airport where I live here in 🇨🇦 has a monthly event where they sell hundreds of knives, scissors, etc. that have been confiscated from travellers who either didn’t know about carry on restrictions or simply forgot. The proceeds from this sale go to charity. I have a family member who has a side hustle reselling these items at a profit.
You talk about the time you got caught with a pen knife. The poor guy on the cruise ship was facing 12 years for bringing two bullets into the Grand Turk Cruise terminal. He had them in the bag on a land-based trip and did not realize they were in the bag. He was given a sentence of three weeks of time served and a $9,000 fine.
I had bright yellow Delsey suitcase. I thought nobody would think that was theirs. Wrong! It was sold at JCPennys, apparently quite well. Others that had it would take my bag without even looking at the tag! Switched to black and stenciled a fish on it with acrylic paint.
I use my *yutulu* as a work bag and have had no issues at all. It’s a comfortable bag, fits a good amount and hadn’t lost its shape. With that being said, I also take care of all my bags and don’t carry a water bottle, pens, keys or anything that can damage the interior.
Your statement about fine line between convenience and security made us howl. My workplace motto used when upper management came up with more bs policies was “security is not convenient “. When that one came out in the conversation we knew it was going to something we were going to hate.
If you’re going to a different country, make sure you check their TSA requirements, they may not be the same as USA. We went to Calgary and Banff. We brought folding hiking sticks to use in the mountains. On the way back to the US, Canada would not let us get on the plane with the hiking sticks. We had already stood in line for an hour and a half to get through to TSA. Our choice was to go back or to have them confiscate the hiking sticks. Needless to say we lost a good pair of nice hiking sticks. 😮
This is why I check my suitcase regardless the size and bring an underseat bag. I don't want to with fight for bin space and more restrictions what to carry on the plane. Now I am hear some airlines consider pillows, blankets, and fanny packs personal items. 😖
Good tips. I think I bring three pairs of long pants max for any trip now, and at least two of them are lightweight, multipurpose pants. Love the compression cubes. Agree that the smaller one is more useful than the larger one when it comes to a single person... however when you talk about a family of four, the amount of dirty clothes will accumulate, and having one of those large cubes to use as a traveling laundry bag isn't the worst thing in the world.
That's a very good point! A lot of the packing cubes (like the compression ones I showed) also come with an extra laundry bag. I think these are a bit better at isolating bad smells than a normal mesh cube.
The pillows and fanny packs are now counted as personal items. I had to cram my fanny pack inside my pillow “baggie” when the flight attendant counted them both another personal item making it two personal items and one carry on. Don’t count on being able to have your pillow, sling bag/fanny pack without them counting.
Men, put all your pocket stuff in a bag, one bag that can be put in your personal item bag and easily be taken out when you want to put all the sh.., I mean stuff back in your pockets. Then you don't take forever to go through security and you won't leave anything behind.
1:30 Last time we traveled, they took out a book of my hubby's backpack, because it was to big to scan the whole! And they removed his toothpaste from his bag, even it was under the limit!
We always bring too many clothes anyway. Stick to a few outfits or thrift on location! I have a storage locker at a location I fly to frequently so my suitcase is half empty when I fly.
With US airlines (like AAL, UAL and DAL) cracking down on items carrying thru the airplane door people need to get creative. Travel neck pillows, Fanny packs and even a small tote bag are counting towards items carried. One personal bag and one other bag allowed. Gate agents telling people neck pillows, ladies purse along with a personal bag and an overnight bag is wrong. So cargo pants or better yet a vest like a photographers vest or hiking vest work great.
Made that pocket knife mistake myself... though in Africa when entering a night club and the knife was in a zippered pocket on my shorts.. Lucky I was with a local who the bouncers knew and they could see I was completely zoned out after a long day of travels so they held onto the knife and passed it back to me when I left. I love pocket knives but yeah, they can be more trouble if they're in the wrong place.
No, synthetics fabrics smell like fanny about 15 minutes after putting them on . Linen is the way to go. Plus polyester is awful for the earth's water.
I don’t mind how the handle of a carryon affects the inside of the case because I can put a lot of small flat things (dongle, folded extra travel bag, checkbook-don’t ask, travel laundry sheet dispenser, selfie stick, etc) in those crevices/gaps and then put my packing cube in on top to utilize that wasted space.
I need your wife to show us her top travel clothing and tricks! Maybe you can have her as a guest to show us ladies how to pack light? It’s much harder as a woman I think ?!?!
I’m a woman who travels light, I pack: 1 pair of jeans (actually I wear them to travel) 1 pair of lightweight pants 1 skirt 4 lightweight shirts (fishing shirts, Columbia or Magellan are comfortable and dry overnight) 2 blouses 2 tank tops or camisoles 2 long sleeve lightweight sun shirts A light cardigan A traveling multi pocket lightweight jacket A packable rain jacket. Travel sized toothpaste, shampoo, sunscreen, moisturizer, hand sanitizer . Lipgloss and lip balm and liner. One pair of comfortable walking shoes/boots and a pair of cute flat sandals. My fanny pack fits under my belt line and my documents money and cards go in there All my clothes drip dry overnight, edit: except for the jeans lol, can be layered and can make many different outfits. Don’t forget a couple of pairs of merino wool socks and a pair of compression socks to travel in.
@@Fiona2254 ohhhh wow, that’s amazing! Do you backpack it or use a carry on type bag? Like what is your go to bag for it all? I’m (almost!) plus sized and it makes packing I think a lot harder… I didn’t really pack toiletries this year, used only a back pack and did pretty well, but it was tight!
Linen and cotton. Beige, white, navy or olive base with your choice of 2-3 colors to mix in. I travel in white jeans, with usually navy or orange. Scarves are easily tied into blouses or tops for under a sweater or jean jacket. Silk scarves are the new pack light secret. Hundreds of videos on Pinterest.
