[Corin Stormhands]

Okay, I have a gadget-person question.

When I go to New Orleans we’re told that we need to be able to lock our suitcases (got that covered) and our backpacks that we’ll have with us every day on site. (phones, cameras, etc.)

I have a regular backpack, a messenger bag and a Jack Bauer type bag. But none of them are lockable.

Suggestions on what I could get? This will be my carry on as well.

[RosieCotton]

This is just me being cheap...but couldn’t you just get a couple of mini padlocks and lock the zippers shut, since most bag openings have two zipper pulls with a hole through each?

Since a backpack is easy enough to steal as a whole, it doesn’t seem like it makes sense to put a whole lot of effort into locks...but that’s just me.

[300winmag]

I have a regular backpack, a messenger bag and a Jack Bauer type bag. But none of them are lockable.

What level of security do "they" expect you to provide for your backpack and stuff? Protection against pilferage, or a more serious assault?

One thing to consider is an Exomesh outer mesh bag that can hold your soft-side stuff. It's stainless steel "chicken wire" with an aircraft-cable bag closure that you can padlock, and then secure around something immovable.

You can also buy backpacks, etc with Exomesh built in. They're slashproof and snatchproof, but you'd still need to secure them to something if you have to leave them unattended.

The Exomesh "baggie" is about $100, and rolls up to about the size of a softball when not in use.

[g'nad]

Carry crap that’s not werth stealin’... or not werth much tuh yuh if’n it is...

shouldn’t be hard fer you...

[SuziQ]

They make mini padlocks now that are acceptable to the TSA, because they have keys that can open them. Check online, or at a luggage shop. I have a couple of them, and if I remember right, they were small enough to lock together the zippers on a backpack, if it has the kind that has two zippers that meet in the middle as opposed to one that goes all the way across.