Hello - I'm leaving on Friday for 2 weeks in Austria, Switzerland and the Lake Como area of Italy. I'm going to do some hiking in the Murren area and would like to take my hiking poles. They do collapse pretty small but are still too long to take in my carry-on suitcase. I'll also have a camera backpack. Any thoughts of how to pack for these? Thanks!
Dan
Trekking poles as a carry-on seems to be a FAQ. See TSA Blog:
http://blog.tsa.gov/2014/05/tsa-travel-tips-travel-tips-for.html
Trekking & Hiking Poles – These can only be packed in checked baggage.
What brand?
Had the same problem with my Leki poles until I realized that rather than just telescoping them down I could physically disassemble them by pulling them apart. Watched a U-tube video before I had the courage to try it, but it turned out to be pretty simple...and got them down to a length where they fit in my carry-on sized case - which I then had to check.
I know this is a serious subject but some how the idea of a 747 or an A380 being high jacked by passenger welding a hiking pole boggles the mind.
I know but there are lots of things prohibited that have no relationship to hijacking an airplane but they look good on paper. At one time knitting needles were a threat.
And for some reason, TSA even prohibits box cutters from carry-on items along with crampons and ice axes. I can visualize some terrorist threatening the flight crew with an ice ax or spearing someone with trekking poles (my poles have carbide tips), but harder to see the threat of a terrorist stomping on crew with crampons.
Don't forget that at least some of the 9/11 hijackers were armed with box knives. We once had to surrender some olive-wood cutting boards from San Gimignano that we had bought as gifts. When my DH asked why, the security agent mimed using one as a club.
We wanted to bring hiking poles as well but didn't want to spend the big bucks on some that would collapse enough to fit in our small checked bag. My guy bought a camera tripod at the thrift store and turned the legs into 3 separate hiking sticks. He wrapped small gauge rope around the tops then covered them with two layers of tennis racquet grip wrap. The straps are a second hand dog leash attached on top so they pivot. Viola! a hiking pole that collapses smaller than usual at the fraction of the price. Though I wouldn't recommend them for super heavy duty hiking, they've worked fine on our local trails and can give support and act as a stabilizer. His next project is to modify one so that our selfie stick can attach to the base for a longer reach. This still won't pass TSA for carry-on but it's an option.
I know this is a serious subject but some how the idea of a 747 or an
A380 being high jacked by passenger welding a hiking pole boggles the
mind.
Bad guys tend to think outside the box. A modified hiking pole filled with explosive matter or converted into a rifle are all possibilities. Rent the movie "Day of the Jackel".
TSA even prohibits box cutters from carry-on
Box cutters were used to high jack the planes which struck the WTC and Pentagon.
We had to check luggage for the hiking poles. We uses a soft-sided duffle that folded down small enough to fit in our carry on once we hit the ground.
Just got around to measuring my Black Diamond trekking poles. The three section with cam-action fllcklocks collapses to 24.5 inches. They easily pack into my bag that I check. No disassembly, just unlock and collapse for travel (or while scrambling).
