My solution for securing knife in stowed luggage (I hope)

Walkabout

Walkabout

Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
637
Hi,

As much as reasonably possible, I believe the setup below will secure my knife (my newly acquired Inficoot) from theft when I fly in a couple of weeks.

I was hoping to be able to slip a small cable lock (that my daughters use for their snowboards) through the lanyard hole, but the hole was too narrow.

I bought a steel ring (much like those on a choke-chain for dogs), and after cutting it and slipping it through the lanyard hole I had a welder join the cut ends of the ring. I finished it up (for aesthetics) with a Dremel.

After drilling a hole through one of the latches of my suitcase ( this latch/hook just used for a divider, so the lock won't affect the suitcase closing) and using a small padlock, I believe this is a fairly secure setup (at least as far as a quick grab is concerned).

Thought I'd share, in case others had comments or might decide on something similar.

lock.jpg


Mike
 
Are you gonna the ring off again when your'e done? It seems that putting it on and then taking it off every flight would be a pain, but aside from that it sounds pretty secure.
 
James Muehlner said:
Are you gonna the ring off again when your'e done? It seems that putting it on and then taking it off every flight would be a pain, but aside from that it sounds pretty secure.
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Hi,

I plan to leave it on. It doesn't get in the way when holding the knife, and it makes for a handy place to clip/tie on a lanyard. When I'm in the canoe, I like to clip on a temporary lanyard from my belt to my sheathed knives to be sure that I can't accidently lose one into the water. I unclip it when in camp.

Mike
 
If a tsa agent decides to steal it they have bolt cutters and lock pick training... I agree that it does make it more difficult and therefore more secure. ALso if they feel it needs to be inspected or swabbed they may bust the lock anyway.

Good luck

Neko2
 
Ah -- TSA will probably take that


They have already taken 3 of my knives, one of which was a 92 year old butterfly knife that was given to me by my father which was given to him by his father

They didnt care.

It didnt help that i forgot to take them out of my backpack though as i went through the X-ray


Oh well -- thank God it was a 250$ fine instead of a 5,000$ PER BLADE

First time i ever saw an FBI agent :-)
 
ZoneOne said:
Ah -- TSA will probably take that
Click to expand...


I've traveled by air over 100 times since 9/11.

I've never had a knife stolen out of checked luggage since TSA took over from contracted airport security and handlers. Yes, I'm sure luck has something to do with it.

TSA at gate check can be over zealous. They confiscated a small multitool (plier, screw driver) since screw drivers aren't permitted. My interpretation was a screw driver big enough to be a weapon while their's is any scredriver.

The first rule of air travel is never pack a knife in checked luggage that you can't afford to lose.
 
ZoneOne said:
Ah -- TSA will probably take that
Click to expand...

Do you mean that they will confiscate it as a prohibited item (although it's just a 4.5 inch fixed blade in stowed luggage) or an "unofficial confiscation" because they like it?

I was under the impression (perhaps mistakenly so! :confused: ) that such an item would be OK to transport in stowed luggage, but that there was a risk of theft. I had hoped that by forcing a thief to resort to bolt cutters or a hacksaw, this would deter most of the usual opportunistic thieves.

Mike
 
It isnt a problem with travelling with the knife

Its a damn good chance of theft thats all im saying -- and when it comes to TSA they make up the rules as they go along

Anyone could take it, for any reason and you'd be screwed - It's up to you if you want to take that risk -- i have travelled with many knives in checked luggage -- Never had a problem, but i know many other of my friends who have recieved their luggage only to find they dont have the knive's they originally packed
 
ZoneOne said:
...It didnt help that i forgot to take them out of my backpack though as i went through the X-ray....
Click to expand...

You're kidding, right?

You "forget" to take a treasured family memento out of your carry-on before going through the metal detectors?

Sorry - no sympathy here. :rolleyes:
 
Mike Harlos said:
Hi,

As much as reasonably possible, I believe the setup below will secure my knife (my newly acquired Inficoot) from theft when I fly in a couple of weeks...

...Thought I'd share, in case others had comments or might decide on something similar.
Click to expand...

NICE! :D I might set up one of the folders I like to travel with like that. My checked luggage has a steel frame inside that I could do that with.

Also, check this out:
http://www.pac-safe.com/
(Pic Attached.) I've been thinking of getting one of these steel mesh bags for INSIDE my luggage for other things I might not want stolen. They come in different sizes.
 

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I solved this problem recently by packing only my old Buck 112. A good knife that does most of what I need, and I wouldn't be too upset if a baggage handler wanted to take it home.

They didn't steal it, but they sure tore the hell out of my brand new luggage!
 
I travel a lot and have never had a knife stolen by TSA or baggage handlers. However, long before TSA, I've known people who have had their whole bags and sometimes valuables inside taken by the handlers. NYC used to have a real bad reputation for this in the 1970s.

I have been told that TSA can and will confiscate a knife, or anything else, found in checked luggage that violates local statutes. So be aware of local laws if you travel with a butterfly, automatic or Cuda Max in your bags.
 
I wonder how much it would cost to Fedex a knife to wherever you are staying (hotel, relatives, etc) vs. the aggravation and worry of trying to get it through checked luggage.
 
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