Category Archives: TSA Lock

Found: A New TSA Lock

AirAsia, Currency, Found, Indonesia, Malaysia, TSA Lock
a close up of a lock
My new TSA Lock
A few days back I wrote about how my TSA lock went missing on my flight from Singapore to Bali. 
I searched all over Bali for a new lock but wasn’t having any luck. There were shops everywhere selling a wide variety of items. Some had some really nice things but most sold tacky 
“I

I found it odd that nobody sold travel related items like bags, apparel and TSA approved locks.

On our last day in Bali, we were heading back to the hotel after dinner. Many shops were still open and I spotted a luggage store which looked promising. I went inside and sure enough they did have the lock I was looking for. I couldn’t believe that I had finally found it. However, when I heard the price- around $10 I decided to pass (this is Asia- things are supposed to be cheaper here, right?).

The following morning we had an extremely early flight to Kuala Lumpur, once again with Air Asia. I was skimming through their in-flight menu which also had lots of Air Asia branded merchandise. Some of the items looks pretty good. They sold apparel, luggage scales, model airplanes, toys and many other items… and to my surprise TSA locks!

a close up of a padlock
AirAsia in-flight mag ad
Their locks were pretty nice, having the AirAsia logo on it. I debated buying a lock, the price seemed fair and I really didn’t want to search around Kuala Lumpur for one. The merchandise cart had already came by so I went to the back of the plane to ask about purchasing the lock. The friendly AirAsia stewardesses were happy to help.
I wanted to pay in US dollars since I was out of Indonesian rupees. The problem was that I wanted change in Malaysian Ringgitts which they could not give me back! (Indonesian currency was of no value to me since we were heading to Malaysia before heading back to Singapore.)

When they told me the price in US dollars, luckily I had the exact amount needed- $7.00. 

I think that I got a decent price and now have a nice, shiny new TSA lock to keep my bags safe!
 

Lost & Found- Where Is My TSA Lock

AirAsia, Airporter, Osprey, TSA Lock
a close-up of a lock
Not My Lock
A crazy thing happened to my luggage while traveling from Singapore (SIN) to Bali (DPS) on AirAsia. When our flight landed, Kim and I were exhausted. We found our bags quickly and got a cab to our hotel.
It was really late but I was in desperate need of a shower. I went to get my toiletries from my bag and noticed that my lock was missing and replaced by the one shown above. I have been using a black TSA lock to keep my Osprey Airporter closed. I use the Airporter to protect the straps on my backpacks from getting caught in x-ray machines or conveyor belts and possibly getting cut to free them.
a black bag with a handle
Osprey Airporter
At first I was like WTF, how am I opening my bag? I immediately considered twisting the zipper to break it open or going to get a knife to cut the Airporter open. However, I really did not want to break the bag. I need it for my current and future trips and would rather not shell out another $30 to replace it.
I decided to try to open up the lock and lucky for me the dumbass that placed the wrong lock back on my bag never locked this one! I was now able to get back into my bag without destroying my Airporter!
a close-up of a combination lock
Luckily it opened…
I’ve searched all over Bali and have yet to find a TSA lock for sale in any of the shops. Maybe I’ll have better luck when we get to Kuala Lumpur!