Crampons in Carry-on

[CWBuff]

Perhaps does not totally relates to Camino (although I can see some Pilgrims using them on mountainous paths)

Does anyone know if crampons are OK to take in carry-on or, like most poles, they have to be checked in?
For my upcoming trip I am checking my backpack with poles (please do not try to tell me not to -been already discussed plenty of times). Because of all the horror stories as-of-late of completely misplaced luggage (yes the panic of no beds between SJ and <name your town> PALES in comparison!) I will try to put as little as possible in there (my wife will bring her 28L as a carry on so we'll try to see how much stuff we can put there) and obviously anything equipment is just as 'important' as clothing (if not more)
And, using the Tag (or whatever that gadget is called) does not really help because if that bag is not there - I don't care where exactly it is as "I need to start walking" and will be moving from point A to point B....

Hence - do i need to stick them in that check-in or can safely take them on board? I promise not to use them as a slingshot (ala David vs Goliath) spikes or no spikes

thanks in advance.

 

[donalomahony]

Crampons | Transportation Security Administration

Crampons are generally permitted in carry-on bags. However, TSA officers have the discretion to prohibit an item if they feel it may pose a security threat.

www.tsa.gov

What is your start date?
Which Camino?

I actually met a Nordic guy with an ice axe in SJPP in mid June (followed his mother's advice). Posted home from Pamplona.

Put "crampons" into search box above...

 

[TheRealPixie]

Waiting to hear where you are going to use these. But an alternate to bringing them on a plane would be to buy at your destination, budget allowing. Decathlon sells some for 20 euro. Sometimes convenience has its own value.

 

[Flog]

You mean those spiky things you attach to boots for climbing mountains?? Sure you could claw the eyes out of the pilot with those things. Put them in the hold.

 

[CWBuff]

Not doing Camino going on TMB.
Don't want to buy at destination - for that matter never said that I don't already have them...
Don't want to claw pilots eyes out he still needs to fly the plane ad I foolishly let my license expire
Reckon I'll check them in
Thanks all

 

[donalomahony]

Tour du Mont Blanc

Tour du Mont Blanc

www.walkingforum.co.uk

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Not doing Camino going on TMB.

Oh, good. For the Camino most suggest leather sandals.

 

[CWBuff]

No doubt, @Rick of Rick and Peg (although my personal pref is still a hiking boot )
But, like I said, I can see a possibility. Rainy muddy day descending one of those "dreadful" descends we like to gripe about.....
and that said, seems them crampons can be cramped right on the leather sandals as well, so...

 

[EWhite]

Like poles and small knives it depends on the country your flight starts in what jurisdictions you transit through. Best to check the websites of security and civil aviation agencies in said countries. Someone on the forum is keeping a list of this info, give it a search

 

[CWBuff]

Thanks @Evan White
I'm still debating if I want to take them PERIOD! But.... I'm leaning towards the "check-in" anyways.
If (God Forbid) my pack is not in GVA when I land (thankfully its a N\S flight so some possibility of a mishap due to transfer is alleviated) then I need a backpack, 2 sets of poles, maybe some clothes that i put there; so at that point crampons will be small part of the headache (and I will have a chance of actually seeing what the conditions-du-jour are "on the spot")
There is a Decathlon in Chamounix and I am hanging out there for 2.5 days before moving on to Les Houches and starting the treck so will utilize if necessary

Thanks again everyone!

 

[JerryStroebele]

When are you walking? The only time you would need crampons/instep crampons/spikes is when there is thin snow or ice. Then they are great. Any other time, they are tripping hazards. Crampons are for glaciers, instep crampons for snow, spikes for ice. Here in Alaska, spikes are common in town and out of town October through March. They weigh the least, but still weigh something. Do you really need them? Buen Camino

 

[TheRealPixie]

Not doing Camino going on TMB.
Don't want to buy at destination - for that matter never said that I don't already have them...
Don't want to claw pilots eyes out he still needs to fly the plane ad I foolishly let my license expire
Reckon I'll check them in
Thanks all

Oh I know. I figured you already had some since you are asking about bringing them. I already own trekking poles but I'm not bothering to bring them because it is worth $30 to me to just get them at Decathlon and not checking them. I also get to have fun perusing the Decathlon since we don't have that store where I live. I hear their puffy jacket is amazing.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[CWBuff]

@JerryStroebele - we are leaving this upcoming Wednesday and will start hiking on the 6th
I just got the latest weather report from TMB and apparently they have more snow than usual around this time of the year. They actually have some parts of the trail closed.Hence the thought crossed my mind because we could potentially face muddier wetter descends and possibly some washouts if the creeks rise up....

I totally agree with you that they very well could be a hindrance in themselves. Which is why in my last post I said that I am still debating if I should take them at all.

its like the all-familiar "panic" (OH NO "they" (!) said on the Forum there are no beds at ALL available between SJPdP and SdC ... and I leave in 6 months... WHATEVER SHOULD I DO!?!?!? )
So yeah... paranoia set in when i got that report; I guess I "panicked"

But for better or worse I figued I'll ask the question. One just never knows when one may find him\herself with a need to fly with crampons, right? (like my next trip to Sin Maarten... )

 

[davebugg]

For me, Micro-spikes are a good compliment for high places where a trail might be overlaid with patches of snow or ice or where slippery trails need a bit of grab from footwear. Compact, lighter, foldable. There are a variety of manufacturers and types and sizes, those for trail runner style footwear and those sized to fit trail boots.


