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TSA-Compliant? Not everywhere...

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A caveat for any of you that do a lot of international travel. If you are like me, you feel kind of naked if you don't have a pocket knife on you. Since I travel a lot, and don't check luggage, I really can't carry a knife. So I went and bought one of these:

 

http://www.leatherman.com/831488.html

 

A Leatherman TSA-Compliant 831488 Style PS Multitool. This means that it has no knife, but it has pliers, scissors, screwdriver, etc. For most of what I need a knife for when I travel, the scissors work just fine. Well, it made it through security in the US, Colombia, Peru, and Germany. But when I got to Mexico, it was confiscated. Apparently, the rules in Mexico are different – you are not

allowed to have anything on the plane that is a “tool”. The pliers on the Leatherman qualified it as a tool, so it had to go. I started to argue, then thought of what a Mexican prison looks like, and told them to keep it. For 20 bucks it wasn't worth it. Just a word to the wise – TSA-compliant doesn't really mean anything if you are travelling outside the US.

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But when I got to Mexico, it was confiscated. Apparently, the rules in Mexico are different 

 

Mexico has tougher rules.  The pair of nail clippers I carried on 100's of flights around the world was a problem for Mexico.  They made me break off the file piece, and then they let it on the plane.  I still have those clippers, and whenever I go for the file to clean under my nails I remember that day.

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You could always buy yourself a knife when you get to your destination and then mail it back to yourself when you leave.

I did that once with a gun.

 

Sent from an undisclosed location.

 

 

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2 months ago during the Olympics in Russia Delta was seizing ALL liquids (let me say it again - ALL, means all nasal / eye drops, literally everything) off passengers flying to Russia. They established a secondary inspection TSA post right before entering the aircraft where they manually searched everything.

So no surprise some countries go crazy about carry-on luggage.

I once forgot a bottle opener in my backpack and had 2 or 3 flights from Russia, Lithuania and Germany before it finally got seized in Paris-Orly airport in France :) It's a lottery, sometimes they just don't notice even a knife (that happened to me as well), but sometimes they can go crazy because of nail clippers.

That just makes me think again about reliability of all these security measures...

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TSA is wildly inconsistent in applying their own rules.  It's a real crap shoot as to what they will and will not let through, and good luck trying to convince them that they're blindingly wrong on an issue--they'll neither look up the rules they are supposed to be following, nor allow you to do it for them.

 

I've lost count of the number of TSA-compliant locks I've had cut off of luggage because some flunky couldn't be bothered to use their master key.

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TSA is wildly inconsistent in applying their own rules.  It's a real crap shoot as to what they will and will not let through, and good luck trying to convince them that they're blindingly wrong on an issue--they'll neither look up the rules they are supposed to be following, nor allow you to do it for them.

 

I've lost count of the number of TSA-compliant locks I've had cut off of luggage because some flunky couldn't be bothered to use their master key.

I've lost so many of those locks also for that very same reason.I now just use nylon zip ties and in the 5 years since doing so have yet to have my bags opened.

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I was stopped in Tulsa for a digital thermometer....maybe because it resembles a Taser? You should have seen the rent-a-cops faces when I pointed it at my leg and pulled the trigger to show them it was just a thermometer.

 

 

This signature is AWESOME!!!

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I've lost so many of those locks also for that very same reason.I now just use nylon zip ties and in the 5 years since doing so have yet to have my bags opened.

 

I also use small nylon cable ties, and they do work great.  However on a recent trip to Florida (EWR -> RSW) my wife cut her cable tie and then found a "TSA has examined this bag" note card.  So, they cut our tie off and replaced it with the same kind. 

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I also use small nylon cable ties, and they do work great.  However on a recent trip to Florida (EWR -> RSW) my wife cut her cable tie and then found a "TSA has examined this bag" note card.  So, they cut our tie off and replaced it with the same kind. 

Seriously?.....I guess it's entirely possible and I do know that at times they don't even put in a inspection notice but to have a supply of ties available for just these inspections is surprising. I'm going to invest in some of the colored one I saw in Harbor Freight and see what happens.

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I've had several inspections by TSA...usually when I have safety shoes or tool (or both) in my checked luggage.  The best was when I did some compliance and audit work at an Army Shoot House then wore the same shoes through the TSA inspection line a couple hours later.  Some kind of residue on my shoes (gunpowder maybe???) set their sensors off and you should have seen the swarm of fat guys and homely women swooping down on me. 

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I also use small nylon cable ties, and they do work great.  However on a recent trip to Florida (EWR -> RSW) my wife cut her cable tie and then found a "TSA has examined this bag" note card.  So, they cut our tie off and replaced it with the same kind. 

 

I guess they did it the other way :) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

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I guess they did it the other way :) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

Yeah... I saw that one recently and immediately thought of my knife roll that usually travels with me {I hate using other people's kitchen knives} but I can hardly hand carry it... I do however take a IPhone photo with the current day's paper in the background just in case I have to make a missing item report....may not help but can't hurt.

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I guess they did it the other way :) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI

 

Bingo.  I used to work for the TSA, I did this many of times for many reasons.  Mainly, because people zip tied their bags shut, or used a non-TSA lock, and it was quicker and less hassle to just use the pen trick then to track down the person for the keys or combination for their lock. 

 

And yes, the TSA is only a US agency.  What is OK here in the US doesn't apply once you leave our borders. 

 

 

I've had several inspections by TSA...usually when I have safety shoes or tool (or both) in my checked luggage.  The best was when I did some compliance and audit work at an Army Shoot House then wore the same shoes through the TSA inspection line a couple hours later.  Some kind of residue on my shoes (gunpowder maybe???) set their sensors off and you should have seen the swarm of fat guys and homely women swooping down on me. 

 

Yes, gunpowder residue will do it.  I've had cops come through that use their range bags as their carry on bag...bad idea.  Don't know why they swooped down on you, it's a pretty common occurance- especially with golf shoes- think about what they put on the grass to make it nice and green :lol:

Even right on their website: Golf Gear –Before flying, clean off clubs and golf shoes to prevent triggering baggage screening equipment. Also, remember to pack clubs in a travel bag.

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My brother in law attended a DHS explosives class a few years back and got thoroughly inspected when him and his luggage had residue. He apparently ended up on a list since he still gets flagged at the airport as a result.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

 

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Re: residue.

That's good to know. I always opt out of the naked scanners and part of the pat-down is to check their gloves for residue. I usually wear the same ball cap I use at the range when I fly.

Guess I'll be changing that up.

Effing Theatrical Security Agency...

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So, I will be flying from Newark to Bloomington, Illinois. Will I have an issue if I follow all the airline guidelines for my packing my firearm?

None...I fly out of Newark,Twice with my guns on Continental and was quite surprised how professional and quick they were, just keep within the weight allowance for ammo if flying with your rounds..

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