backpack & airport bagage handlers

[Doug Hus]

Greetings, I'm looking for information on sending a backpack through airport baggage handlers.

Are there any tried and true stratagies for getting you pack to your destination safely?

-the pack will have treking poles.

Thanks,
Doug

[Jack G]

Buy a cheap duffel bag to put it in. Depending on how long you are staying and whether you are leaving from the same airport you can either get rid it or lock it in a storage locker at the airport if that is an option. Put the trekking poles in a cardboard tube and then also inside the duffel.

[Sumi Wada]

I fly with my gear at least 2-3 times a year and check it all inside a good solid rolling duffel. Mine is soft-sided but has a solid bottom. Most airlines have a maximum size limit of about 62", i.e. the length + width + height < 62. A 30" duffel that's 18" wide and 14" deep works well for me. Most collapsible poles will fit inside a 30" duffel.

I always put end caps on my poles and maybe wrap some clothes around it and put them toward the middle of the duffel. I don't use any tubes or additional protection and they've never been damaged.

I've heard of some people having their stoves confiscated but I've never had any issues. My gear is generally clean and neatly packed; maybe that helps. I do know that at least Continental Airlines explicitely does not allow backpacking/camping stoves in their checked luggage.

[Paul Wagner]

When we did Machu Picchu we just put our packs in suitcases, so they didn't look so obvious, and everything came throught perfectly.

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