Dinged at security....

You never know what to do anymore - they want you to take out your ipad...they don't want you to take out your ipad...no, take out your ipad...sigh.

Just to add what my bags have been searched because of...

When leaving California, I had bought some soaps that were all wrapped up in a padded envelope - I imagine that and all my electronics cords certainly gave them pause. (As an aside, I bought the soaps from someone on etsy and had them sent to our airbnb in SF, because the shipping fees to Canada were crazy high).

When leaving Nice, I had some caramels stuffed inside a coffee mug...I supposed they could have looked like drugs.

I have found that by the time you go through the security line and get to the trays and metal detectors then things suddenly get very hectic! I even plan a head, where I'm going to put stuff, so I can walk through without setting off the machine and I've been traveling for over ten years yet I'm amazed at how many times I forget one thing that somehow gets me in trouble.

Actually, the security check is a dangerous time for travelers, you are so focused on getting through and on to your gate that you are unloading and then reloading your bag and pockets, etc and the risk of losing something (passport, money, credit cards, camera, iPad, phone, etc.) is quite high. I am lucky in that we live in Wichita, Kansas ( small airport) so on our outbound flights it only takes 1-2 min to go thorough security (especially since we both have TSA pre-check). But on the trips back to the USA is where things get crazy at times.

I wish the TSA's of the world would allow the small Swiss Army knife with the scissors, I miss taking it on trips because it is so handy.

Nicole - I've read (I have no more direct knowledge) that on the scanners they use, peanut butter looks like explosives, and will almost always result in your luggage being opened. If that's true, I could see how soap or caramels would be similar.

I used to forget to take out my keyboard. Since it's not a "computer," I don't think of it when they see it on the x-ray and keep asking me if I have a "laptop" in my bag. After a few incidents, I now remember to take it out.

Leaving Rome in 2014, they wanted all "electronics" in a separate clear bag they provided. The catch was, their definition of "electronics" included things like chargers and cords and headphones, which I had scattered all over my luggage. It took me a while to find everything; of course, had I known, I would have packed differently the night before.

The duct tape one is puzzling to me. But as I'm always telling people, this is why you have to get to the airport early, and you just have to go with the flow. The procedures are not only different at every airport, but change all the time.

My family lives in Alaska and I bring back canned salmon when returning, which always triggers a check of my carry-on luggage. Luckily, the TSA agents in Anchorage know the importance of not opening the jars, but I still have to unwrap each one. Once, when traveling to NYC, I forgot about a small knife I had in my backpack from a hiking trip in the Sierras the week before, and I had to say bye-bye to it (a leatherman juice with the corkscrew). And then there was the one time I had to throw away my greek yoghurt-they said it was too dense for the machine to see through. Oh well, it's always something.

A few weeks ago my carry-on tote was thoroughly searched--items removed, they asked if anything was fragile--leaving SFO. No extra attention was paid to me at Budapest or Munich's airport, and I really expected a long delay at Munich because when I checked in for my flight I was informed that passengers flying to the US would be subject to heightened screening. My security time through Munich was maybe 5 minutes.

I had Harold's same experience in Rome. The hardest thing to track down was the camera charger as we were on the way home and had stowed that away somewhere deep in the luggage. My favorite one recently was at LAX this year. I've flown in and out of there numerous times this year and there's truly no consistency whatsoever. But in January, flying in from Costa Rica on Alaska, we had to change terminals. I travel with a LOT of food and we had picked up lots of random snack food in Costa Rica...coffee...little candies....small packets of cookies. At TSA, this employee started yelling out to everyone in line (TSA Precheck included) that we had to pull out each item of food from our carry on and put it in a separate plastic bin...anything you had....gum, mints, food. My stuff was all over our bags. I actually questioned him on where the impetus for that policy was and he said it's ALWAYS been the policy at LAX, which I knew to be untrue. But I finally complied (well, sort-of...I could not find ALL of the food that quickly) and he let us go.
I looked it up later - LAX is taking part in some sort of pilot test program that demands all food be screened separately. But it's weird, because, between my sister and I, we've been in and out of LAX at least 4 times since that Costa Rica trip, and we've never been asked to remove our food again.

