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The Newest Stupid Luggage Idea: Backpacks Armed with Alarms

July 27, 2010 at 3:20 PM | by | Comments (0)

There's something charmingly innovative but fundamentally stupid about the iSafe line of laptop backpacks and messenger bags. Though they look normal from the outside, on the inside they have built-in alarms, duly powered by two 9-volt batteries, that get triggered when a strap is pulled. The resulting sound is louder than a car alarm. And goes on for up to two hours. Flashing lights are involved.

We can't recommend this (to put it mildly) to anyone who flies with their backpacks or laptops. Not to get too pedantic, but when moving through an airport, you can either carry your luggage with you or check it through to your destination. Obviously carrying the iSafe to the gate is a non-starter. We're not sure what happens when you try to "smuggle" a giant battery-powered alarm at the bottom of a backpack through airport security, but we're pretty sure it'd make an entertaining YouTube video.

As for checking the backpack through: can you imagine what would happen if the cord got caught on the conveyor belt? That Rutgers student who accidentally shut down Newark is facing an $11,000 TSA fine, and everyone's like "aww... he was just kissing his girlfriend goodbye." Extrapolate that to someone who puts the equivalent of a car alarm into a bag that's destined to be thrown around dozens of times in a few hours.

And if the alarm goes off in the luggage compartment mid-flight and forces an emergency landing, likely accompanied by escort jets...wow.

Anyway, the backpacks are mostly targeted at parents who are convinced that predators are driving up and down suburban streets in windowless vans. The prominent frontpage endorsement on the site reads "my daughter's quick thinking and your excellent product saved her..." The sidebar has a map of the US urging you to "find out how many sex offenders live in your area." There's a link to an entire page titled "iSafe Our Kids," which calls on you to "join us to protect the children." Fair enough.

Just as long as everyone understands that this isn't for, you know, adults who go places and do things.

Related Stories:
· iSafe Bags [Official Site]
· Baggage [Jaunted]
· Travel Gear [Jaunted]

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