Bringing a trad rack on an airplane?

This might be a silly question, but I was wondering if people have had any problems carrying on their trad rack when flying. Since my rack is the most dense thing that I am traveling with, I want to pack it in my backpack and carry it on the plane rather than check it. Then i can use the 50 lb. checked bag for lighter things like clothes, sleeping bags , etc.
I would hate to reach security and have a TSA agent tell me that I can't bring my cams and stuff on the plane...

It's never been an issue for me.

mountainproject.com/v/flyin…

where you going? domestic I'd bet is fine (no issues with ropes & draws...not sure about a full rack).

if you're headed to/thru. Europe I'd strongly discourage it.

That depends... Do you usually find yourself racking up with this?

Trad Gear

rpc wrote:where you going? domestic I'd bet is fine (no issues with ropes & draws...not sure about a full rack). if you're headed to/thru. Europe I'd strongly discourage it.

I will be flying from NYC (probably LaGuardia) to Las Vegas on the way out
Then will be flying from LAX back to NYC.

Judging from the other post, it doesn't sound like much of a problem though. I will just have to remember to leave the nut tool out.

I just flew to Las Vegas with my rack as my carry on. They ran it through the scanner twice for good measure. I'd recommend checking your nut tool and knife though.

rpc wrote:where you going? domestic I'd bet is fine (no issues with ropes & draws...not sure about a full rack). if you're headed to/thru. Europe I'd strongly discourage it.

I go to Europe 2 times a year and spend about 6-8 months a year there now, I have been doing this for 10 years now. I have never had a problem and have been through most the hubs and major connections. In Europe, unlike in America, they see this stuff more often and know what it is. If you are really worried then carry your heavy soft goods like your rope, but I have never had a problem with cams and biners. Leave the nut tool and any pitons or iron pins in checked bags just to be safe, but cams, ropes and biners, No Problems.

rpc wrote:where you going? domestic I'd bet is fine (no issues with ropes & draws...not sure about a full rack). if you're headed to/thru. Europe I'd strongly discourage it.

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If anything folks in Europe are more understanding as previously mentioned. In my personal experience Americans don't understand why anyone would be carrying around a whole rack and have had to explain, on a number of occasions, what those springy things are for which was not the case in England and Greece.

Flew to Ireland with a rack of cams and nuts, biners etc with no problem. Same airline going back, they made me check it. Said it was "tools". Fortunately I had good padding to pack it in. They did not lose it, so that was good.

I've never flown internationally unfortunately. But every single time i fly domestic I print off a copy of the TSA rules of the list of sporting equipment you can't bring on a plane and a webpage showing that cams, nuts, etc. are in fact sporting equipment. I've been asked to check my rack twice, showed that I was allowed to bring it on the plane, and then been allowed through.

I too have followed the same weight-based principle when flying w climbing gear and have never had a problem in the states over numerous trips (ie, heavy, dense, high value items in carry on). I have had the bag rescanned and on occasion unpacked & swabbed for explosives, but never been denied carrying it over a dozen + flights. On a single trip to Europe however, I was hassled to no end by security at Charles de Gaulle in Paris en route to chamonix. Through a lot of pantomiming and broken English, they told me my carabiners resembled brass knuckles and were therefore a weapon and not allowed. (one's hand could fit thru & close around them & PUNCH! ... Very dramatic) I raised a big stink without being too much of an ugly American and they wrapped them up in a bubble wrap snowball and checked them for me. I was lucky to not be charged for an extra bag & even luckier for the plastic ball to not get discarded as the trash it resembled! I generally tend to worry more about my rope(s) getting rejected as a terrorist tool as I'd imagine you could tie up half the aircraft w a 60m cord or 2!

I have flown domestic with triples from .3-#3 camalots. I doubt that you would have any issue going to Vegas. I forgot to leave my nut tool at home but it didnt end up being a problem. As soon as I opened my pack the TSA lady got a blank look, asked what it was for (rock climbing) and told me I was good to go. Obviously, just to be safe I would still recommend leaving the tool at home.

Shouldn't be a problem but they will tear it all out and look it over. I always zip tie the gear together so none of it gets lost in the hurry.

I have even brought my Trango mini knife, a rack of pins including a few knife blades and my nut tool on the plane with me. It always gets scanned twice, once checked for explosives and always played with by the "Bag check" people. This has been both international and within the US.

Always take your gear with you. It is heavy and will take up too much of your 50lbs check bag weight.

No problems flying domestically for me. It got opened and checked a couple times, but never anything else.

Paris/CDG got our twin ropes confiscated (they did not even slow the conveyer belts down at PDX or JFK = no issues domestically). We had the option to go out and get those checked ...no option really if you're trying to catch a connecting flight. They were also raising hell about QD's but ultimately let us thru. with them. Maybe it's not Europe per say, only Paris. wouldn't risk it again. good luck.

Evan Sanders wrote: But every single time i fly domestic I print off a copy of the TSA rules of the list of sporting equipment you can't bring on a plane and a webpage showing that cams, nuts, etc. are in fact sporting equipment.

Seems to be a nice insurance policy if you are worried,

I fly out tomorrow and will pass through London, and Geneva, I am not too worried about it, Never had trouble before, but I put all that stuff in my carry on backpack to help with checked weights

Flying out of Mexico (Monterrey) to Vegas I was forced to check my rope. Further down the line (after I checked the rope) they made me throw away my tape. I didn't have any trouble carrying anything on inside the country (Puerto Vallarta to Monterrey)or going from Raleighm, NC into Mexico.

You might get in trouble with ice screws. I got away with it on my first trip to Alaska, but the second time resulted in a long belay and a series of more senior managers scratching their heads before deciding to play it safe and make me check them in.

TSA does have limitations on items that could be used as stabbing & bludgeoning weapons, so I tend to leave the nut tool and #4-#6 BD Camalots for the check-in bags just to be safe.

I traveled from SF to SLC for an Indian Creek trip over Thanksgiving, and although I was stopped and my carry-on was opened going & returning, they didn't mind me carrying on a duffel packed full of draws, biners & cams, though the cam wires can cause concern when viewed in the X-ray machine.