View Full Version : Wondering about flying restrictions
eggymane
12-17-2016, 11:38
This will be in a carry-on bag, I've searched to no avail and am trying to avoid calling the tsa.
I'm going hiking before flying to see the family over the holidays and don't want to leave my stuff in the truck so it will joining the flight.
What/if any issues had with getting through tsa with any of your backpacking equipment? Obviously fuel canisters or liquid fuel are a no go, trekking poles as well. My main question is regarding tent stakes, will they make it through in your experience? Tent poles shouldn't be an issue correct?
MuddyWaters
12-17-2016, 12:09
This will be in a carry-on bag, I've searched to no avail and am trying to avoid calling the tsa.
I'm going hiking before flying to see the family over the holidays and don't want to leave my stuff in the truck so it will joining the flight.
What/if any issues had with getting through tsa with any of your backpacking equipment? Obviously fuel canisters or liquid fuel are a no go, trekking poles as well. My main question is regarding tent stakes, will they make it through in your experience? Tent poles shouldn't be an issue correct?
I can understand not wanting to leave expensive stuff someone might want.
but stakes and poles?
put everything quesitionable in a small bag and check it. I carry cuben shelter and down gear with me on board always.
pack and poles, etc get checked. I dont want to carry a bunch of crap around with me anyway. Airports dont lose as much luggage as they did before barcodes and scanners.
Dangerous stuff as in things you can use as a weapon like tent stakes or a knife will not pass muster for a carry on. They must be checked
eggymane
12-17-2016, 15:59
As long as I had everything else I was just going to bring them so I may have an excuse to go camping one night while I'm back in Oklahoma �� Oh well, a few stakes won't make or break that endeavor! I had a feeling they wouldn't be allowed on in this fear mongering culture.
Greetings
I put my whole backpack, stakes, tent and rest of gear in a large duffel bag and checked the luggage.
I could not find a definitive answer thru internet searches to clearly answer those same questions you have.
TF
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pilgrimskywheel
12-17-2016, 20:52
I've developed a disposable luggage system for this. I get luggage at Good Will - old suitcases, sea bags, hockey duffle, etc. We're talking in the 8-10 dollar range. It's great for protecting pack and gear on buses which can be rough, or airport checking. Knives, stakes, and most importantly hiking poles are NEVER getting on a plane with you. If you're trying to save time by not checking - then spending the day in a TSA office trying to explain what ten titanium pitons are for will really eat you up. Additionally, it's a great way to conceal the fact that you might just be stealth camping behind Wal Mart tonight alone. Sometimes a ruck is a target on your back. When I get to where I'm going I find another homeless person and give em the old bag - it really makes their day sometimes.
la.lindsey
12-17-2016, 21:15
Actually, I've carried on trekking poles and tent stakes a few times now. Microspikes too, if you're curious. Never had anyone ask about them.
They did ask if I was sure I didn't have a laptop though.
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eggymane
12-17-2016, 21:36
I've developed a disposable luggage system for this. I get luggage at Good Will - old suitcases, sea bags, hockey duffle, etc. We're talking in the 8-10 dollar range. It's great for protecting pack and gear on buses which can be rough, or airport checking. Knives, stakes, and most importantly hiking poles are NEVER getting on a plane with you. If you're trying to save time by not checking - then spending the day in a TSA office trying to explain what ten titanium pitons are for will really eat you up. Additionally, it's a great way to conceal the fact that you might just be stealth camping behind Wal Mart tonight alone. Sometimes a ruck is a target on your back. When I get to where I'm going I find another homeless person and give em the old bag - it really makes their day sometimes.
Definitely going to be leaving the stakes in the truck, spending hours in a tsa office doesn't appeal to me..I don't even like dealing with them for then 10 minutes it takes to get through security! If it gets to the point I need stakes I'll just substitute sticks or something.
cliffordbarnabus
12-18-2016, 00:00
go early. if they tell you that you must check the items, you will have time to do so!
