CODi Phantom CT3 Review

by Sarah Meyer

These days everyone is always trying to reduce their travel time and avoid headaches. In response, several manufacturers have designed a checkpoint friendly laptop bag for all you road warriors out there. According to CODi, the new Phantom CT3 will allow travelers to avoid taking out their laptop when going through security and has been approved by the Transportation Security Administration(TSA).

We decided to test the bag and find out if it's worth the extra money to save a little hassle.

The Phantom CT3 Specifications

• Dimensions: 16.5" x 6.25" x 12.25"
• Notebook compartment: approx. 14.5" x 11.5" x 2"
• Weight: 3.67 lbs. (CODi says 2.8 lbs.)
• Military grade ballistic materials
• Business organization system
• Butterfly design with a dedicated laptop compartment for a clear x-ray image
• Ergonomic shoulder strap
• Carry-all sleeve
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

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Design and Aesthetics

If you are familiar with CODi products, you would recognize the Phantom CT3 as a CODi design immediately. It is simple, no frills and is made of the same black ballistic nylon as many of their other bags. There is a small red CODi CT3 label on the front and the zipper hardware has CODi engraved on them.

The CT3 is basically two bags hinged together at the top so it can fold out into a butterfly design when going through airport security. The two "pockets" - as CODi refers to them - are secured together for normal use with Velcro and plastic side buckles.

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The front or file compartment has a large zippered pocket and small open pocket on the outside. The large zippered pocket is where the business organization system is located. The org system consists of two medium sized elastic pockets, two small elastic pockets, three pen pockets, two card holders and a key fob.

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Inside the file compartment there are two large elastic pockets and a file divider. It is roughly the same size as the notebook compartment and could hold two large text books, a small purse, portable speakers, medium to large sized accessories or a power cord.

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The dedicated notebook compartment is ONLY for the notebook, at least if you want to use the bag for its intended purpose. This message is reiterated inside the compartment in bold white letters.

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The padding inside of the notebook compartment is at least an inch thick on all sides and is soft. My guess would be some kind of foam-like material. On the back of the notebook compartment that is a carry all sleeve.

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There are two handles on the top with a genuine leather grip and a detachable ergonomic shoulder strap with a sticky grip on one side.

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Using the bag

The bag is a little simple for my taste but I did receive a few compliments on the CT3's style. I guess I would say that this bag is definitely for traveler's who aren't a fan of flashy.

The shoulder strap was comfortable and I liked that it also had handles for carrying the CT3 briefcase style. The material is heavy duty, so it is perfect for traveling and it had plenty of pockets for organizing personal affects and notebook accessories.

Testing the "checkpoint friendliness" was tricky because in a perfect world I would have been able to visit my local airport and actually test the bag in the security line. Unfortunately, at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) they would not allow me to do this without a ticket.

But the employee I spoke to in CVG's community relations department was very helpful and I got valuable information about the program from TSA's website and CODi's press release.

First, TSA is planning on allowing certain styles of laptop bags to come through security with the laptop inside in the near future. There are three styles that have been approved so far: butterfly (the CT3), trifold and sleeve.

(view large image) This image was taken from the TSA website

However, you should check for the following things according to the TSA before purchasing a "checkpoint friendly" bag:

• Your laptop bag has a designated laptop-only section that can lay flat on the X-ray belt
• There are no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on-top of the laptop-only section
• There are no pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
• There is nothing in the laptop compartment other than the laptop
• You have completely unfolded your bag so that there is nothing above or below the laptop-only section, allowing the bag to lay flat on the X-ray belt

The CODi Phantom CT3 passes all of these tests (there is a sleeve but since it's not a pocket, I don't think this will be an issue).

As of now, the TSA has no official date for when these bags will be accepted at airports nationwide other than "late summer". The CVG employee told me the TSA training of security personnel should be completed by August 16, 2008. This date is consistent with what CODi says in their press release but we'll see if TSA agents actually let us on a plane without making us remove the laptop from the case.

FYI: the CVG employee also said that security would make me take out my laptop no matter what bag I had it in if I was flying before the scheduled completion of the TSA training (August 16, 2008).

TSA has allowed testing by manufacturers of bags at three designated airports and CODi assures customers that the CT3 has been tested at "several major airports."

For more information check out TSA's "New Security Simplifying Laptop Bag Procedures" article online.

Conclusion

The Phantom CT3 is a quality bag with some great features beyond the "checkpoint friendly" selling point. In fact, other than the price - a whopping $225 - it was hard to find many cons with this bag.

On top of that, CODi's Phantom CT3 seems to pass every test that TSA has set for manufacturers but only time will tell. We are going to try to test this bag in an actual airport once the training as been completed so stay tuned for an update sometime in the coming weeks.

