Equipped - To Fly Coach

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

Excellent list, Martin. I'm a neurotic "Equipped" packer also. Here's my travel tips site, which you might enjoy:
http://www.roblester.com/travel/index.html

And here's my agonizingly detailed annotated packing list:
http://www.roblester.com/travel/travel_packing_list.html#annotated

I can picture you and I standing at the terminal looking at other passengers muttering a good-natured "amateurs" under our breath. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Regarding #4 (spare cell phone battery)

Rechargable battery packs tend to self-discharge (that is, they discharge whether or not you use them) on timescales of a week or two. If you simply carry a battery with you for weeks or months, it will almost certainly be dead (and certainly not at full capacity) when you need to call it into action.

The solution I use is to keep switching back and forth between the two batteries - I use one, while keeping the other "topped off" in the charger. When the current battery gets low (below half), I start to carry the spare with me, and swap out when necessary (the dead one goes into the charger to remain until it's needed again in a couple days).

Alternately you could keep one battery in full use, and "top off" the backup every couple of days, but I'm unsure whether that'll have adverse effects on battery life. The manufacturers say the memory effect problem has been solved, but in such an extreme case (always top off at 90 % and never properly use), I'd still worry that the battery won't be available when I need it.

This is certainly true of NiCd and NiMH batteries. Lithium Ion, though, is better at keeping a charge:
Radio Shack Battery FAQ
"Storage Life Loses less than 0.1% per month."

Compare this to NiMH, which can lose up to 70% / month:
NiMH Battery Retention Curve

(edit) Actually, the 70% figure assumes storage at 40C (104F). It's only (!) 30% at "room temperature". The Radio Shack source says "4% per day" in storage, but doesn't give a temperature.

I'd trust a fully charged LiIon cell phone pack for a couple of months, anyway. Which is a lot longer than I'd want to be away from home. :-)

Thanks for an interesting topic! My post 9/11 travel has been limited but I had gone the other way regarding air travel - eliminated my carry-on luggage and checked everything I could, simply accepting the additional hassle and delay (and loss of access to penknives, etc.). Your way definitely looks better!

Some questions:
The vest that you've presumably got packed with stuff - do you take it off at the security station and run it through the x-ray belt, or do you walk through with it? Has it caused any delay there (hand searching, etc.)?

What carry on bag do you have (or recommend)? When you say to get one that you can sit on, do you mean just a good sturdy one or specifically a hard-sided one?

Thanks to all for the great posts!

- Cliff

I use an American Tourister roll-on bag. Nothing too fancy, when you go to buy one, site on it empty and see if it feels secure. They have a WIDE RANGE of quality, so be careful. I've used more expensive stuff (like Tumi and Zero Halliburton) and found that the expensive stuff says "steal me" more that the stuff that says "dirty socks and hotel shampoos in here".

Another point for the eVest or photographer's vest as your best piece of luggage - you take it off, you put it in the tray, it goes through, you put it on again. Since it's a plain black vest, not a BDU type. for the most part, they are usually mostly interested in my bag, as the first aid kit ALWAYS shows the scissors, and that ALWAYS gets a second look. The vest just goes through

Some other "equipped to fly coach" tips that I'm only now just thinking about.

- Carry on baggage never goes where you aren't. Another reason to ship ahead

- Don't try to use a GPS while in flight. It scares the hell out of the flight crew, however, if you use a PDA equipped with buult-in GPS they don't notice or care.

- If you MUST eat the crud on the plane, order a Kosher Meal or Vegitarian Meal. Not only is the food better, you sometimes get served ahead of everyone else.

- Having "tower" and "clearance delivery" frequencies programmed into my VX5 has made the difference between having the time to eat properly during a flight delay. I can hear the pilots and ground crew talking and I know the REAL time of push-back.

Well that's all for now.

Martin,

My hat's off to you. Thank you for the excellent advice.

I haven't flown since Sept. 11, partially because I haven't thought through how to be equipped in such an environment, and partially because I'm well, scared, to be perfectly honest.

