If you travel a lot… or even a little, then you will want to check out Skooba Design’s new Checkthrough Security Brief bags. The bags are the next generation in Skooba’s line of Checkpoint-Friendly bags. Checkpoint-Friendly bags, something Skooba helped introduce to the marketplace, comply with TSA requirements and let you send the bag through airport screening without having to first remove the laptop. As Skooba Design explains,
Aside from the obvious convenience of not having to remove the laptop, Checkpoint-Friendly bags help prevent damage, and minimize the chances that the laptop will be one of the tens of thousands lost or stolen in airports in a typical year.
The bag comes in two sizes, with both sizes having the same design. They are serious gear for the serious traveler, although anyone who has ever tried to travel with a laptop will immediately appreciate the convenience the design offers. Here’s a bit more about the Skooba Security Brief:
The new Security Brief is a sleek, smoothly-contoured and tailored case that offers about 2-dozen pockets and compartments, including a Doc Pocket™ ticket/passport organizer, file section with adjustable/removable divider, key ring, USB thumb drive caddy and more. The Security Brief replaces the earlier “Executive” model, bringing with it a variety of upgrades, including a new, high-tech micro-ballistic exterior fabric, fully padded organizers for portable electronics, Skooba’s patented Superbungee™ shock-absorbing shoulder strap, and more. Yet despite all the new features, the Security brief is extraordinarily lightweight: the Standard size Brief tickles the scales at a mere 55 ounces, more than 10% lighter than its predecessor, and half the weight of many other popular checkpoint-friendly bags of similar capacity.
So what makes this bag a Checkpoint-Friendly bag? It is really quite simple but innovative. You see, the TSA makes you remove your laptop from your bag (exposing it to potential damage or theft), UNLESS it is in its own, approved compartment in the bag and can lay flat on the conveyor belt for scanning. The Security Brief looks quite similar to other high-end business cases, but it has hinges that allow it to open in the middle. This separates and isolates the laptop compartment from the rest of the bag and, in keeping with TSA regulations, allows it to lay flat.
Skooba goes one step further however and provides a clear window inside the bag. This lets the TSA officer visually check the laptop and makes it even less likely they will ask you to remove it. The TSA does;t require this additional window but it makes the Skooba offering stand out from the Check-Point Friendly crowd.
Here’s a video walk-through of the new bag.
Checkthrough Security Briefs are available in Standard and Large sizes, with list prices of $169.95 and $179.95, respectively. Full specs and dealer/ordering information on the Skooba Design website; pre-orders are now being taken with delivery coming in May.