Traveling with bins - any airport problems? (1 Viewer)

[Marley]

Hi all,

I have never taken my bins on a plane trip and I wondered if anyone has experience moving them through airport security. I would like to take them as carry-on luggage, but I just wonder how the x-ray screeners view the bins. Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?

Thanks to all for the input,

Rgds,

Steffan

 

[baillieswells]

Hi all,

I have never taken my bins on a plane trip and I wondered if anyone has experience moving them through airport security. I would like to take them as carry-on luggage, but I just wonder how the x-ray screeners view the bins. Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?

Thanks to all for the input,

Rgds,

Steffan

I took mine to South Africa from London Heathrow last October, with my camera and all my lenses,in my hand baggage. No problems either way. Though knowing the paranoia which exists at US airports, any thing can happen, though I had no problems a couple of weeks ago with my camera, but no bins when flying to and from Phoenix.

 

[richt]

Hi all,

I have never taken my bins on a plane trip and I wondered if anyone has experience moving them through airport security. I would like to take them as carry-on luggage, but I just wonder how the x-ray screeners view the bins. Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?

Thanks to all for the input,

Rgds,

Steffan

Hi Steffan

Took mine in and out of Florida USA last year and Tunisia early this year with no probs
I think you have to accept the possibilty that security may ask to "take a look " due to the profile of binoculars especially roofs but i can honestly say i have not had to undo bags or even show them to date

Regards
Rich

 

[MSA]

Went to Israel last spring, where they had great fun with the bins of one of our group - he has a huge pair (no jokes please!) and they spent a few minutes peering around the hall with them. It was the most thorough check I've ever experienced, they even dusted the pages of our field guides, checking for drugs and explosives, and had a close look at tripods, but the "normal" bins went through without any problem.

 

[chartwell99]

Hi all,

I have never taken my bins on a plane trip and I wondered if anyone has experience moving them through airport security. I would like to take them as carry-on luggage, but I just wonder how the x-ray screeners view the bins. Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?

I have taken both full size and compacts on numerous recent domestic trips (Tennessee, North Carolina, New York) without any fuss whatsover from airport security. Ironically, the real hassle has been bringing binoculars to Astros baseball games,where all bags are searched at entry,all binoculars are examined, and the lines to get in are endless.

 

[Blackstart]

Went to Israel last spring, where they had great fun with the bins of one of our group - he has a huge pair (no jokes please!) and they spent a few minutes peering around the hall with them. It was the most thorough check I've ever experienced, they even dusted the pages of our field guides, checking for drugs and explosives, and had a close look at tripods, but the "normal" bins went through without any problem.

I think Ben Gurion International is famous for this kind of nonsense. I've had to unpack and repack my bag on two separate occasions when leaving the country, and on one of those I was given unnecessary grief about my passport, which was new.

Last time I was leaving Israel, one of the security personnel didn't like something about the x-ray of my APO Televid 77. The area around the prism glowed.

"Can you take this apart?" he asked.

I knew how to say "your mama" (or worse) in Hebrew, but I politely answered "no" and eventually got my scope back.

Adam

 

[medinabrit]

I had my binos & scope inspected with some kind of devise at Frankfurt last year.
Brian.

 

[The Raptor]

Had my Bins with me on a six week holiday to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand & the United States, never once did I have a problem at airport security.

Rod.

 

[jurek]

I took bins into hand luggage several times, they were quickly checked. Good especially in tropical countries where you may be afraid of your baggage.

But I suppose in countries actively spreading freedom & civil rights, security could give you more hassle.

 

[Pinewood]

I had my binos & scope inspected with some kind of devise at Frankfurt last year.
Brian.

Brian,

Nineteen years, ago, I travelled with a change in Frankfurt. This was shortly after a bomb blew up in the terminal. When the x-ray revealed a binocular, I had to resort to pantomime to explain it, as I did not know the German word, "fernglaser." However, everything in the bag was opened for a visual inspection, anyway. From previous experience, I had no film in my cameras, because I anticipated that an inspection would require opening the cameras' backs.
I think carrying binoculars as personal kit or hand luggage makes sense if you expect heightened security, as on trips to Israel or to the USA.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood

 

[Lewie]

When I went to Washington State birding, I put my tripod in a check-though
suitcase, and put my spotting scope and two pair of bins in a carrying-on. The optics were in the cases, and I wrapped the cases with shirts and never had any problem at all, though I did wonder if I would have to open the carry-on. I have heard horror stories about bins getting scratched when airport security examined them. I have a friend who travels extensively on business and always takes her bins and sometimes her scope, in her carry-on, and has never had any problems.

