Flying with Poles (Packs, and other Hiking Sundries)

I've flown with adjustable ski poles. I collapsed them down as far as they would go, and then I put them into a 1.5-inch cardboard tube by opposite ends. Then I put that inside my duffle bag that was checked.

–B.G.–

You can't carry on poles.

On my most recent flight I only checked a mailing tube which contained my poles, knife, and stakes. Everything else was in my pack that I carried on.

On previous flights I've put my entire pack in to a larger duffle and checked that, but I prefer just checking the poles and sharps since it limits what the airline can lose.

Most airlines, currently, won't let you carry on hiking poles, they make you check them.

Sometimes (maybe often, i don't know) you get an outlandish 'unusual size' charge to check them.

The two times I've flown to backpacking trips, I mailed the poles ahead of me (worked great) once, and checked them once and paid some ridiculous fee. The time I checked them, they got 'lost' on the trip out, but fortunately were found and delivered to me the night before my backpacking trip started.

I always check my backpacking gear. There are several items in there that TSA would object to going though security.

I've checked my hiking poles and knives when backpacking in California, but normally with luggage as I visit friends/family out there. My carry-on included my Western Mountaineering bag and Patagonia clothes. Had my checked gear come in late when arriving in Albuquerque one time and decided to minimize my checked gear.

For your trip, I'd recommend a duffel you can store in your rental car along with some street clothes as you may want to take a day off in Flagstaff after climbing out of the Canyon (if your itinerary allows it).

Just some other notes:

o Accidently brought a 'Superfly' stove in my carry-on and after much inspection the TSA let it fly with me. Think I got lucky.
o Bought a Gerber Artifact with a replaceable blade when my thought was to carry-on all my backpacking gear; still haven't used it for backpacking, though it's great for boxes.

I'm only one data point, but I did carry on everything, including my food, within my GoLite Pinnacle pack this summer. The only thing I did not take that I normally would have was a Classic Swiss Army knife. I took a tiny pair of scissors instead. I broke down my poles into their 3 pieces and had a gazillion stakes, which would be far more dangerous than the poles. I didn't need to use the extension collar at all even with 7 days of food. I also had a little laptop bag with snacks, book, my hiking clothes to change into, etc.

I was shocked when TSA didn't even want to look at anything on my flight out to Aspen. On my return trip, they did want to look at the poles. They said my now well-rounded tips were "borderline" and not to get them out on the plane.

I was told Denver won't let you take them. You're safest by far to check them. I wasn't willing to pay the fee since mine are cheap anyway.

I fly a lot, usually over 100K miles per year. The only consistent thing about the TSA is how inconsistent they are, even at the same airport.

The typical UL pack can be used as carryon baggage. Poles, stoves and fuel are problematic. Pretty unusual for them to lose baggage these days. But the ape-handlers can break lightweight stuff. Best to plan on checking some of your stuff. If you can store a suitcase while hiking that is the best way. Plus you can bring some extra "civilian" stuff. I have a large suitcase that my collapsed LT4s fit in, which avoids the unusual extra charge. If you plan on not checking luggage, then you lose anything the TSA rejects. Most airlines charge around $25 for each checked bag. But us frequent fliers don't have to pay on most airlines.

One thing to watch when checking a pack is not to have loose/dangling straps all over the place – they can get caught in conveyor belts, etc.

Tape up loose straps, remove waist belts (and shoulder straps if possible), wrap your pack in plastic, etc.

I have carried on trekking poles, taken apart into 3 sections and stored inside my bag, more than a couple times and never been looked at twice. However, "ski poles" are on the TSA's list of prohibited items for carry on luggage so YMMV if a TSA agent notices your poles and decides they're close enough to ski poles to be a problem.

Lose your pack, and the whole hiking trip is ruined. OTOH, lose your poles… you can probably still salvage the trip pretty easily. So, to minimize TSA hassle and maximize trip success, do this:

1. Pack your hiking poles and blade(s) in a cardboard postal tube and check those in.
2. Pack and carry on everything else — any UL hiker worthy of the name should easily meet airline carry-on size requirements

The thing to source at your destination (i.e. cannot check in or carry on) is fuel.

You can easily find sturdy cardboard tubes at the post office or Wally World, etc.

One or the above USPS cardboard tubes held one of my REI UL poles perfectly. I had mailed my poles ahead to a hotel near Yosemite and I taped two tubes together. This was ok with the post office to ship as one package, and I think it would better for checking the tubes under a plane too.

