How to get a Swiss Army Knife on a plane when everything else can go in the overhead?

[dex]

Here is the situation - I'm going to to Europe and can fit everything I want to take on carry on (a back pack) - except for the Swiss Army knife (SAK). I like that I can carry everything on so it will not get lost in transit. I like the SAK for its utility.

The only thing I can think of is to put the SAK in a shoe box stuffed with newspaper and putting it in checked baggage. Then I can break up the shoe box and putting it in the back pack for the return trip (I'll bring some tape with me also).

Buying a SAK when I get there is not an option - time to find etc.

Any thoughts or other options.

 

[samclem]

- TSA needs to be able to open and inspect all the checked baggage now, I don't know what they do about boxes. Also, I'd think a small, light item like a shoebox would have a fair chance of getting lost (left on the plane, blown off the conveyor/cart, etc)

- I guess you're not traveling with anyone who is checking a bag, right?

- The shoebox might work fine, but I wouldn't do it if you'd be heartbroken to lose the knife. Frankly, it sounds like more of a PITA than it would be worth. Don't forget that if you have to wait for checked bags with the other 70% of intl. passengers, you'll wait longer at customs (even f you only have one box).

 

[sailor]

it's gonna cost you (USPS no longer has Global Priority Mail),
but can you ship it to the first place you are going to visit in Europe?

And just a thought - you are not going to land in Zurich by any chance?
I'm sure there would be plenty of SAKs to buy there.

Don't do just a shoebox and knife, unless you are going to put some weight in it, and even than it's prone to get lost.

BTW: DW by mistake carried Williams-Sonoma poultry shears (a huge chunk of metal) in her carry-on and they did not find it.

 

[dex]

I'm not traveling with anyone - so no other person to give it to.

The SAK is worth shipping.

This really annoys me that I can not have the convience of a SAK with a sissor and knife for convience. There should be the way of my giving the knife to someone when I depart and pick it up when I get there. There is something wrong in this world!

 

[ScooterGuy]

FedEx

Send your knife on ahead by FedEx, packed in some spare clothes, addressed to your hotel, "until called for."

 

[megacorp-firee]

... must be some knife ...

 

[yakers]

There are several ways to do this but none of them are easy or cheap. Obviously buy one, there are all over the place, especially the cheap Chinese knock offs, thought I saw them at the 99 cent store. Then there is mail them ahead. Then more than a shoe box you could go to Goodwill and get a cheap bag, check it in, and toss the bag on arrival. Could also put in things that might be of use that you can leave behind like an old pair of sneakers, rain poncho and the like.

 

[Moemg]

I recently flew out of Tampa airport and was pulled over and searched because I was carrying an aerochamber with some powder residue in it.The one agent was treating it like a bomb until he showed it to the others and they laughed .
Aerochamber Drug Delivery System - Allergy Asthma Technology

 

[Achiever51]

I recently flew out of Tampa airport and was pulled over and searched because I was carrying an aerochamber with some powder residue in it.The one agent was treating it like a bomb until he showed it to the others and they laughed .
Aerochamber Drug Delivery System - Allergy Asthma Technology

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me in Denver. And when the TSA agent found my inhaler cartridge, I thought all hell was going to break loose! Finally the TSA supervisor came over and explained that my agent was a newbie. I kinda had that part figured out by that time.

 

[gandalf42]

Had a TSA newbie experience in Denver. Would forget to put my cheap pocket knife in the checked bagage. The last time I handed it to the agent before going through the metal detector and he threw it away. This time I handed it to the agent and he looked at it and threw it in a carrier to go through the Xray machine! (Another agent saw this and came over and corrected the process.)

 

[Sarah in SC]

I put my utility knife in the deep recesses of my backpack on a trip and it didn't get pulled out by TSA. Mine is a flat style one, though, and maybe that helped. I was willing to let it go if needed, though. Good luck!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I recently flew out of Tampa airport and was pulled over and searched because I was carrying an aerochamber with some powder residue in it.The one agent was treating it like a bomb until he showed it to the others and they laughed .

If you had a swiss army knife you could have scraped the residue out .

 

[dex]

Didn't someone say "Give me a Swiss Army Knife and I can change the world"?
Every traveler should be able to travel with a SAK. I never leave home without one.

I will be taking some duck tape with me also. There aren't any regulations against it; as far as I know.