Beware if you're travelling on budget airlines in Europe. Most have a strict "one bag" policy for cabin luggage that must conform to fixed dimensions and weight. You aren't allowed to carry a neck pillow, bum bag, handbag etc in addition. Airline staff will make you put everything into the one bag and if it doesn't fit or goes beyond the stated dimensions, you may have to pay extra for your bag to get checked in or even have to abandon your surplus possessions before boarding.
thank you for the video! the new regulations are crazy, im traveling this week with wizz air or however you spell that, and im supposed to bring a carry on thats 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Which is borderline impossible if you are traveling for 2 or 3 weeks like i am. i will try to pack my stuff in my 40L backpack and just pray for a miracle, and / or get ready to pay 28 bucks for the bag. Ah! also, you dont have free seats anymore you have to pay for them, which honestly blew my mind when I found out
i travel with a lot of electronics in my carry-on , at least 2 power banks , cables , ear buds , and other stuff , i put them all in cheap a see through zip lock freezer bag , at the top of my bag and simply pull it out going through security at check in , saves a lot of time and stops me being pulled aside at the scanning machine ,
Super helpful video. I will be traveling to Cali at the end of October. I have not traveled outside the US since I was in the military In the late 90s and I'm terrified lol. Thanks again
@andreaArmstrong-p2m Do not worry my dear. My mother at 85 yo told me « why would you be afraid, look at all the planes flying everyday in the world? We don’t hear anything. So just enjoy ». So if my mom is not nervous, I should’t. Good luck and tells us how it went.
Great very true points brought up in your video. I also forgot to check pockets I never use on my backpack and was stopped once when going through security. I too prefer to have specific areas for my most important stuff like passport or wallet. It always goes in any of my clothing pockets that can be zipped or “Velcroed”. Lastly, my suitcases, even the carry-ons are always some bright color in case I ever have to check them in. Oh! And my backpack has its pocket facing my back, meaning, it is against my back and no sticky fingers can get to it unless I take the backpack off.
My gripe with ALL backpacks is the outside pockets. Who designed this! The packs should always have the pockets and zippers on the side against your body. I should start my own business. Also, they design backpacks with the slouchy pocket at the bottom and above that is wasted space. I dislike most backpack designs.
The other thing you can do is bring a little detergent with you (or buy some) and if you're staying in a hotel with a bathroom, just spend 30 minutes or so at night doing some laundry in your room. Hang it out to dry and by morning it should be good to use. The only issue I've run into is some clothing like blue jeans takes longer to dry so maybe either allow for a full day of drying of jeans (such as if you have 2 pairs of jeans, wear them each for 2 days so 4 days total and wash your other pairs at one time so they have a few days to dry out).
I have had flight personnel tell me my fanny pack counted as a 3rd item after my carry-on and personal item, insisting that I either check an item or squeeze the fanny pack into one of the other items, which is what I now do as I'm boarding the plane.
Check your bags before packing kids: my B in Law traveled in and out south America and several states to later find that he had a Bowie knife in his bag. No one found it (thanks for keeping us unsafe TSA!) but he was horrified that he had traveled in a business trip with that thing inside his carry on bag.
My backpack was a little overweight leaving Vietnam. I had a packable backpack in my backpack. So she said move stuff to it after i go to my gate . Happily I did. Still overweight if both added together, but no one did
Re: brightly colored luggage. While fewer people have a look-alike, ANYONE WHO DOES HAVE THE SAME MODEL AND BRIGHT COLOR is going to grab it without making any further checks. (Btw, you might easily do the same....) I added paint to the recessed areas of my grey hardshell suitcase--not flashy colors, but unmistakably NOT what came off the assembly line.
I think this happened to me once. I have a green suitcase that is an unusual colour, but it went missing on the first leg of a trip that included a cruise in December. I spent a week scrambling to find replacement items and finally the airline found my suitcase and delivered it to me the night before I left for the cruise. My theory is that someone accidentally grabbed my green bag without looking too closely and brought it back to the airport on their way home a week later. Nothing was missing or damaged. I have never understood why you don't have to show that the luggage you collected is yours on the way out of the airport. Some of them you could just walk in to arrivals and pick up bags before the passengers have even disembarked.
Great video. Like a good boomer I'm sticking with the cotton clothes but do a lot of washing on vacation, mostly by hand in my hotel room. I love the comfort. The compression packing cubes though have been a game changer for me, while all important stuff in a fanny pack surely makes all go smoother.
@ProjectUntethered I roll my wet cotton laundry clothes in the hotel towel. They usually dry overnight. If damp, put in plastic bag till you arrive at next place.
I did the exact samething with a Swiss army knife in the airport in Tampa. I ended up having to discard it, but the TSA agents were nice about it. You never know what might happen in a foreign country.
Like a dummy, I didn't notice I was carrying my favorite Swiss Army Knife in my pocket until after I had checked my suitcase. However, I _did_ notice it in time to step out of line and mail it to my home.
Smart tips. Lots of ideas I will use and/or try. Can't believe you did the shorts test with your wife. I "groan" in sympathy with her. Thanks for the video.
There used to be an area at my local airport where you could buy an envelope and mail your items that you accidentally packed back to yourself, but i haven't seen one of those for a long time. Seems like it could be a very profitable business so perhaps they are no longer permitted for security reasons.
I had a very small Swiss Army knife on my keychain and forgot it was there when dropped my keys in purse after driving to airport. You’d have thought it was a machete from the tsas reaction ! 😂 hated to lose it but no other option at that point.
Did you lose the knife? I had something similar happen to me but luckily i was in my "home" airport and had plenty of time and i went back out of security, bought a small padded envelope and posted it to myself. It was the sentimentilty not the value. However later on though that small knife fell to bits and i had to throw it away so i neednt have bothered LOL. Re different colour suitcases you can also just buy "skins" for luggage with brightly coloured patterns.
I got some pink and other colors/patterns "duct tape" a a dollar store. Made my checked suitcase not only distinctive, but so ugly no-one would want to steal it.
Never leave your bag where you can’t see it. Never!!! Hotel restaurants hate when I drag both my bags next to my table. But I will not allow my two bags out of my sight. I’ve know guys have their bags disappear.
Re. _"Packing mistake that'll get you in trouble in the airport" ...pocket knife._ OMG yes! I thought I had emptied my personal item before packing. I even held it open, upside down, and shook it. Went through security fine on outbound flight. On return trip, security pulled me and my personal item aside. Long search short, I had used the same bag to evac for a hurricane. A spare loaded magazine had slid down out of sight under the stiff floor and gotten lodged. You think TSA gets annoyed about innocent violations? Try looking like you're sneaking a firearm past them! Another time, after checking my suitcase, I ducked out of the security line to mail my overlooked Swiss Army Knife to my home. Postage was expensive, but no where near what replacing that knife would have cost.
They took my tiny 1” blade Swiss knife in U.S. and my very small wrench/ screwdriver combo, small scissors, my tiny pliers and even four 5” length zip ties (come in handy for repairs) going from Aus to NZ. They said no tools allowed in carryon and I don’t do checked so lost some valuable mini tools.
