Should You Use Luggage Locks While Traveling?

Nothing ruins a great vacation quicker than being the victim of theft. But when it comes to the thorny question of whether to lock your luggage, there are strong opinions on both sides. Let’s sift through the pros and cons to help you figure out if you should use luggage locks while traveling.

Pro: Locking Your Bags Gives You Peace of Mind

Any form of security helps give you peace of mind when you’re away from home, and that extends to transporting your belongings. Using locks, then, might mean you stress less about losing things. Some travelers go one step further, opting to use a bag strap or wrap their bags at the airport to make it harder for anyone to reach what’s inside. Employing an extra level of defense, such as Pac Safe’s metal mesh covers or reinforced luggage, can further protect you against a bag slasher. However, keep in mind that nothing’s foolproof — if someone’s determined enough, they’ll take what they want. So, it’s always a good idea to keep valuables in your personal item or at least in your carry-on, rather than in your checked luggage.

Pro: It Deters Casual Thieves

As with any kind of anti-theft measure, it’s wise to ensure that you aren’t the easiest target. Using luggage locks while traveling makes it more time consuming for would-be thieves to get to your belongings, so they might move along to someone else. If you’re flying, use a TSA-approved lock (typically marked with a red diamond — the Travel Sentry logo — to distinguish them) so that security checks can be carried out without the need to cause any damage to the lock or the bag itself.

Pro: Zippers Are Less Likely To Come Undone

If your bag or backpack shuts using a zipper, it could potentially snag on something while in transit, causing your bag to open and the contents to spill out. Likewise, pickpockets can easily slide open the zipper without you realizing that the bag is open and missing some of its contents. You can prevent this from happening by fastening the two ends with a luggage lock. If you’re likely to be traveling through a busy transit hub such as a bus or train station, this is an easy way to add a layer of protection in crowded situations.

Con: It Can Signal Your Luggage Contains Something Worth Stealing 

If you were to travel with an empty bag, would you bother to lock it? The answer is likely no. But if there is something of value inside, then there’s a reason for you to use a lock. However, by this logic, one could reasonably argue that the lock itself is a sign that a thief might be interested in what’s being carried. That’s particularly the case if it’s an external padlock that you’ve added yourself. Some travelers might eschew designer luggage for similar reasons, opting to use a less conspicuous brand or a plain bag.

Con: You Could Get Locked Out of Your Own Bag

Perhaps the strongest argument for not using luggage locks is that you might lose the key or forget the combination, leaving you unable to access your own belongings when you reach your destination. Though this is rare, in such cases you’d most likely end up damaging the suitcase or bag — perhaps even being forced to throw it away. Leaving a note of the combination with a trusted friend or relative back home is one way of overcoming a memory lapse, but you should also spread your valuables among different bags — though not those you plan to check.