Traveling With A Rig

[JENNR8R 0]

When I travel, I usually put my rig in a gear bag and carry it on the airplane. I can't find the gear bag, it's too late to get another, and I'm left with two options:

1. Put the rig in a suitcase and pay an additional $50.

2. Carry the rig on the airplane without putting it in anything.

Which option would you choose? If I decided to carry it on, is there anything special you would do to it like taping the handles?

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Weather in a bag or not I usually tie a BRIGHT pull up cord around the reserve handle.I figure that will give me time to stop them from pulling it while they are inspecting it.You probably won't have any trouble.The only airport I have trouble at is Portland Me.They don't see very many and the supervisor always uses it as a training time.

[piisfish 135]

option 2
if you want to protect your reserve handle, please ONLY use your chest strap. No pull up cord, no zip-tie.

Enjoy your flight, and don't light matches to cover fart odors.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[shropshire 0]

That's what I have done.... (used my chest strap).

Also, remember to remove your hook knife and put that in your hold baggage.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Thanatos340 1]

I have traveled with my rig (No Bag, Just over my shoulder) about 20 times. Rarely had any problems at all. 95% of the time it goes through and no questions asked. (Occasionally Delta Pilots will see my rig and ask "Let me Guess, You are flying Airtran").

Only time I had any trouble was in Orlando. TSA agent started to open my main. I asked her if she what she was doing.. She said, just opening your backpack. I told her it was a parachute and asked for a supervisor. Supervisor cam over and said, Just swab it and let it go. I didn’t have a Pull up cord with me, So I used my Shoe Lace to reclose the main. The other 19 times no problems at all.


A couple things to keep in mind..
1) You ARE allowed to bring your rig on. No reason to hide it.

2) if TSA is not aware of this, Inform them politely and ask for a supervisor. Attitude is everything. If you give them attitude, Expect them to give you Attitude.

3) Bring the TSA Letter from the USPA page and the Cypress card just in case. I have never needed these but always have them with me.

[Yossarian 0]

had the x-ray woman say it was illegal at london stanstead as you could use the lines to strangle someone, let me on anyway as she said it was ok cos i didnt have an evil face... they had more of a problem with my weight belt as i could hit someone with it, i then pointed out hitting them with the two litre bottle of coke i had would be just as effective

[tdog 0]

Quote

Weather in a bag or not I usually tie a BRIGHT pull up cord around the reserve handle.I figure that will give me time to stop them from pulling it while they are inspecting it.You probably won't have any trouble.The only airport I have trouble at is Portland Me.They don't see very many and the supervisor always uses it as a training time.

I have done the same thing with my pullup cord... However I made sure that the rig could not be put on with the pull up cord installed by fouling the chest strap buckle with the pull up cord... (First tie the (easy to remove) knot around the reserve handle and the main lift web, leaving one of the tails real long. Then use the excess tail to tie into the chest strap buckle.)

That way I get all the benefits of holding the reserve handle in very securely - but there is no way I can even put on the rig without removing it...

Since I travel with a soft duffel I fear my bigger risk is pulling the reserve while pushing the rig in the overhead bin or something...

[wmw999 2,149]

I usually put mine into a rollaboard suitcase that it fits into. Barely . But I've taken it onboard in the past. Back in the olden days, I can remember once being told I couldn't bring it onboard unless it was in a gear bag, and then on the return trip, being told I couldn't bring it onboard unless I took it out of the gear bag .

I've been known to check it, too, particularly if it's a straight flight.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Mostly_Harmless 0]

When I travelled to Atlanta this past November I just carried my rig on my back like a backpack. Didn't have any issues (there were about 4 of us carrying it the same way). I also kept the rig under my seat to prevent it from getting banged around in the carry on compartments.

Edited to add:
I had no issues at all at JFK airport. I was friendly with the people, even tried to get a few of them to come do a tandem but I did have an issue coming back from ATL. They kept calling my Vigil a detonator (really loud too) and wouldn't even look at my Vigil card. Finally they swabbed it and let me go. But I will say the two people at ATL didn't seem to be the brightest of the bunch.

_________________________________________
www.myspace.com/termvelocity

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I stand corrected.I believe the chest strap is what I used the last time I traveled.Much better option.I had just gotten up when I made that post.So don't take advice from me in the morning.

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

I stand corrected.I believe the chest strap is what I used the last time I traveled.Much better option.I had just gotten up when I made that post.So don't take advice from me in the morning.

Isn't that because you usually have a hangover?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[adventurechick 0]

I've worn mine on the plane a few times and have never had a problem.

PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860
SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233

[peregrinerose 0]

I do zip tie the reserve handle, but have a pull cord or cardboard flag on it so it would be impossible to miss. I also tuck the hackey in well and take a pull cord with me. I have the cypres card in my wallet. I also zip tie the leg straps up, so it looks like a back pack. Plus un zip tying the leg straps makes it less likely I'll forget to un zip tie the reserve handle.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[piisfish 135]

Quote

I do zip tie the reserve handle, but have a pull cord or cardboard flag on it so it would be impossible to miss. I also tuck the hackey in well and take a pull cord with me. I have the cypres card in my wallet. I also zip tie the leg straps up, so it looks like a back pack. Plus un zip tying the leg straps makes it less likely I'll forget to un zip tie the reserve handle.

please STOP zip tying the reserve handle. You can lose the pullup cord or cardboard... Plus do not tuck the hackey in, might cost you a reserve ride... You have a pullup cord in your pocket. If the main tray gets open you can close it anyways.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[popsjumper 2]

All this talk about how to secure your handles....doesn't ANYONE do gear checks anymore? Do you arrive and just blindly put on your rig without checking your shit before you put your life in its hands?


