Surviving Security
Negotiating airport security is no one's favorite travel adventure, but with these checkpoint-friendly accessories, even the most infrequent flyer can breeze right through.
His
1. Few things are as nerve-racking as trying to wrangle your wallet, keys, gadgets, and coins into TSA trays while simultaneously loading your carry-on into the scanner and removing your shoes. Make life easier with the TravelSmith Get Smart Travel Jacket ($89.50, travelsmith.com). With plenty of pockets, smart tailoring, and wind- and water-resistant fabric, it'll be your go-to jacket - wherever you go.
2. We can't make up our minds what we like better about the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase ($220, tombihn.com): the flip-out laptop case (it's detachable and comes in four sizes) or the geek-chic design. But we definitely love the time we'll save not having to take our laptop out of the case at the scanner, and the roomy 10-plus pockets that organize everything from cables to a change of clothes.
3. Being powerless in the airport - especially when a stern TSA worker is wondering just why your BlackBerry won't turn on - is no laughing matter. The solar-powered powermonkey-eXplorer Charger ($90, powertraveller.com), not only allows you to keep your high-tech toys juiced on the go, but the various adapters (for cell phones, MP3/4 players, PDAs, digital cameras, and the like) cut out the clutter of multiple chargers in your carry-on.
4. Numerous unwieldy documents are the bane of travelers (why are boarding passes so large?), making a travel wallet a must-have in the security line. The Levenger Road Scholar ($98, levenger.com) holds a passport and other documentation, of course, but it's the zippered closure, removable wallet, and handy outside pockets for both ID and boarding pass that make it a favorite traveling companion.
Hers
1. Put an end to the tyranny of the TSA's gray bins with the lightweight, wrinkle-resistant ScotteVest Essential Travel Jacket ($120, scottevest.com). This ingeniously designed jacket is replete with handy features, including removable sleeves, a hidden channel in the collar to corral earbud wires, and 18 specially designed no-bulge pockets to hold all your necessities, from your iPod and travel wallet to those foreign coins you just got for change in the duty-free shop.2. The Mobile Edge ScanFast Onyx Backpack ($99.99, mobileedge.com), designed especially for the ladies, certainly lives up to its name. Simply unzip the bag, lay it flat on the scanner, and before you know it you're heading for the gate ahead of the pack. Lots of pockets make it functional; the sleek form makes it stylish.
3. The Kena Kai DataSafe Travel Wallet ($119.99, kenakai.com) not only is practical and elegant - it's crafted of Italian leather with zippered interior and exterior pockets, a coin purse, and two exterior slots for a passport and a boarding pass - it also has several layers of radio-frequency (RF) shielding material to block would-be wrongdoers from swiping your personal electronic data from your ePassport.
4. Since moisturizer and hair gel are now considered weapons of mass destruction, staying groomed while traveling is a challenge - unless you're carrying the Pitotubes Clear Quart Kit ($39, pitotubes.com). The security-compliant kit includes two bottles each in 0.5-, 1-, and 1.7-ounce sizes (their airless pumps make dispensing liquids and gels a snap), a clear plastic case that zips closed, and pre-printed labels, so you'll never again mistake your sunscreen for conditioner.
