Check those suitcase pockets

Good reminder, Kathy.

One time my husband & I were flying some place and were waiting at our SeaTac gate for our flight. He put his hand in his backpack and realized that he still had a boxcutter knife in a pocket of it. (Yes, it wasn’t flagged at security.). He carried one for real estate that he occasionally needed to repair a sign, etc.

Ya, got caught once also. I had credit card size little tool holder that held a tweezers, toothpick, little built in compass, and a tiny, one inch knife blade. I think it was a promotional items from a trade show. It was nearly worthless and I had not seen it for years. Somehow it had worked it way behind some lining in a corner of the bag. Probably had gone through security a dozen times but it was finally detected. You would have thought a bag of gold had been discovered. The TSA agent is holding it straight up in the air and dancing around saying something I didn't understand but he was enjoying himself for having discovered this dangerous weapon and he wanted everyone to see what he had. Now he starts giving me a lecture about endangering people and a threat when an older looking TSA agent came over, looked at the credit card and with a frown he says to the kid, "Drop it." and turns to me and says, "Please repack your bag" and leaves.

The only thing I ever left in a suitcase between uses without realizing was a black comb.

One time my college aged daughter and her best friend went to Columbia for some charity work. Her friend was from Columbia and had donations from people. I am not sure of all the specifics but there was a lap top from someone that went through security that turned out to have a fishing knife in the pocket. My daughter and her friend were both shocked and terrified of what would happen to them. I guess the look on their faces was enough to convince TSA they were not up to something. It was thrown away and they were allowed to proceed.

Wife was stopped by Japanese security inspectors as we were checking in for a flight from Tokyo to Sapporo. They found a 4- or 5-inch folding knife in a neglected pocket of her daypack. We were shocked - she had been traveling with that daypack for at least a year, had gone through TSA screenings at multiple US airports, some international airports too. The knife had a ceramic blade, but it was a BIG knife (ceramic knives are popular in Japan - in fact, we had bought that knife in Tokyo on a previous trip). She had stuffed it in her day pack to take to work one day long before (great for slicing fruit, she said) and had lost track of it. Oops.

The Japanese security staff were, of course, incredibly polite and surprisingly sweet. They asked us to please stop, then presented (showed) us the knife with a deep bow, apologized for the inconvenience, and told us the flight crew would give the knife back to us upon landing in Sapporo. Oh, Japan - please never change.

Yes, the suggestion to check all pockets for forgotten items before you start packing is good advice. Apparently it's quite common for US TSA agents to find loaded guns on people going through screening. Hmmm.

1. My husband received one of those credit card tools during a free promotion at one of the big box hardware stores and it was in his wallet. Similar reaction to the one upthread.

2. I once borrowed one of my kid's school backpacks for a domestic trip to Las Vegas for a work conference. When I was in my hotel room, I put my hand down into the back packpack and yelped in pain. There was one of those geometry compass things in there. I don't know how that made it through security.

3. I couldn't find my Navigo Decouverte card on a return trip to Paris. The next trip to Paris after that I found the card in my bag and it came in really handy!

I could do a lot better at cleaning out my bag.

I think we all have stories from over the years. Ours was the small multipurpose Swiss pocket knife in a bottom section pocket of our backpack. That was fun…..not but maybe they were bored and it made their day to find something. And then there was the orange that I had shoved down into the water bottle pocket and completely forgotten about. The beagle at baggage found that but we all laughed, the beagle looked to be almost rolling his eyes because at that point it wasn’t something anyone would want to have anything to do with. Anyway, good advice…..clean it out first.

This of course brings to mind the plight of Brittney Griner, who packed in haste before departing for Russia - it became an international incident.

Yes, and purses too.

I was flying to visit my in-laws for Christmas. It was a very busy time at work and I decided to not switch to my travel purse as I normally do. And of course I did not empty out my normal purse before packing...and I completely forgot about my daily-carry Swiss knife. I was flagged at security, but fortunately we were flying out of our little small-town airport. They told me, run to the check-in desk, they will put it in your checked suitcase for you! That was a close call, and I have been careful since then, but always appreciate a reminder.

I'm not sure about airport security but I went through a security scanning to get into an Office a few years ago and I kept getting rejected. I'd take out one thing or another in my small pack in the hopes that it was setting off the machine => no luck. I finally unzipped a very tiny pocket on it I'd forgotten was there and found one of those old miniature "John Wayne"(s), i.e. a fold-able can-opener issued to troops in WWII. Even after I saw it I was surprised it wasn't allowed. It does have a wicked point on it though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener

edit: there's a picture of a penny next to it on the first photo

Especially true if you use the same bags or even toiletry kits for domestic road trips. I too had one of those tiny Swiss Army knives in a pocket of my toiletry kit that I just threw into a carryon bag for a domestic business flight and I thought they were going to take me to jail.

