Would You Buy This? A Suitcase That Kills Bed Bugs

by  Christine Dayao | Oct 6, 2014
Traveler with luggage
Traveler with luggage / champlifezy@gmail.com/iStock

File this under the “better safe than sorry” category. ThermalStrike, a company specializing in heating technology designed to kill bed bugs, has come out with a new heated suitcase for pest-fearing travelers.

The hard-shell luggage comes in two sizes, a 20-inch carry-on ($199) or a 24-inch upright ($249), that both implement infrared heat technology that reaches temperatures of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Know that the technology isn't actually very mobile to use, though it aims to solve a travel concern -- you have to plug the bag's built-in chord into a wall socket. Once plugged, you can set an automatic timer for two, four, or eight hours of treatment.

While we don't have independent evidence of this product's success rate at getting rid of stowaway bed bugs, the EPA does say that bed bugs die when their body temperature reaches 113 degrees. And though this luggage doesn't prevent you from picking up bed bugs in public spaces like planes, hotels or buses, it can come in handy as a precautionary step in case you've encountered any critters while traveling. Killing them before you open up the suitcase means avoiding the havoc of releasing the bugs into your home. And even if you luckily don't have a bug problem? You can have toasty-warm clothes to wear in chilly weather.

Would you buy this?

Up next...

Discovering Taiwan's Bubble Tea

Bubble tea in Taipei
Find The Best Cruises
Find a cruise

Find the best deals!

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices