I'm now planning our summer walk in Switzerland and hope to take our MSR Pocket Rocket on the plane in our hand luggage. Given the relatively spikey shape of the supports, has anyone had problems doing this?
We're going hand luggage only, so putting it in the hold isn't an option. Last time we got our round and inoffensive Jetboil through OK, but we've since sold that to replace it with the lighter PR/Titan kettle combo.
I should think you would have problems given the problems I've had with a bicycle lock (curly cable sort - was 'a potential restraint' - odd - if I wanted to restrain someone, the easily removed nylon cords on my rucksac would do a far better job than a plastic covered, unbendable cable, but that's the mentality) and a bicycle pump (potential club !) etc.
What about posting it to yourself - poste restante or to the hotel/campsite you're going to? I usually put a note on saying what's included and that the parcel can be opened by the intermediate recipient (obviously no good for valuable items but it's worked well for bike protection on tours etc.). In one case, I rang the hotel (this was in the States where they're more paranoid than most other places) in advance to check they were happy and it was no problem.
I took a backpack as hand luggage to the Isle of Man once, no problems, but on the return journey I was stopped at the X-Ray machine and had to unload the entire contents of the pack, so that they could scrutinise my 'Baby' can opener. I was allowed to continue my journey with it, but I was the last person to board the plane!
If in doubt, ask the airline direct, and if they give you a favourable response, print it out in case there's still a query at check-in.
Then again... the idea of using a poste restante address is sound. Send it out a week or so in advance of your trip, and collect it on arrival. I've never done this with 'dangerous' items, but I have done it with a spare pair of shoes, timed to arrive at the point where my old ones were scheduled to give up the ghost. There's a trek I'm thinking of doing in the summer where I'll be forced to carry a lot of dead weight unless I post stuff ahead of myself on two occasions.
The posting it idea sounds pretty sensible. I'll probably send it to the hotel I've booked for the first night, just to be on the safe side. I reckon I've a lot more chance of getting it back through the airport at Geneva than I have of getting it out of here.
I thought of contacting Edinburgh airport, but my suspicion is that they'll err on the side of caution and say no anyway and maybe even then be on the lookout for such offensive life-threatening items as the PR.
I had thought of taking an envelope to the airport here and posting it back home if it was banned, but then I'd be stuck with a pot and 2 weeks worth of cappucino. Then, it would still be cheaper to buy a stove over there than constantly buy coffees in huts, but the simplest, surest and cheapest solution is to post it over beforehand.
if you get through uk security with it you may not get through swiss security on the way home. i've had fun explaing the concept and workings of an electric toothbrush and my mate had to take the wadding out of his zippo lighter.
i've decided that security all depends on who's on at the time and very much on your own attitude.
The security thing seems a bit nonesensical sometimes.
I fly from Liiverpool to Belfast and back again regularly....going through Liverpool, just put my laptop through xray in its case, coming back...have to take the laptop out of its case...why?