So totally unrelated, but don’t leave any food in your suitcase if you put it in an attic. I left some candy from a tradeshow giveaway in the outer pocket of a suitcase that was in my attic. A rodent found it and ate my suitcase. I don’t know if the suitcase could’ve been repaired because once I figured out the animal had been in it., it went to the trash. I’m absolutely terrified of mice and rats. There’s no way I was touching that suitcase ever again

(I had no idea there were such things as tree rats until this experience, but they came in through the eaves -after I spent a lot of money on exterminator services we have not had that problem again.)

Yup. When i get home, I thoroughly go through every pocket in each bag and make sure everything is empty. I'll store them with everything unzipped and inspect thoroughly when I get them out for use. My hard rule is that bags for airline/international travel are only used for that type of travel, quarantined from all of my other activities and I will not loan them out.

Looked everywhere once for a pocketknife in a duffel during my “carry on only” travel phase, now happily abandoned, before packing, couldn’t find it figured it was lost. Then I heard the TSA guy say, “Do you own a pocketknife?” I had checked every zipped pouch but there it was. Fortunately I had parked at the airport and had time to put the knife there and still make the flight.

Another story is from a coworker who had lent a duffel to a friend for an undisclosed purpose. The purpose became clear at TSA when a few rifle cartridges turned up in a pocket of the duffel. It ended up a confiscate and no penalty outcome, not sure if that is special treatment.

In a similar vein is someone I met at a meeting who temporarily put spent cartridges or shells in a travel bag which much later attracted the bomb sniffing dogs in the TSA line prompting a thorough search.

A few months ago my pocket knife on my keychain in my carry on personal item went through security in Budapest, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, and back through Sydney. Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul. One lady in front of me in Kuala Lumpur had her tiny blunt sewing sissors conficated.

Posted by Frank Ya, got caught once also. I had credit card size
little tool holder that held a tweezers, toothpick, little built in
compass, and a tiny, one inch knife blade. I think it was a
promotional items from a trade show. It was nearly worthless and I had
not seen it for years.

Yeah, you have to wonder sometimes.

Why is a pair of scissors with less than a 4-inch blade from the pivot point [I guess up to 3.9999" officially to be under 4"], or knitting needles or a mechanical pencil or a large safety pin less dangerous than a 1-inch knife blade in a multi-tool?

By the time I got that multi-tool "weapon" out, the action would all be over.

And that metal toothpick! OMG!! The carnage!

But now seriously,

I appreciate the TSA agents who keep us safe. I wouldn't want to put up with all they go through everyday from both sides of the job. They catch it from the folks they work for and from the public.

And yes to completely emptying your bags. Not only saves on unexpected TSA issues, also makes sure you aren't "duplicate" packing handy things in various pockets and makes you evaluate anything that might have an expiration date.

Good point about lending bags to people…I hadn’t considered that.
They may not leave anything in the bag they borrowed, but who knows what might occur during their travels.

I appreciate the TSA agents who keep us safe. I wouldn't want to put up with all they go through everyday from both sides of the job. They catch it from the folks they work for and from the public.

DITTO

Good point about lending bags to people…I hadn’t considered that.
They may not leave anything in the bag they borrowed, but who knows what might occur during their travels

I know a woman who loaned her sister her suitcase and left a vibrator in it.

Check your keychains also. Victorinox makes a useful, small keychain multi-tool that’s easy to forget. A keychain bottle opener, etc. could lead to extra scrutiny. I have an old Sears keychain screw driver that could pose a problem.
If you need a knife - carry disposable plastic ware. Or, find a grocery store on arrival and purchase a cheap, but effective paring knife.
After 9/11, TSA nearly bankrupt Victorinox. Victorinox managed to find alternative consumer base.

I use simple suitcases with no or minimal pockets. I also do not loan my suitcases to anyone except our kids, but they have enough of their own now. When we get home, the bags are completely emptied and then put in the luggage closets. Yes, two. We seem to have a bag for most everything, and they are in good shape so no reason to get rid of them since we use them.

Wow, I’m really enjoying reading everyone’s comments and experiences! Also like the tips some of you shared. I also only lend my bags to family.

This doesn’t have anything to do with going through security, but several months after my daughter came home from Australia, she couldn’t find her passport anywhere. We finally figured out that she left it in my RS Euro Flight bag that she borrowed.