Good luck!

 

[Touty]

Hi all,

I have never taken my bins on a plane trip and I wondered if anyone has experience moving them through airport security. I would like to take them as carry-on luggage, but I just wonder how the x-ray screeners view the bins. Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?

Thanks to all for the input,

Rgds,

Steffan

It's happened several times (Stansted, Trieste, Venice)... just looked through to see they're functional has been enough.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I always 'wear' my binoculars under my jacket, never had any problem. By wear I mean like you would with a shoulder bag (not round neck).

 

[Rob Hutchinson]

Never had any problems anywhere with carrying camera gear, bins, sound recording equipment etc as hand luggage, bag often gets opened and inspected (particularly for the microphone) but not issues....

Rob

 

[Cuckoo-shrike]

I always 'wear' my binoculars under my jacket, never had any problem. By wear I mean like you would with a shoulder bag (not round neck).

Don't they activate the x-ray machine Jos? Or provoke comments about your strange bulge (don't go there)?
Whatever you do Steffan, don't put optics in hold luggage. A friend of mine did that with his bins on the way back from Thailand recently and found that the air pressure had blown the lenses.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Don't they activate the x-ray machine Jos? Or provoke comments about your strange bulge (don't go there)?

You have to take off the jacket before x-ray machine, so just slip it in with coat. Wearing them leaves more space for other stuff in hand baggage - also sling the scope over other shoulder (not under jacket - think that would provoke some comments :-O )

(specially good as scroogy Ryan charges extra for any baggage going in hold)

 

[Swissboy]

Is it just expected that you will have to unpack them and show that these two metalic tubes are, in fact, bins and not some dangerous device?Steffan

Knowing how baggage is handled, I would never dare putting any of my optics into it. I always carry everything in my carry on. I have had to open it a few times, but not because of the binoculars. Camera (SLR), flash, and the metall tubing of the tripod center column were the objects that caused suspicion.

 

[Pileated_MO]

Knowing how baggage is handled, I would never dare putting any of my optics into it. I always carry everything in my carry on. I have had to open it a few times, but not because of the binoculars. Camera (SLR), flash, and the metall tubing of the tripod center column were the objects that caused suspicion.

As an airline employee who works in a baggage service office, and as the beloved wife of a ramp agent/"baggage handler", I knew I had to chime in here. ;-)

I'm sure security will ask to see the binoculars, but it's worth carrying them on with you. They're probably going to be asking to see other items in your carryon, anyway. I always suggest carrying any optical equipment on...cameras, camcorders, etc..one good reason being if you do pack them in checked luggage, and they are damaged, many airlines won't cover them. It's a good idea to check the contract of carriage on any airline you're flying to see what items are/aren't covered in event of loss or damage.

I haven't actually traveled by air with my own bins, yet, but I do expect the TSA to take a look when I do.

 

[kmiernik]

I've been traveling in US with my binoculars and I found no problems nor even questions on them.

But friend of mine travelling from London to Warsaw with airgun scope had a big problem as they did not want to get him in with this "dangerous device". He had to send his scope as a special delivery (whatever they call this) and of course paid a lot.

I suppose one could met similar problems with binoculars and it is just a matter of mood of a security personel. If scope is somehow dangerous binoculars are twice more than that.

 

[Swissboy]

I've been traveling in US with my binoculars and I found no problems nor even questions on them.

But friend of mine travelling from London to Warsaw with airgun scope had a big problem as they did not want to get him in with this "dangerous device". He had to send his scope as a special delivery (whatever they call this) and of course paid a lot.

I suppose one could met similar problems with binoculars and it is just a matter of mood of a security personel. If scope is somehow dangerous binoculars are twice more than that.

I'm not sure what you mean by airgun scope. Was this a regular scope on a shoulder pod? At any rate, I just returned from a trip to the US with 3 binoculars, a camera, a Nikon Fieldscope and a CF tripod all in the carry-on. They hand-checked it once, but only for explosives with taking a probe.