METAL PROTECTOR: If you hate having to empty the metal contents of your pockets -- coins, keys, cell phone, etc. -- into those open (and thus vulnerable) plastic bins at airport X-ray checkpoints, here's a welcome alternative. The Quick Pass Luggage Tag is a 4-inch by 3-inch ID Tag that unfolds into a zippered 10-inch by 7-inch mesh pouch. Before going through the metal detector, unfold the Velcro-closure tag (which buckles onto any luggage handle and does not need to be detached at any point during the process), and empty your pockets into the pouch. Then send the bag through the X-ray machine, reloading your pockets after you and your bag pass through security. An added advantage: You won't accidentally forget to retrieve items from a bin when you grab your carry-on bag after it goes through the X-ray machine -- an all-too- common occurrence.
DETAILS: Quick Pass Luggage Tag (LA590) is $12.85 from Magellan's; 800-962-4943; www.magellans.com.
-- JUDI DASH
