Hi everybody!

I moved to Texas little over a year ago so this year will be the first time I have to travel by plane to get to the BWCA. Flying into Chicago to meet up with the crew and enjoy the road trip up to MN. My question to you all, what's the best path to get my stuff up north? The way I see it, I have a couple options:

- Ship it to the outfitter or my buddy via UPS/FedEx
- Check it at the airport and hope my pack doesn't get destroyed.

I have a feeling I'll be shipping it vs. checking but for those of you who do check, how do you go about keeping your pack safe? Send it through and pray? Put in a contractor bag and duct tape it tight? Seems like the contractor bag would work nice but would surely get opened by security. I just have a feeling it's going to be more expensive to UPS/FedEx it instead. Thoughts?

Get a large and inexpensive basic duffel bag large enough to put your canoe pack into. Put the pack in and let the duffel get damaged. Long time basic solution to making sure the pack doesn't get damaged. Typical issue is the shoulder straps being torn off.

Something like this

I have done this many times with backpacks with good luck.

Not sure on what will be cheaper now that most airlines charge for checked baggage. You'll still need to put the pack in a box or container to ship it. Dimensions can make a huge difference in shipping cost so you'll need to package it up as you would ship it to get a good estimate.

Good luck!

I just neatly wove or bundled my straps through the frame of my backpacking pack to Philmont and no problems. Just made sure there were no loose ends. Contractor bags did raise security issues but in fact none were opened - of course pretty obviously a group of Scouts so maybe that gave us a pass.

I'd compare cost of checking vs UPS. Of course if you fly Southwest like I do, than no cost to checking. Non-stop flight - I'd check. Stops - I'd UPS more for fear of not having it than damage.

Not sure how well equipped the rest of the crew is, but considering the logistics you're describing, I think I'd lobby for them outfitting the trip, letting your bring clothes, sleeping bag, and fishing gear.

As expensive as airline luggage fees are, UPS/fedex can be even more expensive. I'd price that out now. Otherwise:

Option 1: (what I do) pay to check your pack. Pack it inside a big duffel bag. Wrap the hip belt backwards around the pack and clip it out if the way. Make sure you have no flammables or lithium batteries. Bring your electronics/lithium batteries in your carry-on bag or personal item. The reason I always check my pack, is that I always have a knife or metal thingamajigs that I don't want to hassle with if TSA decides they can't ride on the plane. Double check your bag size and weight though, so you don't get a suprise super fee.

Option 2: Wear 2 layers of clothes and what will fit in your "personal carry on item", and borrow everything else. This means you would maybe even need to borrow fish lures, pocket knife, etc. as I'm not sure what the TSA rules are on those.

Option 3: Wear 2 layers of clothes, and find a pack that fits within the carryon bag size limit. The disadvantage of this is that there might be a carryon fee depending on your airline, and you still might not be able to bring on some of your metal camping gear - you could look up the carryon rules, but what a hassle if even one thing isn't allowed.

Option 4: Do Option 2 or 3, and ship a little box of sharp things that might not be allowed on the plane.

When I've flown to go and backpack I have just placed my backpack in a large zippered duffle type bag. One thing I will warn you about is to be sure to not have any expensive knives even in your checked luggage. On my last trip to CO, on the way back home I lost my SAK knife. I was down at the bottom of the duffel in a hip belt pocket so I know a TSA guy saw it on the xray and stole it. I had other stuff on top of the pack and in the pack but that was all that was stolen.

I have flown with canoe pack many times and not had damage.

I do as earlier posted explained and lash everything on the harness nice and tight so no loose straps anywhere. Some hip belts are removable and I remove those. I also put red flagging tape on the "ears", hoping the baggage handlers will use those as intended...

Also- when my pack is full, it is right about at a 50lb limit that airlines have (some are now 45). So be careful how you pack it. I am not sure my large packs fit inside any large duffel, but I like the idea of that...

I absolutely love the idea that I can fly with camping gear, rent a car, and be ready to go (past a place to purchase fuel).

Let us know how it goes!

Absolutely agree with ship if connecting flights. I took a trip a few years ago up to Baker Lake, Nunavut for fishing and had two bags; only one made it. The second arrived 6 days later. Luckily I was there for two weeks so I got a week of not borrowing someone else's gear... That won't work for you. I have had so much bad luck checking bags that unless I am flying to Europe, I won't do it. For a canoe or fishing trip where I can't replace what I am checking? Not again.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm leaning toward checking it and maybe getting some 1" buckle straps to snug everything really tight so the shoulder straps don't stick out then wrapping the hip belt around backwards like suggested above. Then, just wrap the loose ends around somehow so nothing is "catchable."

