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#274822 - 04/10/15 10:45 PM First flight since pre 9/11
barbakane Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 03/12/09
Posts: 205
Loc: Florida
Flying out to Vegas for a business trip, and since I haven't flown since pre 9/11 I seek sage advice from the knowledge bank we can ETS.
I'll be there for 6 days, and possible small hikes MAY be involved, and I really don't like the idea of having nothing with me, or relying on having to get stuff while already there. I have two small maxpedition pocket organizers.
One has your bic lighter, firestarters, small FAK and assorted other items..think more EDC tools.
The other has everyday fix it stuff..zip ties, duct tape, small screwdriver with bits..things to help repair or render useful again something that will inevitably break.

After thoroughly going thru the thread from last year..Martin's "travel tips for the paranoid traveler", I paid particular attention to his remark that assume your checked baggage is lost until proven otherwise. Lots of good stuff there. I will be taking just 1 bag for me, 1 bag for wifey, and 1 bag for my son.
But, would my Leatherman squirt make it through TSA as part of my carry-on. Also wanna have clif bars, some minor snacks for my son, my tablet, his phone, my wife's tablet...ya know, just the essentials.
All my other important stuff will be in my main bigger bag. Could I pack my LM wave and maxpedition org's in the same bag, and hopefully it get's to Vegas OK?

Hate the feeling of having nothing till we get there, but I guess that's the price to pay for safely arriving. Leaving in two weeks, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Martin's thread shed a lot of light, and I know I'm probably overthinking it. But it all comes back to "how prepared are you?".
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#274823 - 04/10/15 11:04 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC

Since a luggage fiasco in the mid-90s, I Fed-Ex my luggage to my destination. Makes the airport component of a trip a lot faster and less stressful. You don't have to worry about TSA confiscating any of it.

FedEx has never lost my luggage.



.



.

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#274824 - 04/10/15 11:09 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
gonewiththewind Offline
Veteran

Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1517
I travel frequently by commercial air, and I have no problem carrying the essentials on the plane in my carry on bags. Emergency blankets, water purification, weather proof matches, lighter, tinder, cordage, signal mirror, EMT shears; all go on without trouble. My bags do get the hand search at times, but these items never have trouble. You can carry empty water bottles through security and fill them on the other side if you do not want to buy water.

I used to carry one of those very small survival saws, but TSA is now saying that saws are not allowed.

Put a TSA approved lock on your checked bags, along with your contact information. I have never lost anything out of a bag, and have never lost a bag. I have had bags show up a day or two late though. I have been traveling frequently like this for decades, and it works for me.

One of the lesser known areas to hike is in Sloan Canyon. It is a bit out of the way to the South, but there are many petroglyphs if you go far enough. It is not a difficult hike unless you go when I did, in the middle of July (116 degrees F!). The valley of fire has some nice trails and petroglyphs also. Death valley is a little drive, but has some nice hiking trails, as well as the dunes.

Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston also have some good trails at higher altitudes than the others. Red Rock Canyon is also closer to Vegas than most of the others. Good scenery and you can reach the trail heads by car.

The REI in Las Vegas was very helpful to me in finding these areas. They also have some good maps.

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#274826 - 04/11/15 05:01 AM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
ireckon Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 04/01/10
Posts: 1629
Loc: Northern California
I personally would not chance carrying the Leatherman on the plane. I would check it. Realistically, you're not going to need the Leatherman on the plane. I also wouldn't carry the lighters, even though they are allowed I think. Generally, I do like the idea of assuming your baggage is lost until proven otherwise.

I once learned the hard way. I was traveling to Colorado for snowboarding and had a connection flight in some freezing city in Utah. I missed my connection and had to spend 24 hours in the airport. I was allowed to sleep in the airport, but they turned off the heat at about midnight. (If I had to go through it again, I'd get a hotel room and send the airline the bill.) It was a good thing I was wearing some of my snowboard clothing. I also had a carry-on with more stuff in there like a toothbrush, etc. It was pure luck that I was prepared because I was not expecting to have to sleep in a freezing airport. When I got to Colorado, they lost my luggage, probably because of the missed connection. I spent another 24 hours without the rest of my stuff, including my snowboard gear. Since then, I haven't been too excited about traveling long distances to go snowboarding.

If you have a connection in a cold city, prepare for dealing with cold weather.
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#274827 - 04/11/15 01:10 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
The Leatherman Squirt will be caught and confiscated if you attempt to bring it as a carryon. I fly every week with the Style PS and make sure to put it in a bin rather than leaving it in my bag. The TSA inspects it, confirms that there are no blades, and sends me on my way.

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#274832 - 04/11/15 09:06 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
Pete Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 1372
Check EVERYTHING with a blade. There's a good chance that your Leatherman will be confiscated by the TSA. I lost a small survival tool at Salt Lake City airport that way. The blade was miniscule, but they kept it.

All your other gear - throw into your bags that are carried in the cargo compartment. You are way over-prepared for Las Vegas. Nothing is going to happen to you there. Have a good time. Don't get fleeced! HAHA!!

Pete

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#274836 - 04/12/15 07:10 AM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: Pete]
Herman30 Offline
Addict

Registered: 08/08/06
Posts: 495
Loc: Finland
Originally Posted By: Pete
You are way over-prepared for Las Vegas. Nothing is going to happen to you there.


But he said
Quote:
and possible small hikes MAY be involved,

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#274858 - 04/13/15 05:54 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: Pete]
MDinana Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 2208
Loc: Beer&Cheese country
Originally Posted By: Pete
Check EVERYTHING with a blade. There's a good chance that your Leatherman will be confiscated by the TSA. I lost a small survival tool at Salt Lake City airport that way. The blade was miniscule, but they kept it.

All your other gear - throw into your bags that are carried in the cargo compartment. You are way over-prepared for Las Vegas. Nothing is going to happen to you there. Have a good time. Don't get fleeced! HAHA!!

Pete

While there is a good chance, I also flew about 10 times with a pocket knife in my backpack (I didn't remember it being there; bag hadn't been used in years), before someone caught it. Never underestimate the incompetence, or regional differences, in the TSA.

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#274859 - 04/13/15 07:35 PM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: chaosmagnet]
RNewcomb Offline
Member

Registered: 04/19/12
Posts: 170
Loc: Iowa
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
The Leatherman Squirt will be caught and confiscated if you attempt to bring it as a carryon. I fly every week with the Style PS and make sure to put it in a bin rather than leaving it in my bag. The TSA inspects it, confirms that there are no blades, and sends me on my way.


What you said - I have one of these too, and if you leave it in the bag, you are going to get pulled aside and inspected. DSM is terrible for inspections, but I did make it through San Jose coming back fine with it in the bag.

If it has a blade, kiss it goodbye if it's not checked... but.. if you look out on Ebay, TSA sells them in lots of 50 and you can always pick up a whole bunch of spares for cheap. smile

Example:

Knives-Airport-lot-Multi-Tools-Leatherman-Multi-function-TSA

50 knives for $55!


Edited by RNewcomb (04/13/15 07:38 PM)

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#275170 - 05/20/15 02:32 AM Re: First flight since pre 9/11 [Re: barbakane]
bacpacjac Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 3601
Loc: Ontario, Canada
How did it go?
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Mom & Adventurer

You can find me on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT9fpZEy5XSWkYy7sgz-mSA

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