If it is new, bright and shinny the savage will be attracted to it. If it looks expensive, they have a natural response to open it and fondle it and most likely take it home with them.

Soft sided luggage is child’s play to open. Zippers can be defeated with a ballpoint pen and zippered closed like nothing happened. If you MUST travel with anything of value in checked luggage, you should use hard sided luggage and have it shrinked wrapped. Or use a hard sided case that looks like crap but is secure.

It is also a good idea to dress down in Jo’Burg. If you look like a walking Cabela’s magazine, or have watches and/or jewelry dripping off you, the savage will be most interested in meeting you. I often travel through the Jo’Burg airport amazed at the sheep walking among the wolves without a care in the world. It allows me to move about with greater confidence with the savage’s attention drawn elsewhere.

Unless it is bolted down and weighs several tons, the savage will find a way to make it disappear.

TIA

quote:

Originally posted by lrich:
Has anyone thought about using the Tuffpak Takedown cases for there checked bag instead of a soft sided luggage?

Haven't seen one other than on their website, gut it looks like an option.

I used Tuffpak's for everything. I got cured of that after the first trip. Everywhere I went they thought I had guns. I literally spent hours over this issue. I did it once and will not do it again.

I take all valuables with me. I make it difficult for the thieves to search my bags quickly.

Do you travel with your ammo in a separate ammo box inside the Tuffpak, which also contains the gun.

I had my guns in an Americase. I had everything else in a Tuffpak including ammo.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

I take all valuables with me. I make it difficult for the thieves to search my bags quickly.

Best advice in this thread.

Look, guys, we ARE different from the savages, but, there are somethings we can learn. We don't NEED half the crap we hump along. Try this after your next trip - make 3 piles of your stuff. One, things you used on the trip. Two, things you didn't. Split two up - things you need for safety, ie first aid, medicine etc, and everything else. Leave pile #3 behind next time - you will be amazed at how much smaller your kit gets. DO this a few times, you can buy smaller luggage.

In your carry on - ALL your valuables, binos, laptop ( Ipad or tablet is much easier), camera, meds. Add ONE spare set of socks et al, and you can hunt when you arrive, sans luggage if needed, as long as you travel in your boots. Don't want to travel in your boots, then strap them to the outside of your backpack.

I think you can have a much more enjoyable trip, if you strip down to the essentials, the NEED to have's versus the WANT to, MIGHT NEED, and just plain extra crap we all bring.

Let them search my luggage - just a couple changes of clothes in it. Wrap your rifles in the clothes, now you are at one bag.

I am using a, for lack of a better term, hybrid system. I have Red OX bags. I also have smaller bags from either Bucks or Bobs Bags in Boise.

I take these small bags, fill them and place them inside of the Red Ox bags. For example, one might have underwear, socks & T shirts. The next might have shorts, shirts, hats. And so on and so forth.

I have the Red Ox bags filled with several smaller bags. It would take the thieves a while to find things. Plus m,y valuables are either in my gun case or my carry-on.

I have yet to have a problem in Africa.

A couple of months ago, while I was waiting for my wife's luggage at Seattle Tacoma Airport (SeaTac), I noticed that every single zippered compartment on every bag that came down on the conveyor belt was unzipped. That is not TSA.

If it has value, carry it on or put it in your gun case.

McKay - Just curious as to what Red Oxx bag you use as a carry on bag. Be specific if you will, thanks.

Luggage theft in JoBurg cannot occur if you don't go through there.
Might happen other places though as some have mentioned. Only loss to date was in Dulles on return trip.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by McKay:
I always take put everything of value in my carry-on with one change of clothes and shoes. I take a big DSLR, small point and shoot, binos, flashlighs, chargers, batteries, cash, etc. I use the Red Ox carry-on bag. Holds quite a bit with lots of pockets.

My Namibian PH stayed at my place a few years ago while he attended some hunting shows. He had a ball at Cabelas buying loads of reloading stuff (brass & bullets) and other gifts to take back home. When he opened his bags in Windhoek (via Joburg)...all gone. Luckily he & his gf had a bunch of other goodies in their carry-ons.

To reiterate, for me: One tuffpak with tuffsak (rifles, knives, Surefire flashlight, sharpeners, and other hunting items that I want to keep from getting stolen-all in a fanny pack inside the tuffsak with the two rifles each in their own soft cases; One hard side (no zippers) Samsonite luggage with built in TSA locks for checked items including ammo; and, my PacSafe backpack for carry-on (binos, cameras, meds, i-phone, sat phone, i-pad and related electronic items, one change of clothes, my small binder with all necessary safari and itinerary items, a black zippered pouch (from Home Depot) with 4457s, passport, airline tickets if not e-ticketed, necessary money, keys and other small valuables etc. etc.) The black pouch and the other valuables goes into the center "safe" of the PacSafe backpack and is locked again. That's it, and no problems during any international trip since I have used this same protocol. However, I plan on also shrink wrapping my hardside luggage during any further future trips inside or coming home from the African continent as an added precaution.

