Oldbites - when traveling, what do you do with your suitcase?

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Oldbites - when traveling, what do you do with your suitcase?

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leslie55

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 14 2010 14:49:03
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I read and saw David Cain's helpful site/video on travel tips. Do folks use bugzips for enclosing their luggage at hotels? Do you use contractor's bags instead? If latter, do you worry about getting a good seal (seen some recs on how to achieve this - including cable ties)? Saran wrap? I've heard some folks put their suitcases in a giant ziploc bag. Do airlines allow this?

I'm about to order Green RestEasy spray to spray our suitcases. They say it works as a repellant for up to one week (as well as working as a direct contact killer). I'm also getting all of the above-mentioned bags. I'm worrying that I'm getting a little OCD about all this - but I do NOT want to bring anything to my parents' home from the airport or back to our place after our visit.
nwreader

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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Dec 15 2010 15:54:52
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At a certain point, you can't let this fear rule you. I traveled recently, and was very nervous before the trip. However, in the end, I didn't do that much.
I checked my hotel on trip advisor and bedbug registry.
I did a cursory inspection of the room (about 5 minutes), and I left my luggage on the desk in the hotel. I put most but not all things in ziplocs inside the luggage, and used a duffel bag.

I didn't take any plane-based precautions, and didn't use a ziploc over my duffel bag.
Saw no bugs in the room, received no bites. When I returned home, I ran washable things through hot laundry, and did a rough inspection of shoes, toiletries and electronics, etc. before putting them away.
DougSummersMS

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Dec 17 2010 19:27:14
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I place my suitcase in the bathtub until I have completed the room search.

I am a big fan of hard sided suitcases w/o zippers.

I never use the drawers or set things on the bed.

I always remove the comforter and place it on the next bed.

I have my luggage checked by my K9 before I bring it back into the house.
leslie55

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Dec 17 2010 19:57:07
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DougSummersMS - 29 minutes ago »
I have my luggage checked by my K9 before I bring it back into the house.

I wish I could train my shih-tzu to be a bedbug-sniffing K9!
MyWorstFear

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Dec 18 2010 1:00:35
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Leslie, wouldn't that be cool. Wish someone would offer that service at the airport, but I guess if you're taking public transportation or even a taxi home from the airport, the "cleared" suitcase could still pick up a stray bug on the way home.
CimexH8er

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 28 2010 2:32:20
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DougSummersMS - 1 week ago »
I place my suitcase in the bathtub until I have completed the room search.
I am a big fan of hard sided suitcases w/o zippers.
I never use the drawers or set things on the bed.
I always remove the comforter and place it on the next bed.
I have my luggage checked by my K9 before I bring it back into the house.

DougSummerMS: What kind of "hard sided suitcase w/o zippers" would you recommend when traveling? Any one particular brand that you prefer that is perhaps more bb proof than others? I know it's silly since nothing is 100% bb proof. I'm inquiring in case I need to travel again to visit my parents for bdays, X-mas (next year in 2011), Thanksgiv (2011), etc. I have no idea how long this bb fight will take for my situation here in my own apt. so I'm just trying to plan ahead. Thanks.
DougSummersMS

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 28 2010 3:01:12
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Feel free to call me Doug

Samsonite makes a line of luggage with an aluminum frame closure with water tight interlocking edges. There is no fabric liner on the interior.

If the suitcase is closed with plastic wrap around the edges... it is highly bug resistant.

A light solid color is easy to inspect visually.

One big problem with black fabric suitcases with outside pockets is that bed bugs can hitchhike on the outside of the luggage undetected... black is the hardest color to inspect.
CimexH8er

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 28 2010 3:13:14
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Great, Doug! Thanks for this suitcase answer and for answering my other questions on another post. I'm saving up for new bb proof luggage instead of the cheap fabric ones (now that I know bbs love to hitch hike on those kinds). It's all about saving for a PCO, saving for a new suitcase (once I can resume by post bb life again), and saving my sanity! Thank you.
spideyjg

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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 28 2010 3:33:08
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I carry a bag that can fit in a contractor garbage bag during the stay.

Jim
BedBugPanic

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 15:06:17
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I bought a Samsonite suitcase; however, could not find the kind without a zipper... what I do is I cover the entire zipper area with duct tape before traveling (I usually travel by bus)... When I get home, I bring the suitcase into the tub and carefully remove and dispose of the tape and wipe down the suitcase since it's plastic.
bed-bugscouk

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Dec 30 2010 15:32:14
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Hi leslie55,

Missed this the first time around so glad its bumped back up. Thanks for the comment about bedbugbeware I try and put as much sensible simple advice on there as I can.

If you look carefully at the footage you will see that the suitcase in the bath is in fact a hard sides "shell" type which has no zipper, pockets and very few places that bedbugs would enjoy. For me this is step 1 in traveling.

I also advocate sealing your suitcase when it is in the plane luggage hold, after all you don't know who's bag yours will be next to or what their level of bedbug knowledge is like. Many airports now offer commercial luggage sealing services for a small fee which I think is well worth spending on. Expect the gold standard solution to this issue to be available later in 2011 (but watch this space) as I cant say more at the second.

When in the hotel room if you are still concerned after your inspection then the BugZip encasement is a good solution. I would also suggest that you pack any used clothes into clean green dis-solvable bags so they can go straight into a hot wash. The lure in most active monitors is based on karamones which are natural breakdown products of organic materials such as skin and oils. Not much is spoken about this but I think its a sensible precaution to take.

Most of all take sensible steps to avoid contact when away from home and limit potential exposure where feasible.

I am not a fan of luggage sprays regardless of what claims are made about repellency. Even if they can illustrate lab data there is a world of difference between the lab and the real world. Your luggage may get wet in transit which could wash such products off, its better to seal and know than to rely on snake oil. I know some PCO's sell it as an "add on" but I don't think it could ever pass our ethics and efficacy tests.

Hope this helps you travel more easily. I am likely to add more to that section of the site following my US tour in Jan 2011.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited