Don't try to carry any Tape in carry-ons - or Any Tools.

[ReefHound]

I try to keep all accessories together since I carry a couple of GoPros (dive buddy's and mine). We have different flex arms and video lights. The confiscated allen was one that was used to hook a video light to the GoPro-flex arm. So as not to confuse which allens to use, it went into the case holding the corresponding video light. It's been fine packed that way until this trip.

I get it but laws supercede personal packing needs. Mark it with paint or something to identify, keep the tools in a small pouch, separate the tools from the camera gear before you go to the airport and reunite them after you leave the airport.

 

[eab]

Add me to the list of folks who've had their tools consficated. A wrench in my case...a good Craftsman to boot! Lesson learned...the hard way.

Lost my dad's Craftsman adjustable wrench to Cozumel airport security as well. Sad moment for me as it had some great memories attached to it.

 

[DandyDon]

I like to carry silicone grease and a little bottle of vinegar-alcohol mix in each mask box, and I have forgotten to remove them and got away with it at times, but generally I take them out and put them in my 3-1-1 bag.

Lost my dad's Craftsman adjustable wrench to Cozumel airport security as well. Sad moment for me as it had some great memories attached to it.

I almost lost a dive buddy leaving Texas that way back when tools were not allowed in carry-on in the US. He didn't read the TSA list of prohibited items, carried a multi-hex wrench in his, and we got separated at security as he went back to the ticket counter to ask that they hold it for him for a week as it had sentimental value to him, and he was going to wait as long as it took. All of the agents were working the flight tho and no one was going back until after it left. I am still amazed that I was able to get off the plane I had boarded, ask about him at security, they remembered him and where he went, I was able to get an agent to go back to the counter to get him, and I was able to delay the plane enough for him to catch up. That should never work. We made it, and he picked it up a week later.

 

[eab]

I like to carry silicone grease and a little bottle of vinegar-alcohol mix in each mask box, and I have forgotten to remove them and got away with it at times, but generally I take them out and put them in my 3-1-1 bag.

I almost lost a dive buddy leaving Texas that way back when tools were not allowed in carry-on in the US. He didn't read the TSA list of prohibited items, carried a multi-hex wrench in his, and we got separated at security as he went back to the ticket counter to ask that they hold it for him for a week as it had sentimental value to him, and he was going to wait as long as it took. All of the agents were working the flight tho and no one was going back until after it left. I am still amazed that I was able to get off the plane I had boarded, ask about him at security, they remembered him and where he went, I was able to get an agent to go back to the counter to get him, and I was able to delay the plane enough for him to catch up. That should never work. We made it, and he picked it up a week later.

Great story!

I always check the American site for the latest with batteries, tape, glue, whatever, but it's never updated for Cozumel only and the rules seem to change as frequently as the wind direction.

 

[Stoo]

In case something breaks.

Like the plane...

 

[Stoo]

Actually, it's so the agents are not expected to make decisions, just enforce the rules. No tools in carry-on bags leaving the US. No judgments required.

I was coming back from BC two years ago, folllowing a dive trip. They X-rayed my Pelican case with my camera gear as expected and also as expected, they wanted to inspect and swab it. I explained it was UW photo gear, but the guy said, "No, there's something sharp in there...".

I was confused, but some digging under the padding revealed my long-lost dental pick that I use of picking out little o-rings. I figured it was gone, but the guy said, "All good... Dental picks are allowed". I recall "pithing" frogs in school, so a pick could definitely become a lethal weapon, but this was a small regional airport. (I always figure that aluminum housings could be used as weapons too, but so far, so good.

 

[james_bond_007]

Q: "Why would anyone put tools in their carryon bags?"
A: Because they don't have any checked bags.

For short trips of 1-2 weeks in the warm Carribean, my wife and I have learned to pack light...really light.
We save a lot on not incurring baggage fees. If we need something, we buy it.

We take 2 std carryon and 2 personal items (backpacks/daypacks).
1 carryon has our clothes.
1 carryon has my dive equipment
(she does not dive)

I have been able to carry:
1-Zuma travel bc
1- pr dive boots
2- masks
2- snorkels
1- Stahlsac
1-pr gloves
1- AL Titan reg and 1st stage + hose
1- AL Air 3
1- Oceanic gauge set (bkup)
(depth/tank pressure) + hose
1- Suunto TX ( Vyper Air in pers bag)
1- ac power strip
1- usb charger
1- 18650 charger
1- battery powered spare dive light
(Batteries in pers bag)
2- L&M chargers (Sola 1200's in pers bag)
1-pr Tusa Hyflex fins
(bolt-on blades/removable footpockets)
1- med dry bag
Misc tools

All packed using my best Tetris skills.

Since it is warm water (82-86F) I use rash guards and no wetsuit.
The take-apart fins were what I needed to get the last piece of gear in the carryon.

Nothing above is top of the line, but all is quality equipment.

Yesterday I got my wrenches confiscated.
2-4" adj wrenches (I can replace)
1-thin 19mm x2.5" long wrench for my TX
(hard to find a thin one to fit b/w 1st and TX...maybe I'll add a small hose?)

I diverted the agents from the Allen keys
( I need one to put my fins together), the others are for my regs, and from my screwdriver bit set (it is In a plastic box, so it didn't look like a tool).

The agents said "No tools allowed".
I surrendered the adjustable wrenches, but begged for the thin wrench...then gave them that too.

Me, being me, looked up the rules later.

Summary: no
- power tools
- sharp/cutting objects
- working tools
"Tools that can be used to cause
severe injuries or damages to
aircrafts, including the following:
- Iron levers
. - Drills and gimlets, including
portable battery drills
-Tools with blades or handles of
more than 6 cm long, that could be
used as weapons, such as
screwdrivers and chisels
...but no examples of wrenches?
- Saws
. - Blowlamp
. - Bolt pistols or nail guns

. -Blunt objects
. Objects that can be used to strike
and cause severe injuries, including
the following:
. - Baseball and softball bats
. - Nightsticks and sticks, such as
police nightsticks and juggling
props ...really ? is this a better
example than, say, a hammer?
. - Martial arts equipment "
... but no examples of wrenches or
hammers ?

Actual doc here:

https://www.aicm.com.mx/informacionalpasajero/Archivos/SAFETYGUIDEATAIRPORTS2014.pdf

To me,
- my wrenches did not meet the 6cm handle requirement. Yes they were "working tools" but not going to cause "severe injury or damage to aircraft", which is what the intent was described as .
Allen keys don't seem to fit the intent either.
Wrenches seem like they fit "Blunt objects" but no tools were given as examples.

Thought about packing tools in my old lead-lined film bag... i still have from the old days, but figured if caught, I would be in bigger trouble for trying to smuggle them through customs.

So my solution will be to leave some tools with my diveshop, or a friend in Cozumel, or even mail them to my hotel, the next time I go because just like in the USA,
"You can't fight city hall"

Thanks for letting me ramble ...

 

[ggunn]

Don't expect a strict adherence to the published rules by the inspectors at a security checkpoint, and don't expect to win any arguments with them about their application of those rules. In fairness to those inspectors, your encounter with them is the only encounter with them you will have, but they have hundreds of encounters with passengers every day.

 

[ReefHound]

What are baggage fees? Haven't ever paid a baggage fee.

 

[james_bond_007]

What are baggage fees? Haven't ever paid a baggage fee.

For me, checked bags are around $35 each, one-way, for international travel.
Domestic I have not fees.