For backpacking, I leave my full crampons at home. While they can be used for horizontal walking, the longer spikes -- designed to drive deeper into hard ice sheets and glaciers -- are harder for me to avoid tripping on bare grounds like mud.

You have crampons so understand that Crampons also have that important distinction over microspikes: they allow for going vertical on ice falls and in mountaineering. . Kicking the fore spikes into ice while climbing provides a “step” for the foot to put the weight on, in order to allow ice axe placement to occur during an ascent.

Those fore-spikes have injured many climbers who can stab themselves in the calf. Don't ask me how I know. Now I used tip covers when the fore-spikes are not needed.

 

[Tincatinker]

I’ve always considered crampons to be as useful in mud as they are in a disco. Same applies to in slushy snow, loose scree and much of the other trail conditions you’re likely to encounter on the TMB this time of year. If there’s unexpected snow cover this week there’ll likely be just deeper mud next week. And when the mud starts to suck your crampons away from your boots despite the cross straps and double buckles…..

Your poles will offer more protection on the downhill bits than any amount of sharp pointy things attached to your feet

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Your poles will offer more protection on the downhill bits than any amount of sharp pointy things attached to your feet

And when you sink into the mud you can hold the poles up over your head and wave them so you can be found.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

The TBM? Never realised the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona buses were so slippery!

 

[CWBuff]

Slip sliding away...
All the way from Montjuic to Playa de Barcelonetta....

 

[peregrino_tom]

Just an opinion, based on early season hiking in the high Pyrenees - so feel free to deride/ignore!
Crampons maybe, if you are going off-piste. But you shouldn't be. This isn't like wilderness hiking in the Rockies - you'll be on a popular well used and well marked path at all times. There won't be any new snow and traffic by locals and earlier groups will have melted the path already. For the very highest passes if there is still snow there, previous footprints will have bored holes down through the snow into the ground and you just use those and keep balance with your poles.
But if you do take crampons, please let us know how it worked out!

 

[Marbe2]

Agree with Camino Tom. If you really need crampons you can rent them when you arrive! Don’t schlepp them with you! Who wants to carry them if they’re not needed?.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Slip sliding away...
All the way from Montjuic to Playa de Barcelonetta....

 

[dbeatriceb]

Unless you’re going in the dead of winter, maybe only on the Primitivo but still I doubt it, crampons will only be an unnecessary burden. The caminos sre not a wilderness hike. People do the Camino in wheelchairs and on crutches. There may be some muddy spots but crampons would help navigate in the type of mud there is. If the weather is bad heading out of SJPP, you wil be advised to take the Valcsrlos route, not the Napoleon.
The terrain is never such that it would justify the extra weight.

 

[dbeatriceb]

Unless you’re going in the dead of winter, maybe only on the Primitivo but still I doubt it, crampons will only be an unnecessary burden. The caminos sre not a wilderness hike. People do the Camino in wheelchairs and on crutches. There may be some muddy spots but crampons would help navigate in the type of mud there is. If the weather is bad heading out of SJPP, you wil be advised to take the Valcsrlos route, not the Napoleon.
The terrain is never such that it would justify the extra weight.

Correction: …would NOT help in the mud…”

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Unless you’re going in the dead of winter, maybe only on the Primitivo but still I doubt it, crampons will only be an unnecessary burden. The caminos sre not a wilderness hike. People do the Camino in wheelchairs and on crutches. There may be some muddy spots but crampons would help navigate in the type of mud there is. If the weather is bad heading out of SJPP, you wil be advised to take the Valcsrlos route, not the Napoleon.
The terrain is never such that it would justify the extra weight.

Er, the OP isn't going to be walking the Camino but the (possibly) snow covered Alps.

 

[Liica]

Not doing Camino going on TMB.
Don't want to buy at destination - for that matter never said that I don't already have them...
Don't want to claw pilots eyes out he still needs to fly the plane ad I foolishly let my license expire
Reckon I'll check them in
Thanks all

Thanks @Evan White
I'm still debating if I want to take them PERIOD! But.... I'm leaning towards the "check-in" anyways.
If (God Forbid) my pack is not in GVA when I land (thankfully its a N\S flight so some possibility of a mishap due to transfer is alleviated) then I need a backpack, 2 sets of poles, maybe some clothes that i put there; so at that point crampons will be small part of the headache (and I will have a chance of actually seeing what the conditions-du-jour are "on the spot")
There is a Decathlon in Chamounix and I am hanging out there for 2.5 days before moving on to Les Houches and starting the treck so will utilize if necessary

Thanks again everyone!

Usually I check a Sea to Summit ultra-sil duffel with my poles, knife and in this case, the crampon. But I really think you will hardly use it (trekking pole is enough on TMB during summer).