I didn't like flying beforehand and I sure don't like it any more now. The advice laid out here in such practical fashion, however, will help take the sting out of having to put my beloved folders in my checked luggeage.

How many of each size safety pins, may I ask? Also, large or small paperclips?

But they allow you to have scissors. And safety pins are tools. What about keychain items such as the SwissTech Micro-Plus, Latshaw Pocketwrench II, or even an eyeglass repair kit?

Thanks for the answers! Time to look at some new roll-on luggage.

The eVests look neat, but looking at their site I didn't like their styling - more "outdoorsy", whereas I think a more "indoors" looking vest might suit me (though they do have a spiffy new sport jacket). I'm thinking of the Filson vests that another poster here uses - with the wool fabric and shorter length they look more businesslike. But they aren't as sleek or pocket-filled. Now I'm torn...plus I have to come up with the money for either one...<sigh>

- Cliff

I have had both safety pins and sewing needles confiscated and trashed since the attack. I have not tried in the last year.

If you're travelling regularly between your home and Pennsylvania and your office in California, it sounds much easier to just leave a box of stuff (tools, pocket knife, etc) at the office so that it's always there waiting for you, than figure out how to get it to and from the office by plane.

I see the local travel store sells what amounts to cable ties withunique serial numbers stamped in them. Again, TSA can easily cut them off, but nobody is likely to be able to be able to cut one off and replace it with another one having the same serial number.

Finally, I've heard they search you all the more enthusiastically if you don't check any bags.

I've been scanning the great info on here for some time
now and want to say thanks for the info in this thread
especially. I'm going to have to fly a couple of times this
year if I want to stay married, so I'm thankful for the
great lists for the airplane passenger. I love flying but
ever since the TSA Nazis took over the airports I can't
tolerate the strip searches at the airports. I'll be sending
all my 'contraband' ahead from now on.

Regards,
Indy

The answer is - it depends. Don't take what is on the TSA website "approved" lists as gospel because I don't think a lot of the screenerNazis bother to read their own regulations. I have been hassled repeatedly about an injectible medication I have to have, which I keep it its factory-issued container, along with a refill with the prescription pasted on it. Still ... I will never forget the TSA dimbulb who had me not only take everything out, but completely disassemble it, and then was going to touch the needle to see if it was sharp and therefore a “weapon.” I politely informed her that I had an aversion to blunt, bent, contaminated needles and unless she was thinking of using it on herself, she had about 5 seconds to put it back. I barely made my plane.

I wonder if they can even read.

There is no consistency, and they don't care.

The most recent time I flew was the first since before 9/11. On the way out, the lines were huge, but it was uneventful.

On the way back, the screener refused to let me walk through the arch wearing a nylon passport pouch around my neck. I had worn it outside my shirt on the way out (to make it easier to get at the passport), but this guy insisted that I put it on the conveyer belt to go through the X-ray machine. I politely declined, saying that the only things in the pouch were cash (a few hunded bucks in 20s), my passport, and a credit card, and I wasn't letting it out of my sight. He insisted again, louder, and I just said "no". He then looked at me for a few seconds without saying anything, then told me to take it off of my neck and put it in my pocket. I did so, and then he let me step through the arch. He then told me to take it back out of my pocket so he could hand-search it, even though the metal detector had come up with nothing. He ignored the passport and credit card, but counted the cash. He didn't examine any of the bills, he just counted them.

This sort of petty harassment has nothing to do with terrorism.

One lady at the same gate said that she had a run-in with them, and they "neglected" to return her driver's license. When she went back to ask for it, they denied having it- smirking the whole time, to make it abundantly clear she'd never see it again.

I turned down a job recently that would require some travel just for this reason- I don't want to deal with it, and I hope enough people will just refuse so that it might finally dawn on someone that you just can't expect good people to pay serious money to be treated like convicted criminals.

If that takes more airlines going out of business, so be it.

you might want a "pack towel" good for water collection and good wash cloth holds alot of liquid

Good points - most of my experience with rechargables is with NiCds from at least a couple years ago, and indeed the Li ion batteries are much better with respect to charge retention. The NiCds and NiMHs seem to be a bit better too, though still inferior to Li ions.

