Considering doing only carry-on luggage - ?s about what is allowed

Edor

Have recently been re-thinking trip and further reducing my back pack so that it will meet carry-on regulations. With all of the lost luggage (perhaps especially end of Dec. and January) this is starting to be appealing. In addition if I only have carry-on it will same some time at the airport.

Flying from USA to Bangkok and then to Kolkata and domestic flights to Mumbai and to Udaipur.

I know I can meet size and weight requirements (will be 22" x 14" x 9" and less than 25 pounds). Some carry-on items that might not be permissible on one or more legs of this journey:
1) I am an avid photographer and plan to take a small collapsible metal monopod - about 20 inches long. I know that in USA, TSA allows umbrellas and allows walking canes. Monopod could be opened up and I could pretend to be using it as a cane/walking aide. Anyone have experience with monopod or a single short trekking pole and whether they got it through as carry-on? I've checked on photography forums and people have had mixed experiences with tripods as carry-on in USA, so thought I'd try to check here.

2) It seems that a small Swiss army knife would not be allowed if it has a blade of any length. Would probably just take a small (non-bladed) multi-tool and then buy a small folding knife upon arrival.

Thanks for any experience and advice.

Edward

Nick-H

I think you may well have problems with tools of any kind, also with liquids of any kind.

These days, especially if your flight is from or through USA or UK it is probably less hassle to check in all your baggage and not carry anything --- rather than the other way round.

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Khandoma

Hi Edward,

I went through the same thought process you did, considered carry-on luggage only. Then the Swiss knife issue arose.

I confirm that no tool of any kind, even without a blade, can be checked into your carry-on luggage at US / European airports. Even a bottle opener, a pair of tweezers, a mini screwdriver, are prohibited items.

You just have to drop your tools (and your shampoo, and lately a gloss lipstick that I particularly liked, any liquid or cream as Nick pointed out above) in a transparent bin, to be destroyed.

And it's just a guess but I'd say you'll go through no end of hell with your monopod. It's a tool that can be used for knocking someone on the head, so unless your leg is in a cast I'm afraid the "cane" thing won't work.

Travelling light is getting tough these days... Good luck with your packing and enjoy your trip !

__________________
Khandoma
Visit my India photo gallery on IndiaMike

Edor

Thanks for thoughts; yes there are trade-offs.

The real clarity is no metal knife at all.

Liquids: Not a problem for me; I take a shampoo bar soap rather than liquid, and use tooth powder, and will probably leave contact lenses at home. At least in USA for flights liquids follow the 1-1-3 rule: 3 ounce bottle or less (by volume); all must fit within 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin.

Monopod is still an issue for me.

While statistically remote - lost baggage is certainly a hassle.

Another thread on this forum pointed me to this website which advocates shooting for all carry-on for your entire trip. It does have appeal http://www.onebag.com/ and forces one to travel light and compact which has additional benefits as well.

Still undecided which is fine.

Edward

lotus blossom

yeah, the one-bag thing sounds glorious to me too. i travel heavier than i want to, so am trying to figure out how to scale down for my next trip. i've narrowed it down to these two choices:

Eagle Creek Exploration Systems Switchback Max 25

Victorinox Trek Pack Plus 3.0 26" Wheeled Backpack with Docking Daypack

The Victorinox is a bit bigger, so that seems more reasonable for me, but the daypack is smaller. i also carry camera gear and a laptop, and i don't want to lug that around enroute to india (and back) without wheels (it's all too burdensome). I have read two reviews in which people that have the eaglecreek said that they wore the backpack on the plane as their personal carry-on, and were able to wheel the other part on as their main carry on. not sure how easy it would be to pull off, but that sounds appealing.

__________________
Not all who wander are lost

Khandoma

Edward, you're quite right about the 3 1 1 rule except... Except sometimes customs are more stringent than the notice boards. That lip gloss that I liked so much was under 3 ounces, and it was in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag, still it didn't pass JFK customs. Not that I actually complain, I'd rather be alive without a lipstick than the other way around. Just to let you know that from one airport to the next things can be more or less drastic.

Just a suggestion. If you are adamant on taking that monopod, then you can do what the pros do : buy a bag / case for it and ship it as special cargo - you know the counter where they ship surfboards and skis and bikes ? Did that for years with my sweetheart's pro equipment. A bit of a hassle as you have to queue twice at check in, once for boarding pass and regular luggage and one for special luggage. So it's a good idea to get at the airport early. The advantage is, much less hassle at customs. And I found that in most countries where luggage loss is considered frequent, special-checked luggage never gets lost - that is, it never gets stolen, as it is too conspicuous.

