I don’t know about you, but when I’m standing in Baggage Reclaim at the airport, waiting for my backpack, I’m gripped by fear.
.
As the conveyor belt starts to move and an onslaught of black suitcases spill out, I start to think about the possibility of mine not being there. I mean, it’s pretty common, baggage getting lost in transit, what if it happens to me? The crowd starts to thin now as most people collect their bags from the carousel and make their way to customs. Oh god, mine’s not there yet. What if someone else picked up and has made off with all of my worldly belongings? The panic starts to rise up inside of me as I quickly scan the terminal for my little green backpack. No I’m being irrational, It’ll be out in a jiffy I’m sure… Wait, didn’t I see that red holdall before? Is everything just on a loop now with no new bags being added to the conveyor belt? Shit, it’s definitely not here. Where’s my travel insurance from again? How much do they cover? Will I have to wear these jogging bottoms for the rest of my trip? Oh wait, there’s my bag. Phew. Ok let’s go to customs.
.
If anyone else’s inner dialogue goes anything like that, you’ll understand that the baggage hall is a scary place to be.
.
So when I heard about the CalypsoTag, a luggage tag designed to keep tabs on your bag in this situation, I had to give it a go. Here’s the sitch.
.
The Technology
.
The product consists of a small chip tucked into a luggage tag, which hooks up to the Chipolo app you can download onto your phone (both iPhone and Android compatible). The app can detect where the chip is from 60 meters away and will alert you when your bag goes in and out of range. It also remembers the last location your bag was at, if not in range, and even the temperature there. The idea is that you will know when your bag is coming out and can make sure no-one tries to take it. Sounds pretty neat, right?
.
The Design
.
The CalypsoTag is handcrafted and is made from soft Italian leather so is actually quite a nice luggage tag in its own right. Although at 18cm long (about 7 inches) it’s pretty large. So if you’re going for subtlety this probably isn’t what you’re after.
.
Verdict
.
In terms of design I was a little worried that the small chip would fall out, as the CalypsoTag has an open flap. However I took this baby on two trips – Italy and Spain – and it still stayed secure, which is obviously essential.
I did however find a problem with this technology on my first trip with the CalypsoTag. Like most people, I turn data roaming off on my phone when abroad to avoid massive charges, but this meant the app couldn’t pick up the signal from the chip. By the time I had signed into the airport WiFi and input all of the details these things ask for, my bag was already in my hands. So to make this technology worthwhile you need to make sure you actually have an internet connection!
Once I had figured this out, I managed to use it properly on the return trip. It definitely was handy getting a heads up when your bag was about to come out, so you could stand back and let other people take their luggage until yours was due out. But the pre-warning was only a matter of seconds before I saw my bag so I don’t think it cured much of my baggage hall anxiety.
.
However the bright red tag did make my backpack easier to spot!
It also arrived in lovely packaging with a professional-looking box and a personalised notecard which I thought was a nice touch.
Overall I think it’s a nifty little piece of tech but it’s not perfect. I think Smart luggage is definitely the way forwards in this industry though, and I love the idea behind this product. But at $99 it ain’t cheap. Calypso seem to be constantly developing their tags though, with the latest designs being a lot more aesthetically pleasing. So I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on them to see how they develop this bad boy. Watch this space I guess!
.
Have you tried the CalypsoTag, or any other kind of Smart luggage? How did you find it? Let me know by leaving a comment below of tweeting me @HeelsInBackpack!
One comment