How To Fly With Your Backpacking Gear (On A Plane)

00:00 Hey Y'all
00:52 Backpack
01:27 Shelters (Tent Poles and Stakes)
02:43 Trekking Poles
04:30 Stove and Fuel
07:38 Pots, Water Filter, Utensils
08:48 Food
10:08 Lighters
10:27 Metal Trowel
10:53 Pepper Spray and Knives
11:13 Bear Spray
12:17 Batteries
13:42 Checking and Protecting Your Pack
17:42 Tips For Lost Pack
19:12 International Flights
20:11 Options To Avoid Flying With Gear
20:24 Mailing Gear
21:56 Other Methods of Transportation


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[acm]

Great topic and we’ll covered Dixie! I ABSOLUTELY NEVER EVER TRUST AN AIRLINE WITH NOT LOOSING MY GEAR. I use Lighterpack, and put a “@“ tag in front of the item description for carry on prohibited items, and ship those via UPS ground to a UPS Store near my destination airport. Depending on which pack I’m using, I sometimes need to ship the pack as well if it is too big for carry-on. If I need to ship a loaded bear canister, I use a tight fitting separate box for that, so it won’t shift and rupture the larger box with the rest of my gear (from experience). Permitted items I do carry on. Shipping from Virginia to Cali for example, I send seven days in advance and have never had an issue. UPS tracking is far superior to what the airlines do. Just another way to get the job done. See y’all on the trail!

[LuckyLarry]

Bear spray tip….car rental counter in Kalispell had good size box of bear spray that folks gave up when returning their vehicles….just asking about free spray saved me about 30.00 bucks at Costco/ REI buying some. Worth asking at any out west , mountain, bear infested destination airport locations….we just borrowed three cans then gave it back when we returned our car….

[johnalden]

Quick tip: When arriving at the airport in Jackson Hole, you might want to take a detour, after collecting your bags, to the departures area. You may easily find departing backpackers willing to unload fuel canisters to fellow hikers. You can't take it with you. I generally check my pack, for many of the reasons Dixie points out regarding poles, etc. You can put the entire pack, and a few things besides, in a large airplane bag, which is really just a big sack with a shoulder strap. Then you don't have to worry about the straps, pockets and fittings getting caught/snagged or ripped out.

[thomashughes_teh]

Items in checked bags will be subjected to freezing temperatures (water filter killer) even in summer and lower air pressure. Before airlines were so vigilant I had a peanut butter mess in my checked backpack upon arrival because the jar lid popped off. Plan on your stuff being upside down with many other corners of hard bags on top of it because it just might be. Arrows are nice decorations, not mandatory instructions.

[tombaron]

Flying from Calgary back to Chicago with climbing gear I packed my helmet and cook set at one end of a haul sack, backpack in the middle, boots at the other end. I placed my hiking poles along both sides. When this sack was x-rayed it was flagged for inspection as it looked, on X-Ray to be a body

[badwaterb]

Dang I was hoping for a new type of adventure with my backpacking gear. The thumbnail is inspiring lol. Good to know these tips though! Thanks for the video!

[karitanussbaum]

Great advice! I recently backpacked in Ireland and used a Haultail woven contractor bag to cover the pack. We wrapped paracord around it to give the crew something to grab onto as they tossed it around. The cord was also helpful for securing the baggage tag because it didn’t stick on the bag. We duct taped the top shut. The bag and cord seemed to work well, the pack arrived safe and intact.

[hamsteronacomputer]

you know i read the first part of the title and saw the thumbnail and i got so excited, i thought i was gonna learn how to like glide with a rain fly or something.

[laidbacktraveler]

Finally a fact packed video on one of the most challenging logistical issues for those of us where air travel is mandatory to get anywhere, and long overdue. Especially appreciate the amount of time you spent researching this! Thanks Dixie!!!

[mikecanning]

Hiking pole protection - buy a pool noodle and cut to length and slit lengthwise. Then slip over poles. Very inexpensive protection. I pack mine in a baseball/softball bat bag that I purchased at a second hand sporting goods store. Also good for tent poles.