I agree with "Use Enough Gun" and others about putting your valuable items in the Tuffpak, but there has been some mention of not being able to pack anything but fire arms in whatever rifle case you carry, as dictated by airlines and/or airport personel.

I have never had that problem to date, and if I did, I think that explaining to them that knives and other potentially dangerous things should be in the gun case as well, would most likely take care of the issue. However, I guess that I'll bridge that river when I reach it. Oh, and my ammo belts and small belt cartridge holders also go in TuffPak, with the smaller cartridge holders in the fanny pack as well. I have had Customs go through my gun case from every trip back into the States wherever I have been hunting internationally, and occasionally they will go through the fanny pack as well, but they have never said that it, nor its contents, cannot be in the gun case. I know that they are not TSA, but TSA has also inspected and looked in my firearms case on every outward bound flight from my home airport without fail, and the fanny pack with the contents described have been in there everytime.

UEG - Good presentation again on this subject. It seems you go over this a couple of times a year for all the folks? Keep up the good work and I follow this same proceedure, with exception of the hardside checked bag to the T. I will go the shrinkwrap thing on the checked bag this year as well.

I have never had my Tuff Pak opened and looked through when leaving the States out of Albuquerque, NM., but coming "Out of Africa" ( ) it's been the norm as well. Curious as to what your Stateside folks have to say when they want to see your stuff going outbound. The only thing U.S.Customs has wanted on return is to check rifle serial numbers and to spray/soak boots which I have at the very top of the Tuff Pak.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
I have never had that problem to date, and if I did, I think that explaining to them that knives and other potentially dangerous things should be in the gun case as well, would most likely take care of the issue. However, I guess that I'll bridge that river when I reach it. Oh, and my ammo belts and small belt cartridge holders also go in TuffPak, with the smaller cartridge holders in the fanny pack as well. I have had Customs go through my gun case from every trip back into the States wherever I have been hunting internationally, and occasionally they will go through the fanny pack as well, but they have never said that it, nor its contents, cannot be in the gun case. I know that they are not TSA, but TSA has also inspected and looked in my firearms case on every outward bound flight from my home airport without fail, and the fanny pack with the contents described have been in there everytime.

http://youtu.be/xKtC36Tbdb0

Pacsafe video of opening bags with zippers.

Guys,

don't make the mistake of thinking ANY case, even a hard case with padlocks is safe from airport baggage thieves and while you're at it, don't make the mistake of thinking any airport in the world doesn't have baggage thieves.

FWIW, I've seen no end of film where these bastards can open any lock they like and they usually do it within a few seconds and their weapon of choice (at least some years ago) was always the scissors on a swiss army knife.

Plastic wrap is a good deterrent because in the time it takes to cut & peel back the plastic and then open the case, they can open and search several unwrapped bags.

Enjoyed the PacSafe video showing their TourSafe ToughZip products. Good stuff! Hey Larry: Thanks, and my Stateside TSA folks here in Vegas have never come back and questioned anything that I have put in the TuffPak for international hunting travel. One time the travel agent came back and said that they were taking longer than usual in getting through the rifles in the TuffPak, 'cause I had each one of them in not only their soft side cases, but in gun socks as well. I also had each bolt in stuffed in a pair of old socks and rubber banded and that took them some time to get through too! LOL! Maybe a few rubber black Mambas would speed up the process significantly!

How do you do plastic wrap after checking your ammo in checked baggage ?

UEG - I like the rubber snake idea for sure. Most likely would work on the African side a bit more than here?? It is usually only a couple of minutes of waiting on TSA to "check" my Tuff Pak and they have never asked me for a key, before the agent returns and gives me the OK to proceed to the gate here in NM.

Will look into the PacSafe backpack, sounds like a neat addition to the travel warderobe.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Enjoyed the PacSafe video showing their TourSafe ToughZip products. Good stuff! Hey Larry: Thanks, and my Stateside TSA folks here in Vegas have never come back and questioned anything that I have put in the TuffPak for international hunting travel. One time the travel agent came back and said that they were taking longer than usual in getting through the rifles in the TuffPak, 'cause I had each one of them in not only their soft side cases, but in gun socks as well. I also had each bolt in stuffed in a pair of old socks and rubber banded and that took them some time to get through too! LOL! Maybe a few rubber black Mambas would speed up the process significantly!

Connect a paintball grenade to the inside of the case

Anyone staying in Afton House or African Sky that used their "airport services" in retrieving their luggage and guns experience any thefts?
Just curious if they grease the right palms ahead of time to reduce this exposure??
Maybe a portion of that extra $100.00 goes to a good cause....
Just curious????