Flying with your knives?????

BlackEnd

BlackEnd

Life without knives would be, well…dull
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I haven't flown since the 911 laws changed everything. I'm going to the Blade Show in Atlanta in June and was curious about putting my knives in my check-in baggage. Should I just mail them to the hotel I'm staying at or will they be OK with my baggage? I don't want to get there and find my stuff has been russelled thru with my knives gone.
:(
 
You can take any legal knife or sword with you on your check-in baggage. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) publishes the list of permited and prohibited items on airplanes. They specifiy which items you can take in your carry-on or as a check-in. Knives, swords, and sabers are listed as permitted in your check-in baggage.

You can see their up-to-date list as a PDF document here:

http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/Prohibited_English_4-1-2005_v2.pdf

If you want more information go to their web site at:

http://www.tsa.gov/public/

That been said, make sure that while you follow TSA regulations you also limit access to your knives to avoid any "mysterious disappearance." Homeland security personnel will not remove anything from your bags without notifying you. The same can not be said of baggage handlers.

Enjoy, and have a safe trip.
 
Flying with your knives?????
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I'd recommend using an airplane to fly, you'll have a lot more success(sorry I couldn't help myself)

When it comes to flying with knives if it's anything valuable I'd contact the hotel and mail 'em insured with a signature required, that's generally how I travel these days with a good knife.

The only knives I carry in checked baggage are ones I'm not afraid to lose.
 
blackend said:
I haven't flown since the 911 laws changed everything. I'm going to the Blade Show in Atlanta in June and was curious about putting my knives in my check-in baggage. Should I just mail them to the hotel I'm staying at or will they be OK with my baggage? I don't want to get there and find my stuff has been russelled thru with my knives gone.
:(
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If they are expensive, leave em. Besides, you'll be in a metropolitan area, what do you need that expensive stag handled damascus bowie for anyway? :D Take a cheapie folder, stash it in your baggage that will go in the cargo hold, and leave it at that. Try this one on, you're going to an international knife show, buy a cheap knife, when you are going to leave, ship it home to yourself. By cheap knives, I do not mean Jaguar etc. I mean something like a CRKT, a Kabar Dozier/Mule, etc. Whatever you do buy at the show, pack it up and send it home to yourself.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm hoping to move some higher end pieces at the show. If it were a matter of just "bringing something along" to have on me; that doesn't worry me. Yeah, it would be something that wouldn't break my heart/wallet if lost or stolen.

I guess I meant is it legal to travel with folding knives in your luggage if it is being checked in? And I found the answer to be YES! Which is great. I guess one of the risks of flying(In an airplane, T. Erdelyi :rolleyes: ), is your things getting lost or stolen. Chances are slim, but again my concern was bringing them and Home Land Security confiscating them. Doesn't sound like that will happen if they are checked.

Preacherman, thanks for your input! ;)
 
It is permissible to lock your checked baggage AFTER it has been inspected. You just need to request this. The bag will be inspected under your supervision and then you can lock it as you wish under their supervision, and then it goes off to be put on your flight.

The exact arrangments vary from airport to airport since where and how inspection of checked baggage is done varies from airport to airport since no airport was originally designed to accomodate the 100% inspection of checked baggage.

The best thing to do is call the airline ticket desk at the airport you'll be departing from (no the airline's national 1-800 number, but the actual desk at the airport you'll be departing from) and ask what the procedure will be.

I recommend photographing all knives before packing them and then photographing them in the suitcase before closing it. Use a digital camera and you can delete these pictures when you find that your bag has arrived in fine order.

It is possible to purchase "Excess Valuation Insurance" for bags containing valuables, but it is expensive. You're homeowners insurance may cover losses from checked airline baggage.
 
I hear more people doing what Gollnick says, I haven't tried it yet because I don't mind mailing them ahead of me, I would suggest investing in a good set of locks and making sure you arrive at the airport early enough to insure enough time to have your checked bags inspected in your presence.
 
How about a simple invoice listing each knife packed in the case along with a digital photo print laid in with the knives when they are packed? I can go from taking a photo to a print on letter size paper in a few minutes. Along with Gollnicks suggestion on relocking the luggage.
 
It's not necessarily legal to put folding knives in your checked luggage.

Last spring, an individual was arrested at JFK (NY) and lodged in custody for the weekend on charge of possession of a gravity knife.

It was a common folder. I spoke with his lawyer to offer some background info on the gravity knife issue, which is a source of extreme irritation to me.

He was able to plead to reduced charge of a violation. But he spent time behind bars, and missed his flight home.

If you're going through JFK, even with checked luggage, I would personally only pack an SAK or similar, non-inertia opening pocketknife.

Seth
 
I just moved recently to Houston. I shipped several of my knives via UPS, but I also packed in my luggage many of my most expensive folders. What I did was to put the folders in the pockets of my pants. My thought was that anyone who was going to take something from my luggage would probably want to do it fast. They probably were not going to search through my packed clothes.

I do miss the days prior to 9-11, like when I flew back from Blade show with my Fowler "Pronghorn", my Carson Stellite & Stag M4, my PJ Tomes "Tah-Chee" Bowie in my carry-on bag. Those dys will never be back. :(
 
I read this a similar post over at the Spyderco forum.

Joyce recommended that you make a detailed list of your knives and print it out and then put a copy of it in your luggage with your knives and stamp the word "copy" on the paper. This way anyone wishing to steal this stuff knows you have an exact count of what you have and know it was there before it was checked in.

Another member said to put a roll of sticky cling clear food wrap in your luggage so you have it to use for the trip home and then also wrap your luggage about 20 layers deep with this stuff. This should be done because locks can be easily undone and put back. If someone has to cut through your clear sticky cling wrap you'll know it and can notify someone immediately.

I think these are both really good ideas.

Personally I would just carry a knife with a blade under 3" in my checked luggage. I would leave all my others at home. If I were moving I would box them up and ship them or drive them there myself :-)

Cheers,
Fisher of Men
 
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