View Full Version : Getting The Pack To Georgia
Young Scott
03-18-2009, 22:49
I'm flying down to Atlanta on the 31st to begin my thru-hike. I've been looking at my pack and wondering how I can get that to Georgia. :-? Not carry on, of course, but still on a plane.
Please help!
4eyedbuzzard
03-18-2009, 22:54
Uh, check it as baggage?
Buy a cheap old duffle big enough to hold it from a thrift store or Salvation Army or something and just check it. Throw the duffle bag away when you get there.
Pack your backpack in a duffel and check it at the airlines. Carry your high dollar items like your down bag with you on the plane. Buy your fuel and other non-TSA approved items at REI, the outfitter at The Outside World, or Mountain Crossings on the way to the trail.
These are simple logistics; how you gonna manage the hike?:rolleyes:
Young Scott
03-18-2009, 22:58
Okay. I'm new to flying...
Welcome to Whiteblaze
Banned TSA Items http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm
Have a great hike
Pokey2006
03-18-2009, 23:00
If you're new to flying, go to www.tsa.gov (http://www.tsa.gov) for info on their rules about what you can and can't carry on, etc.
Don't worry, the trail itself is simple. Just put one foot in front of the other.
The Weasel
03-18-2009, 23:02
Unpack everything from your pack. Put in large box. Tape shut. Check as baggage.
TW
Young Scott
03-18-2009, 23:04
Thank you.
I have shipped my gear ahead to a friend's house via UPS / Fed-X about 2 weeks before my arrival and carried my down with me on prior trips out west.
Lost luggage will delay or kill a hike.
freefall
03-18-2009, 23:11
I mailed half of my pack (stove, food, etc... they have alcohol fuel there) to the Hiker Hostel in Dalhonega (sp), GA. The rest I could carry on and did not have to worry about starting the trip with lost luggage.
Ox97GaMe
03-19-2009, 09:32
There is a weight limit on luggage. I think it is either 45 or 50 lbs before they start tacking on additional fees. It could be cheaper to pack two pieces of 'luggage' instead of one. There is a fee with some airlines for each additional piece of luggage as well.
UnkaJesse
03-19-2009, 09:46
Just plan on buying everything new at Mountain Crossings.
just kidding, of course.
Delta is charging $15 per checked bag these days
HikerRanky
03-19-2009, 13:28
Many airlines are charging for luggage these days..... And IIRC, the weight limit is 50 lbs...
bulldog49
03-19-2009, 13:55
I prefer to UPS my pack ahead when I fly. I'm paranoid about the airlines putting it on the wrong plane and having to wait several days for it to be returned. :eek:
Shutterbug
03-19-2009, 14:34
I'm flying down to Atlanta on the 31st to begin my thru-hike. I've been looking at my pack and wondering how I can get that to Georgia. :-? Not carry on, of course, but still on a plane.
Please help!
Many people just check their bag as checked luggage. I see them coming off the plane all the time. The problem with just checking it without enclosing it in something else is that the baggage handling equipment is bad about catching on straps. Your pack could be damaged and the airline won't pay to fix it if there are loose straps.
Several people have suggested approaches that will work: put your pack in a duffle bag or a cardboard box. Both of those approaches will protect the straps.
Another approach is to wrap your pack in shrink wrap. You can buy a roll at your local U-haul dealer. Of course you will have to borrow a knife from someone to cut the shrink wrap off at your destination because your knife will be inside your pack -- don't forget to put your pocket knife in the pack because you can't take it through security.
Shutterbug
03-19-2009, 14:38
I prefer to UPS my pack ahead when I fly. I'm paranoid about the airlines putting it on the wrong plane and having to wait several days for it to be returned. :eek:
I have had more packages delayed by UPS than by the airlines.
bulldog49
03-19-2009, 17:41
I have had more packages delayed by UPS than by the airlines.
I send it well in advance, call the establishment/person I sent it to before leaving to confirm it is there. I don't want to plan a weeklong trip to someplace like Alaska where I have 3 or 4 connecting flights to get where I'm going, all the time concerened about my pack making it.
4eyedbuzzard
03-19-2009, 17:46
I wouldn't recommend shrink wrap or anything like a box that can't be easily opened and reclosed. If TSA needs/wants to inspect your baggage, the easier you make it for them to do that the more likely your baggage won't be delayed and the better off you are going to be.