My new employer is in California, I live in Pennsylvania. That means, once again, heavy air travel for me. I used to travel with my leatherman wave at my side, now, of course, that "dangerous weapon" can't be on my person.
But does that mean I don't travel equipped? Of Course Not!

So, here, from a guy who once logged 1000 flight segments (segment=takeoff & landing) in a 12 month period, are my general rules for equipped air travel, 2003 edition.

1. There are only two kinds of luggage, "Carry-on" and "Lost" If there is something you actually want to have at your final destination, ship it out ahead of time via Fedex or UPS or Airborne if at all possible. Checking bags & picking them up will usually add at least 1 hour, more often 1.5 hours, sometimes even more to your total travel time - IF your bags arrive where you do. For longer trips, I send clothes, books and other stuff out to my hotel (including a leatherman tool!) and have it waiting for me when I get there. It's well worth the money.

2. Following the sage advice of Douglas Adams, author of "The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy", Carry A Towel. I carry two "camp towels" in my kit. They get plenty of use, to cover my lap when I'm drinking coffee in the plane, to wash up when I spend the night on a chair in an airport, and more.

3. An eVest or Photographer's Vest is Worth 3 Free Carry-On Bags. You can stuff them full of goodies and still have a carry-on bag. I wear an eVest with my water, cell phone, toiletries, ID and more. Short of clothing, it's got all I really need for a trip packed in it.

4. Carry a charged spare cell phone battery, but NEVER use it unless you are in an actual emergency.

5. Pack a liter or so of water in .5 liter bottles.

6. Carry a flashlight & spare batteries. Like I need to tell people on this board to do this this. I do carry only Lithium AA batteries, just to save weight.

7. Carry a few safety pins on your keychain. Amazing what you can do with them when your pants rip, shirt looses a button and so forth. I also put 2 paperclips on my keychain because I need them to reset my PDA now and then and have found they come in handy for other things.

8. Bring Food. Granola Bars, Energy Bars, something. Try to avoid the crap the serve on the plane, it's truly bad for you.

9. Carry a small cable lock for your bags. There will come a day when you will spend the night in the airport. You will want to lock your bags to something relatively secure. Also...

10. Pack a light blanket. I have a nice little polarfleece blanket I throw into my carry-on bag. You'll appreciate it during those overnights at the airport, or when they forget to provide blankets for coach on a red-eye from SFO to EWR.

I also pack a small first aid kit, a small sewing kit and some flat duct tape, all in my vest.

Anyone else have some flight tips?

Wow, Martin, you really do fly "Equipped".
Tom Hanks should have talked to you before that Fedex flight!
Seriously, thanks for the tips. Those of us that don't travel that frequently by air can surely make use of your hard earned expertise.

My wife and I have much of the same "kit" you carry when we travel. We have traveled quite a bit and over the years been hungry, stranded in airports, thirsty, etc.

Smart thinking and planning

Great list, this one's a keeper.
As for securing your bags, I have stumbled on a way to LOCK my bags, without locking them, using plain old split rings, threaded through the two zipper pulls on a suitcase or a zipper pull and strap handle on your duffle bags. That way it'll take a potential thief more than a few seconds to open your bags, and when the TSA screenernazi asks if your bags are locked, you can say, No, they're just secured. And if they cut it off anyway, it's only a 25-cent split ring as opposed to a $4 luggage lock.

This is an awesome list. Even for EDC just a nice blade and you are pretty much set in an urban environment. I do have a couple of questions. 1) do they give you a problem with your sewing kit? And what is in it? and 2) do they give you a problem with the safety pins on your key chain? Thanks for the good advice!

I have started using brightly colored cable ties in the same way that Maggot mentioned. Easily cut off by TSA, and I can quickly spot if someone opened the bag.

OK, to add to my original post, here's some questions answered AND my actual packing checklist.

Kit Checklist (Light/Carry On Legal Post 9/11l)

TSA NOTES:

First Aid Kit - Blunt-Tip Scissors are OK, but will routinely have to show the TSA person contents of bag.

Sewing Kit is OK

Tools - of any kind are NOT OK, and they don't make exceptions.

Luggage Locks - There ARE TSA approved locks, but don't bother. I have had stuff stolen out of my bags more than once since the TSA took over, and I no longer trust anyone but me with my luggage. That's another reason I don't check bags.

Carry-On bag: Get a decent roll-on bag, one you can SIT on if needed.

