Why Do People Wrap Their Luggage?

Have you ever walked through the airport and seen passengers wheeling suitcases that appear to be wrapped in clingfilm? Ever thought to yourself why do people wrap their luggage? Well, in this post we are going to look at some of the reasons passengers decide to get their luggage wrapped and how you can do so if you wish!

So why do people wrap their luggage?

According to some of the popular bag wrap websites there are a few different reasons why people wrap their luggage including…

1. Protecting their suitcase from physical damage e.g. scuffs, scratches and rips.
   
2. Trying to protect against thieves. You can also quickly see if your bag has been tampered with.
   
3. Reduce the risk of things like drugs etc being planted in your bag without you being aware.
   
4. Weather protection. If the weather isn’t great or yours is the unlucky suitcase to fall off the trolley into a puddle and you don’t have a waterproof case then wrapping it is meant to protect it.
   
5. Protecting the contents. If your bag is overloaded or you have a broken zipper wrapping it keeps everything together and allows you to use damaged cases temporarily.

Is it worth wrapping my luggage?

No… probably not. Well, at least not for us. Let’s run through each point…

1. We are well used to our suitcases being thrown around and abused so we just use cheap ones and don’t really care. If you had very expensive luggage obviously you might take a different view here.
   
2. That’s what padlocks are for! And to be honest if a thief really wants to get into your bag they will but we very rarely hear of it happening. We also don’t buy the arguement of being able to quickly see if your bag has been tampered with. It’s not really that much of an advantage.
   
3. Again… that’s what padlocks for! And generally the few stories that you hear where someone claims someone planted drugs in their luggage it eventually comes out that they actually knew all along. If it’s dodgy airport officials you are worried about, it makes no difference, they can enter your bag shrink-wrapped, padlocked or otherwise!
   
4. If it’s a hard shell case it’s likely it’s already waterproof! Plus, how often do you recieve your luggage and think wow they are soaked? The answer is probably not very often if at all! The short period of time your luggage isn’t under cover is unlikely to make any difference.
   
5. We agree with this. If you have a small emergency and your zipper broke or you can’t zip it up

Where can I get my luggage wrapped?

If you search for luggage wrapping + your airport you’ll find relevant results for whereever you are based. In the UK there is a company called Excess Baggage which has outlets in London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted & Manchester Airports. At London Heathrow the price starts at £13 for a basic wrap with no baggage liability protection up to £20 for a ultimate wrap with £3000 baggage liability protection and luggage tracking. You can view more details on London Heathrow’s website here – https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/airport-services/bag-wrapping

Why do people wrap their luggage conclusion

Whilst we can’t really see the purpose of luggage wrapping (except for point 5 protecting the contents if too big/damaged) if it gives you greater peace of mind when travelling then why not? If you are worried about the environment and the use of single-use plastic you can buy reusable luggage covers on Amazon.