Rain Man
12-18-2016, 01:21
I put everything in my backpack and check it. Never had a problem.
garlic08
12-18-2016, 08:34
It depends on the specific agent. I was once able to check poles and stakes, another time I couldn't, so I don't try any more. Probably don't want to argue with an agent.
StubbleJumper
12-18-2016, 11:40
One little nuisance that I found is that you cannot include cigarette lighters in your checked baggage and you are only permitted to carry a single lighter with you in the cabin. Since I like to carry two Mini-Bics with me when I hike, this is a minor nuisance. It's possible to buy an additional lighter at nearly any store, but I am so cheap that I prefer to buy Mini-Bics in packages of 4 or 5 at WalMart to save a few bucks.
Don't even try to carry-on. Just put it in a box and ship it, and then walk on the plane with fresh food, money, and electronic items.
Standard operating procedure for backpacking in USA.
colorado_rob
12-18-2016, 16:48
Don't even try to carry-on. Just put it in a box and ship it, and then walk on the plane with fresh food, money, and electronic items.
Standard operating procedure for backpacking in USA.Never heard of that one! Interesting, I've flown to dozens of locations all over the planet for backpacking or climbing (mostly in the USA), never did anything but check my backpack, never had any problems, never will I would bet. Nor has anyone I've ever flown with on these trips, many of them trips with a dozen people (our club trips) ever shipped gear ahead or lost a checked bag. The only time I've ever heard of shipping gear is on WB, which is not indicative of the general backpacking public, I believe. Of course, 90% of our flights are with SW air, with free checked bags.
That all being said, I do carry on my most expensive stuff; cuben tent, sleeping bag (combined worth about a grand) and a couple clothing items and wear my hiking shoes.
pilgrimskywheel
12-18-2016, 16:51
Don't even try to carry-on. Just put it in a box and ship it, and then walk on the plane with fresh food, money, and electronic items.
Standard operating procedure for backpacking in USA.
The litany of nightmare stories using this method is long. Here's how they go in another short story by Pilgrim: "My box was SUPPOSED to be here on Friday, but it didn't come today either (Saturday) and there's no delivery tomorrow (Sunday), it wont come until like 3 on Monday when it's SUPPOSED to! That means I'll be sitting in this hotel room freaking out in worry and blowing my trip money watching TV! Wahhhh!" There was just such a thread on here a few weeks back. Friendly advice: keep your $%^+ together and within arms reach, and you'll stay happy and ready to go - nobody want's to wait with you and you don't want to split up.
ldsailor
12-18-2016, 16:53
After 200 mile on the AT in October, I caught a flight home from the Tri-cities Airport in Tennessee. I screwed up and forgot to toss my fuel canister. TSA found it in my checked-in backpack and wrote me up. However, I carried on my trekking poles with no problem. Of course, I was using one as a cane because I screwed up my left foot during the hike. TSA was very supportive. They even offered a cane to go through the security scanner as the trekking pole had to go on the conveyor for examination.
My foot injury was real. If you have a "real" injury, you might consider using your trekking pole if you suspect a problem getting through security.
Have had no issues with tent stakes (ti skewers usually) on multiple trips. No issues with a titanium cathole trowel or spork. No issues with alcohol or Esbit burners. Once I had to remove a Bearikade canister from my pack so that tsa could take a look at it and my cook kit, which was inside (pot, burner, mug). Some people successfully take trekking poles as a "necessary walking aid". If I tried this (have not yet tried it), I would put rubber tips on the poles and use them to help me to walk around in the airport.
"..never had any problems, never will I would bet."
OK, 20 years ago I did that too... Times are different now. You can get in trouble just having a stove burner or fuel bottle with hydrocarbon residue. Besides, the original post was about carry on, not checked baggage.
The advantage of shipping the pack is that you can include blades, stoves, even fuel bottles without worry. Sure, try to carry that stuff on a plane... Besides, with the fees for checked baggage you come out even shipping in most cases. Never had a problem shipping out packs dozens of times, except some AT Lodge owners like to try to shock you by saying "pack, what pack?", then after they watch you melt down, they give it to you. ********.
colorado_rob
12-20-2016, 17:32
"never had any problems, never will I would bet."