@@ProjectUntethered, Oh, we are definitely not the only ones! TSA confiscates pocket knives by the bushel. There's a thriving cottage industry around buying them in bulk from TSA, then reselling them on eBay.😄 I think TSA's website has a section which could be titled, "Things We Still Can't Believe People Tried To Take Aboard Airliners." Just because we don't think of an item as a weapon doesn't mean TSA won't consider it dangerous.
Two different travelers visiting foreign countries were in the news recently for being arrested, convicted, and imprisoned, potentially for years, because they reused bags used on hunting trips and were found with two or three gun cartridges (not guns, just ammo). So, important point you made: always thoroughly check.
I don’t mind doing laundry, during travel. I hand wash my undies and socks and air dry them for a day. For other stuff, I look for a laundromat near a cafe or restaurant. That way, I do the wash and dry, while eating lunch or dinner or chilling with a beverage and snack. It’s only an hours worth of time.
@@ProjectUntethered yeah… I prefer to do my own laundry too. Like I said… it’s often just an hour, during which I can have something to eat or drink or work a bit on my iPad…
I have seen luggage loaders grab, and break, Straps, ribbons, and, a pull out handle. Attaching things that 'flop' outside of the luggage may not be a great idea.
That's a really good question. It kinda sucks if security searches you because they won't know how to re-pack it properly. If your bag is completely jammed full, you'll probably have to repack it yourself to make everything fit. Hopefully this won't take more than a couple minutes though.
Thank you! I've watched and learned from SO MANY of your videos. My question today is those boxers that you throw to your wife to "smell". What brand are they? I don't see them on the Unbound Merino site. Thanks so much again.
Always shake out everything from your bags .... remember those USA citizens who forgot to take out the amo they had forgotten about and they were somewhere in the Caribbean... How scary .
I watched one of your videos yesterday and “liked it” but didn’t subscribe because I just couldn’t get past the backward hat / Nate look. You are a sharp guy and may want to rethink your branding. It’s competitive out there.
I MUST ask, which size of a fanny pack do you think would be the max you can put on your waist, without catching the eye of the aviation team, wanting to make a quick buck on your extra weight? I tried some pretty large fanny packs, and I think they might catch someone's eye, even when they're black [i.e- low profile]
I'd say anything that you can swing around your back to make them less noticeable, or a size that you can cover with a jacket to make less noticeable. Mine are pretty good sized, but if I am wearing my rain jacket, you can't really see it at all.
@@ProjectUntethered That's smart. Yeah, I found a fanny pack that can store a few lenses which I can swing to the back behind me, yet, if it's summer, there's no jacket covering it. I saw some travelers on UA-cam saying their sling bag they take with them was not considered a personal item (they took a backpack as well onto the plane), and a fanny pack is more discreet, so, who knows? Maybe it's all luck. I just don't understand how people keep their carry ons below 7kg. It's insanely low...
I see that those are Level 8 luggages.... are they the Level 8 Voyageur ones? I'm flying internationally and was wondering about the carry-on luggage version of the Voyageur. Allegedly, it is LARGER than the standard 9x14x22x inch with overall 45 inches total for overhead locker size - and the level 8 carry-on clocks in at over 46 inches total. So my question is: is it still a PASSABLE fit for an international airline like Eva Air or am I gonna have to chuck that in as a checked-in pieace? Like, has anyone here tried it with that particular airline and got away with bringing it INSIDE the cabin for the overhead locker bins?
I like to uglify my luggage with contrasting color duct tape in the shape of a giant ''W' for my last name. It's easier to distinguish, plus it makes even expensive luggage look very cheap and tacky.
Unfortunately, many US airlines are now counting a fanny pack as one of your carry-on items (regardless of class). We had to remove our fanny packs prior to boarding….as it gave us 3 items each instead of 2. (But, I put mine back on once I was seated and buckled in, and nothing was said about it.)
Grr that's annoying. I always try to make mine super low key so it's not noticeable. Mine fanny pack is black, and I wear black clothes and swing it around behind my back (or have it under my jacket) when I'm at the check-in counters so it's not obvious.
I tend to agree! But in some cases, it's a bit more complicated. For example, when I fly from the US to Colombia, I oftentimes buy extra stuff that I need in Colombia to bring with me. Or when I fly to the US, I like to bring souvenirs as gifts for my family. In a perfect world, I love packing as little as possible, but for the special times when you need to pack more, it's good to know some tricks :)
Keeping the minimum super important items (phone, ID, passport, necessary Rx, at least a few doses) is also a good idea in case of extreme emergencies where you'd have to evacuate the building, plane immediately and are not able or allowed to take anything!
@ProjectUntethered One time at DFW airport there were tornadoes in the area and everyone haf to get into stairwells to shelter. That instance just made me realize how unexpected things do really happen!
I do one or the other depending on the trip. I think my wife will start using the Level8 suitcase for more trips going forward though because she has a bit of scoliosis and carrying heavy backpacks isn't the best idea for her.
@@ProjectUntethered Thank you. I did a trial packing for our trip to Iceland in September and think that I will need to carry both my 40L backpack and Away Carry on due to the bulk of some warmer weather clothes. If it was a warm weather trip I could do the backpack all day long. Continue creating, love your videos.
Yeah cold weather can be tough. I've found that a packable poof jacket (decathlon), packable rain coat, and thermal underwear is a pretty powerful-yet-compact combo. This is what I used for most of my 3 passes trek near the Everest region in March. Hope you can figure out how to fit everything!
@@ProjectUntethered Thank you for the advice. To begin, I hope your wife can recover from the scoliosis. Thanks for the advice on the warm weather gear. I loved decathlon when I was in Singapore.
You put your important stuff all in your fanny pack and that fits in your pants pocket, and then you can go through the scanner with that in your pocket?
I was lucky and they let me fill out a form and held it for me in the lost in found until I got back. This was in Colombia though, not the US, so the procedures are a bit different.
Don't forget to grab 10% off LEVEL8 luggage if you're looking for a new suitcase: bit.ly/4co54Hp (discount code: ProjectUntethered10 )
Got any more clever carry-on packing tips? Share 'em with everyone in the comments! 👇
Liar! Your wife didn't make her own neck pillow carrier, she paid for the service in Thailand.
A saw a poor woman panic that her late husbands knife would be thrown away. Seeing this as I was sitting in front of the mail out area waiting to pick up my son. I told her I would mail it to her, which I did.
We need more people like you in this world!
