So, you are heading to the airport....

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In a time when airport security is at its height, what IS safe to bring? We constantly talk about what you should EDC, some basic gear in case you are out and about when something happens. However, what do we bring traveling by plane? We are not able to carry a nail file, let alone that new Spirit we just snagged. And what about our small FAKs? Nope, forget about them. Our BOB's are in our cars, when we might actually need them, going to a foreign place.

So you are heading to the airport, what are you carrying?
 
I took a trip out west last August. I carried a Maxpedition Monsoon as my carry on. Nothing I had in the bag was questioned. I had (among other things) a basic fire kit (with petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls, and a lighter and fire steel) a small first aid kit, water purification tablets, a pair of tweezers and a small pair of scissors in a little duct tape sheath that I made, with extra duct tape wrapped around the outside, note pad, pens and pencils, and (possibly my favorite addition) a big pencil sharpener from the hardware store that has the blade secured by a little philips head screw. Those sharpeners are great for making shavings for fire starting anyway, and being able to remove the blade just makes it that much more potentially useful if the s**t really does hit the fan.

As a side note, on the trip out I also accidentally forgot to stow my Spyderco Dragonfly in my checked baggage, and didn't realise it 'till we were getting ready to go through security. I considered just dropping it in a trash can to avoid any chance of trouble, but ended up slipping it into my little pouch that my camera rides in, and it didn't get caught. Either the TSA wasn't paying attention that morning, or it blended in with the camera on the scanner. So I got to keep a pocket knife with me on my outbound trip.

Disclaimer: I'm not recommending that anyone try sneaking contraband through airport security or anything, and I realise that I may not have made the "right" choice in hiding the knife in my bag, and that doing so could have caused all kinds of trouble for me. Just sharing my story.
 
What would I carry?

...pretty much what i would normally carry...minus the sharp and pointy things on the verboten list.

And anything i can't carry on the plane but could carry at the destination goes in the checked luggage..
 
From my experience:

Sharp objects like axe and long knives goes in checked luggage.
TSA will open your baggage to look.
They leave a signed note with the 'inspectors' work #.

Also screening hand luggage depends on the direction of the wind and if the TSA argued with their spouse.
I have had watercolor paint boxes taken apart, and sandwitches opened!
Go figure....
I would not want to forget a knife in my hand luggage in a situation like that
 
Salamander42 said:
I took a trip out west last August. I carried a Maxpedition Monsoon as my carry on. Nothing I had in the bag was questioned. I had (among other things) a basic fire kit (with petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls, and a lighter and fire steel) a small first aid kit, water purification tablets, a pair of tweezers and a small pair of scissors in a little duct tape sheath that I made, with extra duct tape wrapped around the outside, note pad, pens and pencils, and (possibly my favorite addition) a big pencil sharpener from the hardware store that has the blade secured by a little philips head screw. Those sharpeners are great for making shavings for fire starting anyway, and being able to remove the blade just makes it that much more potentially useful if the s**t really does hit the fan.

As a side note, on the trip out I also accidentally forgot to stow my Spyderco Dragonfly in my checked baggage, and didn't realise it 'till we were getting ready to go through security. I considered just dropping it in a trash can to avoid any chance of trouble, but ended up slipping it into my little pouch that my camera rides in, and it didn't get caught. Either the TSA wasn't paying attention that morning, or it blended in with the camera on the scanner. So I got to keep a pocket knife with me on my outbound trip.

Disclaimer: I'm not recommending that anyone try sneaking contraband through airport security or anything, and I realise that I may not have made the "right" choice in hiding the knife in my bag, and that doing so could have caused all kinds of trouble for me. Just sharing my story.
Click to expand...


It is scary to think about, isn't it?

It seems that TSA has slacked off in airport security.

They focus on "powder residue" and "how many ounces is that shampoo."

They overlook the small, simple things. For instance, knives.

Were you flying out of the Indianapolis Airport?
 
on the "sharp pointy things list" it appears that a pair of lineman's/electrician's scissors is acceptable...pointed end less than 4inch blade... looks suspiciously like a push dagger
 
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Since you can't have your BOB, for me a lot of travel prep is about hotel safety. There are a lot of hotel fires every year and many sources on the web for best practices when staying at a hotel. I traveled last week to a city where ideal conditions were predicted for tornado outbreaks. I threw a headlamp ,poncho, and a couple N-95 masks in my luggage and changed my reservation to a room on the first floor near an exit. Also, put some extra bottled water and a couple hotel granola bars in the bathroom where I would have hid if need be. My point is, there a lot of things one can think about for travel safety that don't all involve bringing tools with.
 
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