Backpack and airport

[Smoky Spoon]

Leaving soon for Georgia, flying by plane. Going to put my pack in a duffle and wondered if anyone has had trouble with airports? How did you get your gear (pack) there in tact?
Thanks for the help and I apologize if this was covered somewhere else, I did not see it.

[mattjv89]

I took my pack as a carry on, mailed all my airline prohibited stuff ahead to the Hiker Hostel and bought canister fuel in Georgia. Didn't want to stress about trusting the airline with my pack on the way, and keeping it down to carry on size is a great way to avoid over packing.

[Smoky Spoon]

How heavy is the carry on sizes do you know? Flying Southwest....thanks so much





I took my pack as a carry on, mailed all my airline prohibited stuff ahead to the Hiker Hostel and bought canister fuel in Georgia. Didn't want to stress about trusting the airline with my pack on the way, and keeping it down to carry on size is a great way to avoid over packing.

[TNhiker]

for carry on---i always thought it was as much as one can carry..........just as long as its within the length/width size.......

[MuddyWaters]

for carry on---i always thought it was as much as one can carry..........just as long as its within the length/width size.......

Not always

Some international airlines have 15lb (7 kg) weight limit on carryon, and smaller size than normal US as well.

Part of this no doubt is to garner checked baggage fees

[TheWhiteWalker]

How heavy is the carry on sizes do you know? Flying Southwest....thanks so much

For Southwest: 22 x 18 x 10

[KDogg]

I took my pack as a carry on, mailed all my airline prohibited stuff ahead to the Hiker Hostel and bought canister fuel in Georgia. Didn't want to stress about trusting the airline with my pack on the way, and keeping it down to carry on size is a great way to avoid over packing.

Where exactly did you buy the fuel? I'm going from Atlanta airport, train, hiker hostel. Thx.

[Traveler]

Different airlines have different carry on baggage sizing rules, which can present a problem along with TSA interpretations of carry on rules.

Not knowing what airline you are taking, you probably should check with the carrier directly, as pointed out Southwest and Jet Blue have a slightly larger permutable size at 24" x 16" x 10". But to be safe, I use the smallest of the legacy carrier sizes that are all similar at 22" x 14" x 9". 40-pounds tends to be the weight limit.

I travel by air frequently (around 120,000 miles a year) and see a significant number of rejections by airline personnel and at the TSA security stations all over the US for a variety of things people try to take onto aircraft. Packs can sometimes be a problem, which really depends on what TSA is concerned about on a particular day or period of time. You have no way of knowing what the security issue of the day may be, so probably the best rule of thumb is to either ship the pack and its contents ahead of you to a hotel you will be staying at or a UPS or FedEx store that will hold the box for you. For the cost, this is probably the safest means of getting all your gear to one place in one box. This is what I do when I am bringing a pack along on a trip.

If thats not suitable, buy an inexpensive duffel bag to put your pack into so you can check it. Duffels will protect the pack reasonably well and keep straps and folds from snags. This will allow you to take poles, knives, and all the stuff you want to bring that can sometimes be a problem at TSA security stations. As a caution, do NOT bring fuel, that will be detected and your pack won't see the light of day for a while. Even empty canisters that have been not been cleaned well can cause packs to be stopped. Get an inexpensive "TSA Approved" lock for the duffel to keep people out and allow TSA to get into it without cutting it open.

If, however you opt to carry on a pack, there are some hurdles you may need to clear, which I see people fail to clear frequently.

Most all airline have carry on baggage "sizers" you may have to place a pack into to demonstrate you are inside the size limitations. Do not count on a sympathetic airline employee looking the other way if you are a half inch over one of the dimensions. I have seen more people spend time arguing about that half inch without success than I have seen baseball players argue with umpires. Its not an argument you will likely win.

Then there are the things people put into the packs. I have seen packs pulled apart when the scanners see things the TSA operator cannot identify, or does identify. When this happens, the pack will be searched, usually things like tent stakes, cat hole trowels, and other such items are pulled out and examined. There is a chance things like tent stakes may be rejected. I have also seen trekking poles denied boarding on carry on, even though these items do not appear on the TSA list of prohibited items. I have also seen a lot of people waving the printed list to otherwise unimpressed TSA personnel. You will likely not win the argument and if you press it too far and could be brought to a small interview room where you will miss your flight and it will cost you money to rebook on another flight. Even if you get past TSA, airline personnel at the gate can (and sometimes do) stop you and not allow the poles to be carried on. At that point it will become checked baggage, which if you have a connecting flight(s) it will be outside your control until you get to the final destination.