@@ProjectUntetheredOne in a million❤❤❤
That's awesome 👍
Very nice that you offered to do that. On the other hand, what was she thinking??? Bringing a knife on a plane?? Lol
You can forget that some small items are already in the bag before you start packing it. That's why I think this (to always empty the bag before packing it) is such a great tip. I once spent some 2 hours in the airport in Santiago de Cuba (after arrival, not before departure!) being interrogated by some very annoyed security personnel who kept asking me if I have any memory sticks with me. As it happened I had quite a few (I'm a geek working in IT...) so they checked every single one of them on their computer (which looked like an old Intel 386 machine, I was surprised it even had USB ports). They were still not happy. I was at a complete loss. They rescanned my luggage in the X-ray machine and they kept getting angrier with me. I had to empty the bag and lay everything in front of them. Then I realised what they were seeing in the X-ray machine: I threw in my big checked suitcase a small backpack I only used to go to beach. I was convinced it was empty but it wasn't - in one of the pockets I had one cheap MP3 player that I only used while at the beach. Once I took that out and they checked it they calmed down, but it was quite an unpleasant experience overall. Very good tip - empty the bags before packing them.
Great reminder to empty out your luggage completely and checking hidden small pockets etc.. I haven’t heard of this tip in any other videos.
I hope it helps people!
@@ProjectUntethered the Fanny pack is good but when your at airport security you have to take that off and put on the conveyer belt so anyone one can try and grab it.
As a pilot and the retired Health & Safety Chairman for Pan Am, I will NEVER wear synthetic clothes on a flight- they melt on your skin in case of any fire in an emergency. Also, you can use fabric paint to ‘decorate’ your baggage (it can even be tasteful)- that makes the bags very unique. Also, I ALWAYS keep the things I would be heartbroken if I lost in my possession at all times, never checked.
Plus synthetics stink of BO faster on long haul flights. I had a scarf that is synthetic on my last flight, used it as a blanket. It smelled of BO by the end
Husband is also a commercial pilot and taught us all to wear comfortable shoes, never sandals, and no synthetic clothing.
I cringe when I see flip flops and lycra/yoga pants.
Thank you. Yoga pants are deadly.
Yes, that's also why I always take an appropriate thumb drive adapter to plug into my phone and camera, so that I can back up all of my photos and the like to a pair of thumb drives. One of those goes into my luggage in case something happens to my carry on and the other goes into my pocket, so that if for some reason we have to abandon the aircraft quickly, the files that can't be backed up are in my pocket and I don't have to even be tempted to try to bring any of my stuff with me.
(I'll also often times upload a bunch of that stuff to the cloud if I have time and access to a connection, so that none of that really matters)
I was stopped at security with a *tiny Swiss army knife (I thought it was compliant). It meant a lot to me so didn't want to throw it away. But I couldn't mail it to myself. So I went into the nearest restroom and stashed it on top of a light fixture. I retrieved it when I returned through the same airport- two weeks later. (Kinda grossed me out, but....)
I got stopped for having a Swiss Army card in my wallet. It’s a credit card size pocket knife, scissors and nail file. I totally forgot it was behind all my actual credit cards. I had to throw it away or I would miss my flight. Crazily I flew out with it no issue but on the return flight I was stopped. And this was on a domestic flight!
some people stick them in planters
Decorate your suitcase with bright, kid-themed stickers. They not only make your luggage more distinct, but thieves are more likely to assume it's full of cheap kids' stuff and leave it alone.
Excellent idea!!
If that works, the TSA is even more useless than we already know them to be.
Unless you are a thief, how do you know what thieves are looking for? I am willing to bet that they are looking for opportunity over specifics for luggage.
that is a great idea!!!!!
I like the packing cubes because it keeps everything together and if someone's going to rifle through your suitcase, going to Security, you don't have things fall out.
That's a very good point!
I’ve never experienced security going through my bag before, so my question is entirely out of curiosity - do they not open the cubes?
@@erin.x they don't need to open the cube if only clothes are in there, they can see that on x-rays. If they saw something suspicious in there, they would open it of course.
I used a bright pink hockey tape to wrap around the handles (but not the one that goes up & down) for my dark grey/black suitcase. Since it's hockey tape it will withstand lots of manhandling by airport personnel, and the bright colour really helped me see my bag on the carousel ASAP! DayGlo yellow or green hockey tape would work, too (Amazon has lots of this stuff). Cheaper than coloured luggage.
Nora Dunn has commented on fanny packs and and stuff'able neck pillows as now more often NOT being allowed. A few weeks ago I watched someone else's site and this woman spoke specifically that at check in , the person at the desk said that the fanny pack was a personal item and therefore her personal item "bag" was unallowed. Fortunately she was able to stuff the fanny-pack into the personal item bag, but the person then wanted to weigh the bag to ensure it still met the weight limits for a personal item bag.
Someone else reported that when she had a cushy neck pillow, the person at the desk wanted to weigh the neck pillow along with the personal item bag saying too many people were stuffing them with more clothes, which was hiding weight. And so I don't know if those two hacks work anymore.
First off, Nora is awesome!
Second, I personally haven't had any issues in ~100 flights, but since others have experienced problems, it seems like a "your mileage may vary" situation.
Perhps one thing that has helped me is that I am pretty discreet with my fanny pack and pillow (I ALWAYS use a fanny pack, but only sometimes use a pillow). My fanny pack blends into my clothes - or is under my jacket - and I usually swing it around my back whenever I have to go to the check in counter. The pillow is also usually clipped to my personal item which is on my back (my body is blocking it from view) or on the ground in front of the counter where the check-in agent can't really see it. Long story short, you're much less likely to have issues if you try to be as discreet as possible. If you set your fanny pack down on the counter and have a giant neck pillow around your neck, then you're kind of asking to get called out.
All that said, if I ever did get called out about either of those things, I would probably (politely) argue pretty hard. Since these things are attached to your body during the flight, they aren't taking up any extra space in the overhead bins or under your seats, so it's ridiculous to charge extra for them. They are no different then wearing clothes with tons of pockets.
I should've read your comment before I made mine. Qatar did that to me: "Your purse AND your carry-on have to be weighed together AND be 7kg. Anything in your pockets?". They weren't 7kg, but as their dimensions were okay, they allowed me to go (it was less than 8kg). Because I was wearing a hoodie with a big front pocket, they wanted to know if I had anything there.
