Trekking sticks are not permited in airplane cabin base on the TSA

[Jean Ti]

Trekking sticks or poles are not allowed in airplane cabin and should ge register base on the TSA rules.

 

[trecile]

Yes, that's the official rule, but it seems that many do get them through security in their backpacks. It's at the discretion of the security officers on duty.

 

[Jean Ti]

You may find few TSA agents doing nothing about it but you may find some that will simply confiscate them.

 

[Anniesantiago]

It's a toss-up.
Joe had his confiscated. I've never seen him so angry. He was so upset, he tried to break them, unsuccessfully. lol! Strong buggers! This was quite a number of years ago. We just check them now or pick up sticks in SJPP.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Yes. If you want to bring them, check them. I included them strapped to my pack in a large bag. Worked fine. They are not carry on items.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

You may find few TSA agents doing nothing about it but you may find some that will simply confiscate them.

No, TSA does not simply 'confiscate' items like trekking poles. If they DO decide they will not let you board with them in your carry-on (and I have never been refused, yet), they give you the option of checking them as luggage, or leaving them with TSA for disposition.

There ARE items that TSA will confiscate, but they are among categories considered contraband.

 

[C clearly]

And the definition of a walking stick can be debated. It seems that folding sticks are often allowed but full size ones not.

We haven't had this discussion too often in recent months, but the topic has been well aired in the past, to put it mildly.

 

[trecile]

No, TSA does not simply 'confiscate' items like trekking poles. If they DO decide they will not let you board with them in your carry-on (and I have never been refused, yet), they give you the option of checking them as luggage, or leaving them with TSA for disposition.

There ARE items that TSA will confiscate, but they are among categories considered contraband.

Thank you for clarifying that.

 

[RosieRose]

That was expected

 

[t2andreo]

NOT AGAIN!?!? PLEASE, for the safety of everyone in the cabin, CHECK YOUR POLES!

I do not care who let, or got, what past security at a particular airport or on a particular day. Hiking poles with permanently affixed tungsten steel tips are an expedient stabbing weapon... a SPEAR if you will.

You are not necessarily the problem. Anyone in the cabin who can access those poles can easily use them against the crew or other passengers. Please don’t say it’s not possible. You cannot possibly have full control of those poles at all times.

How often are drunk and or disorderly or deranged people arrested these days for interfering with flight crew? All it takes is one belligerent or very agitated person on one plane to ruin my - and your day.

PLEASE, check your poles.

 

[PK Smit]

If it is a regulation, why not just stick with what is required to do. In this way you won't encounter any bad experiences. Laws are laws and if you want to break them, be prepared to face the consequinces.

 

[Scott Ptak]

Trekking sticks or poles are not allowed in airplane cabin and should ge register base on the TSA rules.

View attachment 63713

While I clearly understand the point you are making, I smile a bit to myself when I consider this is the same TSA that allows 10 inch aluminum knitting needles on board in the cabin...

 

[Anniesantiago]

No, TSA does not simply 'confiscate' items like trekking poles. If they DO decide they will not let you board with them in your carry-on (and I have never been refused, yet), they give you the option of checking them as luggage, or leaving them with TSA for disposition.

There ARE items that TSA will confiscate, but they are among categories considered contraband.

Actually, they DID confiscate Joe's sticks on the way through security.
And on that day there was a barrel sitting there FULL of sticks.

 

[Albertagirl]

Practice at Canadian airports varies, apparently according to the whims of poorly trained agents. I prefer to use a wooden walking staff and have recently acquired one with only a rubber tip- no metal point underneath. As I am in my 70s and somewhat arthritic I am hoping to get it through security onto the plane. With the very short transfer time in Toronto for my flight to Madrid, there is no chance that it would arrive with me if I check it. I don't want to have to walk without it, but I have done what I can, within the limits of my control, so this is a first step on acceptance of what this camino will bring me.

 

[peregrina2000]

I agree that we should let this topic go. We are not going to agree. I for one will continue to carry on my folded up poles, as I have for the last ten years or so. I take them out of my backpack and lay them exposed on a tray to go through security. If I am told to check them, I will check them. Everyone else has to figure out what they will do.

But in terms of being socially responsible, since TSA routinely fails 80% of their undercover tests, I am not going to spend too much time worrying about whether a crazy person is going to yank my poles out of my backpack, figure out the locking system to make them full length, remove the rubber tips to expose the carbide tip and then go on a rampage. It seems like it would be much easier to just carry their own weapon on board. That DOES worry me. (And please note, the 80% rate is seen as a big improvement over the 95% rate two years earlier).

TSA fails most tests in latest undercover operation at US airports

Source said the results were an improvement over the same test two years ago.

abcnews.go.com

 

[lt56ny]

I always carry my backpack on the plane. My suggestion put your walking sticks in a tube or small box and check it. I think this works for better. If the airline loses your sticks it is definitely not the end of the world.

 

[gloria lowe]

Stop holding up the TSA line and check them.

