Part of our Trip Planning guide.
Explore luggage locks and travel backpacks through 3 TouristSecrets guides, practical answers, comparisons, and trip-planning ideas gathered in one collection.
Related travel guides: The Ultimate Ski Trip Packing List in 2022, 8 Amazing Tsa Approved Luggage Locks for 2024, and Activities for Trips and Vacations.
The 5 Best TSA Locks For Your Luggage
You can also add TSA PreCheck to an existing United reservation to speed through security, but a good lock keeps your belongings safe once the bag is checked. The Master Lock 4688D uses a 3-dial resettable combination and a 1.5-inch-wide body, while the Pacum Mini offers a zinc-alloy build and a 1.2-inch cable. The Forge 2-pack provides a 4-dial combo and a 1.8-inch cable. Other top picks include the Lewis N. Clark 4-pack (around $20, with a 3-dial combo and a 1.5-inch cable) and the Travel Sentry Certified Safe Skyloc (about $12, with a 3-dial combo and a 1.4-inch cable). All five are TSA-approved and available as of 2024.
5 Cool Backpacks for Your Next Trip (2019 Edition)
The 2019 edition highlighted the Osprey Farpoint 40 (40 liters, around $185, with a padded hip belt and a lockable zipper), the Tortuga Outbreaker 35 (35 liters, about $230, with a clamshell opening and a laptop sleeve), and the eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender (38 liters, roughly $110, with 11 pockets and a water-bottle holder). The Minaal Carry-On 2.0 (35 liters, around $295, with a luggage pass-through and a stowable hip belt) and the Patagonia Black Hole 32 (32 liters, about $149, with a weather-resistant shell and a padded laptop pocket) rounded out the list. Prices and specs are as of 2019; current models may vary. If you need to book round-trip flights with different airports, a versatile backpack like the Farpoint 40 makes it easy to move between cities without checking a bag.
