Flying with climbing gear in a carry-on?

Flying into Moab, the TSA agent fondled my nut pick for like 10 minutes. I was sure it was going to get confiscated. But he finally let me have it, not sure if me begging and saying it costs $20 helped. Not going to risk it from now on. 

That was exactly my experience. After the fondling, the fellow said it was marginal and let me by with it. 

If flying out of SYD, they will make you check your rope in. Cost me 175 AUD :(

Years ago, flying out of BCN, security told me they'd let me on but check it in next time.

MTY will depend on the agent. Made me check it in once (i had a free bag anyway) let me on 1 other time.

TSA website says ropes are allowed in carry on so shouldn't have a problem in US airports 

I've flown with ropes & whole racks of cams, including big ones, multiple times, enough to say you shouldn't worry about it.

Nut tool (metolius feather), Trango Piranha tiny knife, and carbon fiber trekking poles have each gotten through 2-3x, but that might just be luck. 

I might have gotten through accidentally with some "Drinking straws" aka ice screws. (agent saw them on the xray but then couldn't find them inside my boots, I also forgot they were in there!) wouldn't recommend counting on it though. 

And full bottles of forgotten water too!

security theater 

Ellen Swrote:

I've flown with ropes & whole racks of cams, including big ones, multiple times, enough to say you shouldn't worry about it.

 Rules are different for international travel. The person who resurrected the thread was flying out of Sydney. 

in april, my buddy wasn't allowed ti bring his trango stick clip in his carryon even after explaining its purpose and showing other climbing gear ("it could be used as a weapon"). not sure if it was just an officious agent or what, but he at least had enough time to get it into his checked bag before the flight.

Marc801 Cwrote:

 Rules are different for international travel. The person who resurrected the thread was flying out of Sydney. 

Yup,

Flying out across the US and out of the US I haven't had any issues.

MTY made me check my rope while my buddy went past security with his rope and full waterbottle.

Literally made me want to throw my rope away rather than paying the fee haha

Cedric Salvadorwrote:

...MTY made me check my rope while my buddy went past security with his rope and full waterbottle...

Now you're making me think there was a chance that I could've made it through SYD with my rope in my carry on. The agent that flagged my bag had to call a supervisor, the supervisor contemplated for a sec before deciding that I needed to check my bag. As I've said, I had the same experience through MTY.

I went on 4 flights on my recent trip, they asked what my stick clip was 2x & let me through.

The reason why i resurrected the thread is because I'm hoping we can get a feel for how different countries/airports deal w ropes in carry on bags. Paying $175 AUD to check my bag sucked ass. So did waiting for my bag at baggage claim. 

I've been allowed to keep a rope in my carry on at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Manchester, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Keflavik, Christchurch and probably a couple others.

My nut tool has been questioned but always allowed through.

My peanut butter was confiscated in Manchester and I'm still grumpy about it.

You're probably fine flying almost anywhere. But. I was flying out of Tenerife in the Canary Islands with trad/sport gear in my carry-on and security made me check the bag because of the carabiners of all things. They claimed that the carabiners could be used as iron knuckles.  

I once had security in Madrid not let me through with quickdraws. They made us check them, though other friends got through just fine with them, but it's been fine in the US and many other countries.

So it sounds like international travel is a crap shoot as far as what they're gonna allow & what they're gonna make you check. I've never had trouble with draws.

Then there was this moron.
https://www.aol.com/tsa-calls-traveler-attempting-bring-025844281.html

I've flown in and out of Denver, Atlanta, JFK and Vegas with cams, wires, aid gear (of the fabric kind), jumars, gri gri, helmet and traxions and never had a problem

Went through ATH with all my gear in my carry on with no issues.

I've flown to/from Orange County, CA, San Francisco, and Denver with a full trad rack in my carry on without issue. I check the nut tool or I don't bring one.

Internationally, I went through Tijuana and Monterrey airports in Mexico with no issues with sport draws and a handful of cams, but a friend was stopped and forced to go back and check his bag over his sport draws so that felt like a toss up.

I always always carry on my trad gear because once my check in bag never arrived and I never got it back. Was stolen, I assume. After 3 months the airlines sent me a check for $1,500, the max they would refund.This did not cover my total monetary loss of the bag. Side note, I've had TSA look at my extra chalk and not even blink. I thought they would be suspicious of a white powder, but no. However it seems it depends on the person you deal with, everybody and every situation is different.

Jack Jones wrote:

most sport climbing gear (ropes, harnesses, quickdraws, belay device) is fine in carry-on, but cams, nuts, or anything sharp should go in checked luggage.

I'm asking genuinely - when is the last time you flew with climbing gear? I'm talking domestically, within the US and I'm asking because this is not correct information.

The only thing that tends to be problematic is a nut tool - that generally has to be checked. But I fly with my full rack of cams, nuts, draws, etc in my carry on and not once have I even had to remove it from my backpack. I will be flying again tonight and doing exactly what I'm describing. This is a near monthly thing for me with zero issues.

dear bots, where should I pack my 8 inch knife? asking for a friend. fwiw, I also use it for my nut tool (hey, is it safe to have that around my rope? asking for my AI friend)

Just flew last night. Double rack stuffed into my backpack. TSA didnt even blink, she just joked that "wow, you really stuffed that bag full eh?"

Christian, I tried to fly with my machete and bazooka but those buzzkills said no. So lame