Random hiking poles comment

[peregrina2000]

Just went through TSA once again with my hiking poles. But I was surprised to find that they confiscated my corkscrew. This is a corkscrew that was given to me in Spain and successfully made it through many European security checkpoints. So I guess that means that corkscrews are not a good thing to pack.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to the Camino, even though corkscrews and hiking poles are pretty basic Camino packing gear.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Bummer.
TSA agents seems to have broad range in deciding for themselves what to allow and what not to allow.
Just depends on the agent and what side of the bed they got up on, it feels.
Sorry about your corkscrew

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Annie,

The TSA guy told me that the corkscrew was not a matter of discretion. It has one of those short cutters on it to cut the wrapping around the top of the bottle. In Europe, that can go on board so long as it is less than 3 cm long, but in the United States, he told me that no blade of any length or any sort is allowed by TSA regulations. I brought that corkscrew home with me from Spain last year. It was given to me by a very nice man in a wine shop. I'm sorry to have lost it but it's no big deal.

The hiking poles, as always (for me at least), went through without a hitch.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I see a business opportunity for UPS: kiosks at TSA booths.

 

[LTfit]

Hi Laurie @peregrina2000

So where are you off to with a corkscrew and walking poles if not a Camino?

My corkscrew was also confiscated this summer at the Bilbao airport but let my walking sticks through as always. There was a thread a month or so ago about poles being confiscated in Bilbao but I have successfully gone through twice.

The security guard was sooooo apologetic about the corkscrew, it wasn't a present or anything, in fact I got it at a Chino for probably 1,50.

When are you coming over???