Transporting paddle in airplane?

Has anybody transported a 2 piece carbon paddle as a carry on in an airplane? I asked a TSA worker in the past, and they just told me “we would have to see it first”.



I checked the TSA web site and it advises that canoe paddles are forbidden as they can be used as a club. I guess I am thinking a 34oz paddle would not make an effective club, but am I dreaming that common sense will play into this.

TS will not allow carry on paddles,
and that includes 1,2,3 ,4 and 5 piece paddles. The will allow carry on’s of kayaks. I have done it.

Have they banned neckties yet?
Belts? People have used those to strangle others.



Then there’s bare-hands strangling. Wait till we’re handcuffed for the duration of the flight.



Paddles, even half-paddles, are big. If someone (1) unbagged his paddle and (2) began batting around with it, the movement would immediately get noticed and stopped before becoming deadly. More dangerous would be a paddle with sharpened blades, or one with metal rod inside the hollow shaft. But even this could be prevented by requiring paddles to be inspected before going on board. It’s not like it would take a long time or there are soooo many paddlers that long lines would form from the extra time required.

Problem solved
Using my neighbors golf club hard sided bag. It will fit 2 paddles easily, using a pdf and float bag for padding so they do not bang around. Attempt to foil $25 dollar checked bag failure.

Fly Southwest
avoid United, They break guitars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

transporting paddles on plane.
I put mine in a hard shell rifle case ($30.00 or less) It got some looks, but I had a sheet of paper taped to is saying Kayak Paddles and Life Vest. It got through security no problem but passing through an international airport with a rifle case saying Paddles but stencilled on is M. Cpl McGruer and a Pegasus sticker with a maroon logo declaring Airborne . I am not sure who believed what. LOL The Rifle case works well.

i one time
put a breakdown in a suit bag and just hung it up with the other suits

"Am I dreaming that common sense . . .?
Why, yes, you are.



My daughter flew to Europe to study for a semester with a keychain size cannister of pepper spray dangling from a loop on her backpack carry-on in plain sight. No one said a word. On they way back, they confiscated her Tide pen.



Common sense does not come into play at all.

TSA inanity
Yeah, I think about the inanity of the restrictions and inspections every time I fly anymore. They impound tweezers and eyelash curling clamps (what is the would-be terrorist going to do, grab a victim’s nose and pinch it?)



Yet they let every passenger haul on a rolling suitcase with a frame constructed of an assortment of wide metal stays. It would not take a genius to pull one or more stays out and replace them with sharpened steel blades that would raise no red flags on X-ray but could be withdrawn and readily turned into a lethal sword.

Carry on Kayak?
Really? Where did you put it? What size boat was it? Why am I the first one to ask you about this? :slight_smile:

you
forgot to mention that 12 inch long, sharp, knitting needles are OK to carry on!!!

Who needs to dismantle anything?

Checked baggage is no problem
There is only the fee to worry about. Carry on is unlikely at best. The time tested way to deal with this is to ship them ahead. For example, it is very cheap to put them in a case (cardboard box with padding, taped up) and send them by bus.

Good call
I had forgotten about mailing them. I am betting Fed Ex fees are about the same as checked bag fees, and there is no huge case to lug around.

TSA
The TSA refused to let me carry on my Superior two piece on a recent trip to the UK, while English inspectors where were pleasant, and admired the paddle. They also encouraged me to carry it on so that it would not get damaged. The TSA is just another reason to avoid traveling.

13 ft Helios
Overhead compartment, Often carry the hulls of a feathercraft that way too

mailing ahead

– Last Updated: Aug-07-12 12:29 AM EST –

Since I have traveled in the past with large quantities of bulky gear (like for 3 week Archaeology field camps or for mountaineering trips) even before the hassles of TSA and baggage fees I learned that many good independently run motels and hotels will sign for and securely hold a large well-packaged carton for you if you make a reservation with them to stay there your first night and ship your gear ahead via UPS, Fed Ex or even USPS.

Just make sure you ship it early enough, insure it and stay in contact with the people receiving it. I have never had a problem doing this and it is so much nicer to travel light these days, knowing that your important gear is already at your destination and not in airport baggage transfer limbo. I intend to ship my folding kayaks that way from now on rather than juggle them via airline roulette.

When I fly home I almost always ship heavy and bulky stuff back if it is convenient to stop at a Post Office or shipping store (though the latter tend to charge egregious fees so I avoid them unless I have no real PO or direct FedEx office to go to).

I know that in some major cities there are companies that will expedite this sort of advanced shipping for you. Now that the "excess" baggage fees are going off the charts, this becomes an ever more attractive option. I have one piece Greenland paddle I love -- I kept the shipping tube and will not hesitate to spend the $12 to $20 postage to send it on ahead of me.