As I've mentioned here before, there's 2 kinds of luggage - Bags you carry on, and Lost Bags. I don't care what the statistics tell you, I've had bags lost enough times and had stuff stolen enough times to avoid it entirely. The only exception is when I pack a gun, in which case I have to, and it seems that the bag (which need not contain only a gun) gets more careful treatment.

Shipping to yourself requires just a bit of preplanning - it's not too hard. If you're like me and tend to travel with only a day or two notice, you probably already have something packed and ready to go at all times anyway, which means that all you need to do is call Fedex or UPS and they will come to your door, take your case, and deliver it where you are going.

If you are going to a hotel, just have it delivered to you:

Guest Name (Arriving 7/1/2007)
c/o
Hotel Name
Some Street
Someplace, MT 00000

If you need additional supplies, order them online and have them shipped to your hotel. You might need to call the vendor first to confirm your different ship-to address.