 

[J F Gregory]

Practice at Canadian airports varies, apparently according to the whims of poorly trained agents. I prefer to use a wooden walking staff and have recently acquired one with only a rubber tip- no metal point underneath. As I am in my 70s and somewhat arthritic I am hoping to get it through security onto the plane. With the very short transfer time in Toronto for my flight to Madrid, there is no chance that it would arrive with me if I check it. I don't want to have to walk without it, but I have done what I can, within the limits of my control, so this is a first step on acceptance of what this camino will bring me.

I have used a wooden walking stick as a cane and they allowed men to put it in the overhead bin.

 

[Juspassinthru]

I agree that this is a tired subject, I understand that some, like me, don’t want to check our packs. I have a small bag that my poles fit in as well as any other small prohibited items (pocket knife), I check this small bag which contains nothing that I couldn’t live without or replace. The bag is bright orange, it weighs next to nothing and it goes in the bottom of my pack when not in use. A simple solution that works for me.

 

[gloria lowe]

If you say your stick is a walking aid and needed it is allowed with TSA.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Actually, they DID confiscate Joe's sticks on the way through security.
And on that day there was a barrel sitting there FULL of sticks.

The barrel does not necessarily mean that the sticks were confiscated, it can also mean they were abandoned to the TSA. I made the same choice with my trekking poles (abandon them to security) when confronted by Madrid airport security with a decision to go all the way back and stand in line at the airline check in counter in order to check in my poles. Spain is the ONLY country that I have had that problem with That is why if I am departing from Spain, I mail my trekking poles home via Correos. But then again, I mail the last minute collection of souvenirs and gifts, too.

I fly tens of thousands of miles each year, and from what I have seen from individual TSA personnel, I do not dispute your experience. There are too many stories of inconsistent behavior by TSA agents as to the application of regulations to not believe that what happened to your husband can and does happen. I have had the singularly unpleasant experience of TSA hired personnel snottily and derisively ignore my Precheck status -- and separate Security clearances - - and do a strip down of my backpack and clothing in the confines of an 'inspection room'. Later, after filing a formal complaint leading to an investigation, I was sent a formal apology and notified that 'remedial training' was given to those involved.

As with all bureaucracies, individual interpretation and discretion of policy and regulations can be an inconsistent and weak point in a system. Customer service can definitely vary.

As to the TSA confiscation, that is a violation of policy if you were not offered the choice to check them with the airline. Trekking poles are NOT contraband, like switchblade knives and illegal firearms. TSA officers also have discretion as to allowing or not allowing trekking poles on-board - - - as it states on the TSA page "The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint."

My poles are always carried secured to my backpack, rubber tips in place, the poles disassembled, and the poles tightly wrapped in several layers of shipping wrap (plastic wrap). TSA always sees them in that condition, and as I stated before, TSA has never denied my including them in my backpack as a carry-on. I do NOT say that TSA will always allow the same for others, only that they do have that option.

This upcoming Camino, I will be leaving my Leki trekking poles at home and purchasing a pair of poles when we get to Spain. At the end of the Camino, they will be disposed of in some manner - - probably given away.

 

[Juspassinthru]

For those in the U.S. or those traveling here, the only thing consistent about the application of TSA rules is the inconsistent manner in which they’re applied. As a very frequent flyer, planning, patience and a smile will get you through security much faster than the opposite.

 

[Walking Lover]

Yes, that's the official rule, but it seems that many do get them through security in their backpacks. It's at the discretion of the security officers on duty.

I took mine on a United flight in June. I wrapped them in newspaper and masking tape. No problem on United, Europa or Ryanair.

 

[CAJohn]

TSA security officers have no discretion on this or any other number of matters. They simply did not do their jobs and let a prohibited item through. As mentioned above, alarmingly common

 

[Deleted member 67185]

TSA security officers have no discretion on this or any other number of matters. They simply did not do their jobs and let a prohibited item through. As mentioned above, alarmingly common

The discretionary clause is specified on the same TSA reference page as the question regarding trekking poles.

 

[naplesdon]

On my recent trip back from the Camino after learning my sister was in the hospital, I successfully boarded a plane in Bilbao and Paris on my way to Cincinnati with my poles in my bag. No problem.
However I had a corkscrew with a foil cutter and when I finally arrived in Cincinnati, it was confiscated. Go figure. I said but "I'm home, what's the problem?"

 

[trecile]

I took mine on a United flight in June. I wrapped them in newspaper and masking tape. No problem on United, Europa or Ryanair.

Presumably you only went through security once. That's the place where you would be stopped. The airlines don't examine your carry on bags.

 

[trecile]

The discretionary clause is specified on the same TSA reference page as the question regarding trekking poles.

Yup.

 

[VNwalking]

No, no agreement seems possible here.

Anyone in the cabin who can access those poles can easily use them against the crew or other passengers. Please don’t say it’s not possible. You cannot possibly have full control of those poles at all times.

I am not going to spend too much time worrying about whether a crazy person is going to yank my poles out of my backpack, figure out the locking system to make them full length, remove the rubber tips to expose the carbide tip and then go on a rampage. It seems like it would be much easier to just carry their own weapon on board. That DOES worry me.

