I had no idea where to post this question so I guess I will ask it here. With I am sure many of us travelling in April to Anaheim for Celebration, I began to think about travelling with my sabers. I would hate to run into a situation where I am going to board a plane and they tell me that they cannot tell what they are and either confiscate them or tell me I cannot board and I miss my flight. I also do not want to put them in my non carry on luggage and have the bag pulled out and inspected and possibly not make it to my destination.

What is everyone's experiences with travelling (in specific flying) with your sabers? Carry on the best way to go? Non carry on? Ship them to your destination in another way?

Thanks guys!

Kiro

Hey Kiro, I feel like checked in luggage with the batteries out should be fine. when in doubt, don't bring it on the plane in a carry on.If I'm paranoid, I pack things in a bunch of like material, ie, nail clippers, keys, mobile games, etc. Just so it looks like a clump of electronics on the xray

I carry my saber on my belt just about everywhere. Any time I'm traveling the skies I call tsa and let them know I'll be bringing my Saber on the plane.

I check my blades but I carry my hilts on the plane. I've heard too many horror stories about tsa getting sticky fingers with cool stuff in checked luggage.

Couple pointers...

Carry a saber that looks non threatening... if it has claws or blades remove them and check them.

Get there early... you may need to answer questions, and a lightsaber attracts a lot of attention so be prepared for that.

Know your rights lightsabers are on the approved list for carry on items.

Be polite and know your stuff... smile and be cordial you don't need to give them attitude and that will actually hurt your case. Be able to explain how the sabers work.

Don't emphasize combat durability. It's a toy, or an expensive prop with delicate electronics. Don't lie, but they don't need to know that what you have could be construed as a martial arts training weapon.

I'd been worrying about this myself - going for the first time on a plane with lightsabers.

Thanks for the tips!

I saw a clever thread once on another site, where a fellow lightsaber enthusiast had his lightsaber prop disguised as a geeky cane. All he did was put a rubber stopper on the end of the blade and used it, as well as passed it off, as a walking stick.

One addendum... a blade plug helps.

The one time I got harassed for my lightsaber was in Houston. The TSA tried to equate my lightsaber with a wicked laser, a point with which I tried to reason with him. However he refused to talk to me as he was too busy showing his buddies his new toy. I refused to be brushed aside and calmly (politely) gained his attention until he returned my saber... point being a blade plug would have killed his pseudo reason for making a fuss.

Peter Mayhew got crap from TSA about his saber cane. I think any old person off the street would get crap too.
But Mr Kane is right. Keep a blade plug in it talk avout it as though it were a flash light don't call it a laser. You can look up the TSA rules or call and talk to them if that makes you feel more comfortable.

If you have to check it in a bag I suggest you place a note in the bag telling TSA that you have a written and video inventory of all contents and if anything is missing they will be held accountable. It tends to scare them from taking saber hilts. I worked for an airline for 8 years. TSA is responsible for more thefts from luggage then anyone. I personally if I can help it I only travel to cons I can drive to just to avoid it. I don't even leave my hilts in the hotel rooms.

You know I had no idea this would be a problem. But now that you brought it up it really got me thinking. I wonder if some sort of tag from say Saber Forge that inserts into the hilt (like a blade plug) with like a info blurb tag attached to it saying this is just a "toy" or replica. It is not intended as a weapon, only used for costuming. I don't know if something like that would make it seem more legit.

The biggest hassle can be the batteries if you use lithium-based ones and happen to get a screener that knows some, but not all of the DOT regulations. In the RC world, this is a known problem when traveling to meets, mainly due to the unusual shape and large sizes of the batteries. Technically, you are not supposed to check Lithium-Ion, Lithium-Polymer, or Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries due to the very small chance of thermal runaway with Lithium-Ion batteries, as seen in the UPS cargo hold fire several years ago.

All that said, most modern electronics use Lithium-Ion batteries: phones, laptops, tablets, etc..., and the types of batteries used for most sabers look "normal" enough that they don't get a second look. So far, it only seems to affect some of the large 10000mAh and above batteries common in RC since they look different enough to warrant a second look.

In closing, don't check the luggage containing the batteries, keep Li-Ion batteries dry, if they start to "swell" at all, discharge them in salt water for 24 hours, and dispose of according to local laws for battery disposal.