Pros

• "Checkpoint friendly"
• Stores a ton of accessories
• Good amount of padding
• Lifetime warranty

Cons

• Side buckles are plastic
• Bland design
• Very expensive

Pricing and Availability

The CODi Phantom CT3 can be purchased via CODi's website. The Phantom CT3 is $ 225.00.

 

Fairly overpriced but maybe it's worth it if you travel frequently.
P.S. I see a XPS M1530!!

 

GOTCHA! That's actually the new Studio 15 (aka the XPS M1530 on a budget).

 

Thanks for the review.

Somewhat expensive. At that price I would prefer something that looks less like a computer bag.

And a little disturbing that it's a pound overweight.

John

 

I can but a custome high quality made bag in Asia for a lot less than that.
But it's nice anyway , thanks for the review Jerry.

 

I think that's (at least in part) a side effect of all the TSA requirements that a bag has to satisfy in order to pass the new standards. You basically have to have either a sleeve with no pockets or two bags that are connected in the middle (one for just the laptop and one for everything else) which will add to the weight.

The price isn't completely out of line compared to prices for other CODi bags.

The thing that really gets me is that the "convenience factor" of this bag completely depends on the TSA agents who are checking your bag before you get on the plane. Maybe they'll be properly trained and let your through without making you remove your laptop from the bag ... or maybe they'll still make you remove the laptop for the security screening and then you bought a new "TSA" bag for nothing.

That possibility wouldn't bother me as much if the TSA wasn't so out of control here in the US. I frequently check the TSA website before my flights to confirm what I'm allowed (and not allowed) to bring with me on a flight and the information on the TSA website isn't consistent with what happens "in reality" once you get to an airport.

For example, even before the new TSA rules about "checkpoint friendly" bags, the TSA supposedly allowed travelers to keep their laptops inside a simple sleeve while it passed through the security screening. I've been using a simple neoprene sleeve to protect my laptop during every flight I've taken since January of this year and at EVERY US airport (five total) the TSA agents at the security checkpoint tell me to remove my laptop from the sleeve before it's allowed to pass through security.

So, even though the TSA "officially" says something is OK it's up to the TSA agents at the airports to decide how your carry-on bags get screened. In this post-9/11 world the TSA and the airlines all support the decisions made by the TSA agents who are working at the security checkpoints regardless of what the agents do ... we all want the agents working in the field to have the authority to prevent dangerous people/objects from getting on the airline without worrying about bureaucratic rules and regulations. However, this means that travelers are completely helpless when it comes to getting your bags screened.

Maybe your new "TSA friendly" bag will pass through security as promised ... or maybe you'll be asked to remove the laptop from the bag and have all your belonging removed from the bag by a TSA agent and physically inspected one by one while you stand in the bomb puffer machine without any shoes.

I'd personally rather just save my money and accept the fact that I have no control over anything as I go through the TSA screening. The TSA agents are going to do whatever the TSA agents are going to do.

 

It's actually Sarah's review. I just have a lot of opinions because I've realized just how helpless we are when it comes to TSA agents.

 

I'm curious if they've tested this in the field. I doubt most of the TSA agents at my local airport would recognize this as TSA certified. Still prolly strip the entire bag...

 

I'm not quite as fatalistic about the TSA as Jerry. I've taken, once accidentally and once on purpose, things through the security checkpoints that were borderline and haven't had any problems with TSA agents. It wouldn't surprise me if they still require laptops to be removed, but in my experience the agents themselves are fairly reasonable about what's allowed on when the rules aren't that specific. After all, I was able to take a game timer with a beeper that went off during the security scan on board, and that definitely sounded like a "device" timer at the time (this was the accidental one). And I managed to bring Advil Liqui-Gels on board without the specific Ziploc bag and removal from main luggage - apparently Liqui-Gels either are not liquids or gels, or the TSA agents aren't all regulation nazis after all.

But even if it actually worked the way it's supposed to, is it worth it? I don't think so. You still have to split the butterfly case in two, which is nearly as much effort as taking your laptop out of your regular case. And $225 is a lot of money - I think I paid $40 for my laptop case that's otherwise just as useful.

Good review, very curious as to how the actual test goes.

 

According to the TSA website the policy started today August 16th, 2008 so that means any other prior experiences (eg being made to remove laptops from sleeves) is what they were supposed to do at the time which the policy simply stated ALL laptops must be removed from ANY case. Now they said its ok to leave it in the sleeve. So it shouldn't be a problem...however they also put the disclaimer that they can still make you remove it if they feel they need to. Knowing how the screeners work I figure most will let you keep it in laptop checkpoint-friendly bags because it saves them time and trouble as well. Of course in the first few days it will be rough as screeners and their managers and supervisors adjust especially since they are being told to look for specific designs (Sleeves, folding and tri-folding bags) instead of just making a simple logo program.