The 5 Strangest but Clever Places To Stash Your Apple AirTag

Apple AirTags have been around for a few years, delivering peace of mind for Apple users prone to misplacing items. They can be handy for keeping an eye on your luggage during trips that require multiple flights, ensuring your laptop bag never disappears into the ether, and even remembering where you parked the car on hiking trips. Whether you're traveling, or you just want to ensure you can always find certain items when you need them, AirTags have you covered.

These small but mighty gadgets are discreet enough to fit most places but powerful enough to locate items globally, thanks to Apple's Find My network. Installation is a breeze and once set up, it'll continue to passively monitor your item for you until you need to locate it. If you're curious to know more about AirTags, their benefits and unique places to stash one, read on.

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How do AirTags work?

Generally, you need to be within Bluetooth range to find your AirTag but you can use Apple's Find My service to locate Apple's tiny tracker if it's farther away, as long as it's still in range of another Apple device. (Here's how the Find My network works.) To do so, just put your AirTag into Lost Mode and you'll get a notification once it's within range of the Find My network.

For more details, here's how to tell if an AirTag is tracking your location on Android and a deep dive into AirTags.

5 unique places to put your AirTags

🏕️ Put an AirTag in your tent for camping

If you're setting up camp in a location you've never visited, it could be useful to place an AirTag inside your tent so you can easily find your campsite. For instance, if you decide to hike several miles one day, you can use Find My to look up the AirTag's last location (your tent) and get directions back to the campsite. Remember, it'll need to be within range of someone else's device, so don't rely on this out in the wilderness. (This is also why Apple advises you not to use AirTags on pets.) For serious wilderness excurisions, you'll want something with GPS and pet owners will want a dedicated pet tracker.

🧥 Put a tracker in your jacket pocket

How often have you left your coat behind in a restaurant, bar or friend's house? Forgetting to grab your jacket when you head out is easy to do, especially if the weather is warmer than you expected or your hands are full of leftovers and to-go cups. If you know you'll be hanging your jacket on a coat rack or the back of a chair when you arrive, place an AirTag inside the pocket so you know where you left it. This can help prevent yet another favorite jacket from getting lost and less money out of your wallet to replace it.

🧳 Stash an AirTag inside your luggage

Airports can be tricky to navigate and can be especially difficult when you're trying to find the correct luggage pickup. Sometimes you wait 30 minutes until your bags finally roll out on the conveyor belt and sometimes they get lost. To relieve the stress of trying to locate your suitcase, you can put an AirTag tracker inside so you can track its whereabouts.

This can help you find out if your bags were left on the airplane, if they're on the conveyor belt but you haven't spotted them yet or if someone mistakenly grabbed your luggage. Once you find out where your bags are, you can remedy the situation and continue on to where you're going. Don't worry, AirTags are TSA-approved so there shouldn't be any issues with placing them in your luggage.

Open laptop bag — Place an AirTag inside your laptop bag so you stop misplacing it.
Sarah Tew/CNET

🎒 Stick a tracker inside your laptop bag

Laptop bags can be easily left behind at a cafe when you're picking up coffee for everyone at the office. When your hands are full and you're distracted wondering how you're going to open your car door, it's hard to remember to grab your bag from the booth you were sitting in. That's why it's a good idea to place an AirTag inside one of the pockets. You will be able to locate your expensive laptop and save any confidential company or personal information in your bag.

🚲 Hide an AirTag on your bicycle

If it hasn't happened to you, you probably know someone who has had this experience. You get home from a bike ride, go inside to grab water and something to eat and completely forget about the bike you left outside. Or maybe you went to the store, didn't lock your bike up and when you came back it was gone. If you place an AirTag in a hidden place on the bike, you can easily locate it.

We don't recommend tracking the bicycle down on your own. It's best to notify the police and let them retrieve your bike so you can avoid any dangerous situations. This method also works on your car if it's been stolen or towed, or if you can't remember where you parked it. If you have an iPhone and it's connected to your car via Bluetooth, your phone can locate where you last left it.