I have seen people detained when knifes, loaded handguns, ammunition, fuel, and fluids carried in packs are detected. If knives or fuel are found, be contrite and polite, you will lose these items at that point. This is NOT the place to start the soapbox speech about your "rights", this IS the place you can easily find yourself detained and in need of legal counsel. So be sure you don't "forget" to remove these things from your carry on. If you have a gun or ammunition in carry on, you can count on missing that flight, quite possibly many other flights if you make it onto the NFL (not the league but the No-Fly List) for trying to smuggle a firearm onto the plane.

Then, after all that, you may get on the plane and find its a Regional Jet (RJ) that has super small baggage compartments and you have to gate check the carry on, exposing your pack now to all the snag hazards from the jetway into the rear hold and back.

Some people carry on their pack with poles and all kinds of gear without problems, in fact I would say a high percentage of those carrying backpacks don't have any issues. However, from watching people over time its clear many of them run afoul of TSA or the airline rules, or bureaucratic inflexibility and have a problem. Its up to the individual if they want to gamble on the day of departure, or mitigate it with a cheap duffel bag checked baggage fee or shipping charge to avoid a potential problem.

[squeezebox]

I was thinking of 2 boxes of plastic wrap. Put 1 box on the exterior of your pack. Wrap up with the 2nd box, no loose straps. That way TSA has a box of plastic to wrap up your pack should they decide to open it.

[Puddlefish]

I was thinking of 2 boxes of plastic wrap. Put 1 box on the exterior of your pack. Wrap up with the 2nd box, no loose straps. That way TSA has a box of plastic to wrap up your pack should they decide to open it.

Unless you make it "suspicious" enough, in which case, they'll unwrap it, probably with a boxcutter, and the just toss the wrapping in the trash and let your pack slide around the baggage compartment unprotected. Modern pack fabrics aren't really great with abrasion.

I bought a 30" duffel bag for my flight to Atlanta, I'll bring a shipping box and mail the duffel on to Florida. Mid hike, I have to fly to Florida, drive to Kansas, and then fly back to North Carolina. This leaves one flight without the duffel.

I plan to wrap the corners very well in plastic, but leave the main body opening accessible for a TSA check, should they so desire.

I'm taking a picture of all the contents in the event of loss/theft.

[Smoky Spoon]

Thanks everyone for your help. I decided to stay at The Lodge and they said they would let me ship my gear to them ahead of time so all I have to do is ship my stuff to them.
I wonder if I could ship esbit fuel tablets? Does anyone know the postal rules on this?

Thanks for all the great ideas and valuable help!

[Nodust]

My pack carries on with me filled with things that would not be easily replaced, such as hammock, tarp, and quilts. The other stuff I could stop at Walmart and outfitters and get what I need, should it be lost in transit.

[colorado_rob]

The apprehension with flying with a backpack is understandable. I had it when I first started doing it. I once used a box for my pack and gear and checked the box. That works. Then I started using a duffle, but of course, what do you do with the duffle if you're going on a long distance hike? Give it away, or throw it away. I realize you can get cheap duffels, but I hate waste.

I finally just bit the bullet and started simply just checking my backpack. I used a trash compactor bag a few times over the pack, cut a slit for the pack hang loop to poke through to carry it, wrapped tape around the bag to keep it tight. that works. Finally, I just started checking my backpack "unprotected".

There is really zero reason to "protect" your backpack. Baggage handling will not damage your backpack. There is no significant "abrasion" involved with a checked piece of luggage, including backpacks. The only thing you have to worry about is all the loose strappage on most packs. I've now checked my ULA OHM 2 about 8 times, and used it for an entire AT hike, no signs of any "abrasion". Any significant abrasion you'll get on your backpack will come on the trail, not from checking it.

So I simply buckle my packs waistbelt backwards around the back of the pask and pull the straps taught. Then I do the same with the shoulder straps, just fold them around the back of the pack and use the sternum strap to hold them tightly in that position. then I take my 40 foot bear bag rope and wind it all around my pack, securing all the loose strap ends and cinch it tight. good to go. I've flown a dozen times now this way with zero problems.

I've also flown a couple dozen other times for larger expeditions, mostly internationally, using a duffle, sometimes two because I had a ton of climbing gear. Never once have I ever had any problems whatsoever. Despite what folks love to rant about, today's airlines really do a great job with checked luggage.

This all being said, I am a tad over-conservative with my most expensive stuff, so even though I check my main backpack, I do carryon a few items in a plastic grocery sack; my $500 sleeping bag in a tight stuff sack, my $400 cuben tent in its stuff sack, my Arcteryx jacket, and of course all my valuables (phone, camera, money/cards). I'm of course wearing my normal hiking clothes and boots. Not a whole lot left in the pack! Trekking poles, some extra clothes, stove (broken down into parts, burner triple baggied and stuffed somewhere), and a few other items. If by some remarkable stroke of bad luck my luggage gets completely lost or stolen, I'm out a pack, trekking poles, stove and those few other items. Easily replaceable, and well within the lost-luggage payback from the airlines. One or two day delay. No biggie. And again, extremely unlikely. Around 3 dozen total trips involving backpacks and other gear, never any problem whatsoever.

Carrying on everything it great if your pack is small enough, but some things I carry on long hikes won't pass through security (trekking poles, stoves, tent stakes).

Easy peasy, but newcomers to this great pursuit are understandably nervous flying for the first time with gear. Shipping it ahead works great and eases your mind.

[bigcranky]

Thanks everyone for your help. I decided to stay at The Lodge and they said they would let me ship my gear to them ahead of time so all I have to do is ship my stuff to them.
I wonder if I could ship esbit fuel tablets? Does anyone know the postal rules on this?

Thanks for all the great ideas and valuable help!

USPS allows ground shipping only, and there has to be a label (they provide it) on the outside of the box. It can take a lot longer to arrive (at least, it did for me when I tried it).

Esbit fuel is kinda neat but it's something of a PITA on a long hike. Alcohol is much easier to get on the trail, cheaper, and is just as fast heating water.

[Smoky Spoon]

Thanks you all...feeling good about everything with all your help. Got my plane ticket, room at the lodge and my shuttle. For anyone needing a good shuttle I highly recommend Ron's, he advertises on here. Met him before a few years ago and called him again. He remembered me and his service goes above and beyond. He also picks up your fuel for you before you even arrive. So my initial fuel situation is resolved. I know some dislike the esbits, but for me I find them cost effective and super light weight. I only use one a day, half in the morning and half in the evening. Which is why I wonder if they can be mailed seeings how they are considered fuel? Does anyone know?

Thanks again for everyone's help, you all rock!

[Smoky Spoon]

Do you mean they do ground shipping for fuel tablets Big Cranky?
Thanks! Just clarifying.....




USPS allows ground shipping only, and there has to be a label (they provide it) on the outside of the box. It can take a lot longer to arrive (at least, it did for me when I tried it).

Esbit fuel is kinda neat but it's something of a PITA on a long hike. Alcohol is much easier to get on the trail, cheaper, and is just as fast heating water.

[eblanche]

Do you mean they do ground shipping for fuel tablets Big Cranky?
Thanks! Just clarifying.....
Through my research, yes. The only legal way to ship esbit through USPS would be ground shipping with an ORM-D label. Similar to isopropyl fuel canisters. I will also attempt to use esbit as my primary fuel for my through hike. I plan on shipping a few boxes to supplement what i can find on the trail. I will ship ground ahead of time to assure they will make it on time. Realistically it should not take any longer than 2 weeks from New England to Georgia and that is very conservative but with USPS...who knows!

[bigcranky]

Yes, sorry, I meant to respond. eblanche has it right, ship at the Post Office - ground only! - with the proper label.

[Odd Man Out]

Just rember that you can take your matches and lighter in your pocket/ carry on but not in checked luggage.

[Flash52]

I left my fuel behind and strapped my hiker poles on the outside of my pack and checked it. I've done this on several flights and have not had a problem.

Hope this helps!