Traveling with your saber

[jbkuma]

The lady and I recently flew out to Montana from NYC and back. Before going I tried to find any tips I could on traveling with our sabers. I couldn't find anything on any of the boards before hand, so I figured I'd post something here for future travelers. If you have any advice in relation to traveling whether it's security or general preparedness, please add it to the thread! I'll edit the lead post with additional tips.

You may have no problem getting through security, but here are some tips based on my personal experiences and conversations with friends.

Tips for Flying:
Your bag is going to get inspected.
- If you pack your hilt in a carry on, make it easy to access.
- TSA requires lithium batteries to be kept in carry on and prohibited from checked baggage.
- Be friendly and tell the agent he's going to see your hilt, it's a light saber, and it's really just a fancy flashlight.
- You may wish to take your hilt out and place it in a bin.
- If you get pulled out of line, be friendly and don't make security related jokes (they aren't funny)
- Make sure your kill key is secure, and your saber is off
- If checking your hilt, leave a friendly note explaining it's a non-threatening fancy flashlight.

General Tips:
- Bring your charger!
- Make sure you have your kill key and blade plug, bring extras if you have them.
- If you have swappable batteries, charge them before you go and keep them in a safe place.

[Greenie]

Helpful tips there JB, Thank you.

But what if they ask to see my identification?

[jbkuma]

Helpful tips there JB, Thank you.

But what if they ask to see my identification?

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[Sevinzol]

This is a good list.

I would add. Be prepared to take apart your saber (if in a carry-on) or find it dismantled in your check in bag. The TSA x-ray machine will not necessarily show the insides. As far as the screener knows "fancy flashlight" is just a euphemism for pipe-bomb. I guess I would want it with me, so if they want to see the insides, I can do it and minimize the risk of breaking the wires. Speaking of which, should you have a repair kit (soldering iron, solder, wire, heat shrink, extra screws, allen wrench, glue and extra blade tip)? And what do you do with the blade if it doesn't fit in your luggage?

[jbkuma]

I guess I missed Sevinzol's comment here, and I think this is always a valuable thread here. Others certainly have much more experience with this than I do.

I'm not sure about the soldering iron, but I do now always bring extra screws and tools. (mine main hilt actually has a built in key) I suppose if I was going someplace where I thought it was vital, I might bring a soldering iron, but it's another thing a TSA agent might raise an eyebrow at. I haven't tried to bring a blade with me when I'm flying, but when I'm traveling locally I either use a collapsible document tube with a shoulder strap or a guitar gig bag.

[Eian Mcneely]

Nice tips but its hard to convince the security officials these days