I do remember one experience a while back where my spare battery (Li ion, fairly new, initially fully charged, stored in a small plastic bag) turned out to be dead after about a month of idle storage. I don't know how it ended up like this but it did. I suppose it's a cautionary tale.

I'm not sure what the first number you quote means (storage life decreases at a rate less than 0.1 % per month), since that would imply a typical lifetime of 80 years!!! Not even nonrechargable Li batteries have a retention rate even close to that, so I suspect what this number represents is the rate at which the charge retention rate drops off as the battery is charged over and over again (i.e. each subsequent charging attempt results in a charge that's held for a shorter time than the previous one), rather than the retention rate for an individual charge.

So maybe a month is a reasonable length of time to expect a Li-Ion battery to last at reasonably full charge (for Ni based rechargables, make that, perhaps a week). That, of course, is subject to the proviso that the battery be kept at reasonable temperatures (not out in the sun, or in a glove compartment, for example), and not permitted to short out by contacting metal or water. Yeah, it'll probably be good for longer than that, but if it's something you're depending on in an emergency "probably" isn't good enough. "But the manual said..." - famous last words.

That's why I keep both batteries in regular use, and never let one be out of use or the charger for more than a couple days, to best ensure that they'll both be working properly when needed, and to know right away when something goes wrong.

Have the screeners harassed you for carrying a scanner with a list of air traffic control frequencies?

After all, in the Nazi TSA mentality, only Osama could possibly be interested in such a thing...

I put mine in carry on, in a large clear ziplock bag with the wall wart, cell phone and cell phone wall wart. I also have a laminated copy of my Ham license attached to the scanner. None of them have given it a second look, or turned it on or even asked about it. With all the other electronic stuff that goes thru I guess the scanner is not a big thing.
A friend was ripped off by 2 TSA people, while he was trying to stop one fron damaging his camera gear, the second one took $400.00 cash while checking his wallet.

Michael,

Your message says, "4) Also, an inflatable neck pillow is the road warrior's secret weapon. It holds your head still so you can fall asleep." The words "inflatable neck pillow" are linked to the Cloud-Soft Inflatable Pillow at Magellans.

Have you considered the inflatable Komfort Kollar (http://www.magellans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=742&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=0&iSubCat=0&iProductID=742)?
Looks as though it might be even more comfortable.

Good ideas and a few that I will add on my next trip.
I don’t use a folding wallet, but carry a money clip type wallet. I always remove my cash at the screeners and send the clip through the machine. I carry my swiss microtool and have only once had someone ask to look at it. It was on a return flight from Europe. The guy wanted to see the tiny screwdriver. He passed it through with no problem. BTW, I own the E-vest and use it on every trip. I have a black one, and it works great from business meetings to playing tourist. It easily carries the necessities of water, food, flashlight, PSK, and added things like gum, carmex, alcohol based hand sanitizer, floss, pen, change, tickets…etc.

Sorry for being sarcastic, but sometimes when I read this forum I start thinking how did I manage to live before???!!! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> There are so many dangers around, sometimes I am getting into them, but they become good memories later so I do not sorry I had them.
Usually after I come back from abroad I write down things I took and how useful they were. In fact, I have the most recent update about my experience in the Middle East. If someone is interested I can put it here, but please don';t take it very seriously.<img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
What I really find very useful are the following rules:
1. NEVER TAKE WHAT MIGHT BE USEFUL, TAKE ONLY WHAT IS ESSENTIAL (I think it is citation from one famous book).
2. The other piece of advise, YOUR LUGGAGE IS ALWAYS MORE HEAVY WHEN YOU COME BACK THEN BEFORE YOU TRAVEL (do you remember souvenirs and other useless thing you bought while travelling?).
3. And final, LIFE IS BORING WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ADVENTURES AND WHEN YOU HAVE TOO MANY OF THEM (not my words, someone famous again). So, if you prepare too good for a trip, you won't have any troubles and it might be not so much fun (or I am just crazy). And if you go totally unprepared, this might be also unbearable. So, don't go to extremes.
Have fun in travel!!!
Regards,

My travel experiences post-20010911 have been limited to intercontinental trips, where I have discovered that security is quite a bit less stringent than I was led to believe. I've gotten things through checkpoints that would probably make John Ashcroft [censored] his short pants without even trying--and I mean stupid things like forgetting I put my titanium utensils in my carry-on. The sharps *do* go into the checked bag (a necessity if you intend to carry most normal survival gear), however. Now, I am told that *domestic* US security is a lot more strict...but I'll believe it when I see it.

