Going Through Airport Security

[northernneil]

I have more or less the same story as discussed above. I have flown many time with my pipe and supplies, only time a flag was raised was when I brought a mason jar of tobacco. The person running the x-ray wasn't sure what it was, but once they saw it was just tobacco, they put it back in the bag and sent me on my way. You shouldn't have any issues.

 

[mgolfd]

I just went through JFK and Fort Lauderdale Fl, I carried on my pipes and tobacco without a problem. Funny thing though I carried on a corkscrew, simple mistake, JFK missed it and FLL picked it up and kept it.

 

[sfsteves]

the central problem is that the TSA screeners seem to interpret the official rules differently ... what one or two or several might have no problem with, some meathead somewhere will have ... I never try to take an expensive lighter (or even an inexpensive one I care about) through security check ... let's face it, most of these screeners owe their careers to 9/11 ... had that not happened, they'd be competing with one another for jobs at the sign of the Golden Arches ... for each one you find with a functioning brain in their head, there are half a dozen who're making do without and that's just not who you want to be making decisions about stuff that matters to you ...

 

[gecko13]

I've had minimal problems. One trip however TSA decided to inspect my luggage and they leave a notice card in your luggage that they were rooting around in there. During their "inspection" they say the need to disassemble the 4 pipes I had along, and left them in pieces. They also inspected the tins, and left one open.
Over all I haven't had many notable experiences. When carrying a zipper pouch and a few pipes in my carry on I haven't had but maybe a question or two as to what it was. I've had more issues with the small Surefire flashlight I carry everywhere. I'm still of the notion to not carry what you wouldn't accept losing. Most TSA agents are good folks, some are just idiots.

 

[allan]

about 10 years ago I went down to Miami to visit my daughter who was in college. I brought a brand new $100.00 colibri lighter down with me and forgot to pack it in luggage. TSA took it away from me...
Over the last few years I had been scuba diving a lot around the Carribean with huge underwater housing, strobes etc. 50 lbs of photo gear alone.
They would search me personally up and down at each connection point. I don't look strange, (I don't think) but every time I go though I must set off some type of alarm in their heads.

 

[sweetlu]

do you guys remove the stems from the pipe to avoid the tendon from breaking when traveling?

 

[dread]

In hard luggage, no, but in soft luggage yes. Though they inspect my luggage all the time as Gecko says (never took a pipe apart or left it that way, but did leave a tin open), so I may start doing it all the time just in case one of those nimrods damages a pipe. And I fly on 50-60 trips a year, yet another reason to travel with inexpensive pipes.

 

[pchitti]

9 years ago I was flying to LA, forgot I had a single 40 S&W round in the bag I was using. Checked it and got that lovely call over the loud speaker. They started telling me I was going to jail... I just explained it was a bag I have had for 10 years and small items are easy to miss. They through it away and let it go after 20 min. Then I missed my flight sitting at the bar across from my gate. Never heard an announcement. Almost got a PI that night, lol should have just went home.