UKC

Has anyone experienced difficulties when carrying karabiners in hand luggage on trips to Spain, either inbound or outbound from the UK. I need to take 6 to 8 as part of via ferrata sets and don't want to check bags in. recent experiences would be welcome.

In reply to pjj:

Not recent but a definite yes.

In reply to pjj:

It seems to depend on the mood of the security people. I personally never risk it.

In reply to pjj:

I'd imagine so... I've spent the last 8 years flying reasonably regularly with a 4 inch compressor blade around my neck. Never had a problem and I even have a beard and shaved head. Lol

In reply to pjj:

Karabiner=knuckle duster in some peoples eyes. You may struggle

Mike.

In reply to pjj:

Generally OK but i have heard of people having problems. Depends if you get a total jobsworth or not.

But glass bottles they flog you in duty free are fine... Clearly they've seen lots of crazed maniacs with karabiner nuckle dusters but no ones ever stabbed anyone with a broken bottle. Or could economics be influencing security?

In reply to pjj:

Had a friend have his locking krabs taken off him. Haven't risked it myself since. He was flying out of an alpine region of France too.

In reply to pjj:

I wouldn't risk it. Too much of a lottery. As other's have said it depends on the mood of security.

In reply to pjj:

A friend of mine bought 10 new quickdraws in France and had them in his hand luggage when flying home and they all got confiscated, it was too late for him to put them in the hold so he lost the lot!

In reply to pjj:

I had my podsac as handluggage and accidentally left a screwgate and a wire clip gate in with it. Screwgate was confiscated but other was not...

In reply to pjj:

It will depend entirely on the whim of Airport security. I have flown from Geneva to Edinburgh with virtually all my gear including ropes in hand luggage, and not had a problem. Equally, I am sure some people have had exactly the opposite experience.

If you want to be sure, put it in the hold.

Andrew.

In reply to pjj:

I've been to Italy the last 3 years and have been checked every time. Just mention it to the friendly customs man and it gets passed onto the X-ray guy and I've had no problem. Coming back is hit and miss, last year my bag was stripped because when I was asked about contents and said karabiner, it caused mayhem because carabiner in Italian means rifle!

In reply to dritts1:

Possibly similar problem in France if you say "mousqueton"! The terms derive from carbine/musket hooks, presumably some sort of sprung dog-lead-type hook for attaching a carrying-strap to said firearms.

In reply to pjj:


I had trouble with QDs a few years ago, so the following year I put them and all other metalware in my hold luggage, and put one lightweight skinny rope in my hand luggage to avoid going overweight. They objected even more strenuously to the rope - said that it could be used as a restraint.

In reply to bpmclimb:

… I ventured to suggest that if I unexpectedly felt the need to tie someone up on the plane, I could probably find something with which to do it (in the absence of a climbing rope). Where there's a will there's a way. A jumper or two would do the trick.

In reply to bpmclimb:

I don't think that highlighting the weakness in their argument is necessarily a good move! And let's face it; they have a job to do, and if they screw up the world will probably land on them "bigtime".

In reply to pjj:

I passed through Heathrow yesterday and asked at security. They said they wouldn't allow large metal karabiners in hand luggage. They can be used over your hand as a weapon. So they seemed well aware of karabiners. I'm not going to risk it myself but Heathrow might be just more clued up than other airports.

I wouldn't bother trying to get into a discussion over it with them either.

In reply to Ian Parsons:


You're probably right that there's nothing gained by saying anything at all (except perhaps the occasional, highly respectful yes Sir/Madam). But I was annoyed because any fool could tell that I was a climber, not a terrorist. Yes they have a job to do, but it doesn't necessarily follow that they're doing it in the best way.

I think they should emphasise the detection of criminal mentality far more, and spend less effort slavishly applying rules about items in hand luggage. In other words use more common sense. If they really considered it a risk that I might tie up the cabin staff with my rope, what about the risk that I'd stab them all in the eye with one of my pens? Far quicker and more effective than the rope, but it didn't occur to them to take my pens away.

In reply to pjj:
Came back from Spain in 2003, and had nuts, friends and krabs in hand luggage.
Got pulled aside at the x-ray machine by security. Language barrier prevented proper explanation of what they were/for.

Cue nervous looking police with hand on pistol being summoned...

After a world class mime routine to show what they were, what they did, and how they were used, much to the amusement of policeman, things were fine after that and through we went!!

In reply to bpmclimb:


Quite so. But I suppose the Devil's Advocate response would be that anybody with half a brain who had decided to use some piece of climbing gear in the course of an attempt to take over an aircraft would probably do his research and turn up at the security area looking like he might be a climber. But I take your point about pens; I've long thought that it would be much easier to restrain a member of the cabin crew, or whomever, with one's tie or belt rather than 70m of 10mm Mammut Galaxy. One can imagine the scene: "Just wait a minute, would you, while I untangle this"!

