Harnesses and hand baggage

[KristianBrook]

Can you take your SRT kit onto a plane as hand baggage these days?

I'm flying out to Croatia with easyjet and was thinking of taking on my SRT kit and climbing gear as hand baggage to save on the weight in my hold luggage. Has anyone else done this recently let me know if it is ok or does security say no?

 

[JasonC]

Never done it, but don't see why not...
Surprisingly large items of 'hand' baggage seem to find their way onto planes, so I don't think you'd be up against space restrictions.  But there are also weight restrictions on hand luggage (airline-dependent), so check the small print - I think 10 kg is typical.
Obviously, any knives and highly dangerous bottles of water would need to go in the hold, but I can't see why security could object to SRT tackle.

 

[cap n chris]

Have had problems before with carabiners (knuckle-dusters) and any cord can be used to "tie people up and hijack the plane", i.e. cowstails. Clearly you can put your hand luggage into the hold to obviate this problem but that kinda defeats the definition! If you've got hold luggage as well then the best option is to put cordy stuff into that, along with carabiners and to take all the other heavier items (croll, stop, harness etc.) in the hand luggage.

 

[jarvist]

No chance!
Anything that could be used to garrott or restrain won't be allowed (harness, slings, rope etc.). They'll even take a rigging spanner off you. With fabric you might be lucky & they don't notice anything on the X-Ray, but once they start going through your bag...

You _might_ get away with an odd carabiner, as they're used to sports climbers possessing them; any large masses of metal, and again - little chance.

After far too much hassle, I now try and do the opposite - squeeze bulky but benign 'everyday' objects into my hand luggage (SRT oversuit, wellies, helmet etc., dive torches - but again, spare batteries freak them out). If you have a lightweight dry bag, you can pack your clothes impressively tightly.
I even tend to put any photographic flashes into the hold, as spotting them on the X-Ray generally results in a bag search.

The 'rules' (if there are any) are incredibly variably applied though, certainly the London airports seem more strict than regional ones.

 

[robjones]

25 years ago I successfully took three racks of climbing gear as my hand luggage - including big hexs, pitons, ice screws - it weighed a LOT    Save for uncomprehending looks at Moscow, no attention paid to the bagful of clanking ironmongery.

I wouldn't dream of risking tying to take any climbing or caving gear as hand luggage these days 

 

[Olaf]

Quite surprisingly I usually do the opposite of what Cap'n Chris suggests: I put a pile of about 7 carabiners (snap- and screwgates) and my steel central mallion into the hand luggage and all the dangerous looking big bits of metal into the checked bags. I also had a range of homemade wireless flashguns and spare batteries for the caving light in the hand luggage. Had no problems at Heathrow, City Airport, Frankfurt and a few other places, usually I do not even get a question, bag search or anything...

It really just depends on the people you encounter at the security check! Kind of inspires confidence in the reliability of these checks... 

BTW: Some TSA or FAA or whatever says in their rules that batteries that are fixed in devices are fine in checked and hand luggage, but that loose batteries should go into the hand luggage only and are not allowed in the checked bags.

 

[jarvist]

take all the other heavier items (croll, stop, harness etc.) in the hand luggage.

Have you tested this recently? I used to fly with my SRT metalwork in hand luggage <2007, was only just allowed to fly with metalwork after a long time at security at Easter 2007, and since then have lost a 13 mm rigging spanner (2008) and a 6-inch adjustable spanner (2009) [travelling for work; it was a cycling tool that had slipped down the back of my rucksack]. Maybe I have an untrustworthy face?
The discussion in 2007 mainly revolved around "we don't let anyone fly with a screwdriver, but your [stop] alone is a big chunk of metal, and the whole assembly could do a lot of damage"

I found an official UK Government list of restricted items. All work tools are explicitly banned, but so are most sports equipment (with the exception of parachutes - amusing!).
http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/travel-transport-and-roads/public-transport/air-travel/dangerous-and-restricted-items-what-you-cannot-take-on-board-a-flight.htm

 

[cap n chris]

Yes, July. Cordage, krabs, rope in hold luggage, stop, croll, basic, harness, protraxion, ropeman, tibloc in hand luggage; Easyjet.  Easyjet was the airline we had trouble with (via ferrata kit) but only on a RETURN flight; outbound was AOK. Got the bag put into hold luggage (free of charge after kicking up a fuss about the carabiners NOT featuring on their restricted list).

