Getting Gear Through Airport Security

I'm planning on flying out west and due to weight concerns on my checked bag I will be trying to get a bunch of cams, alpine draws, and belay devices through security. Anyone have any issues with this in the past? If so anything I can do to make my life easier?

Thanks
Jared

Do a search and you will find several threads with your answers.

ok thanks

As long as you don't have screws, axes/tools, hammers, (and maybe pins), you're good.

awesome thanks

Good luck and have fun. Should be no big deal. I've done it many times.
Leave your nut tool at home, or check it and put a tag/note on it explaining what it is taped to a picture from a catalog page if needed - but do NOT try to carry it on.
Everything else put in a stuff-sack that you can run through on it's own so that they don't flag your whole bag and go through the whole deal. Too much metal makes it all hard to see and you'll get everything pulled.

You should not sniff your chalk in front of the police desk :-)

Jared Garfield wrote:I'm planning on flying out west and due to weight concerns on my checked bag I will be trying to get a bunch of cams, alpine draws, and belay devices through security. Anyone have any issues with this in the past? If so anything I can do to make my life easier? Thanks Jared

Checked bag? No. You can have just about anything in your checked bag as so long as it is not explosive, flammable, compressed or otherwise reactive. You can even carry a firearm in your checked baggage as so long as it is empty and you declare it!

As they said - you should not have any issues. Keep in mind - you can always run across "special" TSA person, they ones who strip search 5 year old kids, and your experience will vary.

One alternative to carrying all the gear with you is shipping it to destination. Is quite comparable to paying additional fare, easier to track since shipping companies are in business of getting your stuff there.

sweet sounds like it shouldn't be any trouble

I throw a copy of a climbing magazine in with the bag as well so it's more self explanatory. You'd be suprised how many people don't grasp what climbing is.

John Marsella wrote:

that's the place you want to hide a cam, and you choose a #6??

Tony B wrote:Leave your nut tool at home, or check it and put a tag/note on it explaining what it is taped to a picture from a catalog page if needed - but do NOT try to carry it on.

I accidentally packed a Trango Shark nut tool in my carry-on bag (DIA; post 9-11) and TSA didn't even open my bag. Woops.


In my experience, the larger the airport you're flying from, the less your gear will get scrutinized. I often fly from DIA to BDL (Hartford/Springfield) and back. On my way out of DIA, they rarely look at my climbing gear. On my way out of BDL (much less traffic than DIA), they almost always pull everything out and inspect it.

Marc H wrote: In my experience, the larger the airport you're flying from, the less your gear will get scrutinized. I often fly from DIA to BDL (Hartford/Springfield) and back. On my way out of DIA, they rarely look at my climbing gear. On my way out of BDL (much less traffic than DIA), they almost always pull everything out and inspect it.

Don't forget how many climbers must leave either from or to DIA on multinationa climbing trips. We are talking haul bags here...

Bradley on the other hand....

Makes a big difference WHERE the airport is not just the size. I called TSA and asked them about a rope once, and they asked me "like a cowboy"? It's all about their general awareness.

Check online with the carrier, some have sports luggage deals, otherwise if weight is an issue, try a home a scale, i flew from CYOW to CYVR a number of times with gear, never brought it carry on, usually stuffed in a crash pad (ie: ropes, snow axe.. etc...) never had an issue. Hardware usually comes near 50 pounds so it's usually within the allowable weight limit for a second bag (for Air Canada) but will cost you around 20$ extra at check-in.

After carrying-on my rack 5 or 6 times, and each time having been subjected to a bag search, I always pull all my gear out of my bag and place it in a separate bin. This seems to allow me to avoid the bag search. It is kind of interesting though - every time my bag is searched, I end up in a group of agents telling me about their brother/nephew/friend who used to climb. So, if you are not running late, and feel like making friends w/ TSAs - leave it in your bag.

The TSA recently announced that they will ease their rules. They now supposedly are going to let people carry small pocketknives onto passenger planes along with 2 golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, billard sticks, ski poles, hockey sticks, and plastic Wiffle Ball-style bats. The limit is retractable blades shorter than 2.36" and narrower than a half-inch, according to TSA adminstrator John Pistole. The change which conforms with international rules and will take effect April 25, 2013.

Leo Paik wrote:...and plastic Wiffle Ball-style bats. \

Did they actually consider Wiffle Ball bats to be a security threat?