On an aside, the only airports my luggage ever got lost at were Seattle, Atlanta and Cincinatti. Travelled quite a bit through Asia, never lost luggage nor got items stolen. It's only me though...

butterball

I think the monopod will crop up as a problem. I fly to and from France every month, and I know that the London airport would probably allow it, the French would definitely not!! Every country/airport/region/individual will have an opinion. The French took issue with a car part I was carrying.. Only after heavy negotiation did I get it past them. I even got a jar of honey past them the month before on the promise that "it was such a particularly tasty honey and it would be a shame to waste it.." I was waved through by a very jolly security man..

2 years ago I flew a few times within India on a trip ( Mumbai/Chennai/Kolkata/Hyderabad/Goa/Mumbai ) and apart from one delay out of Hyderabad, no problems.. ( OK, I was lucky with the delays ) with 2 Canons (cameras - not weapons!), a Gitzo (tripod) and bits 'n' pieces.. All seemed to go well with the check in ( usual queues though )

I would recommend : Have some cheap stickers made with your contact details (and possible offer of reward for irreplaceable items like memory cards or hard drives ( or film even! ) with in an international telephone/mobile number and email address on it. Stick these on important items. Label your bag CLEARLY inside and out. Have some form of address in India if you can (try your last hotel before you leave as an address?). And just keep half an eye on staff handling your bag to make sure it's following similar bags to people waiting at check in ( just watch in case the check in staff put a BOM ticket on your bag and you are clearly hoping to fly to somewhere like KOL !! )

Good luck

Nick-H

Seeing the crazy stuff about TSA that crops up elsewhere in the net regularly makes one wonder about ever flying in or out of USA .

nedhopkins

Airport security in India is very strict -- also erratic. I boarded five flights with a cigarette lighter in my checked baggage; in Madurai it was confiscated. The small fingernail clipper I carried on my person was OK at three airports, but confiscated at Hyderabad. On the other hand, my Swiss Army knife, in checked baggage, was never challenged; nor was a book of matches I was carrying. All this last month. On balance, I think you'd be better off checking everything you won't absolutely need when you arrive at your next stop.

Khandoma

Butterball, I can't believe you managed to get that jar of honey through ! Hilarious ! The French and food... We are like this only, I guess.

Nick, I've got a JFK story that makes the Tel Aviv customs look like a rave party in Anjuna. Not the place here, but you reminded me I should share it somewhere on the web, just for laughs... Will post a link.

Nick-H

We do have an off-topic forum

butterball

Carcassonne is a small airport.. And it WAS truly a tasty Chestnut honey

A little humour can go a long way !

Khandoma

Carcassonne, no less. Photographing the fortified cities, are you ? Anyhow, you're lucky, it's beautiful out there. Chestnut honey was definitely worse the hassle, I'd say. Splendid stuff, fabulous with venison, getting rarer and rarer, with the bee diseases and - oh, is there an off-topic forum ? It's stories like yours that give me hope in mankind, where there's still room for human interaction, and humour as you pointed out. When that jar of honey stays at Carcassone airport we truly will have entered a very unpleasant era, I think...

Edor

As usual the info and exp of people on this forum is fabulous. Well I have decided that carry-on only will not work for me on this trip because of some of the camera and video related items. Glad I am not trying to travel with high end photo equipment.

The deal killers in case this is of value to anyone else:
1) A different thread indicated that extra batteries that are not inside the equipment (particularly at India airports) are typically not allowed. Because I have 2 extra batteries for each and a total of 4 very small battery chargers and a very small extension cord with 6 outlet slots on it, I'm sure that this would look like a potential threat.

2) Seems like the USA 3-1-1 rule regarding liquids is even stricter in India and some other places. Could live with this but having to continually re-purchase small amounts after my 3 flights is a bit of a nuisance.

3) The monopod would probably get challenged at some point. It is a really cheap ($10) but light one (10 ounces) and so if it had to be tossed it would be OK. I had even thought of a different approach to avoid the monopod. In India buy a short length of thin bamboo. I have a mini-tripod only 4 inches long that has velcro that I could then strap to the bamboo.

Well some wonderful posts and stories and good lessons for me. Be flexible, listen to others, each culture and sub-culture is different - wonderfully exemplified here by carry-on bag and security procedures.

Excellent advice on watching your bag after it has passed the security person. Now I plan on taking significant carry-on including valuable items such as small camera and small video as well first aid kit and other non-liquid travel health items, some change of clothes, and perhaps a toothbrush. The rest and especially the problematic security things will be checked (monopod, swiss army knife, nail clipper, other non-essential metal items, all liquids except water, matches, extra batteries, mini-flashlight.

It is great, just thinking about how to pack is part of the fun of traveling and anticipating the actual experiences.

Fine with me that the thread got slightly off-topic but understand the importance of this great culture forum of keeping fairly close to original OP point.

Again thanks all, Edward

Mickey S

Carcassonne is Ryanair, right? Say no more...