It's sad, but basic survival gear can get you picked up by the threat monitors. Things like the 3M folding respirators I carry around (remeber all that dust in Manhattan?), or the windproof Brunton Helios cigarette lighter I have (I smoke--bad survival rule), or even seemingly innocuous items like a Black Diamond AirLock locking 'biner I got stopped for at EWR (that I use to clip my bags together for *my* security--they thought it could be used as "brass knuckles"--idiots.) Essentially, anything that John Ashcroft thinks a terrorist might find useful--never mind the fact that these things have perfectly lawful uses!

And the only time my luggage has actually been lost was when one bag didn't make it on to the plane at Fiumicino (but that's Italy for ya). Despite the fact that the bag was laden with expensive electronics (shortwave, GMRS radios [actually illegal to use those freq's in the EU, didn't know before I left, will buy EU-types in future], etc, etc), I got everything back in good working order a few days later via FedEx.

BTW, I never lock my checked luggage--they'll just crack the locks, anyway.

Come to think of it, my bag may not have made it on to the plane because they may have been busy checking all the electronic gear for bombs and the like! There was a "radar malfunction" at Fiumicino that day--lots of things got screwed up.

Oh yes, and I always carry at least *two* towels. At least you can put one over your head so you can't see what's coming, if it comes to that...thank you very much Mr. Adams...

>>> ...put one over your head so you can't see what's coming, if it comes to that...thank you very much Mr. Adams...<<<

It's been a looong time since I read the 5 books in the increasingly misnamed Hitchhikers Trilogy!

Thanks, I needed the levity today, and remember, "Don't panic!"

The answer is 42. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

--Chris

Great thread!

About the flashlight...what type?

Seeing as how kubatons are on the prohib list, that should logically extend to a lot of flashlights.

Also, I haven't taken commercial air for a long time now...how do they act with those who dress 'properly'? (You know...properly for air travel...uh..."Dress to Egress"? Any other pilots here follow that religiously regardless of the type of aircraft or if they're PIC or not?)

I have a friend who was carrying a 3 D cell maglite in his carry on. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> He was using his work bag as a carry on and never took it out. They let him check his carry on and he still made his flight. I have taken a AA mini-mag with no problems in the past. I'll also be flying this weekend, and I plan on taking my Surefire 6P. Which reminds me, I need to re-read this entire thread. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Robert

Have any of you tried to take an evacuation hood, manual life vest, water trailer ribbon (For water rescue), rope with small rappeling devices (For high rise fire evacuation through a window), or some other uncommon, but common sense device on your carry on luggage and what was the response?

Bountyhunter

I have taken my Surefire 6P and/or C3 in my carry on all year, about 20 flights, without a problem.

Amper,
I was looking for some respirator that was compact enough. Could you tell me if 3M folding respirators compact enough and efficiently removes odors? Maybe you could give me refence to some website where I could see its characteristics?
Regards,

I just got back from flying to California to visit my family. It is ridiculous what the airlines are doing nowadays to stay in business. I had already gotten used to them not serving meals on Delta's flights, so I pack accordingly, thanks in part to this forum. However I was shocked when I got on board and discovered that they were going to SELL us our meal.

I, of course, declined to even look at the menu. I noticed most of the other passengers also declined the so called meal service. However I have found the menu at Delta's website. Go here and click on the link to "Atlanta Bread Company" to see the menu. I usually fly on Delta so I don't know what the other airlines are doing in food service, but I suspect it's much the same.

