I just something on my local morning news that I thought you might find interesting. LAS now uses new luggage tagging technology. You know those paper tags they put on bags with the bar codes, the news reported that the scanners that scan them are only about 80% accurate. So, McCarren and the airport in Hong Kong are the only 2 in the world with this new bag tagging technology. It is a paper tag with a chip embedded in it, they say this method is 99.5% accurate. The problem is this method is costly and so some of the smaller airports will opt not to use them. The started this new tagging procedure out of LAS because even though it is the 5th busiest in the nation, it is the busiest for flights originating out of it. McCarren handles on average 70,000 bags a day, and with the old bag tag technology of an accuracey rate of 80%, that would result in many,many lost bags each day.
Anyway, just thought you all would like to know...all your LAS souveniers should make it home with you.

They still have a lost bag problem....someone else can grab your bag and take off with it. Happened to me but the guy was messin' with the WRONG bag and ended up arrested.

Forget all that: Hubby & I are each bringing a carry-on bag (with our stuff inside those Space Bags available @ Walgreens) and a tote bag for me and a laptop for him. We're buying our toiletries (well, mostly MY toiletries) @ the closest Walgreens next to the MGM.

Problem Solved. I look forward to, after landing, bypassing the Baggage Claim area...

I hear what you are saying Tracy but a trick to deter that is to put some very bright ribbons, yarn or whatever around the handles. A thief will bypass a bag that is so noticeable for one not so noticeable. Its such a simple trick but it has been proven to work.

Oddly, when my son's luggage was lost last year, I really think it must have been stolen. And it was a BRIGHT yellow rolling duffel bag. Not exactly inconspicuous!

tracys2cents~I agree with you, I do not like the idea that anyone can pick any bag up off the carousel and leave with it. It never used to be that way, one used to have to show bag claim tickets in order to leave luggage area. However, "this" problem is not isolated to LAS, we fly to Spokane several times a year, and no one checks our bag claim tickets there, no one checked when we went to Nashville over the summer and no one checked our bags 2 years ago in Orlando.
We also have ribbons on our luggage to try to spot them easier. When we went to Orlando 2 years ago a lady picked our green suitcase up with white ribbons on it, and my DH said it was ours, she said "no it's mine", he asked if hers had white ribbons on it and she said "no" and she still insisted it was hers until we showed her the address on the tag. I guess if you can get away with only carry on's that seems the best route like LadyPhoenix mentions (but it was for travel out of LAS, not in to that the news article was about), however, sometimes you just gotta check your bags.