In the age of technology, even our luggage has evolved. With the increasing reliance on gadgets, having a smart bag can significantly enhance your travel experience.
So, what exactly are smart bags? Smart bags integrate technology into luggage to make traveling more convenient, secure, and efficient. Designed to meet the needs of modern travelers, these bags feature built-in charging ports and GPS tracking.
This article will go in-depth in discussing smart bags. Their key features, benefits, and challenges.
Table of Contents
What’s a smart bag?
A smart bag is any piece of luggage—a carry-on, roller bag, backpack, etc.— that has one or more electric components like a power bank, charging port, tracking chip, or built-in scales, and in some cases, can even move through the airport on its own or convert into an electric scooter.
If your smart suitcase has lithium-ion batteries, check with your airline before you travel to make sure it’s allowed onboard. Due to the potential fire hazard, the FAA typically doesn’t allow you to check items with lithium-ion batteries.
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Key Features of a Smart Bag
Smart luggage helps you with travel challenges like a lost bag or a draining phone battery. Here are some of the coolest and most helpful smart bag features:
These features make travel easier by allowing you to charge mobile devices, control TSA-approved locks from a smartphone, weigh the bag, and track it by proximity and GPS location.
Built-in USB chargers.
Want to charge your devices directly from your suitcase? Built-in USB charging ports are super convenient—no more searching for a place to charge your phone or worrying about hackers at public charging stations.
GPS tracking.
Luggage features GPS tracking that you can monitor through a smartphone app, allowing you to pinpoint your bag’s location at any moment from any place.
Worry less about theft with a TSA-approved lock you can control remotely with your smartphone.
Weight sensors.
A built-in scale automatically weighs and displays your bag’s weight, which will prevent extra fees for overweight luggage at the airport ticket counter.
Proximity alerts.
A smart bag that notifies you when you leave your bag behind, or someone moves it will let you keep track of your luggage.
Benefits of a Smart Bag
Traveling can be stressful. A smart bag can help keep you calm when you carry on—or check your luggage— with smart features that let you charge your devices, track your bag’s location, lock it with your fingerprint, weigh it automatically, and more.
Here are some of the benefits of carrying smart bags:
Convenience. Smart bags with a built-in charger keep your devices ready to use during your trip.
Security. Luggage with smart locks makes sure your belongings arrive at your destination with you.
Function. A suitcase that can follow you through the airport automatically makes traveling a breeze.
Speed. Zip through the airport faster with a smart bag that converts into a scooter like the Floh® Scooter Travel Bag. Your kids will thank you, too.
The Challenges of High-Tech Luggage
While it’s comforting knowing that you can travel across the country or around the world with the assurance that you can find and protect your belongings, there is one problem: Airlines aren’t as excited about your new smart suitcase as you are.
Airlines take issue with the lithium-ion batteries that power these smart bags. These kinds of batteries are known to be fire hazards, especially on airplanes.
As a result, aviation governing bodies such as the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and the U.N. International Civil Aeronautics Organization (ICAO) recommend that lithium-ion batteries not be stored in the cargo hold of an airplane. If a fire breaks out in the cargo hold, it’s much harder to contain it.
To reduce risks, the IATA recommended in 2018 that airlines stop allowing the use of smart luggage with non-removable lithium-ion batteries. The ICAO followed suit in 2019. Many airlines, including American Airlines, American Eagle, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Airlines, have moved on their own to ban these smart bags.
What to Know About Smart Bag Batteries
While stricter regulations against smart luggage have been implemented, they mainly target smart bags with lithium-ion batteries that cannot be removed. That still leaves options for some of the coolest luggage that lets you track, charge, and manage your belongings.
The new requirements mean lithium-ion batteries must be removable, even from carry-on luggage.
Smart luggage with removable lithium-ion batteries is still okay for travel so long as the battery can be quickly and easily removed. When you check the bag, you must remove the battery.
If you carry your luggage, you can leave the battery in place as long as you store the suitcase in an overhead bin. If the luggage needs to go into the cargo hold for any reason, you’ll have to remove the battery and keep it in the cabin.
You can check the websites for the airlines you’re using. Each airline lists requirements for both checked and carry-on luggage, usually on a page that has specific baggage information.
GPS Luggage Tags Are a Great Option
Travelers also have the option to forgo smart luggage entirely by using smart luggage tags. These luggage tags allow you to track your baggage using safe, battery-powered sensors that can be monitored via a smartphone app.
AirTags have become a very popular way to keep an eye on your luggage. AirTags use a very common battery type, so it’s easy to replace when it gets low. Tile Pro is also a great alternative to Apple’s AirTags. They work the same way, and most Tile Pro models come with replaceable batteries.
Is a Smart Bag Worth it?
Most travelers probably don’t need a smart bag and would be better off spending their money on other gadgets to improve their traveling experience. When traveling, you most likely keep all of your valuables on your person or in your carry-on bag, making things like remote locks and GPS unnecessary.
You may be thinking, what if I need to check my bag? If you check your bag, your smart luggage could bring you peace of mind. Most of these bags have electronic, tamper-proof locks that the average criminal will find hard to crack.
However, once you remove the lithium-ion battery to check your bag, it’ll lose most of its smart capabilities and revert to being just like any other suitcase.
Smart bags are also costlier than regular luggage. Plus, you can buy other gadgets, like a power bank, to charge your devices while at the airport or on a flight.
Conclusion
Smart bags are revolutionizing the way we travel, offering a blend of convenience, security, and advanced technology. If you’re a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, investing in a smart bag can enhance your travel experience and provide peace of mind.
Smart luggage is an improvement in travel technology. When looking for the right smart bag, choose one with an easily removable battery. That means no tools are required.
FAQs
“Smart luggage” is kind of a broad term. In some cases, it may simply mean a suitcase or bag has one or more electronic components, like a power bank, charging port, or tracking chip.
Since 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prohibited storing spare lithium batteries in an aircraft’s cargo unit as checked luggage. This means most smart suitcases, powered by lithium-ion batteries, are considered fire hazards and are not allowed.
A smart bag can help keep you calm when you carry on—or check your luggage— with smart features that let you charge your devices, track your bag’s location, lock it with your fingerprint, weigh it automatically, and more.
Empty the bag and unzip the interior liner to find the battery. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the housing, then disconnect the cable and remove the smart battery.