The only reflection I would add is that none of us have full control over anything, at any time.
As far as onboard poles are concerned, when the tips are covered and the poles are inside the pack, the chances of someone using them as a weapon is vanishingly small. You can kill someone with a ball-point pen, for goodness sake - and no-one gets hot under the collar that we're all carrying them on flights. Not to mention other things that are easily at hand. So I would plead for calm and common sense about this.

[Edited for clarity.]

 

[t2andreo]

Vira, I agree with what you say. But what is wrong about simply complying with established and published rules? (fixed the auto-correct boo-boos)

Instead of this whack-a-mole, cat and mouse game, why not do as the rules say in the first place? I continue to REALLY dislike attempts to game any system.

Then again, I am a cultural Neanderthal. I was raised in an era where taking your turn, waiting patiently, and FOLLOWING RULES was still taught as a basis for civilized behavior.

Oh well...

 

[grayland]

Actually, they DID confiscate Joe's sticks on the way through security.
And on that day there was a barrel sitting there FULL of sticks.

Annie...I think you may be talking about flying out of Santiago at end of Camino....not the TSA which is the U.S. security authority. The description of the barrel of sticks fits Santiago..not TSA locations.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Annie...I think you may be talking about flying out of Santiago at end of Camino....not the TSA which is the U.S. security authority. The description of the barrel of sticks fits Santiago..not TSA locations.

This is possible. It's been years. I will ask Joe when I talk to him today.

 

[hieudovan]

Since I plan to walk the Le Puy route next year, I'm practicing my French. Mes amis, a chacun son goût. Bon chemin.

 

[cbacino]

Trekking sticks or poles are not allowed in airplane cabin and should ge register base on the TSA rules.

View attachment 63713

Yes, that's the official rule, but it seems that many do get them through security in their backpacks. It's at the discretion of the security officers on duty.

I saw someone board a plane with trekking poles (with carbide tips) lashed to the outside of their carry-on backpack; however, I wouldn’t count on a repeat performance of this.

 

[VNwalking]

Vita, I agree with what you say. But what is wrong about simple complying with established and political blushed rules?

In short? Because these are human conventions and faulty guides for behavior. There have been times on this planet when following rules that had been legally passed caused people to do horrible things.
We just have a different world view - and mine is that empathy and thinking of others makes the world a civilized place, not rules.
And specifically in this case? As @trecile posted above, there is room for inspector discretion. Rules held rigidly no matter what don't allow any common sense discernment - and that is clearly built in to this one.

 

[VNwalking]

NOT try to "put one over" on any airline security inspector.

No-one's doing that. If you read the posts above, people either speak of having poles on the outside of their packs - IOW visible - or taking yhem out for inspection. That's hardly 'putting one over' on the inspector - rather, it's the inspector exercising discernment.

One is not supposed to bring sharp objects, or items that can be readily converted into an offensive weapon onto a commercial airliner.

Like ball-point pens?
Anyway, if your poles are in your pack, wrapped up, they're hardly 'readily convertable.'

 

[Jean Ti]

Grrrr! We are talking about bringing a weapon onto a commercial airliner, in violation of rules, caught or not. We are not speaking about committing genocide based on "I was just following rules..."

I respect your position. I just disagree. My preference is that we all just follow the rules and NOT try to "put one over" on any airline security inspector. Civilization is based on ethical behavior that comports with reasonable norms and rules. This is one of those situation, IMHO.

I don't know about you, and everyone else out there, but my typical day is replete with just doing the right thing, according to rules, even is no one is looking. I guess that makes me an outlier, for following the rules, regardless of whether anyone is watching.

We all do things like not running stop signs or yellow / red traffic signals simply because one is supposed to STOP and NOT go, in the interests of promoting road safety. I do not need a red light camera or a police officer sitting in a car at the corner to force compliance. I am one of the those folks who complies because it it the right thing to do in that circumstance..

One is not supposed to bring sharp objects, or items that can be readily converted into an offensive weapon onto a commercial airliner. As I said earlier, as these rules exist and for good reason, why not just comply with them?

Not all rules should be challenged... That said, I do agree that there are times and circumstances where rules must be avoided and broken. But, IMHO, this is not one of those times.

I hope this helps.

7
People seems to love talking about trekking poles, perhaps we should have a permanent place on this forum uniquely for this subject.......

 

[Jim]

TSA that allows 10 inch aluminum knitting needles on board in the cabin...


Actually, I have knitters and embroiderers among my family members who would like nothing better than to return to the “good ole days” when they could pass the time away in the main cabin by doing needlework, and they are angered that they can’t, or so they tell me...

 

[Tincatinker]

I’ve locked this thread because the arguments are well rehearsed both on this forum and on many other Camino related websites. To the extent that I’m not sure that I understand the OP. Restating information readily available to any potential pilgrims traveling via an airport subject to TSA control contributes little and nothing new but manages to provoke much heated debate.