@@_DROM_Brooo thats why Im watching so many of these videos, specifically because of how strict Qatar can be. Im flying out of sfo in late november. Where did you fly out of
@@carsondoitbetter Brisbane. They are strict now. I've always either flown with them or Emirates, never had an issue... Now? 🤦
As of last week of August 2024 it’s not working.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of things having a "home." My passport lives in a specific pouch, and that pouch lives in a specific pocket of my carry on.
I just returned from a quick trip to Florida over the 4th of July weekend, and Airlines are cracking down on extra items such as blankets, stuffed neck pillows, fanny packs, and the like. They are being very strict and are telling passengers to ONLY have two bags, that's it. Also, if you think you can get away with a Starbucks bag or any other airport purchase bag and add more to it, don't do it. I saw several people getting busted for trying to do that as well.
What airlines was that with? I haven't had anyone ever say anything to me about it, but I don't fly within the US very often.
@@ProjectUntethered I planned a last minute 4th of July weekend trip and had to use Southwest Airlines. Will never make that mistake again. They canceled my return flight and didn’t offer any type of compensation. Also, neither flight was on time. So, they’re watching people like hawks and making sure that everyone sticks to a two bag minimum. ✌️
@@ProjectUntetheredSouthwest started with two items only back in February. As stated in the original post, this includes neck pillows. Medical bags are not counted as one of your bags. Also, only one of your bags can go overhead.
Unfortunately it is becoming more and more common for airlines to pressure people to check their carry-on luggage at the gate (at no cost to the passenger), but if everyone is at the 2 bag limit there should be enough overhead bin space to accommodate all the passengers. This would be the way to provide good service to customers. It's a disappointing thing to hear at the gate that there is a full plane and limited overhead storage space requiring that some bags will NEED to be checked. This should be unacceptable.
Southwest Airlines has announced that neck pillows, blankets and anything else you have strapped to the outside of your luggage, counts as an additional item. Put it inside or plan on putting it in the garbage can.
The international airport where I live here in 🇨🇦 has a monthly event where they sell hundreds of knives, scissors, etc. that have been confiscated from travellers who either didn’t know about carry on restrictions or simply forgot. The proceeds from this sale go to charity. I have a family member who has a side hustle reselling these items at a profit.
You talk about the time you got caught with a pen knife. The poor guy on the cruise ship was facing 12 years for bringing two bullets into the Grand Turk Cruise terminal. He had them in the bag on a land-based trip and did not realize they were in the bag. He was given a sentence of three weeks of time served and a $9,000 fine.
I had bright yellow Delsey suitcase. I thought nobody would think that was theirs. Wrong! It was sold at JCPennys, apparently quite well. Others that had it would take my bag without even looking at the tag! Switched to black and stenciled a fish on it with acrylic paint.
Hahaha I wonder if everyone had the same idea!
I use my *yutulu* as a work bag and have had no issues at all. It’s a comfortable bag, fits a good amount and hadn’t lost its shape. With that being said, I also take care of all my bags and don’t carry a water bottle, pens, keys or anything that can damage the interior.
Your statement about fine line between convenience and security made us howl. My workplace motto used when upper management came up with more bs policies was “security is not convenient “. When that one came out in the conversation we knew it was going to something we were going to hate.
If you’re going to a different country, make sure you check their TSA requirements, they may not be the same as USA. We went to Calgary and Banff. We brought folding hiking sticks to use in the mountains. On the way back to the US, Canada would not let us get on the plane with the hiking sticks. We had already stood in line for an hour and a half to get through to TSA. Our choice was to go back or to have them confiscate the hiking sticks. Needless to say we lost a good pair of nice hiking sticks. 😮
I didn't know that about hiking sticks - thanks for sharing! (and sorry you lost them 😣)
Lost my camera tripod that way too😭
Lost my good camera tripod that way too😭
Thank you for your time and posting.
This is why I check my suitcase regardless the size and bring an underseat bag. I don't want to with fight for bin space and more restrictions what to carry on the plane. Now I am hear some airlines consider pillows, blankets, and fanny packs personal items. 😖
I do the same. Makes travel less stressful.
Compression bags also keep stuff from being in one clump at the bottom of your backpack, it lifts and keeps it up
Good tips. I think I bring three pairs of long pants max for any trip now, and at least two of them are lightweight, multipurpose pants.
Love the compression cubes. Agree that the smaller one is more useful than the larger one when it comes to a single person... however when you talk about a family of four, the amount of dirty clothes will accumulate, and having one of those large cubes to use as a traveling laundry bag isn't the worst thing in the world.
That's a very good point! A lot of the packing cubes (like the compression ones I showed) also come with an extra laundry bag. I think these are a bit better at isolating bad smells than a normal mesh cube.
The pillows and fanny packs are now counted as personal items. I had to cram my fanny pack inside my pillow “baggie” when the flight attendant counted them both another personal item making it two personal items and one carry on.
Don’t count on being able to have your pillow, sling bag/fanny pack without them counting.
Men, put all your pocket stuff in a bag, one bag that can be put in your personal item bag and easily be taken out when you want to put all the sh.., I mean stuff back in your pockets. Then you don't take forever to go through security and you won't leave anything behind.
1:30 Last time we traveled, they took out a book of my hubby's backpack, because it was to big to scan the whole! And they removed his toothpaste from his bag, even it was under the limit!
That's so bizarre!
We always bring too many clothes anyway. Stick to a few outfits or thrift on location! I have a storage locker at a location I fly to frequently so my suitcase is half empty when I fly.
With US airlines (like AAL, UAL and DAL) cracking down on items carrying thru the airplane door people need to get creative.
Travel neck pillows, Fanny packs and even a small tote bag are counting towards items carried. One personal bag and one other bag allowed. Gate agents telling people neck pillows, ladies purse along with a personal bag and an overnight bag is wrong.
So cargo pants or better yet a vest like a photographers vest or hiking vest work great.
Made that pocket knife mistake myself... though in Africa when entering a night club and the knife was in a zippered pocket on my shorts.. Lucky I was with a local who the bouncers knew and they could see I was completely zoned out after a long day of travels so they held onto the knife and passed it back to me when I left.
I love pocket knives but yeah, they can be more trouble if they're in the wrong place.
They definitely can! I'm glad things ended up working out for you!
No, synthetics fabrics smell like fanny about 15 minutes after putting them on . Linen is the way to go. Plus polyester is awful for the earth's water.
I wear natural fabrics for that reason. Too many ‘eco friendly’ types walk around in plastic.
