How to Set a Combination for Luggage Locks

vintage luggage image by Paul Hill from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Setting a personal combination for your luggage locks is crucial to keep your belongings secure when traveling. This is especially true if your bags may be ferried separately during a river rafting trip, are left behind during long a long hikes or are otherwise unsecured. To avoid any mishaps, change the combination to your luggage lock as soon as you purchase it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Luggage lock
Luggage lock

Step 1

Enter the factory preset combination (or your previous combination if you've set it before) to open the lock. Most manufacturers set the lock's default combination to 0-0-0-0 or 1-2-3-4. Check any papers or documentation that came with the lock for verification. If you don't have any paperwork and neither of those combinations work, consult the manufacturer's website or call them.

Step 2

Choose a four-digit number to use on each of your luggage locks. For three digit combinations, use only the first three digits of your usual four digit number. Avoid using your birthday or other numbers that may be printed on your identification or travel documents. Use a number that has meaning to you so you won't be likely to forget it, while avoiding sequential or obvious combinations such as 7-7-7-7 or 4-3-2-1.

Step 3

Hold the lock in an open position, while pressing down on the locking mechanism, hinge or shackle, triggering the lock as if it were in its closed position. Hold the mechanism firmly as you dial the numbers of your personal combination. Confirm each number is centered in its window or centered on its line before letting go of the locking mechanism.

Step 4

Let the mechanism go and return the lock into its locked position. Set each dial to a random number, then test your personalized combination. If it unlocks the luggage lock, secure your bags with the lock. If your combination is not set, try again.

Tips & Warnings

Purchase TSA approved locks when possible, particularly if any of your travel adventures include commercial flights. Do not choose random combinations for your luggage locks as you're likely to forget them between use. Use your mother's birthday, your anniversary or some other number that is significant to you while being difficult for anyone else to decipher. Never leave your bags unattended or out of your site, unless in a secure location, if you can help it.

Purchase TSA approved locks when possible, particularly if any of your travel adventures include commercial flights.

Do not choose random combinations for your luggage locks as you're likely to forget them between use. Use your mother's birthday, your anniversary or some other number that is significant to you while being difficult for anyone else to decipher.

Never leave your bags unattended or out of your site, unless in a secure location, if you can help it.

Article Written By Janece Bass

Janece Bass is a freelance writer specializing in weddings, family, health, parenting, relationships, dating, decorating, travel, music and sports. She has been writing for more than 15 years and has numerous published pieces on various websites and blogs. Bass has also ghostwritten various fiction-based novels.

Editor's Pick

5 Top North American Wildflower Hikes

Springtime brings a sense of new beginnings and new life as flowers begin to bloom and fill the air with their sweet and pleasant fragrance. Luckily we can see wildflowers all summer long, since spring hits at different times throughout North America. See flowering cactu...
More National Parks...
Popular Article

National Park Substitutes: Great Spots Without the Crowds

Coping with crowds at national parks can get tiresome, especially during the peak tourist season. If you want to escape from the herd, or just take a breather from the bustle of bigger attractions, the United States has plenty of less-visited but still worthwhile spots t...
More National Parks...
Featured Destination

Prevent Yourself from Getting Lost While Hiking

When you're hiking you're going to want to make sure you stay found. What I mean by that is that you've put an itinerary in the car, you know the area that you're hiking to, you know the route and the trail you plan on being on, you know what the trail markers are going ...
More Camping Basics...