Students: These are experienced people talking. YOUR job is to do a complete gear check every time you jump. EVERY time. And make it an unbreakable habit.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[peregrinerose 0]

I'm extraordinarily anal with gear checks... before gear is put on, as I'm walking to the plane, and before leaving the plane I check everything. If I'm too stupid to do these checks and do them well prior to throwing my ass out of a plane, I'm too dumb to jump.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[piisfish 135]

anal or not, you're human. Your Gear check is performed by a human. Humans can make mistakes. Help Murphy stay away from your skydiving activity.

You also think riggers are anal about rigging right ? did you read the "rigging horror stories" on the forum ?

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[peregrinerose 0]

As I said, if I miss something obvious like a zip tie around my reserve handle, I am not observant enough to jump. Especially if I manage to miss it three times before leaving the plane!!

I know that some riggers are anal about rigging, others are not.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[billvon 2,435]

At some point we're going to have to start a forum entitled "traveling with my rig." This question has been debated something like 15 times this year alone.

[packing_jarrett 0]

Quote

This question has been debated something like 15 times this year alone.

traveling with rig vs. newbie looking for gear

Na' Cho' Cheese

[druvaughn 0]

I fly with my rig once or twice a month from LGA to MYR.

I put the bag into a small wheeled suitcase (sturdy, not duffle).

I wouldn't recommend carrying loose because it will tend to make other passengers nervous. We can all debate why, it has just been my experience. I have had several people get anxious when the TSA opened the bag to swab it and they saw a parachute. Then they ask lots of questions (none of which I mind answering).

Just my thoughts...

Dru

-
-
"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical."

[brianfry713 0]

If you're worried about your reserve handle getting pulled accidentally, get a soft pillow handle. Personally, I'm more worried about it coming out on a group freefly jump than on the ground.

I usually try to carry my rig on, but I've always had a bag or stuff sack to put it in. I did take out my altimeter a few times for fun, but I tried to be discrete about it. I've never had a problem when I forgot to take off my hook knife, but they did make me check my Triax T-stake (long sharp metal BASE packing aid).

We've learned in BASE at least 2 times this last year and 3 times total that you shouldn't do anything to your rig, handles, or pilot chute that if you forget to undo could kill you.

[piisfish 135]

Quote

We've learned in BASE at least 2 times this last year and 3 times total that you shouldn't do anything to your rig, handles, or pilot chute that if you forget to undo could kill you.

exactly my point, worth repeating.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[TheCapt 7]

Later this Winter, I'm flying from Minnesota to Dallas where I keep my Harley in a mini-storage place. My plan is to UPS my rig to the DZ. Anyone see any problem with that? First rig; first trip.

[Cashmanimal 0]

Okay, an extremely recent experience---

Immediately after the whole, no gels no anything fiasco, I was traveling from San Jose, California to Albuquerque, NM, changing planes in Phoenix, Arizona. I figured they were at a new height in airport security, and would be cracking down pretty hard for a while, before they got over it, which they usually do a few months later. As a college student, I need very little to live on... I packed a small bag with my skydiving accesories (Alti, helmet, jumpsuit..) and checked that.

I chose to carry on my rig, as I have no gear bag and no suitcase to put it in. Also, the plane ticket was expensive enough, I wasn't going to ship it.

I called ahead and S&TA said that I could bring my rig on the plane if the main was detached from the container. I tried to clarify if that meant it had to be carried seperately, or if all I had to do was release the 3-ring assembly, and I could leave the bag in the container. After about 5 minutes of ping-ponging that conversation back and forth, I learned nothing, and at that point didn't care.

When I got to the airport, I just made sure to have my license with me, as well as the little card from the Cypress 2 manual. (The one with the x-ray of what the rig looks like, and the paragraph saying they hold no authority against allowing the rig- they have to let me on.). Security was suspicious of it, but let me go through. Same in Phoenix, same in Albuquerque.

So overall, the only problems I ran accross were people asking me if i really was scared of traveling to the point where I needed to bring a parachute on with me.... after them clarifying that it was what I was carrying.

Funny thing is, after all my paranoia, I realized when I got back to my dorm that I had tied my handles down with the chest strap... which had my hook knife on it the whole time, there and back.

I never once got asked about the hook knife, and never had to show the Cypress card, which I always had out ready with my license, ID and boarding pass. So basically, aside from specific airports mentioned above, I can verify that San Jose, Phoenix, and Albuquerque could all really care less aobut it. Just protect your gear, guard your handle, and I kept a general rule of never letting out of my sight... I put it in the overhead compartment across the aisle, so when people went into the compartment I could always see what they were doing, making sure they didn't get curious and pull the shiny silver handle.

It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye