Agree with Miner. You can argue with the TSA saying the poles are walking aids. Then you can loose your poles and be a jerk at the same time. Your choice. Going back to check them with your bag doesn't work if you've already checked your bag. My bag is too long to qualify as as a carry on. Could I get it through? Probably, but only if I wanted to be the jerk that fills the overhead bin with my oversized bag. Then there is the stove problem. My poles collapse small enough to stow inside the pack which goes in the duffel so they are not loose. And I've only checked the bag on direct flights to decrease that lost bag issue.