Inconsistent, then. Crabs can, and have, gone through unchallenged - my better half has found if you line them up spine-facing upwards, they don't look like knuckledusters on the scanner and hence don't get picked out for special treatment.

Batteries and photography stuff goes in a box for separate scanning as they always like to look at it "just in case" but then let it go through. A Viper battery did cause some intrigue in a French airport for a while, though, until one of the security people said "Lithium?" and I nodded.

Just get there early enough to have your hand luggage placed into hold luggage if the fan and manure interface violently.

 

[Maj]

Regarding batteries, a friend of mine after having his bag searched was asked by security whether this regularly happens to him, he answered yes. Security then told him why - he carried a cellophane wrapped pack of spare batteries (in the days of D cells), the shape of the pack made it difficult for security to determine what it was when x-rayed, so they did a physical search. He was recommended to separate the batteries because their shape was then more recogniseable. No problems since. So think carefully what security might think you have when your bag goes through the scanner with a shape they can't easily recognise and identify.

Maj.

 

[glyders]

I got stopped at Heathrow due to a headtorch in my hand luggage. It was, after all, a battery with wires coming out of it!

 

[badger]

when we enquired about taking srt in hold luggage we where told it was ok (2007),  not sure if this is still the case, although to be honest in these days of high security would think it would be better in hold luggage.
As I understand it lithium batteries have to be taken as hand luggage, there is a power output allowable if that's the right word, but have been advised by a professional photographer/filmmaker that you should also print of the regulations with you say if questioned you can provided the law/rules to what your allowed to take and in hand luggage, as not all airport security officers no or are aware of the them.
I know off someone who had all his lithium batteries for his scurion confiscated at dubia, he did not have the printed document, whether this would off saved his batteries I am not sure.

 

[cap n chris]

Humble apologies; been told that it's NOTHING to do with any particular airline and EVERYTHING to do with the specific airport's security peeps.

 

[Joe90]

Humble apologies; been told that it's NOTHING to do with any particular airline and EVERYTHING to do with the specific airport's security peeps.

Most 'budget' airlines do have size restrictions on the hand-luggage you can take. It is usually a small metal box near check in and if you can 'easily' get your bag in its okay. I have managed to get a 35ltr day bag through by 'easily (forcing)' it into the box but they didn't like it so much.

I think getting things through a security check is little to do with the airline and more of airport security. Probably a bit to do with weather the person on the x-ray machine got laid recently/has been climbing/caving before.

 

[MarkS]

Several of us had full SRT kits in hand luggage when we flew to Croatia this summer with Jet2 and had no problems on the way out or the return. Some bags got looked at, some didn't, but they were happy when we just told them it was climbing gear.

Seven of us also flew to Brussels this summer with Ryanair, all with full SRT kits in hand luggage, and again none of us had any problems.

I flew with someone to Mexico a couple of years back who had a full SRT kit, plus loads of maillons and throughbolts and there were no problems with any of that either, apart from the odd bag search.


Since lithium batteries also seem to be mentioned, I've flown to several places (Europe & the US) with a variety of lithium batteries ranging from spare phone batteries to several 75 Wh LiPos. Again, I've had no problem at all apart from (sometimes) having my bag checked. When I've told them what they are, they just swab them to check for (presumably) explosives. I believe it's OK to have any number of lithium batteries in hand luggage provided they're below 100(!) Wh.

 

[CatM]

In the past I've tended to err on the side of caution and put any metalwork/SRT gear in hold luggage. This is partly cos I prefer to know that the most important things (ie tent, sleeping bag, etc) are not going to get lost in transit. But after hearing about many people who have never had any problems, I decided to risk it on the way to Brussels cos we didn't want to have to take a hold bag just for the weekend. Security had a good rummage on the way out but, even though I had 3 descenders (2 racks and a stop, don't ask) and several extra crabs, they asked if it was climbing gear and were then (eventually) fine about it.

Just to add to Mark's comment, since as rightly pointed out further up the page restrictions are airport/person-dependent rather than airline dependent, we were flying from Manchester. Assuming you're doing the same I think you should be fine, but just expect to have a bag search and leave plenty of time. Incidentally,  Dubrovnik/Brussels security couldn't care less.