Pack smart and avoid getting irked by TSA screeners

Question: I purchased a SealLine Dry Bag, a sealable sack that I’ve used to pack wine in my checked luggage. Resealing it involves simply folding the heavy plastic over the clearly marked creases and buckling. Unfortunately, the two times I’ve used it, the Transportation Security Administration has taken the wine out and not returned it to the bag, leaving the bottle loose in my luggage. I do not think it is an unreasonable expectation to have my wine returned to the bag. Do you know of any guidelines that are in place for baggage inspectors, or are we without any rights here?

--Elizabeth Connolly, Hermosa Beach

Answer: TSA screeners at the 450 U.S. airports see millions of bags, so it’s impossible to know what happened with this one. It’s also impossible to say that the TSA removed the wine; if the suitcase was unlocked, airline baggage handlers had access to it, which is part of the frustrating finger-pointing that catches passengers in the middle. Regardless, your best bet may be to leave the wine behind, buy it at your destination or ship it.

While we’re on the topic and as we near the holiday mega-travel craziness, let’s talk about packing. Check out www.tsa.dhs.gov/ travelers / airtravel / prohibited / permitted. This generally clarifies what you can and cannot have, both in checked luggage and carry-on (but don’t be surprised if some rules are inconsistently enforced). Some items can go in your checked luggage but not in your carry-on (an ice ax, for instance, or a spear gun). Some items can go in both (eyelash curlers and eyeglass repair kits), and some items can go in neither (gunpowder and hand grenades).

Let’s assume you’re not carrying any things that can kill or blow up. Instead, let’s concentrate on developing good bag habits, says Susan Foster, a packing expert and author of “Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler” ( www.smartpacking.com).

Examine your bag thoroughly before you begin to pack it, she says. That’s important if it’s a carry-on in which you packed your pocket knife for your last car trip and it’s still in there. Don’t wrap any presents that you’re taking. “If you can’t shop at your destination or buy gift cards, pack your gifts in a checked piece of luggage,” Foster said. “Do not wrap them. Buy the paper at your destination and wrap them there.”

If you’re going to a cold-weather destination, put your bulky coat in your checked bag instead of the overhead compartment and remove it at your destination. This keeps your seatmates from feeling as if they’re sitting with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

And most important, don’t pack the entire contents of your closet. Take less and do some laundry while you’re there. You may have to anyway if that now-unprotected bottle of wine breaks in your suitcase.

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com.