I don't know what the airlines actually carry on board but I just found this. FAR Part 125 Sec. 125.207 Which lists the requirements for the first aid kit on board. This doesn't look like much. I would hope the airlines would take it upon themselves to put in a better FAK, but I doubt that. I'm not saying we should take an expedition style FAK on board but it might be nice to have some adequate supplies. On my recent trip I just threw an AMK Pocket Medic into my bag. Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my airline FAK as well.

Yeah, -What was Once, -Only Naturally and "Of Course!", -a Matter of Complimentary Customer Service!, -Has Turned into a Sale! And as you said, -What Product is it that they're Trying to Sell you?!, -and Hopeing you'd Buy?!

Heck, -Just Up the Ticket Price a Bit, -to Cover this, -and People may Never Notice! Evidently Not Thought of / Turned Down.

I Recall the Time I Flew on Delta in the Mid 90s, I Got a Reasonably Nice, OK, -Chicken Sandwich or Two, Maybe Three. Orange Juice. And maybe Another Little Thing or Two. And a Nice, OK Enuf Packet of Delta Peanuts, -Grown Down in Rome, GA. My Flite though was Atlanta to Orlando and Back, -Not Transcontinental as was your's.

I Flew Continental on another occassion. (North-South Pretty Much the Length of the East Coast). Memory Doesn't Serve me Well Enuf to Really Comment on it's Food. But it's Food Service Wasn't Neccessarily Bad. Or I would have Remembered. It was probably a perfectly Ordinary, OK Experience as well. (By the Way, -I Remember Delta's Food, as an OK to Positive Experience, -Not a Bad One! I Add this in All Correctness and Fairness!)

This (Continental) was also in the Mid to Later 90s, -*Before* Somebody's Brite Idea to Sell their Valued Customers their Service!

It's just Another Variation on our Longstanding National Experience with Scarcity and Tight and Rising Costs! We're Always Creatively Trying to Find a New Way, -to "Get a Little More Blood Out of the Stone!"

We were Once a *Bounty* Based Country, Society, and Economy! Bountiful Abundance! Back in the 1800s, for Example. And even the Earlier Decades of the 1900s! Just Look at the Difference Between Many an Old Building, and Today's Cost Crimping Clapups that we Throw Together! Intrically Carved Wood or Stonework! Oh, We may Still have the Imitation! But Back Then they Had the Real Thing! Our Society and Economy Drew From Far More Bounty back then!, -At Least in Many Quarters. Today, -We Ever Try to Draw and Squeeze from a Tightness and Scarcity! Do we as Individuals and a Society even Realize This?! It's Partly our Fault, and Not All Unfortunate Circumstance's Fault! I'd say that the Former has Led to a Good Bit of the Latter!

Wheras if Now and over the Last Number of Decades, -We'd Have said "Yes!" to Bold Pure Science!, -We Could by Now, or in Times to Come, -Arrive Back at a New, Bountifully Rich Resources Base!

I'm Talking Space Exploration and Development, the Nuclear and Subatomic World, Nuclear Fusion, Desalinization, "Disease Detectives", Materials Science, Supercomputers, Genes and Genetics, -and Other Such Likes!

It's Nice, and also now Important, -to Creatively Squeeze Economic Blood Out of a Stone. But the Economy and Society Should be Following and Operating from Resource Adequacies to Abundance! This is Where the Real Overall Emphasis and Focus Should be On!

As a Society, -We're so Immeadiate and Short Range! That we Don't Seem to Have a Clue! It's as if we Didn't Even Know that We Don't Know!

In a Larger Picture Sense, -I Think This Looking Towards Abundance Shud be Much of our Base and Focus!

It's Lack is a Longstanding Treadmill that I Think our Society and Economy, -Should Want to Get Off Of! Something to Think of a Bit. Let's so Think Longer Term!

When you Can't Even Anymore Get a Decent, Complimentary Meal on a Flight! Let Alone be Expected to Pay for It!,....! This Only Speaks Volumes about this Larger Phenonomon I'm Talking About!