Next question, anyone think a blue barrel would have an issue if checked? I was going to bring mine but if it's going to be a huge issue, we'll find another solution. American charges $25 for the first carry-on and $35 for the second which would definitely be cheaper than UPS/FedEx for 2 big pieces (pack & barrel). Food would not be shipped so it will be fairly light.

If you decided to check your pack with an airline maybe you ship your valuables like knives to a trip mate or the outfitter. That way TSA can't boost them.

Knives in checked luggage are permitted and will not be confiscated by TSA I routinely check my pack(s) with no special precautions. I figure if they can withstand the rigors of canoe travel and portaging..airline handling is of little concern. I have taken many trips and Have had no problems.
Enjoy your trip.

quote Buster: "Knives in checked luggage are permitted and will not be confiscated by TSA I routinely check my pack(s) with no special precautions. I figure if they can withstand the rigors of canoe travel and portaging..airline handling is of little concern. I have taken many trips and Have had no problems.
Enjoy your trip."

Yes I know they are permitted but I still believe it was a TSA guy or someone who had an Xray machine to be able to see where my knife was in the pack and took only that.

I've packed tents, sleeping bags, pads, stove, pots and some misc, for two in one of those big old wheeled suitcases that everyone used to check through before they started charging you for checking luggage. Don't know if you own one or could borrow one, but it's a good way to haul everything. I've only done that for flying somewhere, renting a car and car camping, but you can fit the basics in there easily. Lotta cubic inches in those things.

quote OldFingers57: "

quote Buster: "Knives in checked luggage are permitted and will not be confiscated by TSA I routinely check my pack(s) with no special precautions. I figure if they can withstand the rigors of canoe travel and portaging..airline handling is of little concern. I have taken many trips and Have had no problems.
Enjoy your trip."

Yes I know they are permitted but I still believe it was a TSA guy or someone who had an Xray machine to be able to see where my knife was in the pack and took only that."

Pilferage can happen regardless. Samsonite, Duluth pack --- no difference??

quote Buster: "

quote OldFingers57: "

quote Buster: "Knives in checked luggage are permitted and will not be confiscated by TSA I routinely check my pack(s) with no special precautions. I figure if they can withstand the rigors of canoe travel and portaging..airline handling is of little concern. I have taken many trips and Have had no problems.
Enjoy your trip."

Yes I know they are permitted but I still believe it was a TSA guy or someone who had an Xray machine to be able to see where my knife was in the pack and took only that."

Pilferage can happen regardless. Samsonite, Duluth pack --- no difference??"

S

?? Should have been a ??

Southwest tends to be the most accomodating airline in general, and I'm sure there is one to Chicago in your area.

I have not had a problem..even with connecting flights. Just lash all loose straps down so that won't cause a problem. I did have one experience where the ticket counter employee was going to charge me the ransom for being over the 50 pound limit...bag weighed in at 51 lbs. I couldn't believe it. I managed to pull something out and get it under weight...

Just got me frustrated, then as I turned around and looked at all the portly people waiting in line I had an idea.

Why not just charge a set fee for "x" amount of pounds and then charge a rate for every 50 pounds after that? Yup....peeps would have to step on a scale! LOL!

You could have it set so that it just reads out what charges you accumulated and not actual weight....I mean it is flying and flying is defying gravity. To do that takes fuel... So why do I have to pay the as some one who is double my size?

Fed ex and UPS charge by the pound....why not airline industry?

Anyway, that's my rant and it will never happen.... but I feel better now...thank you! :)

I live in SWFL so we have used a combination of check and ship. We usually check our packs including our food pack with the airlines. We have placed them in large duffles, but we have also just checked them without any damage. We always remove the waist belt, tighten the shoulder straps, and tape the loose webbing. We ship a smaller box to the outfitter with stoves, empty fuel bottles, knives, tackle, etc. The box contains some valuables and things that might produce a smell that would set off TSA.

My son is at Northern Tier right now. He checked his Granite Gear Superior 1 loaded including his titanium pilot knife on his PFD. Everything made it up there without incident.

I recently checked pricing for shipping at UPS, and I think I could ship up to 75# for ~$85. I get a free checked bag with my credit card, but standard rate is $25 for the 1st checked bag and $35 for the 2nd.

