Where’s My Bag?

IMPORTANT: See Addendum below

• Lost?
• Mis-routed?
• Stolen?

We all ask ourselves this as we wait at airport baggage claim.

But when you have $2000 worth of precision firearms locked in those bags, those fears are constantly on your mind from the moment you arrive at the airport until, hours later, the bag is again safely beside you.

This little gizmo, Trakdot, can help ease the uncertainty. And in a worst-case scenario, it can help you and the Police find them again.

You buy it, activate the annual service and toss it into the same box as your firearms. Upon landing, it sends you an SMS such as “Your Trakdot [ ID ] is in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta GA.”

And with the free iPhone or Android app, it’ll even let you know when it is less than 30 feet away – as in coming up the chute at the baggage carousel.

To gain FAA approval, the unit senses take-off and shuts itself down until landing when it turns itself back on and “listens” for cell tower information. If your air travel takes you through several intermediate locations, it’ll text you from each stopover. The app will also display a map with the locations marked.

That’s what the maker claims and, with my newly received unit, I’ll soon be putting all that to the test.

Stay tuned!

Addendum 12/17/2013: ****Not a good report. After several trips, the TrakDot has consistently failed to announce itself after landing. I’ve put in fresh “Duracell Alkaline” batteries (as recommended) before each of three domestic trips ranging from one to five hours flight time but, so far, “nada” in email. Only after getting the suitcase and cycling the unit off and then back on does it announce its location via email. Not quite what I had in mind. I have queries outstanding with the support folks at TrakDot and, should matters improve, I’ll update this blog. But failing that, this product looks like a bust.