Flashlight carry on

K

k5blazer

Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Messages
78
Not being an experienced traveler I am curious if I can carry a mini-Maglight flashlight on an airliner. I went to the TSA site and printed the list of prohibited items and did not see anything about flashlights. Is the min-Mag too big or should I drop down in size if it is allowed?
 
I have a 2-AA Cell Maglight on my keychain and carry it when I fly all the time. Once in a while, one of the screeners will insist on turning it on and seeing that it is a flashlight. Other than that, it's never been refused at all.

I also keep a 2-AAA Cell Maglight in my briefcase which I often fly with. I don't that one has ever been even looked at.

By the way, there is a company here in the Portland area, Revelation Arms, that makes a single-shot .22 gun that exactly looks like a 2-AA Maglight. So it always amazes me to see those guards looking down the barrel of that flashlight of mine while they turn it on. Buddy, you'd better hope that is a flashlight.
 
I flew from Burbank to Oakland and back yesterday on business and had a Surefire E2e and Inova X5 in my laptop case and an Arc AAA on my keyring with no problems. The surefire usually rides in my pocket, but I've found it's less hassle to just put all metalic stuff in my case before going through security; watch, belt, money clip, etc.
 
Anybody have any trouble getting through security with a surefire or inova x5 with a GG&G TID on it?
 
I carry my 6p on United flights regularly with no questions asked. Security people might have a problem with a 6 cell mag, but they just don't care about little pocket sized lights. I would never bother putting a tid on a flashlight because I believe they are wothless, but I doubt that the security people would know enough to care unless you told them.
 
metallicat said:
Anybody have any trouble getting through security with a surefire or inova x5 with a GG&G TID on it?
Click to expand...

Kubaton's are banned along with all the other related (or not related) martial arts inspired stuff.

Depending on the brain dead idiot at the security screen, you may or may not get through. If they are on their toes, they will confiscate it.

Normal two cell flashlights have not been a problem but, expect to turn it on for them. I have not had them make me taste test my drink yet so, you never know ..... is that a two cell bulb in that light? What is that little thing frozen in the ice cube? ..... sometimes the intent is good but, the wholes in the system make me wonder ... is it just a Public Relations thing? It sure is an expensive system, I wonder why we don't get more out of it.

And why does it take longer for me to fly between two cities that are 200 or 300 miles apart then it does to drive it in a rental car?
 
Sid Post said:
Depending on the brain dead idiot at the security screen, you may or may not get through. If they are on their toes, they will confiscate it.
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I know at least one alert, knowledgeable knife knut who works for the TSA. :D

When in doubt, leave it home -- or like the man says: drive.
 
Sid Post said:
Kubaton's are banned along with all the other related (or not related) martial arts inspired stuff.... Normal two cell flashlights have not been a problem but, expect to turn it on for them.
Click to expand...

But that's the beauty of the 2-AA Maglight. It's a dandy Kubaton but yet it slides right past security with nothing more than being turned on.




I have not had them make me taste test my drink yet so, you never know
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I just about always have a hipflask in my briefcase. Every once in a while, the inspector will open it and smell it. Once or twice they've made me take a drink out of it. It's whiskey, though, and whiskey has a strong enough smell that that's usually enough.

Why do I carry a hipflask of whiskey? Simple: I buy one of the airline's overpriced nips-in-a-bottle and then just keep the glass full from my private stock when the flight attendant isn't looking. Saves money.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I know at least one alert, knowledgeable knife knut who works for the TSA. :D
Click to expand...

Like most people, I remember vividly the bad situations and to a lesser extent the good ones.

There are a lot of good people at TSA doing a good job. There are also some who are not. My guess is that during post 9-11 build up when TSA was hiring a lot of people, a few bad apples slipped through the hiring process. That is only a guess on my part. As I travel across the USA and other parts of the world, I see drastically different standards. I can understand that when I cross international borders but, East coast to West Coast of the USA? Some airports do a better job then others. For a national system, these local differences make me wonder at times. The money aspects are a whole different soapbox ;)

Just so there is no confusion, I admire all the civil servants who are doing their best to make this world a better place for all.
 
I flew up for a meeting with the FBI in W. Virginia last January and it was the first time that I have flown since 9/11. I was dreading dealing with airport security but I ended up with no problems at all. I took EVERYTHING out of my pockets, took my watch off and hiking boots off before I went through the metal detectors. I went through Airport security in Baton Rouge and Pittsburgh with about 5 lights (a couple Photons, a PT Attitude and two customized Surefires) in my carry-on bag and nobody gave them a second look.

