You’ve most likely seen mention of Skooba Design‘s Checkpoint Friendly bags all over the web and in conventional news; we just got our hands on some of their pre-production product photos. Take a look…

This appears to be a regular business travel briefcase, right? But this is one bag that can help take the stress and hassle out of traveling. Read on for more info, photos, and a word from Michael Hess, Skooba Design’s President and CEO…

Michael sent an email in which he mentioned that they hope to have “final-final-final production-ready photos” of the bag soon. The photos in this post are very close to what the finished bag will look like, but with some significant “aesthetic changes planned” for the final versions. Among the planned changes, Michael mentioned that the zippers and hardware will be matte nickel plate; the exterior of the bag will be all ballistic nylon; an additional, horizontal pocket will be over the 2 cargo pockets – it should be handy for “airline tickets, passport, keys, etc.”; and the top handle will be beefier and more structured.

Perhaps the most intriguing change will be the “very special and unique removable compartments in the cargo pockets, one for the ever-popular 3-1-1 liquids and one for metal-detector items. This feature is one of 3 patents we have pending on the bag.”

These new bags unfold for screening and have “a see-through window (on the inside, fully padded on all sides in normal carrying mode) for rapid I.D. of contents.” Skooba Design has “a utility patent pending on this feature/functionality as well. When folded, it looks like a standard high-end business case, so there is no aesthetic trade-off for having the Checkthrough functionality.”

Are you ready to stop holding up the TSA check-in line? I bet you are!

We hope to have a review for you once the final version is actually available.

Link: Skooba Design

Link: Skooba Design Checkthrough Bags

Link: Checkthrough Products and Program Information