US Domestic Air travel with Tools and Equipment

[kelemvor]

Greetings. I have a question that's totally not scuba related. Lots of frequent travelers here so I'm hoping I can find some knowledgeable folks.

I'm flying from Tampa, FL USA to Boston, MA USA in a few weeks to visit my mother on the cape. I'm going to be doing some computer work for her while I'm there. I would like to bring a few hundred feet of Cat6 cable and associated tools in my checked bag. Do you guys think this will be a problem?

Tools would be a wire stripper, pair of dikes, manual screwdriver with some tips, network crimper, and a multimeter.

I don't really care if the TSA goes through my bag, so long as I don't have to sit in security for hours while they do it, and my bag gets there. I don't lock my checked bags or anything like that.

Any opinions? Has anyone flown with tools before?

 

[KeithG]

tools are no issue if they are checked.

i suggest you go to the source to determine what is prohited Prohibited Items

 

[kelemvor]

Yeah I already checked to verify the stuff isn't prohibited outright. I just figured a bunch of wire and some tools might look awful suspicious in an x-ray machine. I was curious mostly about additional delays it might cause. If there's much possibility of problems I will probably just order cheap tools and some cable from amazon, then abandon them in MA rather than using what I already have.

 

[KeithG]

your tools will not look suspicious. tools make thousands of flights everyday. the xray operators do not actually identify anything manually. it is all done by the machine.

the next time you go through security check out the display on the handbag xray scanner. in some airports they are easily visible while you wait in line. the machine detects various patterns and highlights some objects in different colors. the operator only looks for "bad" colors, the operator does not actually check or identify anything that the machine has not flagged. the operator has no clue what is in your bag. it is not their job to identify things. the machine does that. the machine also decides if anything is deemed suspicious.

i once flew with a set of car lug nuts in my carryon. they were special locking lugnuts and where arranged in a star pattern in the clear plastic package. the xray machine flagged them (in blue?). the operator then searched my hand bag and could not find anything. after a second search i asked if i could help. what are you looking for? they did not know. they did show me the screen and i quickly identified the blue pattern as the set of lug nuts.

i was once also flagged when i took a mechanical odometer sensor in my carry on. the operator asked if i had something that looked like a hand grenade. i said yes and showed them the odometer sensor.

 

[RyanT]

I can't guarantee that you won't be held up, airline security can be a bit random. With that said, I agree with giffenk, tools and cable in your checked bags shouldn't be a problem. You should try taking a robotic frog with an electro-pnuematic control unit in your carry on luggage. Always interesting!

 

[herman]

You won't have any issues but why not just UPS/mail them? You should easily be able to get it all in a med USPS flat rate box which ships 2 day for $14 ( a large flat rate is $18) . You can do it on line and arrange for a pickup at your door, both ways.

 

[Tug]

I know plenty of people that travel with full tool boxes with no issues. Depending on how many tools you're bringing, it might just be easier to ship them flat rate if you're close to the weight limit.

 

[BertStevens]

We check Customer tools all the time. No big deal, as long g as you aren't carrying any items on the prohibited list.

Just don't show up at the last minute. Arrive 2 hours before departure at most airports gives you time to check in and your bags to clear TSA, even if they open it.

 

[2airishuman]

I'm flying from Tampa, FL USA to Boston, MA USA in a few weeks to visit my mother on the cape. I'm going to be doing some computer work for her while I'm there. I would like to bring a few hundred feet of Cat6 cable and associated tools in my checked bag. Do you guys think this will be a problem?

Tools would be a wire stripper, pair of dikes, manual screwdriver with some tips, network crimper, and a multimeter.

I don't really care if the TSA goes through my bag, so long as I don't have to sit in security for hours while they do it, and my bag gets there. I don't lock my checked bags or anything like that.

Any opinions? Has anyone flown with tools before?

I've flown with stuff like that often and never have had a problem.

They might rummage through your bag. They go through mine fairly often. I usually have a couple of lead trim weights in there now and I think they spook the scanner.