A few years ago at Heathrow I forgot to take a can of haggis out of my bag and it set something off. The guard pulled out the tin and started laughing. He let me keep it and I won't make that mistake again (canned haggis was probably a mistake, anyway. We never did open it).

My carryon was searched at Edinburgh airport because a roll of toilet paper showed on the X-Ray! The guy laughed and couldn't believe it.

In case you are wondering, I bought the toilet paper from a vendor at a soccer match - it had the arch-enemy's face on it. I thought it would be fun to pass some around at the pub when we played them. Unfortunately, said arch-enemy is a Scot. Surely the X-Ray didn't show who's face was on it!

Valerie, I had food examined recently when leaving from my small end-of-the-line airport in Idaho. We had stopped by the grocery store on the way and I picked up a sleeve of bagels. I was pulled aside and they did the explosive test on them! Also did the swab test on the Tupperware container of cookies the Gramma ahead of me in line was taking to her grandchildren. We both fit the profile of gray-haired over the hill travelers wearing shoes for comfort.

Coming home from Hawaii last year I had my folding nail file that i’ve been carrying for over 25 years confiscated. And a sealed 6oz bag of raw sugar I bought at a sugar mill was thoroughly inspected. Go figure. You can't make up TSA stories.

Oh I forget, also at Gatwick, my small container of foot powder was also suspect on the screen. When the agent opened my bag she saw it and said "aha that was causing the problem."

Wow, scrutiny of duct tape is a new one on me. I always have a small roll with me, and it's not been inspected yet, but now if it does get pulled out at least I won't be surprised.

The CAA do include in their advice that you can take a kettle and a blender in your hand luggage.

These days I put all my electrical stuff in a separate bag and bring it all out for security.

My favorite recent suspect item was witch hazel pads. I can see why they would look suspicious on the x-ray but to keep them I had to explain first that they were used for hemroids and then how they are used for hemroids. It was like explaining what you are going to use tampons or toilet paper for. Why does it matter what I'm going to do with stuff, if the stuff isn't dangerous?

On a domestic trip to Charleston, I got my REI sack with snacks totally searched, including a thorough inspection of my power bar. The agent picked it up and turned it every which way and then processed to write up notes in her clipboard. Now all your food is examined and your SLRs need to be out too. I don't remember food examinations in the past.

I had a very large caramel chocolate apple on a stick (weighed about a pound) that set off the xray. It was wrapped in cellophane from the store the day before and was in my totebag. Didn't want it to go bad while away so thought I would take it. TSA checker laughed once he saw it. Asked if it was all for me- of course! Said good luck and I was on my way. Chicago.- you never know how they will be.

the risk of losing something (passport, money, credit cards, camera, iPad, phone, etc.) is quite high.

Or a baguette. It was at CDG, and when I went to put a sandwich together in the passenger lounge, I couldn't find the baguette. I went back to security, and they had it waiting for me. That was about 12-15 years ago. Now they probably would have brought it to a secure area and blown it up.

Last month on our way back from Lyon, my wife's bag, which contained about 25 cheeses, was searched. Apparently they had a hard time seeing what everything was.

Powder was the problem for a friend of mine this week as well -- he carries an electrolyte mix for runners' water bottles, and was on his way to an ultramarathon, and the LHR scanners held back his bag because of the powder packets.

At Heathrow I was pulled aside for a full bag search. The person doing the search was trying to figure out why my bag was flagged and decided it was probably because I had a loose 9V battery. She didn't say, but I assume that such a battery is sometimes used in homemade "bad things." That might explain the duct tape being an issue, too.

I had a lump of parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the weak American version) in my bag along with several cables for my electronics and a package of AA batteries all tangled together. Got sent to the "special" search room to explain. Even though the cheese was shrink wrapped I was made to throw it away.

On another trip also had parmesan in my bag. X-ray person yelled "Is that CHEESE in your bag?!?!?" I replied "Yes" and she said, "OK" and that was it, I was on my way.

You just never know.

Over 10 years ago we were in Australia. My Bucky neck pillow was confiscated. Apparently little did I know the contents (Buckwheat) was not allowed. They dumped it and handed back the deflated pillow.

