@#*!~%@#! Tsa

[fishface5]

I am freaking pissed off. I tossed my SS Spydie Dragonfly into the outside pocket of my checked baggage, and when I arrived at my destination lo and behold it was gone. You can't lock the bags or they'll break the lock. You can't fingure out whose to blame, since the airlines, the security firms and the TSA all point fingers at each other. They essentially have free license to steal whatever they want. Although thank goodness they didn't take my awesome new CPF Arc AAA which was in the same pocket. I've never had this happen before, has anyone else?

Silver lining: now I have to decide what new replacement knife to buy . . . but I'm still pissed!

 

[Julian Elliot]

That really sux. I'm surprised we haven't heard this more often. I wonder if there is a procedure for declaring/insuring the contents of your checked bags, as you do when shipping stuff, and how much of a hassle it is?

I've pretty much given up on the notion of carrying any customs or other hard-to-replace items on a plane. Last time I flew I had a paranoia attack in the airport about the Spyderco Dodo I was checking, so I tried to rig up a padlock though the Spyderhole and through a brace inside my bag. It would have worked, but I ran out of time and was concerned that the knife would open and possibly cut someone going through my bag, so I just left it in a small pocket. [I don't like the TSA either, but I don't want any of their people bleeding into my luggage or possibly charging me with booby-trapping a bag.] The knife made the flight OK. It's actually a good idea, and if I had thought about it before I left home I could have locked the knife to the inside of the bag and wrapped some duct tape around it to keep it from opening.

I'm going to try it next time I fly.

 

[dayuhan13]

I have been flying regularly since all the security changes had come into effect. I pack my blades an a small toiletry bag, placed in the main compartment of a piece of checked luggage. I make it a point to arrive at the airport early enough to watch the TSA agent perform thier security check and when they are done, I slap a solid secure combo lock on the main compartment zippers and head for the gate. TSA requires that checked luggage be unlocked to do thier check but have no problems with allowing them to be locked after passing inspection. IMO, outer pockets on luggage are designated for items you won't miss if lost or damaged. Keep the important stuff inside. It might be a pain in the ass to get to when you've retrieved your luggage but worth the extra time if all of your gear gets to where you're going.

I've gone through security with my SF 6P and Inova Tactical in my carry-on without a hassle. I don't recall flashlights as being on the banned list.

Dayuhan

 

[knifedaddy84]

Originally posted by fishface5
I've never had this happen before, has anyone else?
Silver lining: now I have to decide what new replacement knife to buy . . . but I'm still pissed!

I had a Swiss Army vanish from an outside luggage pocket on a trip to the Caribbean. I was irked. But my wife felt bad and bought me an even cooler replacement. I like that idea posted about securing the knife in the bag, though. But I'd say forget bringing anything you wouldn't want to lose.

 

[SanchoPanza]

I've lurked here for quite a while, and this is my first post, but I just had to respond to this thread. The same thing happened to me on a flight from LAX to BWI. I had a Kershaw ATS-34 Liner Lock (the one w/ G-10 scales) in a piece of checked luggage. This was a month before 9-11, so I had a luggage lock on the bag, and when I arrived the lock had been snapped by boltcutters and the knife had been removed. At first I thought it had been thieves, but I had a very expensive camera and several other high dollar items in that bag right next to my knife and they were all left untouched. So I didn't know what to think, but it seems as if this "thief" was very selective in what he took, and that his priorities did not lie in dollar value or pilferability, as with most thieves.

 

[donutsrule]

Put a padlock through the Spyderhole and around the body of your knife.
They can steal it, but they are going to have to take extraordinary efforts to try to use the thing, and it wont fit well in their pocket as they try to take it from work.

It also could function as a child-safety for home use.

 

[bell]

A Spyderco Dodo was stolen from my checked baggage on a flight from Reno to LAX November this year.

 

[allyourblood]

welcome to the forums (or is that, congrats on your first post?), SanchoPanza.

back on topic, i don't EVER travel (least of all on a plane), but if i do, i think i'll just leave my steel at home, buy a decent cheapie (like a Kershaw Vapor) when i get where i'm goin', and then just ship it back CHEAP.

i'm aware some of you travel too often for this to be feaseable, but for others, it's a thought.

abe m.

 

[dayuhan13]

Originally posted by Julian Elliot
Last time I flew I had a paranoia attack in the airport about the Spyderco Dodo I was checking, so I tried to rig up a padlock though the Spyderhole and through a brace inside my bag.

I like the idea but my current EDC's are not Spydercos. I have made the effort and spent some money on purchasing a folder and a small fixed blade kept at the three locations I travel to most. I spent about $125 altogether which was worth the piece of mind.

I have also sent gear to locations prior to arrival and sent it back to when returning home. A simple call to the hotel was all that was needed. I made contact with the manager or concierge informing them to hold the package until I arrived. Most were happy to make the arrangments to send it back as well. The managers and concierge of better establishments understand the concept of discretion. This is especially useful when travelling overseas.

Dayuhan

 

[Boink]

I toyed with the idea of disassembling my custom knives into parts and taping up the blades, so that they won't be so tempting looking to outsiders.

 

[knifedaddy84]

Originally posted by dayuhan13
The managers and concierge of better establishments understand the concept of discretion. This is especially useful when travelling overseas.

Yup. And take a cue from James Bond. Everything he takes with him is considered expendable.

 

[Emanuel]

Originally posted by Julian Elliot
Last time I flew I had a paranoia attack in the airport about the Spyderco Dodo I was checking, so I tried to rig up a padlock though the Spyderhole and through a brace inside my bag.

Very good thinking. That's never crossed my mind.

I'm more into fixed blades, but a variation of that can be done through the lanyard hole.

As donutsrule said, maybe a padlock would work well.

Great ideas, thanks. See that's why I love this forum, we can exchange ideas and solutions to problems we, as knife enthusiasts, face.
-----

bell wrote,
A Spyderco Dodo was stolen from my checked baggage on a flight from Reno to LAX November this year.

Do you see the irony in the fact the knife's name is "Dodo", and it too has dissappeared forever?

 

[fishface5]

Just heard a story on NPR today on this very issue. Guy gets to hotel, opens bag, and says "where's my freaking belt?!?!?!?" Somehow his favorite expensive belt disappeared from the bag's interior during the flight. The story said that the TSA & the airlines are working on joint responsibility, with the TSA paying 40% and the airlines 60%, BUT the TSA wants to limit its liability to $3 million a year, and the airline rep was saying "we won't say how much stuff goes missing per year, but it's way more than that." More than $7 million of stuff a year goes missing??? Seems like that's a big enough problem that someone should be addressing it at the stealing end, not just at the compensation end.

 

[lifter4Him]

When I had to fly to Nashville for a week last year to visit family I mailed myself one of my Carsons a few days ahead of time there, and mailed it home when I left. They aint getting my knives.