In reply to pjj:

It's a lottery but if you get pulled up (and there's a fair chance you will) it'll cost you. I've had trouble with gear and ropes in carry-on in the past. The reasoning/explanation is absurd but there's no arguing, they have you over a barrel.

The time I had my rope confiscated I was allowed to keep my cable ties (left-overs from work still in my bag my pockets). Exasperating isn't the word.

jk

In reply to peebles boy:


Try miming/explaining "It's molecular sieve desiccant in a stainless steel pipe. Water in, no water out..." at gunpoint to Riyadh airport security I gave up and just repeated 'Work. Oil refinery. Aramco' repeatedly until they found someone who recognized enough of the words to have a reasonable excuse for letting me go.

jk

In reply to bpmclimb:



My daughter had the Brie and Camembert in her hand luggage confiscated since they were liquid(ish). The Comté was OK since it was solid.
And this was security at a French airport!

In reply to bpmclimb:


Pray tell the security guys how to recognise 'a terrorist' and we can all travel without being messed about!



Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:


Well I gather they have all sorts of in-depth training to help do just that. But carrying a rope and quick draws on a budget flight to Alicante in February only means one thing - a climbing trip. To argue that's a sign of possible intended terrorist activity is just plain stupid IMO. Even in the event of a terrorist posing as a climber, they'd have to be carrying something a lot more effective than a climbing rope or quickdraw, so what's the point, on safety grounds, of refusing those items?

In reply to pjj: Flying out from GLasgow to Spain at the begining of January a few years ago just after the problem with the bombers there,I had to unpack my hand luggage after it had gone through the x ray machine. To the amusement of all other passengers I had to explain that the Haggis wasnt a ball of semtex!!!

In reply to pjj:

Is it that much of a hassle to put luggage in the hold?

In reply to Martin1978:

Have you seen the hold baggage weight allowance on a typical budget flight from UK to Europe? If you want to climb for a week, with a mix of sport/trad/short/long/mountain routes?

In reply to Martin1978:
You might be trying to do a long weekend trip on a tight budget, avoiding check-in baggage altogether. With EasyJet's current volume allowance two people could probably just about manage a very short bolt-clipping trip to Spain or wherever with just hand luggage, were it not for the high likelihood that your first job on arrival would be shopping for new gear! Perhaps the trick would be to gauge things very precisely so that your bags were within the maximum volume, but larger than the slightly smaller size above which they might have to be checked in - at no further expense - if the flight happens to be particularly busy; choose a popular time and stay at the back of the queue and you might be in luck! Bit of a risk though.

Thanks everyone, we have decided not to risk it and forked out 20 quid for hold baggage, I sense nothing much has changed since our nutcrackers were confiscated returning from Spain a few years ago.

In reply to pjj:

£20 between two of you isn't that much and as you've said, not worth the risk.

To those who asked, yes, I've flown with plenty of "difficult" luggage, from tool boxes to snowboards, and usually end up paying to have them put in the hold (usually between £30-£50 depending on size and weight). £20 isn't a huge amount of money to spend on getting your luggage there. If £10 each is stretching the budget too far may I suggest staying closer to home (or having 3 less beers on you holiday).

In reply to Martin1978:

There's climbers out there who are very keen to climb in Europe but are genuinely strapped, and need to do it on a shoestring. I've been in that situation myself. Your suggestion that they should climb in the UK until they're as comfortably off as you doesn't come across as particularly sympathetic. Everyone has different amounts of money, length of stay, plans, amount of luggage (and, by the way, not all climbers drink beer).

In reply to bpmclimb:

You are so far off the mark it's funny. Not your fault, you don't know me (although it hasn't stopped you judging me).

You are right about one thing though, I am not a particularly sympathetic person, and so I save my sympathies for those times when they are truly deserved (and finding an extra tenner to fund a climbing holiday isn't one of those times).

In reply to Martin1978:

(although it hasn't stopped you judging me).

Well actually it was the fact that you seemed to be judging others (whom you presumably don't know personally) that prompted my post.

Not sure what you mean by wide of the mark - do you mean that you're actually really poor? Or that climbers don't exist who go climbing in Europe on a very tight budget? Or even that all climbers, without exception, drink beer?

In reply to bpmclimb:

I didn't judge anyone, I just made a suggestion, call it a "reality check". The OP seems to have done just that and paid the £20 between them. Sure they will have a great trip.

>Not sure what you mean by wide of the mark

Don't worry about it, if I wanted to explain further I would have done. You've got way to hung up on my post though, and it really isn't worth it.

Anyway, my chauffeur is here and so I must be going, Heston is doing dinner at the Mandarin and it would be rude to be late.

In reply to Martin1978:

I'm not hung up, or worried, thanks all the same. Not even particularly interested. By all means continue to derive amusement from your secret private joke, whatever it is. Cheers