OK, 20 years ago I did that too... Times are different now. You can get in trouble just having a stove burner or fuel bottle with hydrocarbon residue. Besides, the original post was about carry on, not checked baggage.
The advantage of shipping the pack is that you can include blades, stoves, even fuel bottles without worry. Sure, try to carry that stuff on a plane... Besides, with the fees for checked baggage you come out even shipping in most cases. Many of my multitude of trips are recent, and no problems checking. The concept of "checking" is as much pertinent as an alternative to carrying on as "mailing ahead" is to carrying on, by the way. Sure, you do have to thoroughly clean your stoves and fuel bottles, and leave the caps off to check, and again, plenty of airlines still have no baggage fees, but mainly my objection to your post is you saying that mailing ahead is the SOP for backpacking in the USA. It is not.
eggymane
12-20-2016, 22:37
After 200 mile on the AT in October, I caught a flight home from the Tri-cities Airport in Tennessee. I screwed up and forgot to toss my fuel canister. TSA found it in my checked-in backpack and wrote me up. However, I carried on my trekking poles with no problem. Of course, I was using one as a cane because I screwed up my left foot during the hike. TSA was very supportive. They even offered a cane to go through the security scanner as the trekking pole had to go on the conveyor for examination.
My foot injury was real. If you have a "real" injury, you might consider using your trekking pole if you suspect a problem getting through security.
What do mean they "wrote me up"? You get a ticket or something if they get to confiscate something?
ldsailor
12-21-2016, 11:58
What do mean they "wrote me up"? You get a ticket or something if they get to confiscate something?
TSA wrote up an incident report and I assume it was put in the TSA computer system. I'm on the TSA Precheck list - or at least I was. When the incident report was checked against Precheck, they suspended my Precheck status. I'm flying over the Christmas holidays and that means I have to go through the long security lines rather than through the shorter and faster moving Precheck line at the airport. I'm in the process of finding out how long I'm suspended and will probably mount an appeal. I have flown since the suspension and the worst that happened is I couldn't go through Precheck.
If you get written up by TSA and you are not in the Precheck program, I'm not sure what they can do to you. Certainly if it is a very egregious violation, you might be looking at a fine.
By the way, they did confiscate the fuel canister.
ldsailor
12-21-2016, 17:18
This is a follow-up to my previous post. In it I mentioned that TSA had suspended my TSA Precheck status, but I didn't know for how long. They responded today and the suspension is 6 months. That's fair since it was my fault for forgetting to remove a fuel canister from my checked backpack. I'm not going to appeal.
Gambit McCrae
12-21-2016, 18:12
I have taken 4 flights with my full backpack. It goes in a canvas duffel bag. No fuel.
Roll stakes, trekking poles up in tent and pack normally. I have had no trouble.
I have heard horror stories of others with similar circumstances, I (I don't know how much luck was involved), but I stated I would carry my luggage on the plane, when I got to the door of the plane if it didn't fit in the overhead, I personally walk back out to the gate tube where the side door is, and WATCH them put it on the plane. At the end of the flight, I weighted at the side door of the gate till they personally handed me my backpack.
"I am living out of this bag for the next week, I MUST have it ok?" Has always gotten me a little special treatment from the crew lol
pilgrimskywheel
12-21-2016, 19:03
Especially eyeball your bag being loaded and unloaded on the old Greyhound, where for some reason luggage of irregular shapes and their attentive owners draw generalized hate and stinkeyes from the highly trained and crazy courteous crews! (Satire)
Kaptainkriz
12-21-2016, 19:21
My mount Fuji hiking stick making through "oversized baggage" back from Japan. It was allowed as checked baggage and classified as "sporting equipment, pole, javelin, hockey stick". Pack and other hiking gear (including poles) was just squashed in my checked baggage. :D
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