Several years ago we bought an "osprey airporter" and a "rei pack duffel". Both are made to protect your backpack when flying. Don't know if they still make these, and don't know how they work-- we ended up taking regular luggage, not packs.

quote Tman: "Get a large and inexpensive basic duffel bag large enough to put your canoe pack into. Put the pack in and let the duffel get damaged. Long time basic solution to making sure the pack doesn't get damaged. Typical issue is the shoulder straps being torn off.

Something like this

I have done this many times with backpacks with good luck."

I started doing this for exactly the same reasons (e.g., backpacking) several decades ago when one of my buddies packs got stuck (e.g., one of the straps snagged) on a conveyor at the airport and didn't arrive with the other packs.

So, I've been successfully using a duffle (would you believe it's also blue and is know as "Big Blue") for my gear. I just stuff the items (not the loaded pack) in the duffle and check it as luggage. Last season I had another successful flying cycle going from Texas to Minnesota (Minneapolis). I've used both the Dallas and Austin airports successfully (both American and Southwest Airlines).

The only, more recent, snag I've encountered is airline are not supposed to fly fuel or camp stoves or fuel containers that have been used. I did fly with a new stove last season, which was to be used as backup. It didn't get used, so I was able to fly home with it. When flying and I want to take a used stove, I generally ship it ahead to the folks or outfitter I'm meeting pre-trip. (For backpacking purposes, I've also shipped stuff to a local REI store to pick-up when I arrived. They don't particularly like doing this, but they did.)

dd

I fly from Tennessee to Minneapolis every year. Completely self outfit except for canoes. Typically take 4-6 people along, so all gear plus food is 100-200 lbs total.

Keep your packs at 1-2 lbs below the max weight. Watch your dimensions also - as you pay for excess weight, excess dimensions and number of checked bags. Avoid more than 2 bags per passenger - waaaaaay too costly!

With enough trips, you will have a bad experience. So always expect the worst. I have had TSA dump my entire food pack (6 people for 8 days) because the zip locks were almost all open and the TSA notice was at the very bottom of all packs. What the hey - does dry food look dangerous on X-ray? Remember - no metal, no glass, etc. I repack everything into Ziploc!!!

Anyway - I have found shipping companies have almost identically matched airline costs for baggage. I have even looked at palletized LTL shipping. Not any better. If lucky - Southwest and other special airline situations can save one or more baggage fees. I use Delta AMEX card, so I get one free bag. I also buy my paddling crew tickets on my AMEX so they also get one free bag (each way).

If you have flight connections, plan for at least 2 hour allowance for transfers. Direct flights are golden.

Never lost any gear to TSA, but I do NOT take my best "up North" as risk of loss in the woods is higher than loss to TSA. But I get solid, functional equipment for reliable and dependable use. If you can't afford to lose it - don't take it.

If you need to reduce weight - make a list of your heaviest foods and buy it at your destination. For example - cooking oil, eggs, cheese, foil pouch chicken, etc can be bought after plane flight is over.

As already mentioned in the thread - use carry on to your max benefit. It really helps.

Old Hoosier

I just looked this up yesterday. I too live in TX and am heading to BWCA in a few weeks. I'm flying on Southwest (like I do several times per month). Look up luggage policies on their site. Specifically look up Camping Equipment. If you have a liquid fuel stove, it must be new and unused in the original factory packaging. Any sign of use will get it rejected. No strike anywhere matches. Lots of interesting rules to read over. I am packing all of my equipment, including my folded canoe packs, into some duffle bags.
Luggage Policy - Camping Equipment
Camping Equipment is in the left column.

Thanks for the heads up regarding "used" camp stoves. I am planning a camping trip to Iceland and will now definitely look into either shipping my stove ahead, bringing a new unused one, or renting one while I am there.

I mailed my stove and fuel tanks back from Philmont trip. Rinsed tanks with hot water. One of their flat rate boxes and some free UDPS "literature" for packing.

quote 9th Bearded Infantry: "Next question, anyone think a blue barrel would have an issue if checked?"

I checked a 30-liter blue barrel filled with frozen salmon from Alaska without any issues. I wrote my name, address, and phone number on the outside with a permanent marker. No problems.

To clarify, they will accept propane or butane stoves if they have been used, just not the type that uses liquid fuel. I know that the liquid fuel is converted to a gas when the unit is pressurized with the pump, and I do know that the propane/butane is in liquid form in the canister. Evidently the liquid type fuel can remain in the lines but propane or butane doesn't. It would be interesting to see how they treat a multi-fuel that uses either, or if they would even know the difference.