Flying With Backpacking Gear: TSA, FAA PackSafe, and Airline Rules for Carry-On and Checked Bags

That’s the problem with all this. The descriptions in the various channels are way to limited.

And then there is what the actual person checking decides to do.

The key phrase is, “The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.”

In the past TSA lists, solid fuel was addressed, I thought. Some have taken it carry on, but if they know more about what it is composed of or how it burns, probably not. As usual, TSA listing is lacking.

I wish they would allow for at least plastic tent stakes up to a certain length, like the tools category. Swiss army knives (58 mm) are probably harmless. The determined criminal could make a weapon out of alot of the allowed carry on items.

FWIW: There was an active thread started several days ago on this topic:   https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/flying-with-gear/

In my mind, the most important thing to keep in mind is that discretion of the TSA agent makes everything unpredictable. I have an acquaintance who has twice lost a “multi-tool” twice which was designed to be TSA approved https://www.swissknifeshop.com/products/swiss-army-jetsetter. Printing out the rules to make you case will typically just piss off the agents earning your additional scrutiny and delay.  After loosing his Jetsetter tool several times he gave up.

I love doing carry-on only (my rational at the beginning of https://verber.com/packing), but unless you are doing cold soak, whether you do carry-on or check through, you will have to ground ship, have a friend provide, or acquire at least your fuel. I think their are three basic approaches:

1) Do carry-on, leaving all questionable items behind by living without or finding “safe alternatives”.  This is the approach I use. Some notes I made about mixing front and back country travel https://verber.com/trek-packs/#mixed My personal favorite hack is carrying bamboo chopsticks rather than metal stakes.

2) If your pack is carry-on dimensions, take it carry-on so there is no chance for your items to be misplaced or damaged. Check through items that might be questionable.  For me, an extra large tube designed for shipping posters.

3) Check your bag which has been wrapped for protection – heavy plastic, duffel bag, etc.  Carry on anything which you can’t afford to replace which is carry-on legal.

Thanks, Ryan, this is very helpful.

I’m not sure that agents look at the tips of your trekking poles. I’ve done 3 round trips SFO-Bishop on United. On all 3 trips my experience was the same as Paul’s in Spain: At SFO they let me carry on my pointy-tipped BD poles, and in Bishop (where every 2nd passenger has poles and a backpack) they made me put them in my checked bag. No one ever looked at the  tips.

Also, could you add small BIC lighters to your list?

Thanks again.

If it can be interpreted as a no, I assume it’s a no.  Then have a backup plan for everything. Vacation time is too precious to risk.  Lots can and will go wrong. This usually means leaving one day buffer near the trail beforehand with somewhere to shop.

Last year the Calgary auto rental gave me a car with a blown wheel bearing.  The day buffer let me switch in Banff and get to my first stage,  Then the hostel in Golden lost my mailed resupply box but I had another extra day and re-equipped and didn’t have to miss the next stage.

But I spent a lot of years program managing big projects so have been conditioned to plan for contingencies

Thanks for this — I’ve been separating out stuff for both backpacking and trail running and this is a great resource.

Two things that aren’t on the list:  disposable lighters (Bic) which I believe TSA allows up to two in your carry-on but not checked luggage, and my “blister kit” which contains a scalpel (which I always put in my checked luggage).

Yes, Bic and Mini-Bic lighters are allowed in carry-on, maximum of 2, but I strongly suspect 2 in each of two pieces of baggage would sail right through.  Not allowed in checked bags, but I’ve never had one noticed there.

“Turbo” or “pipe” lighters with a pre-mixed flame that is much hotter aren’t allowed in carry-on.  There once was a special approved box to check them, but the box (kind of like a mini-Pelican box) was about $50.  Sometimes it’s just easier to plan a Home Depot or Walmart stop at your destination.

Or ask here on BPL.  Numerous times, I’ve left butane, bear spray, or something sharp at someone’s first night’s lodging in Anchorage or at the base of the Milepost 100 sign along their route to the trailhead.  And others have offered me such services out of California, Vegas and Phoenix.

I stand corrected.  ONE lighter in your carry-on.  Looks like that’s been for a few years now.  They don’t check closely for that, because I’ve certainly had two with me a number of times recently.

Circa 2010-2019, I’d often fly with a Victorinox Classic knowing they’d seize it if they noticed it, but also that they only noticed it 1/5 of the time.  Since I’d buy them in lots of 5 or 10 TSA-seized ones off of eBay, it cost an average of $1 a trip to bring one with me.

are you saying that you buy 5 knives from TSA that they seized, for $25?

Our local airport would donate seized knives to our local Boy Scouts chapter who would then sell them as a fundraiser.  Bought my squirt 15 yrs ago that way.  Holds a mean edge, it’s what I severed my tendon with last summer!

DavidD: Speaking of Boy Scouts and TSA, some airport 20 years ago let their local Scouts set up a stand outside TSA with self-service, stamped envelopes so you could mail your sharps, etc, to yourself (or your destination) rather than surrender it.  With the pax making a donation to Troop 123 of something more than the postage and envelope. -DavidT

(An actual helpful, actionable tip coming up): If there’s something you fear they might refuse, bring your own mailing envelope/box and arrive a little bit early.  And/or have the first person go through with all dodgy things while person #2 is still outside security with a checked bag yet to be checked.  Maybe you hoped to avoid the $30 fee or possible damage* or having to wait at Bag Claim, but if you haven’t checked your last bag, you’ll have that option.

* avoid damage to your UL pack by buying an old duffle bag at Goodwill for $5 and putting the pack in that duffle bag.  And then stash the duffle in a culvert, behind a guardrail, etc near the airport or near the trailhead for your return trip.

DavidT sounds like your local scouts had a great leader.

Canada post has this nice inexpensive service where they have 3 sizes of fixed price (each) shipping boxes to choose from with pretty generous weight limits and will hold them for 10 days at the destination post office.  I don’t know if usps has the same but I found it handy.

Ikea sells a $5 duffel that just fits within checked baggage size guidelines, is durable and has that iconic Ikea blue colour that stands out on the carousel. It fits my full backpack, poles, footwear and 5 days of food.

Cities big enough for an airport might have baggage storage services or rentable lockers to keep the duffel in for the return trip, if not renting a car.  I know Calgary, our gateway to the Rockies, does.