# So I had to burn it off-Luggage searches **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715 "2003-02-17T21:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/1 "2003-02-17T21:04:45Z")
Jeez, thanks guys. I get to my hotel after a 8 hour journey to NYC and find that our friends at the airline searched my bag-fine. They didn’t even have to cut off a lock-fine. The problem is, they put a cable tie on my bag. Now what am I supposed to do? I have nothing to cut the damn thing off with. I tried sawing it with a key-no. Looked around my mini-sized room to find something to cut with-nothing. Boss calls. Lobby in 20 minutes. Need a shower. Finally whip out my lighter and burn the damn thing off. Good thing they didn’t confiscate that one… Urg. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/2 "2003-02-17T22:25:24Z")
That’s a particularly stupid maneuver. They confiscate anything remotely sharp on your person or your carry-on, then put something on your luggage that requires a sharp object to remove. ---
**Author:** ![Monalisa9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@Monalisa9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monalisa9)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/3 "2003-02-17T22:43:48Z")
I’m assuming this was an international flight…it was, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Second\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Echo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/4 "2003-02-18T00:18:38Z")
Actually I had the same cable tie put on my bad after it was searched recently. I was flying from Seattle to Salt Lake City. I needed a good pair of scissors to cut off the tie and it wasnt easy. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/5 "2003-02-18T00:26:39Z")
I’m going to have to be sure to put my swiss army knife in the compartment of my bag that doesn’t lock next time I travel. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/6 "2003-02-18T00:56:10Z")
Don’t hotels usually have little sewing kits? Ask at the lobby. I’m sure you’re not the first person… heck, the desk probably has scissors. ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/7 "2003-02-18T02:13:16Z")
But wouldn’t a swiss army knife be confiscated, because it’s a sharp object? I would think so, anyways. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/8 "2003-02-18T02:17:06Z")
It wouldn’t be confiscated in checked baggage, only in carry-on. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/9 "2003-02-18T02:27:04Z")
My husband just returned from Germany and the cable ties were located around the luggage SKU tag, not around the closure. I wondered what good that would do? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/10 "2003-02-18T04:10:53Z")
Ahh, thanks for clarifying that. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/11 "2003-02-18T04:19:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by porcupine \* > \*\*It wouldn’t be confiscated in checked baggage, only in carry-on. \*\* But if the knife is _in the bag_… ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/12 "2003-02-18T04:24:47Z")
_sigh_ As I said in my first post in this thread, put it in the compartment of the bag that DOESN’T lock. Like the little outside compartment that most bags have. Get it now? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/13 "2003-02-18T08:43:52Z")
So that instead of being confiscated or inaccessible, it gets stolen? How does that help? ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-had-to-burn-it-off-luggage-searches/155715/14 "2003-02-18T14:35:23Z")
Almost every time I travel and check my luggage, I have things packed in the little outside compartments in my luggage that don’t lock, and nothing has ever been stolen. I’m not exactly worried about it.