MacGyver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"MacGyver's main asset is his practical application of scientific knowledge and inventive use of common items—along with his ever-present Swiss Army knife and duct tape."

 

[Achiever51]

Forget the SAK, what about the vodka??

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but this was just posted on the MSNBC site:


Man chugs liter of vodka in airport security line - News - MSNBC.com

BERLIN - A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing a liter (two pints) of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new carry-on rules, police said Wednesday.
The incident occurred at the Nuremberg airport on Tuesday, where the 64-year-old man was switching planes on his way home to Dresden from a holiday in Egypt.

 

[travelover]

I'm not traveling with anyone - so no other person to give it to................

You could chum up with another passenger in the check in line and have them slip it into their checked bag, then give it back to you at the luggage carousel.

 

[Ronstar]

This solution may be a little extreme for something as small as a knife, but I UPS things to myself in care of a UPS store close to my condo. The fees are the standard UPS shipping fee + $5 per day holding fee for the store.

 

[jambo101]

If you encounter an anal customs officer before boarding the plane and he denies you permission to take the knife what to do with the knife then?the usual scenario these days is =you get mad then lots of security guys come and taser you
Why not just buy another knife when you arrive in Europe?then when leaving for home donate the new knife to the first homeless person you see.

 

[samclem]

I put my utility knife in the deep recesses of my backpack on a trip and it didn't get pulled out by TSA. Mine is a flat style one, though, and maybe that helped. I was willing to let it go if needed, though. Good luck!

It might not be a matter of just acting surprisd and letting the knife be confiscated. Expect a big fine if you get caught bringing a knife aboard. Maybe you'll get away with it, but "I forgot" is not a defense and can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars. It's not treated as a joke, especially if there's any indication you took any steps to conceal the item.

/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7806697/

 

[Sandy]

Funny story: When we were in Ecuador this summer, after being in the jungle and heading back toward Quito, I forgot to take a small SAK out of DS's backpack. Security found it, put a tag on it, gave it to the pilot and we picked it back up back in Quito. Apparenly, this is standard practice, since many coming from the jungle are caring machetes.

 

[dex]

Sandy,
That's the way it should be.
Hey I have a knife - here it is - I give it to you before I get on the flight - you give it to me when I get off the flight.

 

[RunningBum]

Sandy,
That's the way it should be.
Hey I have a knife - here it is - I give it to you before I get on the flight - you give it to me when I get off the flight.

Are you expecting the pilot to wait at security and see if you need something to take along? The logistics of this are almost impossible at any decent sized airport.

Actually, I stand corrected. They have exactly that program in place right now. It's called checked luggage. I think you need to figure out how to make this work for you.

I'm not trying to be an ass, but do you really think you're the only one who wants to skip baggage claim and just take one or two prohibited items on? Can you imagine the mess both to get those things to the plane, and then claim them afterwards if everyone tried to do this?

 

[bssc]

Have you considered stopping in Switzerland and picking up another one? I mean being there and all that.

 

[meridiver]

Figure out a way to check it or mail it. If you don't, even if you manage to get it through security in the US, you'll have to deal with it again when you come home. In many airports in Europe security is even tighter than it is here. For example, TSA finally started allowing us to bring small cuticle scissors in our carry-ons a year or two ago, however, when I tried to get on a flight in Berlin, I lost yet another pair because European regs do not allow them (it didn't even occur to me to check it because I knew it was okay in the US) .

 

[Sarah in SC]

How cool, Kevin! Thanks for the link! I love knife gadgets and this one is new to me!

 

[samclem]

My advice is to skip the Swiss Army Knife and carry a Swiss-Tech Utili-Key on your keyring:

http://www.swisstechtools.com/productdetail.aspx?PID=VZ75GDTdP68A

I've traveled with one of these for years, including 5 months in Asia last winter, and no screener has ever spotted it, since it looks like a key. Meanwhile, it has a razor-sharp 3" knife blade along with screwdrivers (Philips and flat), bottle opener, eyeglass screwdriver, etc. Nice tool (and so much for airport security).

I'm thinking that attempting to bring a 3" knife that is designed to look like a key aboard a commercial aircraft might get you the $2500 fine, but maybe if you started laughing and "aw, shucks! You goofs never caught it before"-ing, you might find yourself at the $10K level with any luck.

What is so important about having a knife that you can't be without it for a few days and it is worth a possible big fine and a criminal entanglement? I know what Freud would say.