I don’t mind how the handle of a carryon affects the inside of the case because I can put a lot of small flat things (dongle, folded extra travel bag, checkbook-don’t ask, travel laundry sheet dispenser, selfie stick, etc) in those crevices/gaps and then put my packing cube in on top to utilize that wasted space.
Very smart!
I need your wife to show us her top travel clothing and tricks! Maybe you can have her as a guest to show us ladies how to pack light? It’s much harder as a woman I think ?!?!
I agree, I think it's much harder! I will show her your comment and try to convince her because she's a little camera shy 🙈
Noooooo 🙏
I’m a woman who travels light, I pack:
1 pair of jeans (actually I wear them to travel)
1 pair of lightweight pants
1 skirt
4 lightweight shirts (fishing shirts, Columbia or Magellan are comfortable and dry overnight)
2 blouses
2 tank tops or camisoles
2 long sleeve lightweight sun shirts
A light cardigan
A traveling multi pocket lightweight jacket
A packable rain jacket.
Travel sized toothpaste, shampoo, sunscreen, moisturizer, hand sanitizer . Lipgloss and lip balm and liner.
One pair of comfortable walking shoes/boots and a pair of cute flat sandals.
My fanny pack fits under my belt line and my documents money and cards go in there
All my clothes drip dry overnight, edit: except for the jeans lol, can be layered and can make many different outfits.
Don’t forget a couple of pairs of merino wool socks and a pair of compression socks to travel in.
@@Fiona2254 ohhhh wow, that’s amazing! Do you backpack it or use a carry on type bag? Like what is your go to bag for it all? I’m (almost!) plus sized and it makes packing I think a lot harder… I didn’t really pack toiletries this year, used only a back pack and did pretty well, but it was tight!
Linen and cotton. Beige, white, navy or olive base with your choice of 2-3 colors to mix in. I travel in white jeans, with usually navy or orange. Scarves are easily tied into blouses or tops for under a sweater or jean jacket. Silk scarves are the new pack light secret. Hundreds of videos on Pinterest.
Beware if you're travelling on budget airlines in Europe. Most have a strict "one bag" policy for cabin luggage that must conform to fixed dimensions and weight. You aren't allowed to carry a neck pillow, bum bag, handbag etc in addition. Airline staff will make you put everything into the one bag and if it doesn't fit or goes beyond the stated dimensions, you may have to pay extra for your bag to get checked in or even have to abandon your surplus possessions before boarding.
thank you for the video! the new regulations are crazy, im traveling this week with wizz air or however you spell that, and im supposed to bring a carry on thats 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Which is borderline impossible if you are traveling for 2 or 3 weeks like i am. i will try to pack my stuff in my 40L backpack and just pray for a miracle, and / or get ready to pay 28 bucks for the bag. Ah! also, you dont have free seats anymore you have to pay for them, which honestly blew my mind when I found out
i travel with a lot of electronics in my carry-on , at least 2 power banks , cables , ear buds , and other stuff , i put them all in cheap a see through zip lock freezer bag , at the top of my bag and simply pull it out going through security at check in , saves a lot of time and stops me being pulled aside at the scanning machine ,
Super helpful video. I will be traveling to Cali at the end of October. I have not traveled outside the US since I was in the military In the late 90s and I'm terrified lol. Thanks again
My husband painted an orange letter on the outside of our suitcases, easy to see.
The variety of textures in the H Q D U P S pack is impressive. From smooth leather to textured suede, there's something
for everyone.
If you get overweight luggage at the airport ask to weigh at another weigh spot. Those things are not calibrated so can be off by a couple of kg
Interesting! I'll have to try that if that happens to me again. Has it happened to you?
Love everything you put out here! I was so surprised by the *yutulu* crossbody bag. love it! ❤
I lost my passport in the UK. (I think it was lifted out of my backpack.) So, I’m with you on keeping them secure.
Careful: budget airlines like Spirit count the packable neck pillow as a personal item.
Never have for me. Not Frontier either
I am able to pack for 6 days in a personal item by using one packing cube and folding. I wear light weight durable capsule clothing.
63 years old and 1st time flying in November!! Sooo.. nervous
@andreaArmstrong-p2m
Do not worry my dear. My mother at 85 yo told me « why would you be afraid, look at all the planes flying everyday in the world? We don’t hear anything. So just enjoy ». So if my mom is not nervous, I should’t.
Good luck and tells us how it went.
Great very true points brought up in your video. I also forgot to check pockets I never use on my backpack and was stopped once when going through security.
I too prefer to have specific areas for my most important stuff like passport or wallet. It always goes in any of my clothing pockets that can be zipped or “Velcroed”. Lastly, my suitcases, even the carry-ons are always some bright color in case I ever have to check them in. Oh! And my backpack has its pocket facing my back, meaning, it is against my back and no sticky fingers can get to it unless I take the backpack off.
Nice!! It sounds like you have a solid tried-and-true system all figured out!
My gripe with ALL backpacks is the outside pockets. Who designed this! The packs should always have the pockets and zippers on the side against your body. I should start my own business. Also, they design backpacks with the slouchy pocket at the bottom and above that is wasted space. I dislike most backpack designs.
The other thing you can do is bring a little detergent with you (or buy some) and if you're staying in a hotel with a bathroom, just spend 30 minutes or so at night doing some laundry in your room. Hang it out to dry and by morning it should be good to use. The only issue I've run into is some clothing like blue jeans takes longer to dry so maybe either allow for a full day of drying of jeans (such as if you have 2 pairs of jeans, wear them each for 2 days so 4 days total and wash your other pairs at one time so they have a few days to dry out).
I put bright colored duc tape on handle and a strip on suitcase. It works
same here - runned with a Swiss army knife, left over from hikes in my backpack, into security. Excitement you just not need....
"Love you, Bye!" I feel like family!
I have had flight personnel tell me my fanny pack counted as a 3rd item after my carry-on and personal item, insisting that I either check an item or squeeze the fanny pack into one of the other items, which is what I now do as I'm boarding the plane.
Yeah I would try to swing the fanny pack around back to hide it just to be safe!
@@ProjectUntetheredYes that is what I do😂
Check your bags before packing kids: my B in Law traveled in and out south America and several states to later find that he had a Bowie knife in his bag. No one found it (thanks for keeping us unsafe TSA!) but he was horrified that he had traveled in a business trip with that thing inside his carry on bag.
Good advice!
