I recently bought a new Samsonite hard-sided suitcase for an upcoming trip. The suitcase was for sale at a local big box store as a two piece set, but it broke my cardinal rule about never buying a black suitcase. Being visually impaired, I am adamantly opposed to black suitcases because there are so many of them, and they are incredibly difficult to tell apart as they come down the conveyor belt in the baggage claim area. I liked the weight, and the way the bag rolled, so I decided to purchase it and challenge myself to make the bag easily discernible from other similar bags without making it gaudy. If you have read my articles on suitcase identification, you know that my go-to is bright tape on the sides and ribbons or other adornments on the handle to really make my bag stand out in the crowd.

The local Michael’s craft store had plenty of options for colored tape, including fun ones with logos of comic book characters and such. Just look in the children’s craft department. I settled on this fluorescent green Duck tape – there were yellow and orange colors which would have been equally appropriate for my project, but I thought the green would stand out against (and compliment) the black suitcase. I didn’t have a coupon, but the very nice cashier offered hers which brought the total price to $3.65. The toughest part of the project was figuring out how to cut the tape in somewhat equal size strips so my suitcase didn’t turn out looking like it was decorated in a kindergarten class. 

My wife loves to scrapbook, so I borrowed her rotary cutter. This was also a good option as it reduced the possibility of stabbing myself with scissors or a knife.  After taking the tape off the roll I followed the guides when sticking it to the cutter, and easily slid the blade to make the tape pieces smooth and even. This method made cutting a breeze. 

I alternated the lengths of tape strips in the grooves on the front and back of the suitcase, and even used the tape to put my initial on the top and bottom of the bag. I did this in case the bag comes out the luggage chute at an awkward angle. I wanted the bag to look cool, but not trashy – I’m interested to hear what you think about my final product, and if you would consider this idea for your suitcase. A photo of the final product is below, let me know via twitter if you have any ideas for making bags easier to spot.

I love to hear from my readers! you can follow me on Twitter @nedskee and on Instagram @nedskee Don’t let your vision hold you back, book a trip somewhere you haven’t been and make an adventure of it.