(Woops! As to my Commenting on such Larger Economic Picture, -I was Beginning to Wonder which Forum I was on, -Towards the Tail End. I'm on "Survival"! And so I Acknowledge that that Economic Portion is perhaps More Appropriate Around the Campfire. I'm Aware of / Acknowledge Such / and Duly Apologize. Airline Food is Certainly Closer, to say a Least.) [color:"black"] [/color] [email]rbruce[/email]

I recall having read somewhere that the biggest cause of internal injuries in car accidents is a burst urinary bladder. Ever since then, I try to empty as often as legally and socially possible before driving and at every possible stop instead of waiting for the urinary dams gates screaming to release.

Now I know (At least "they" keep telling me so.) that per capitia airline travel is safer than automobiles. If you were in an airplane that was going to crash, wouldn't you be better off with an empty stomach as well as an empty bladder.

I also seem to recall someone writing that if you see an accident about to happen, that you void yourself as much as possible before impact. I don't know about you all, but I tend to tense up in serious situations which makes expulsion of anything very difficult, and besides I have been changing underwear every day since my mother told me I should have clean underwear in case I have to go to the hospital, and now somebody says I should soil it just before I go to the hospital.

When I think of all the money I could have saved not buying and constantly washing my underwear all these years, it just pisses (Figuratively speaking, not actually doing so.) me off.<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter

Excellent list - thanks for the info.

Really? I have heard the TSA is now confiscating the Swiss-Tech MicroPlus because of the wirecutters.

Did the TSA confiscate the masks, or just look them over?

Great post and thread! Thanks!

I just thought I'd toss in a little tidbit. I usually carry the Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers to clean my glasses. I never would have guessed, but they can set off the metal detectors. Go figure.

-john

Are you able to wear your eVest on airplanes during the summer?

My FineTex version seems way too warm for summer wear, although I think it would make a great "carry-on."

I take it you advocate a carry-on bag with wheels, then.

I have heard that rolling carry-ons are too heavy, too difficult to fling into overhead bins, and put too much strain on your wrist. Any truth to this?

What make and model do you have, may I ask? I need one, myself.

Wearing it on does not mean KEEPING it on, and yes, I do wear it in Summer occasioanlally. They generally don't count a fanny pack, and I can jam much into that if it's too hot.

I'm looking for airport-friendly pocket nail files.

Either ceramic or diamond dust would work. Keyring-enabled would work. Folding would work. Smaller "handbag" nail files that come with "sheaths" would work. I'd like it to NOT have a point for nail cleaning.

I have ordered a couple of non-pointy longer straight nail files that are more suitable for my kit or my briefcase. I'd still like to find some smaller pocket nail files for keyring or jeans pocket.

Any suggestions?

Craig:

Take a regular pointed metal nail file, cut the pointed end flat, file to contour the corners and edges, drill a hole for the key ring in the top of the handle, and viola!

Good luck!

Bountyhunter

Just bring a nail file.
They are allowed.
Check this list:
http://www.tsa.gov/public/interweb/assetlibrary/Permitted_Prohibited_7_14_2004.pdf

Bring a copy with you if they hassle you.

Hi, Bountyhounter,

Thanks for the tip. It is a great idea. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It is stupendous in its simplicity, and conforms to a motto I read on a forum somewhere: "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome."

Unfortunately, I don't have a drill. Not even a Dremel. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I live in a townhouse and really don't need one. I may just have to buy one, now, anyway.

Thank you, Martin, but does that actually work? Wouldn't they think I was being, well, a "smarty-pants?"

Now, Martin, you should know by now that anything on the TSA website is in the form of "suggestions" for the screenerNazis ... since in my experience they make up the rules as they go along.

Even during Nazi occupations in Europe, some of the most successful patriots working against the Nazi's used the "rules" to cow the authorities.

Be a "smartypants" because it is your country and your freedom you are trying to retain.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Come on Crag, you have to have at least one person you know who would be willing to drill a single hole for you.

Don't be bashful, they can only say no.

Bountyhunter

Here is a similar thread on Bladeforums.

-john