My backpack was a little overweight leaving Vietnam. I had a packable backpack in my backpack. So she said move stuff to it after i go to my gate . Happily I did. Still overweight if both added together, but no one did
Re: brightly colored luggage. While fewer people have a look-alike, ANYONE WHO DOES HAVE THE SAME MODEL AND BRIGHT COLOR is going to grab it without making any further checks. (Btw, you might easily do the same....) I added paint to the recessed areas of my grey hardshell suitcase--not flashy colors, but unmistakably NOT what came off the assembly line.
That's a good point. Perhaps if you wanna be extra extra safe, you'd have to add something custom to it that nobody else would have
I think this happened to me once. I have a green suitcase that is an unusual colour, but it went missing on the first leg of a trip that included a cruise in December. I spent a week scrambling to find replacement items and finally the airline found my suitcase and delivered it to me the night before I left for the cruise. My theory is that someone accidentally grabbed my green bag without looking too closely and brought it back to the airport on their way home a week later. Nothing was missing or damaged.
I have never understood why you don't have to show that the luggage you collected is yours on the way out of the airport. Some of them you could just walk in to arrivals and pick up bags before the passengers have even disembarked.
Good non obvious tips ❤
Thank you much, great video
love your packing tips - and the center lower area shown 🔥
😮 So basically you weren’t paying attention to the words that were coming out of his mouth 😂
Great video. Like a good boomer I'm sticking with the cotton clothes but do a lot of washing on vacation, mostly by hand in my hotel room. I love the comfort. The compression packing cubes though have been a game changer for me, while all important stuff in a fanny pack surely makes all go smoother.
Haha no worries - to each their own! :) Hopefully they don't take too long to dry. And yes, packing cubes are awesome!
@ProjectUntethered I roll my wet cotton laundry clothes in the hotel towel. They usually dry overnight. If damp, put in plastic bag till you arrive at next place.
Hang damp stuff around the hotel room where air is usually dry.
Buy a 30$ mesh fishing vest which can have 15 to 20 pockets , it is a lot cheaper than a Scott E Vest jacket which is around 400$
I did the exact samething with a Swiss army knife in the airport in Tampa. I ended up having to discard it, but the TSA agents were nice about it. You never know what might happen in a foreign country.
Aww I'm sorry to hear that! I was lucky and the agents in Colombia let me fill out a form and pick it up when re-entering Colombia.
Like a dummy, I didn't notice I was carrying my favorite Swiss Army Knife in my pocket until after I had checked my suitcase. However, I _did_ notice it in time to step out of line and mail it to my home.
Smart tips. Lots of ideas I will use and/or try. Can't believe you did the shorts test with your wife. I "groan" in sympathy with her. Thanks for the video.
Hahahah she didn't appreciate it, but it had to be done!
I appreciate the wife's sacrifice in the name of science. Also, she let you off easy.
She deserves an award for putting up with me 🥇😂
There used to be an area at my local airport where you could buy an envelope and mail your items that you accidentally packed back to yourself, but i haven't seen one of those for a long time. Seems like it could be a very profitable business so perhaps they are no longer permitted for security reasons.
I had a very small Swiss Army knife on my keychain and forgot it was there when dropped my keys in purse after driving to airport. You’d have thought it was a machete from the tsas reaction ! 😂 hated to lose it but no other option at that point.
I pack for 3 days and make sure the place I stay at has a washing machine.
Did you lose the knife? I had something similar happen to me but luckily i was in my "home" airport and had plenty of time and i went back out of security, bought a small padded envelope and posted it to myself. It was the sentimentilty not the value. However later on though that small knife fell to bits and i had to throw it away so i neednt have bothered LOL.
Re different colour suitcases you can also just buy "skins" for luggage with brightly coloured patterns.
You have to take everything out of your pockets when you put your belongings in bins to go through the scanner.
I got some pink and other colors/patterns "duct tape" a a dollar store. Made my checked suitcase not only distinctive, but so ugly no-one would want to steal it.
Never leave your bag where you can’t see it.
Never!!!
Hotel restaurants hate when I drag both my bags next to my table. But I will not allow my two bags out of my sight. I’ve know guys have their bags disappear.
I put colorful strips of masking tape on my luggage. Made my luggage unique and very easy to spot at baggage claim.
Re. _"Packing mistake that'll get you in trouble in the airport" ...pocket knife._
OMG yes! I thought I had emptied my personal item before packing. I even held it open, upside down, and shook it. Went through security fine on outbound flight. On return trip, security pulled me and my personal item aside. Long search short, I had used the same bag to evac for a hurricane. A spare loaded magazine had slid down out of sight under the stiff floor and gotten lodged. You think TSA gets annoyed about innocent violations? Try looking like you're sneaking a firearm past them!
Another time, after checking my suitcase, I ducked out of the security line to mail my overlooked Swiss Army Knife to my home. Postage was expensive, but no where near what replacing that knife would have cost.
It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one this happened to!
They took my tiny 1” blade Swiss knife in U.S. and my very small wrench/ screwdriver combo, small scissors, my tiny pliers and even four 5” length zip ties (come in handy for repairs) going from Aus to NZ. They said no tools allowed in carryon and I don’t do checked so lost some valuable mini tools.
@@ProjectUntethered, Oh, we are definitely not the only ones! TSA confiscates pocket knives by the bushel. There's a thriving cottage industry around buying them in bulk from TSA, then reselling them on eBay.😄
I think TSA's website has a section which could be titled, "Things We Still Can't Believe People Tried To Take Aboard Airliners." Just because we don't think of an item as a weapon doesn't mean TSA won't consider it dangerous.
Thanks for all the good videos!
What brand/model shorts are you wearing?
Those are from Decathlon and the brand is Domyos. I stocked up and have 3 pairs - love 'em because they have zipper pockets 🤓
Two different travelers visiting foreign countries were in the news recently for being arrested, convicted, and imprisoned, potentially for years, because they reused bags used on hunting trips and were found with two or three gun cartridges (not guns, just ammo). So, important point you made: always thoroughly check.
U cracked me up 🤣😂 when you said stink like butt😅
happened to me with a scissor in the first aid kit... luckily they were so nice at the airport
That would really easy to forget!
You can actually take scissors ✂️ through TSA as long as they less than 4" at the fulcrum. I have a pair in each of my suitcases.
I don’t mind doing laundry, during travel. I hand wash my undies and socks and air dry them for a day. For other stuff, I look for a laundromat near a cafe or restaurant. That way, I do the wash and dry, while eating lunch or dinner or chilling with a beverage and snack. It’s only an hours worth of time.