I saw many many people getting pulled out of line though and searched, mostly men in three piece business suits with lots of jewelery. I also saw a couple of idiots try to sneak small pocketknives in their carry on bags, and that did not work at all. I was horrified by the number of people that I saw throwing their knives, scissors and multitools into 'amnesty' boxes at the Pittsburgh airport.
:barf: :mad:
 
I don't know about american airport security but i have not had any trouble with my Surefire L4 on me. In fact i carry my Surefire and the big a$$ windmill shockpro round lighter on me all the time. I just empty out my pockets and everything else into my Tilley LT5 and pass it through the detectors. Never once did they ask me to

I've had no trouble at London Heathrow, Sydney and Melbourne airports and even the Rome airport.

As long as you cooperate they won't confiscate your torchlight.

If you're worried about forgetting something prohibited in your bag always carry a stamped self addressed envelope. That way you can always post back your knives or whatever.
 
I took an M6, U2, L2 and some no-name SureFire on a business trip to Italy a couple weeks ago. I also took a couple of SC3's.

UK "security" didn't bat an eyelid.

Italian "security" sent the bag of candy I purchased for the office back through x-ray by itself. I was asked to empty my carry-on rucksack and the flashlights gathered no interest what so ever.

I've carried an E2d from Vegas to London after SS2004. It didn't get any comments either.

Perhaps if I had taken one of my other M6's with a Crenelated bezel it would have caused questions to be asked?

P53.jpg


Al
 
metallicat said:
Anybody have any trouble getting through security with a surefire or inova x5 with a GG&G TID on it?
Click to expand...

Haven't tried my TID E2e, but I carry an E2d most trips in my carry on, so far without incident.
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
I just about always have a hipflask in my briefcase. Every once in a while, the inspector will open it and smell it. Once or twice they've made me take a drink out of it. It's whiskey, though, and whiskey has a strong enough smell that that's usually enough.
Click to expand...
[Definite OT begins]
Hipflack of whiskey is pehaps the next EDC gadget I want to add to Cellphone/knife/ flashlight. Too bad my parents (esp. mother) would be against it....
[Definite OT ends. Sorry, could not resist...]
 
I've taken my E2 on every flight I've been on in the past couple of years. Throw it in my backpack, send it through the scanner, never a problem.
 
I always carry at least a little LED light on me, but usually a 2AA mag as well.
Same story as everyone else, have to turn it on occasionally but thats it, no problems.

Gollnick, you hide it with the flask? I sometimes just wiggle it at them and ask for a cup with ice :D . Same thing, a nip o whiskey'll tide ya over nicely on a long flight.

Jon
 
Revolvergeek said:
I saw many many people getting pulled out of line though and searched, mostly men in three piece business suits with lots of jewelery. I also saw a couple of idiots try to sneak small pocketknives in their carry on bags, and that did not work at all. I was horrified by the number of people that I saw throwing their knives, scissors and multitools into 'amnesty' boxes at the Pittsburgh airport.
:barf: :mad:
Click to expand...

I dropped my sis in law to a small regional airport in the UK and took her as far as the scanner gate. On the way back I collected a nice pearl handled folder on the way back that someone had left on top of the 'amnesty box'. I was pretty disappointed when I got to the car and found the 'pearl' was plastic and the blade was 'wiggly' :mad:

The best knife I have seen in a box was a nicely polished Buck folder at Heathrow.
 
i always carried my A2 in one of the outer pocket of my maxpedition thermite. got everything in it. when boarding the airplane just throw it into the scanner together with my carry-on. never had a problem. but never took any chance my folders, always throw them into the check-in luggage. in fact only recently, i accidentally left my leatherman micra, atttached to my keychain together with mag solitaire, in the thermite on the way back from beijing and nobody realized it until i was back home.
 
Interesting thread.
I am about to travel and plant to take some kind of light, maybe the trusty little G2 or mabye the inova Xo or X3, nothing too big.

The thing I'm wondering is kinda 2 questions in one.
When I buy lithium batteries, they come in a box labeled "Not permitted on passenger aircraft" or something similar.
I wonder why this is. Are lithium batteries prone to explode under the slight pressure a passenger cabin is put to under flight at altitude? or is this for some other reason?
Kinda makes me not want to take any light with Lithium batts, but from what I've read, it seems that they get through no problem.

There's no reason I could think of to have this label on the boxes, and why passenger aircraft. They ok on transport?
LOL

but really, any insight to why I've seen these labels from 2 different Companies( Oso Grande and Surefire themselves)
|M|
 
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