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Luggage tracking

Sushi Boy

Sushi Boy

Shananigator
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Roger
Who here uses those tags that you put in/attach to your suitcase so you can track it's location?

Todd, what kind did you say that you use? Those look like a useful item to have when traveling. Having had my baggage misrouted on two trips, one of which was a trip to Bonne Terre where I really wanted to have my drysuit, a way to avoid future repeats is worth trying.

Does anybody else here have a brand/model that you're happy with?
 
DeepGeek

DeepGeek

Administrator
Staff member
First Name
Chris
My luggage tracker of choice in the domestic US is a FedEx tracking number... Ship to the destination! Its been years since I relied on airline baggage inside the US for my gear.
 
ReefHound

ReefHound

The Last Poobah
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Todd
Apple Air Tags. They work really well most of the time but I'm kinda wondering if they create more worry than they relieve. Apparently, the app can't pick them up with BT if they are buried deep in luggage in the belly of the plane so coming home Tuesday it showed the Terminal 1 gate as location last seen. At the runway just before takeoff it was showing my carryon above me as "with you" and the two checked bags still at terminal 1 2.5 miles away. To make matters worse, United has baggage tracking and it showed one bag as checked in and loaded on plane and the other bag as just checked in. I was sure one or both bags didn't make the flight and was already thinking I was going to be going to customer service and dealing with it. Both bags popped up as "with you" at the baggage carousel in IAH and minutes later they came rolling out. In this case, it was just unnecessary stress. I need the discipline to just not look at it until I arrive and they don't show. There's no point looking at it on the place about to take off because there's nothing you can do about for the next two hours. Even if it was 100% accurate that the bags weren't loaded, they aren't bringing the plane back to the gate.

Where they might be more useful is in making sure you didn't leave an item with a tag behind at home or the hotel or in a shuttle.
 
Heidi Ho

Heidi Ho

CHUM Fan
First Name
Holly
To me, using a tracker doesn't solve the issue of the luggage being misrouted and to Todd's point, United has a tracking option so if I really wanted to know where something was, that would be my go to anyway. But I'm not a big one on tracking of anything....

Years ago, I started putting my name and phone number inside each piece of luggage in case the ID tag got torn off or lost; at least they'd know who the bag belonged to. I also try to remember to take pictures of my checked luggage to show it to a baggage claim agent if something gets lost. But again, none of that solves the problem of the bag getting lost in the first place.
 
Lakediver

Lakediver

Adam's Personal Travel Agent, Apparently
Diver of the Year
First Name
Jennifer
Maybe I'm weird, but I don't worry too much about my luggage getting lost. Especially not on a direct flight. I will say that the black bag thing is one reason I bought a bright purple suitcase set. Still not totally unique, but it does make it a bit easier to pick out.
 
DeepGeek

DeepGeek

Administrator
Staff member
First Name
Chris
Some dingbat picked up a black bag belonging to one of our group on a ski trip years ago. Fortunately his forlorn black bag (of the exact same brand and model) was left tracking lonely circles round the carousel until we grabbed it, opened it and found his contact details inside.
A quick phone call ('return the bag you tool!') and later the two owners were reunited with their bags. It added a couple of hours to a long day though.
 
Brambles

Brambles

Tiger Shark
First Name
Joshua
I second the airtags. I keep one if every bag checked or not. It’s a cheap insurance policy if United forgets to scan it and doesn’t know where it is.
 
Lakediver

Lakediver

Adam's Personal Travel Agent, Apparently
Diver of the Year
First Name
Jennifer
Brambles said:
Ive also considered doing something like this on my hard case to make it stand out more.
Click to expand...
I saw a thing in the Girls Love Travel FB group, where a girl used chalk paint on her soft luggage to make it more unique. I haven't tried it, but she said that it holds up really well.
 
Lakediver

Lakediver

Adam's Personal Travel Agent, Apparently
Diver of the Year
First Name
Jennifer
Found the post. All she used is chalk paint and a stencil. I've been thinking of doing this to mine, since the Florida trip. When we arrived in Florida, I actually grabbed someone else's bright purple suitcase off the conveyor belt ... fortunately, I checked it before I went anywhere with it! It was the same color and brand as mine, but no luggage tag. Which I did notice, but I thought it had fallen off. Nope, it just wasn't mine!
FB_IMG_1658861930424.jpg
 
ReefHound

ReefHound

The Last Poobah
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Todd
Lakediver said:
Found the post. All she used is chalk paint and a stencil. I've been thinking of doing this to mine, since the Florida trip. When we arrived in Florida, I actually grabbed someone else's bright purple suitcase off the conveyor belt ... fortunately, I checked it before I went anywhere with it! It was the same color and brand as mine, but no luggage tag. Which I did notice, but I thought it had fallen off. Nope, it just wasn't mine!
Click to expand...

If you go that route, might as well use marine life stencils.
 
Sushi Boy

Sushi Boy

Shananigator
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Roger
I picked up an AirTag for a trial run on my upcoming trip.

For those who have them, there's no need for any sort of case or holder for them if you're putting them in luggage, is there?

Has anybody here had one long enough to worry about battery replacement?
 
ReefHound

ReefHound

The Last Poobah
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Todd
We just put ours in a small pocket in the bag. We've had them since June and batteries still good so far but I'll be unhappy with anything less than a year.
 
Sushi Boy

Sushi Boy

Shananigator
DAM CHUMmer
First Name
Roger
I used one on my last trip and didn’t see a whole lot of value. In the airports, it would never tell me the location / direction of my bag except for “located near terminal X”. It did however let me know I’d left my bag behind every time I left the hotel, so there’s that. I guess it might come in handy if the airline misroutes your luggage.
 
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