Packed in Rolling Carry-on Bag

Gadgets
- Laptop Computer
- Laptop Charger
- Cell Phone Charger
- PDA Charger
- Clothing (if not shipped ahead)
- Small Blanket
- NiMH AAA Batteries, Rechargeable (12)
- (optional: Cell phone lighter adapter)

Sundries
- First aid kit - very small, mostly for personal care, shaving incidents, headache remedies and the like. Airports & Airplanes are well equipped in FA supplies.
- Oxyclean Wipes (6)
- Antiseptic Wipes (6)
- Small Hand Towels (2)
- Tissue Paper Small Package
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Comb
- Razor
- Shaving Cream
- Styptic Pencil

eVest
Phone Equipment
Cellular Telephone
(optional: Cell Phone Holster)
Cell Phone Spare Battery (Charged)

Electronics & Accessories
Palm Zire 71
Very Small AM/FM Radio
Ear Buds
128 MB Keychain Drive with Documents I need for the Trip (in case computer is stolen)

Food & Water
.5 Liter Water Bottles or Platypus Bags (at least 2 for domestic, 4 for trans-oceanic)
Powerbars or Granola Bars or similar (at least 6)
Beef Jerky (4 Oz)
Trail Mix
Mints
Collapsible Cup (Amazingly handy!)

Other Stuff
Princeton Tech "Attitude" flashlight
Ziplock Bags (1 gallon & 1 Quart)
25' of Para Cord (makes a clothesline, secures packages, secures your shoes to your feet when your laces break!)
Security Cable & Lock
Roll of Flat Duct Tape
Pen & Pencil
Sharpie Dual-Point Market (fine & normal)
Sewing Kit (A kit I got in a hotel, some thread, 4 buttons, a few needles, a threader all in a tiny plastic case.
2 Safety pins (on keychain)
2 Paper Clips (on keychain)

Papers
$300 in 10's & 20's, US Currency, disbursed about person and bags.
(overseas) Equivalent of $300 in local currency, small bills disbursed about person and bags.
Copy of Itinerary

NOTE: I rarely carry a wallet when traveling. I bring ID as needed and a credit card or two. Just more stuff to loose otherwise - I keep it all in a neck-worn ID case that I tuck into my shirt. I keep $100 in there too, so even if I loose all the other stuff I have some cash & ID & a credit card to get out.

A lot of good advice here!

As someone who has also managed to fill a passport in less than 12 months, I thought I'd add my own two cents:

1) Always bring a complete change of clothes with you in your carry on bags. There are so many obvious circumstances you'll be glad to have them that I won't bother listing any.

2) I always travel with the Sportswash Company's Facial Fabrics product. (Scroll down that page to find it.) These are like monster wash&drys in a resealable pouch that you can clean your entire body with. They're light weight, great for camping too, and whether you're stuck in the airport overnight or just leaving the plane after a long flight, you'll be happy to have them. (My BOB and home emergency kit have ample supplies of their Sports&Leisure wash. Nothing like being able to take a shower of sorts to give you back a sense of normalcy.)

3) Good earplugs and an eyemask will let you sleep on plane, in an airport, or anywhere else for that matter. (By the way, having tried every eyemask in existence, I think Eagle Creek's is the undisputed champion.)

4) Also, an inflatable neck pillow is the road warrior's secret weapon. It holds your head still so you can fall asleep.

5) Food & water were already mentioned but I'll add 'em anyway. Don't rely on other people to nourish you... I was once stuck in a 3rd world airport when all the workers went on strike. Everything was closed and I have to say my Poptarts never tasted so good.

I guess this is all a little off-topic for this board, but if you travel a lot, a little comfort goes a very long way.

I haven't had anyone give me trouble about sewing kits or pins.

One recommendation is to pack in clear pouches or use ziplocs. This can make bag searches faster since the TSA goons can see into the pouches and don't need to pick everything out. That has worked for me; my bag seems to get picked a lot for extra attention.

I also recommend that waterless hand sanitizer.

Last week I inadvertently left an SOG Crossgrip in my bag and no one caught it. I packed it in my checked bags on the flight back.

Another great post by Martin. Man, I like the way you think!

Here are a couple of excellent links for those who want to explore the "carryon only" travel method. It's not wilderness survival, but the concepts easily qualify as urban survival:

Doug Dyment's site

Lani Teshima's site