What FLIES today . . .

Pritch

Pritch

Joined
May 3, 2006
Messages
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Following 9/11 and the resulting changes in security procedures on commercial aircraft, there has been quite a bit of confusion about what can and what cannot be taken aboard a commercial flight, either on your person or in your carry on bag. This Christmas, my wife and I flew from snowy Seattle to sunny Ft. Lauderdale. Here is a picture of what I carried in my pockets:

451925298_BT4LK-L.jpg

TSA had no problems with the tactical flashlight (Nitcore Extreme), the Bic lighter, the Photon LED light or the BSA HotSpark firesteel. (I also have a small firesteel in my wallet.) I know at one point they were not allowing lighters on board but the only eyebrow it raised was by an anti-smoking zealot. :rolleyes:

This is not to say that TSA was in any way lax. I spent many years managing security teams so I alway tend to evaluate TSA when traveling. Usually I have not been impressed, but on our initial trip out of Seattle on Christmas Eve, I was favorably impressed with the competence and diligence of the agents I encountered.

Normally we we only check luggage if I will be bringing a handgun. As some bonehead that will remain nameless managed to let his Florida concealed weapon license expire :mad:, that wasn't going to happen! We were bringing a bunch of Christmas presents, so we checked one box on the trip there. I put my EDC Kershaw folder in the checked box. Since we weren't checking anything on the way home, I had an envelope ready for my mother in law to mail the knife back to me when we left.

-- FLIX
 
thanks for sharing!

i was a bit surprised at what you are allowed to carry on a plane, such as various tools under 4", like screwdrivers and small hammers...as well as pointed scissors and various other things that would make fine improvised weapons.

interesting to note that it used to be advised that when flying with firearms to lock them up and stow them beneath your seat...(the travel book i read this in was printed in the 1970s)
 
I did some flying over the holidays and had similar stuff in my carryon, I didn't go with a tactical light though (had heard mixed reviews about flying with these, if you run into a TSA agent that knows what it is they sometimes won't let you bring it). I had a micro widgy bar bouncing around the bottom of my pack that I didn't even know about, and this really threw the TSA agents for a loop. They basically had to dump everying out to get at it, but when they saw what it was the guy said "cool bottle opener". I just let it go and packed my bag back up. On the return flight I put the widgy bar onto my keyring and it didn't even raise an eye.

My gear in carry on:

magnesium bar/flint combo
3-4 bic lighters (I know I had two, but there had to be at least one I didn't know about in my pack somewhere)
Zebra F701
Surefire G2 nitrolon with red filter
water treatment drops
mini FAK
micro widgy bar (this came in handy to open a blister package of headphones)
EMT shears
 
SVRIDER1 said:
I'm guessing the tsa would allow my surefire e2d, and or any number of tac pens
Click to expand...

I carried my MilTac pen a few months ago no problem. Likewise my Dovo shavette went through without so much as a second look. I had it in my carry-on without a blade in it, but there's no way they could have known if it did or not. (for those unfamiliar, a shavette is like a straight razor that uses a half of a double-edged razor blade held in a sleeve)

dovo201shavetteblack.jpg


Image courtesy of a quick google images search.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I carried my MilTac pen a few months ago no problem. Likewise my Dovo shavette went through without so much as a second look. I had it in my carry-on without a blade in it, but there's no way they could have known if it did or not. (for those unfamiliar, a shavette is like a straight razor that uses a half of a double-edged razor blade held in a sleeve)

dovo201shavetteblack.jpg


Image courtesy of a quick google images search.
Click to expand...

Is the body of that thing metal? Because if it's plastic they would be able to see the blade in it on the xray.

If one were to forget they had left that in their bag, and it had the blade on it, one could simply dispose of the blade and keep the rest, and if security failed to see it one would have a blade on the airplane. Hmmm.
 
The body is metal. Mine is uncoated. I had removed the blade and had a pack of double-edges in my checked luggage, but they didn't even pause to check if it had anything in it. I think it would have gone through just fine with a blade in it!
 
I'm 99% sure I had my pillsplitter in my shoulder bag the last couple of time I went through airport security.

Of course, the pillsplitter has a little single edge razor blade in it! :eek:

Didn't even occur to me at the time...
 
Here's the problem.

There is NO consistency in what airports allow.

That inconsistency is an obvious sign that the TSA, homeland security and all other government agencies that say they are "keeping us safe" have absolutely NO control and are obviously oblivious to what the real threat is.

You can cruise past the first airport without taking your shoes off and they don't take your keychain SAK, the next one confiscates your P-38 and treats you like a criminal.

Here is my advice, don't carry ANYTHING you are not ready to throw in the trash.
 
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