That's a good strategy! I think what I don't like is giving my laundry to someone else to do. They always either lose something or shrink something.
@@ProjectUntethered yeah… I prefer to do my own laundry too. Like I said… it’s often just an hour, during which I can have something to eat or drink or work a bit on my iPad…
I forgot that I had a scissor-like nail clipper randomly in my work bag (backpack)… needless to say it got confiscated.
I have seen luggage loaders grab, and break, Straps, ribbons, and, a pull out handle. Attaching things that 'flop' outside of the luggage may not be a great idea.
So, if you pack it tightly, do the securities unpack and unfold everything and then you have to squeeze it in again or what happens? I never fly...
That's a really good question. It kinda sucks if security searches you because they won't know how to re-pack it properly. If your bag is completely jammed full, you'll probably have to repack it yourself to make everything fit. Hopefully this won't take more than a couple minutes though.
I love Level 8
Thank you! I've watched and learned from SO MANY of your videos. My question today is those boxers that you throw to your wife to "smell". What brand are they? I don't see them on the Unbound Merino site. Thanks so much again.
Always shake out everything from your bags .... remember those USA citizens who forgot to take out the amo they had forgotten about and they were somewhere in the Caribbean... How scary .
Thanks Chief. Invaluable tips 😊
I watched one of your videos yesterday and “liked it” but didn’t subscribe because I just couldn’t get past the backward hat / Nate look. You are a sharp guy and may want to rethink your branding. It’s competitive out there.
I MUST ask, which size of a fanny pack do you think would be the max you can put on your waist, without catching the eye of the aviation team, wanting to make a quick buck on your extra weight?
I tried some pretty large fanny packs, and I think they might catch someone's eye, even when they're black [i.e- low profile]
I'd say anything that you can swing around your back to make them less noticeable, or a size that you can cover with a jacket to make less noticeable. Mine are pretty good sized, but if I am wearing my rain jacket, you can't really see it at all.
@@ProjectUntethered That's smart. Yeah, I found a fanny pack that can store a few lenses which I can swing to the back behind me, yet, if it's summer, there's no jacket covering it. I saw some travelers on UA-cam saying their sling bag they take with them was not considered a personal item (they took a backpack as well onto the plane), and a fanny pack is more discreet, so, who knows? Maybe it's all luck. I just don't understand how people keep their carry ons below 7kg. It's insanely low...
I see that those are Level 8 luggages.... are they the Level 8 Voyageur ones? I'm flying internationally and was wondering about the carry-on luggage version of the Voyageur. Allegedly, it is LARGER than the standard 9x14x22x inch with overall 45 inches total for overhead locker size - and the level 8 carry-on clocks in at over 46 inches total. So my question is: is it still a PASSABLE fit for an international airline like Eva Air or am I gonna have to chuck that in as a checked-in pieace? Like, has anyone here tried it with that particular airline and got away with bringing it INSIDE the cabin for the overhead locker bins?
I like to uglify my luggage with contrasting color duct tape in the shape of a giant ''W' for my last name. It's easier to distinguish, plus it makes even expensive luggage look very cheap and tacky.
It's amazing that you can't take a pocket knife but in first class you eat steak with real knives and forks ect...
Hi! We were wondering what that map/board thing is behind you in the video- the one that’s propped up on the dresser?
That's a scratch map, i used to sell them on Amazon back in the day, but I'm sure you can still get a similar version nowadays.
I have this but….Level 8 is on Amazon Prime today…
And, where can I get the identification tape?
Unfortunately, many US airlines are now counting a fanny pack as one of your carry-on items (regardless of class). We had to remove our fanny packs prior to boarding….as it gave us 3 items each instead of 2. (But, I put mine back on once I was seated and buckled in, and nothing was said about it.)
Grr that's annoying. I always try to make mine super low key so it's not noticeable. Mine fanny pack is black, and I wear black clothes and swing it around behind my back (or have it under my jacket) when I'm at the check-in counters so it's not obvious.
@@ProjectUntetheredthey don't make you take jacket off?
That with the 21 days worn pants was disgusting
Can you share what the backpack you show at 00:10 is?
Where did you get the Dreamer Map that is in the background?
Prevent. It’s prevent.
Just take less! If you're worried about cramming things in or being overweight you have too much stuff. Take less.
I tend to agree! But in some cases, it's a bit more complicated. For example, when I fly from the US to Colombia, I oftentimes buy extra stuff that I need in Colombia to bring with me. Or when I fly to the US, I like to bring souvenirs as gifts for my family. In a perfect world, I love packing as little as possible, but for the special times when you need to pack more, it's good to know some tricks :)
@@ProjectUntethered There are services that will ship your extra luggage affordably.
“Take half the clothes and twice the money”.
Keeping the minimum super important items (phone, ID, passport, necessary Rx, at least a few doses) is also a good idea in case of extreme emergencies where you'd have to evacuate the building, plane immediately and are not able or allowed to take anything!
That's a great tip - I love it! Have you ever had something like that happen to you?
@ProjectUntethered One time at DFW airport there were tornadoes in the area and everyone haf to get into stairwells to shelter. That instance just made me realize how unexpected things do really happen!
I may or may not use that story in a video someday! 🤓
Do you carry on both the backpack and the Level 8 wheeled carry on?
I do one or the other depending on the trip. I think my wife will start using the Level8 suitcase for more trips going forward though because she has a bit of scoliosis and carrying heavy backpacks isn't the best idea for her.
@@ProjectUntethered Thank you. I did a trial packing for our trip to Iceland in September and think that I will need to carry both my 40L backpack and Away Carry on due to the bulk of some warmer weather clothes. If it was a warm weather trip I could do the backpack all day long. Continue creating, love your videos.
Yeah cold weather can be tough. I've found that a packable poof jacket (decathlon), packable rain coat, and thermal underwear is a pretty powerful-yet-compact combo. This is what I used for most of my 3 passes trek near the Everest region in March. Hope you can figure out how to fit everything!
@@ProjectUntethered Thank you for the advice. To begin, I hope your wife can recover from the scoliosis. Thanks for the advice on the warm weather gear. I loved decathlon when I was in Singapore.
You put your important stuff all in your fanny pack and that fits in your pants pocket, and then you can go through the scanner with that in your pocket?
So did they seize the pocket knife you received from your dad when he passed away? If so that’s sad as now you lost a sentimental keepsake.
I was lucky and they let me fill out a form and held it for me in the lost in found until I got back. This was in Colombia though, not the US, so the procedures are a bit different.
What are the boxers?