[scottplumer]

As a former hotel employee (Marriott and Sheraton) we held packages for guests all the time. You had to already have a reservation, of course. A lot of people running conventions and big meetings sent their stuff ahead through the mail. Just address it to yourself thusly:

Dixie Wanderlust, guest
c/o Hotel Name
address

Reservation date: put the dates here

Obviously, if you're planning on hiking in the summer, don't send your stuff in January. Time it so it will arrive within a week of your arrival. They probably wouldn't toss it, but that's asking a lot of them to keep it any longer. Also, a cheap motel (as opposed to a full-service hotel) might have different policies, so I would check with them first.

[fierceflamingo]

Gosh Dixie! That was so extensive and you did a FANTASTIC JOB!!! Thank you for your promptness in answering this question and your heavy research to cover all the bases. Wow! You didn’t miss a thing! This was a great video!!! I feel so much more positive and confident about flying now 🙌🏼

[Henning_Rech]

I recently used a piece of a garden hose to cover the sharp tips of my trekking poles - fits well, at least for the Black Diamond carbons.

[albertalbertson]

Thanks Dixie for covering this topic! - Invaluable!
Some experiences I think are worth sharing:
Being able to travel carry-on can make a huge difference and is liberating! - Especially during a time of an airline melt-down as it happened at the end of 2022 (and still going on). I would likely not be home yet, had I checked my backpacking gear (enabled me to dynamically select different flights, go on stand-by etc.). I'd certainly not have my gear now.
Regarding hiking poles: I used carbon-file poles and took them apart into their individual pieces (3 segments for each pole). That I thought made them look less intimidating. Went through security twice, no problem. Worst case scenario might be to have to give up the last segment with the metal tip (if so, it may be enough to just break off the tip, which them may still be OK to use for the tent).
Tent stakes: Used the Z-Packs carbon stakes. - No problem going through security. (only metal tip and top, rest is carbon).
Mini Swiss-army knife: No problem.
Stove: Experimented with hand-sanitizer, but that will not provide enough heat in real-world outdoor conditions. So went with gas cartridges. Fortunately there was a store near the trailhead that carried it. It's still a problem to be solved...

[Henning_Rech]

Food: many countries have import restrictions for food, e. g. you must not import any kind of meat into the US on an international flight. Similar for EU.

[peterjohnson]

Having flown for years with expensive dive and photo gear, don’t have a good looking “Steal Me” bag. A common thing to do is get a very used surplus army duffel as an over bag and put laundry type items at the mouth, no one wants to steal dirty laundry. As for small liquid items like soaps etc., they can be had just about anywhere. Don’t be trying to save a few dollars on them when they could endanger the total cost of the trip. FYI, I have seen 10’s of thousands of dollars of dive and photo gear put into large coolers and duct taped closed and marked “Fresh Fish.”

[akshayseth]

I was off to the Himalayas with my complete hiking kit last month when the Security Personnel at the New Delhi Airport stopped me for carrying two tungsten-tipped trekking poles in my cabin luggage. I had to take out my Lanshan 2 from my backpack and show them how it was useless without the poles! It took a visual demonstration to finally convince them that they could not be used as weapons in any way.

[tboneoutdoors]

I had an airline loose my gear a few years ago. I UPS my gear now. More expensive but I know it gets there.

[krawie]

Hi Dixie, I’m taking a fishing trip to Arkansas to fish the White River. I need to pack my waders, rods, my flies and vest, but didn’t think about my life vest as it has a CO2 cartridge. I think I’ll ship some of my things ahead; thanks for the advice! Forgot to add that I’m flying from Seattle to Dallas where my daughter lives and she’s driving us to Arkansas. So I can ship to her house. Great advice, thanks again!

[Heritage]

I go to goodwill and get a large well used roller suitcase for $15. I put brightly colored duct tape all over it. When I get to my destination I try to return it to a local goodwill donation place, or pawn it off on the shuttle driver (I’ve had good luck with that as they can pawn it off on someone else), or last resort, just leave it at your last resort.