coolers

[djmom]

We are bringing a cooler of food for the first time as we have always stayed at the Westin (compliments of Starwood rewards!) and this is our first time in a villa.

I think we are bringing the right stuff, but my question is how to keep it closed? We were planning on a bungee cord but are there better suggestions?

Thanks!

[Ksea]

I've read here that most suggest duct tape.

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[djmom]

So if we tape it they aren't more likely to want to look? It would just stink if they opened it and it didn't get closed back correctly or something...

We do have a large soft sided one, maybe we'll try that..but I like the protection of hard side.

[FlaGeorge]

I always us a softside wheelie cooler that I can use a TSA lock on. I have a friend that uses duck tape around his regular cooler. He puts a roll of duck tape into the cooler just in case the TSA opens it - they can re-tape it and throw the rest away.

[Ksea]

bring extra duct tape!

[IA Joe]

If TSA does open it to inspect it, they will tape it back closed with a note inside telling you that they inspected it.

I had both boxes of liqour taped shut for the flight home, and they opened both to inspect. Both were securely retaped with official TSA tape, and everything was fine.

Joe

[djmom]

Joe,
So you can check liquor? We were wondering how we were going to handle that. Did you just use the boxes they gave you?

[parafins]

This was a subject I brought up last week.You can find it under"cooler in paradise"by Parafins.I suggested using duct tape not only for the cooler but on my children as well when they get unruly! Just kidding of course.But one thinks of these things when their children near the teenage years..... parafins

[djmom]

sorry about that-I just rejoined the board, was on a bunch last year. Had to quit because of my addictive personality-anytime I do these kind of boards I would rather stay on-line than do my housework!

Thanks for the suggestions! I have a few years before I will need to get out the duct tape for my kids!

[California Girl]

We took a soft-sided cooler with a TSA lock on it, and they didn't open it on the way down. However, we packed all our booze in it (padded with the t-shirts we bought) on the way back, and when we got home, the lock had been opened and re-locked, and there was a note from the TSA inside the cooler saying they had inspected it. All the rum arrived home unbroken.

[liamsaunt]

At the suggestion of someone on this forum (I am pretty sure it was waterguy), we brought down a soft sided polar bear cooler with techni ice. If you read my trip report, you will know that it took us 16 hours to get to St. John. Everything was still rock solid frozen, no problems.

On the way home we stuffed our duty free liquor box into the cooler. TSA opened and inspected it, taped the box back up, stuffed it back into the cooler, and everything arrived just fine.

I guess it makes sense that they are more likely to check it going home than coming out, since you can't bring seeds, fruits, etc. home from the island.