Hiking Poles
Do you think I will be able to do a carry-on with Hiking poles? I don't want them getting bent or smashed in baggage storage.
Planning to Thru Hike the AT on 4/15/15. I apologize ahead of time for my overbearing amount of questions :)
Carry-on in terms of plane in case you need further specification.
Planning to Thru Hike the AT on 4/15/15. I apologize ahead of time for my overbearing amount of questions :)
I was a bit worried about my bag getting beat up by the baggage handlers so I broke it all down and packed it in a large cardboard box and checked it. It ended up working out fine with the exception of being sent to the oversize luggage desk (it wasn't that big...), I figured it out after standing around the luggage carousel for over a half an hour... live and learn.
There's several related posts I read a few weeks ago you may want to look up. My experience is that policy seems to be vary in different airports. I'm no longer taking a chance with TSA. Good luck.
HighLiner
2000 Miler
Awwww. Fat Mike, too?
Highlander is correct. I travel a lot of miles via air every year and have seen TSA make different calls on the same objects being taken onto the plane, regardless of what the Banned Item List includes. Things that don't appear on that list are not automatically allowed.Originally Posted by HighLiner
Usually there does not seem to be much of an issue, but I have seen poles rejected, which gets expensive if you have to leave them behind. Best way to manage it in my view is to either put the poles in checked baggage, or ship them along with other gear ahead of you to a hotel or UPS store that will hold it for you. Shipping costs for my pack, modest gear, poles, etc, is between $25 to $40 depending where you are and the delivery point.
I'm not sure that I would risk bringing them onto the plane with you. I would pack them down into your bag and be done with it.
Smile, Smile, Smile.... Mile after Mile
Isn't $25-40 about what most airlines charge for checked baggage?
It is. Some airlines like Southwest don't charge for the first checked bag. The "legacy carriers" charge fees ranging from $25 to $50 for the first bag, more for the second bag (if you have a level of status in an airlines frequent flyer program you can sometimes avoid those fees altogether).
I can usually ship most all my hiking gear for the same or less than the cost of the first checked bag and not have the concerns of it getting lost as you can with some airlines, which is why I usually recommend doing that.
Just sayin', in probably 200 flights in my life, I've never lost a single checked bag, nor have I ever had anything in my baggage broken.
These days, I nearly always fly Southwest, given their extensive routes, more AT hikers should check them out. Just booked a one-way ticket, direct from Denver to Newark for $108. I'll be checking my backpack of course, including my hiking pole, and hitting the AT north from NJ in just a couple weeks; can't wait to be back on the trail!
I have called TSA and their opinion is I can not pack hiking poles (even collapsed) as a carry on item. I don't understand why, but this is the answer I get. I have put them inside my backpack with success as far as not getting them bent. You could always throw everything into one of those plastic tubs and check that as your luggage and toss it when you land. Tubs are a few bucks. Poles can be over a hundred.
Whether you think you can, or think you can't--you're right--Henry Ford; The Journey Is The Destination
I had a big green Army surplus canvas duffel that I checked (for free on SW) with my pack and my poles (in a shipping tube in the duffel for protection). Just remember, poles have to be checked, but matches and lighters are allowed in your carry on, but NOT in the checked bag (go figure). Stove fuel not allowed anywhere.
possibly mail them to the nearest postoffice?
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