sled Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 sorry, noob here so I dont know if this is the right section to ask this...But anyway Im flying to thailand for an extended climbing trip and I was planning on hauling a decent amount of gear, some checked and some in a carry-on. My main concern is chalk? I have 4 new unopened bags of Metolius chalk and a box of unopened metolius block chalk. Will chalk be an issue? Thanks for any and all help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidave Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Last time I flew, I carried-on rack and ropes. Be sure to pack nut tools and sharp stuff. Not sure about international flights though. Just call your airline and ask... Have a great trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurthicks Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I just got back from two months in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. No problem with chalk, draws, ropes, harnesses, grigris, or any other sports climbing gear on international and domestic flights within the area. go and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveLeo Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I have had no problem traveling with chalk. I ziplocked it all and tend to push the limits on the size of my carry on bag. If you bring axes they have to be checked. Other than that, all is okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noraA Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 The recent implementation of full body scanners rendered my advise of stuffing your chalk baggies in your bum worthless. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tod Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I've been to Thailand for climbing twice (the last in 2010); I have always carried on my most valuable climbing equipment. I'd rather have to buy new clothes at the start of a climbing trip than get there and realize I have to buy new equipment. I've carried on trad gear through multiple national and international airports (Thailand, Japan, etc...) and it all seems kosher in the security lines. Half the time they don't care, the other half they take a second look, ask their supervisor what to do, the supervisor tells them it is climbing gear and tells them it is ok. The only problem I have had is trying to carry on a rope leaving Krabi, Thailand. They have a list of items that are not allowed as carry-on and a rope is one of them. I had to pay extra in order to check it (I think it was a scam particular to Krabi Int'l). Good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason4 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I just flew from Seattle to Amsterdam this morning with a chalk bag in my checked suitcase with no problems. I hadn't opened the package yet but I tore off the header to pack it easier and made sure the header with the product info was packed next to the chalk ball that was tucked into a chalk bag. I'm a little more apprehensive about flying home with my well used bouldering chalk bucket. Even if I get all the loose chalk out there will be powder everywhere. I figure that's what trained dogs are for and if they light up on my climbing chalk then I probably paid too much for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I tried to fly with a rope in my carry on - domestically, within the US - and I was made to check it, after a big ordeal. I usually don't have problems flying with other gear, as long as it's not sharp - like ice screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boadman Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I had a security guy claim my belay biner could be used as brass knuckles. I think he just wanted me to let him take it. It was a nice petzl one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 The only problem I have had is trying to carry on a rope leaving Krabi, Thailand. They have a list of items that are not allowed as carry-on and a rope is one of them. I had to pay extra in order to check it (I think it was a scam particular to Krabi Int'l). Not sure who you flew from Krabi but Air Asia and some of the other carriers can be strict about carry-on weight/size requirements (in general most extra-US carriers have stricter weight/size limits and actually enforce them). Air Asia is something like 7kg for a carryon, then you have to pay to check a bag; escalating scale based on weight. Still cheap as chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 sorry, noob here so I dont know if this is the right section to ask this...But anyway Im flying to thailand for an extended climbing trip and I was planning on hauling a decent amount of gear, some checked and some in a carry-on. My main concern is chalk? I have 4 new unopened bags of Metolius chalk and a box of unopened metolius block chalk. Will chalk be an issue? Thanks for any and all help. I flew there 2 winters ago (end of 2008) and like Tod with a full rack went through 4 airoporto checkpoints with this in my carry on: The Trango Shark with the knife on it. Through PDX, scanned twice in San Francisco airport all the way over to Thailand no one saw it (including moi). In Bangkok, the Suvarnabhumi international airport had been closed due to being taken over by protesting Red or Yellow Shirts for a long long time, and it had literally opened a few days previous, there were still barricades on the streets although they were now manned by loyalist troops armed with submachineguns. Hit the 4th and final check catching the in country flight to get to Karbi and a little Thai girl/screener squints at the xray machine that has my pack....and flags me to pull over and get searched. She opens the pack and pulls out my full rack and I spot the damn Trango Shark (knifeblade in the closed position fortunately, like it should have been) hanging there with everything else.....oh oh, I quickly start yaking about what I do and how poorly I climb but looking forward to their great country and I start making excited hand gestures pantomiming a climb while explaining what the gear gets used for.... She let me on the plane with it. Whew. I made sure it was in my checked luggage on the way back. I might not have had chalk, but don't remember, I often don't climb with it. Don't take it to the desert for instance. Picture sitting under an umbrella on the bar deck having a beer. The guy with the hat is on the actual bar deck, and you can see right over his hat a guy hanging off a tufa. Good times, great beaches. You might consider taking some extra goods to leave behind. I gave a Thai kid my 35-40 year old holey Karrimor Hot Rock backpack, you'd have thought he'd won the lottery. Left some rope behind for anchors too, just take some extra and drop it off with the guides. I've heard of folks going with a rope they are about ready to retire and leaving it behind as well. The other upside (other than doing a good deed) is you'll have room for new custom made clothes (or whatever) tailored exactly to your fit in Bangkok. Ask me about flying down the Red Rocks and back, both ways, with a boxcutter in my briefcase...Dohhh! They flagged me for the please spin around inside of the xray machine, and they made me take off the Nylon belt, my MONEY BELT! In the rush and confusion I spaced on it, lose the belt and my $100 emergency cash stash. Later get home, see the boxcutter as I dump out my briefcase. Send an email to TSA and the airport, please give me my Eagle Creek brown nylon money belt that had $100 cash in it - no $ no belt they say: - Merry Christmas ya fucking government thief's. Wait, what was your question again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpetsailor Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Been flying quite a bit lately with an all-passive (nuts, hexes, tricams) rack to ~2" and a double rope/helmet, leaving the nut tool at home. Nary a mention at any airport. (That said, I'm flying tomorrow, so this could be the jinx.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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