How to protect a pack for air travel?

[dyee]

I know people wrap their packs in covers/bags/wrap to protect the straps and outside from being worn. However, what do you do to protect a internal frame from being mangled? I have a Gregory z55, that has a internal sheet and one aluminum stay.

 

[mete]

Put it inside a Pelican box !!!

 

[Tohatchi NM]

I usually just toss it in a duffle bag. One advantage of an internal frame is that they have enough flexibility to spring back from relatively major abuse. If you're really worried, you could put a thin piece of plywood or heavy cardboard in the bottom of the duffle to keep it from being folded in half.

 

[Ming65]

I buy a cheap, oversized duffle bag and stow the pack in there for flights. If travelling I roll the duffle up and pack it inside the pack when arriving - if I'm going on a trek I usually leave the duffle (and a few spare clothes) at a hotel or hostel until I return - they'll normally store them for free.

 

[PHANTOM6]

Anything you do will be undone by the morons at TSA. If they fail, then the airline baggage handlers will have a shot at it. I agree that soft, well madduffels seem to fare pretty well. Anything that has a hard shape is freakin doomed.

 

[Gollnick]

Anything you do will be undone by the morons at TSA.

The big problem with a back pack as checked baggage for air travel is that most people pack them very densely and they also tend to be rather thick. This makes it very difficult for the CTX X-ray machines to image the contents. The machine just can't see what's in the middle of a 15"-diameter pack that's densely stuffed. So, yes, it is likely to be pulled aside for hand inspection. And they're not going to do the same carefull job that you did of artfully fitting all your gear into your pack.

If they fail, then the airline baggage handlers will have a shot at it.

The handlers aren't always the problem. There's a lot of automated equipment used to handle baggage these days and it can really be brutal on the bags. Backpacks aren't made to slide down slides and be handled by conveyor belts.

The airline baggage handling system is designed to handle suitcases. You put anything else into it at your own risk.

Straps and handles and tie-points of all sorts are very easily caught in the equipment and broken or ripped right off.

Anything that has a hard shape is freakin doomed.

If it's not designed for the task, that's pretty true.

My advice -- and you're not gonna like it -- is to go to a second-hand store and get a couple of hard-sided suitcases. Pack your stuff loosely in the suitcases and then pack the empty backpack in one of the suitcases too. When you get to your destination, then artfully pack the stuff into your backpack.