Remember when liquids were allowed to carry on? This incident has nothing to do with TSA but worth telling. 30 years ago my brother and I were traveling home from Florida. He had bought some Kosher Pickles at a Deli. They were in a typical "Chinese take out carton." It was in a bag in the overhead bin. Shortly after take off things shifted. I overheard the people behind us say, "It smells like pickles in here." I turned around and saw pickle juice coming down from the overhead bin! I believe this is when they went to 3-1-1. ;)

Re a poster in this thread about scissors and TSA. I have carried scissors for years. I have a small bag with scissors,glass nail file, tweezers and fingernail clippers. Most recent travel Italy in May this year. I always have these items in a front part of my carry on. Easily accessible and visible. The scissors are of of the right size and shape to pass. Never had the slightest issues or even a comment by TSA.

While going through security in China for a domestic flight, my under 3 oz. Purel was not only taken away, but held up all to see with the word "alcohol" from the label shouted out by the official to all on line. Didn't't happen in any of my other flight security lines within China.

I packed a small cuckoo clock from Germany into my checked bag - security screeners had to personally inspect it because the 2 weights looked like possible grenades ;-)

Powder will always get you checked, whether foot powder or drink powder. The anthrax used in the attack was mixed into powder.

I've been stopped for foot powder, the screener had to see if it was liquid in the plastic bottle.. Once, they stopped me for a large round cheese wheel. That was at the Milwaukee airport, and the screener knew exactly what it was since I bought it at the airport gift shop. She said she still had to check it out anyway, even though she saw a dozen a day.

The x-ray machines can't read labels or guess what's in a container. It just shows up as a dense shape. If it looks like it might possibly contain a liquid or gel, they're going to check it out. Thats what they are supposed to do, anyway.

If they did exactly the same thing, the same way, all the time, the bad guys would know too.

Jen!!! OMG!! From now on I would just say you use witch hazel as a makeup remover. However you’ll probably never be asked again...

I've been dinged far too many times all because of my own carelessness. It's always at the departing European airport (LHR, CDG, AMS, FRA) when I am returning home. Like clockwork, I always forget to remove the bottled water from my carry on when I arrive at the front of the security line and, of course, it's caught. Then they go through every single item from my bag. It's my fault; I reaped what I sowed.

And then there was the spool of fishing line at CDG. The inspector kept holding it up to the light and looking at it. You definitely had the feeling he'd never seen fishing line. This went on for at least ten minutes. Finally my grandson had to return to the check-in counter and check the bag. I'd given him a 100 euro bill to pay for the extra bag but the charge was only 90 euro and they couldn't make change. Almost missed the plane but some nice lady used her cc to pay for it and she got the 100 euro bill.

What I did find refreshing about flying thru gatwick...my mom somehow managed to pack her full size shower gel in her carry on. They put it thru the analysis thingy and we were good to go. No throwing it out. She also always had a full size face cream in her purse and in 6 trips over has NEVER been called on it. I’m like...mom, that’s supposed to go in your checked bag and she’s like...never been checked on it.

Yes, my mini duct tape got a lot of scrutiny. The young lady checking it turned it every which way and called over another screener. I've never been stopped over this before.

The foot powder was stopped because of the shape of the container.

Two weeks earlier in Venice I went through without a problem

WEAK STUFF! BITD my wife’s sister flew from Cairo - Paris - New York with a LIVE German 88mm* artillery round she found at the El Alamein battlefield in her checked luggage! You can’t make this stuff up! 🤪

*that’s a 3-1/2” diameter round for you metrically challenged types

II once got stopped at Heathrow and told I had to take my double A battery out of my small travel alarm clock and throw the battery away ! I have carried that clock all over the world and no one ever called me on it !

The screener who had never-seen-fishing-line story above reminded me of two others:
• Harmonica (a D Maj All-Star, no less) not recognized by screener -- he said 'now I'll know better for the next time it happens'
• Large votive/memorial candle in glass jar inspired a screener to tease me about being some kind of Lothario, had to explain it was due to a relative's recent death. Embarrassing for everyone within earshot :-(

There's a program on YouTube called "Nothing to Declare, UK".
It's a few years old, but a real eyeopener about all the weird things people try to smuggle.

Screeners in Paris made me dig out an item that I'd bought in London. Heathrow hadn't blinked an eye. Clearly they recognize a Harrod's tea tin when they see it.

Never forget to empty your pockets of individual wet ones. I triggered a huge event at DET a couple years ago with one packet.