I hike in the Grand Canyon once or twice a year and usually fly into Las Vegas, sometimes Phoenix. I've flown on various airlines – Delta, Spirit, AirTran, Frontier, Southwest.

I always check a rolling gear duffel. Hiking poles, tent stakes, stove and food are always checked. I don't do anything to protect my poles and have never had an issue, including CF poles. I carry on things that can't easily be replaced, DIY/modifed gear, favorite pieces of clothing, maps, etc. but, to be honest, I don't worry all that much. I do give myself at least one night on the rim before the hike in case I run into luggage problems.

I usually use my pack as the carry-on. You need the "frame" to be 22" or less to ensure no problems with carry-on size restrictions. I hike the Canyon with a GoLite Peak or ULA Circuit and they both work fine as carry-ons.

If you're hiking from the South Rim, the General Store in the Village has a decent gear section for last minute needs. Good selection of food as well. The one thing they don't carry are the small BIC lighters but TSA now allows you to carry those on. If you don't want to check any bags, you can also rent hiking poles at the General Store – $2 per day per pole as of last year.

"One or the above USPS cardboard tubes held one of my REI UL poles perfectly. I had mailed my poles ahead to a hotel near Yosemite and I taped two tubes together. "

Tubes come in different sizes and lengths. The USPS carries two sizes… the larger size held my pair of poles with room to spare. These tubes are very sturdy and can be reused multiple times.

Edit: Postal cardboard tube (large size) measurements: 37" L x 3" D

Brilliant suggestions, everyone. You've all more than adequately answered my question. Psyched!

Tim.

I've successfully carried stakes and an isobutane stove (no fuel) on a plane several times without incident. I'm sure it matters who you get in line; if I'm worried, I try to have a friend come inside when dropping me at the airport so I can pass gear back to them instead of having it confiscated, in the event anything gets rejected.

I'm guessing some poles would make it through fine as well. The Camp Xenon 4s come to mind, as they fold up to ~12" in length and don't look (at least in a X-ray) like hiking poles, and look nothing like ski poles.

If you're using an alcohol stove, and not doing a long trip, you can even put 100ml (3.4oz) bottles in your checked baggage. A few of those could get you through a weeklong trip if you're only heating water occasionally.

Mini scissors are your best substitute for a pocket knife.

Mixed fuel gas stoves are even allowed as carry on as long as they don't smell like gas. If they've recently used Kerosene or something else that has a lingering smell, they will be rejected, but if brand new or cleaned, they can go through just fine.

Of course, your experiences may vary. TSA rules mean they can confiscate pretty much anything at any time for any reason. Though I've honestly had more weird looks from carrying a stack of disc golf "Frisbees" in my carry-ons than I have from hiking gear.

"If you're using an alcohol stove, and not doing a long trip, you can even put 100ml (3.4oz) bottles in your checked baggage. "

The rules say that this is only for beverage alcohol up to 140 proof, not for fuel.

–B.G.–

I refuse to tempt the TSA or the airline gate personnel. They can ruin my trip before it begins with an over-zealous interpretation of the regs (and their interpretation is God). I have a cheap cloth duffle bag that is large enough to hold my entire pack, including my trekking poles. I check the entire thing, minus fuel and matches. Out of sight; out of mind, and nothing can jump ship (without help) enroute.

The only items I have to source at my destination are stove fuel and strike-anywhere matches. I've thought about scattering my Esbit fuel tablets in with my meal packs, figuring the TSA wouldn't recognize or question them, but never felt like taking the risk. I have also shipped the tablets – in an odorproof sack – to myself. They can't leak, evaporate, or self-ignite, and the cardboard shipping box would ignite long before the tablets ever would. No one ever suggested shipping regulations were logical.

My trekking poles are GG LT4s (carbon fiber), so to give them extra protection from baggage handlers, I drop them into a mailing tube and strap that to my pack, inside the duffle. I put a pre-stamped self-addressed padded mailing envelope in my pack and use that to ship the duffle home when I get to my destination.

At the end of my hike, I just buy another mailing tube and ship my trekking poles, knife, and stakes home since I no longer have a duffel. I just check my pack raw since without food, all my gear easily fits inside – even the hip belt and shoulder straps. Unused fuel and matches get dumped. Southwest (and I suspect most if not all other) airlines won't accept a pack with anything strapped to the outside.