Airline travel tips

Lets start a thread for tips you have for flying to a hunt. I get asked this a lot so here goes, feel free to add.
I will start. After my horror of finding out my 3rd piece of luggage was $200 on my last elk hunt I guess you need to check that stuff very well now. Tip, check out what Southwest Airlines ticket prices are and make sure to figure in that 2 pieces fly free both ways. This adds up these days. Remember you pay BOTH ways, so if Southwest is less than $100 more, consider them.

Another tip, I don't use a rifle case. I use my older large Plano bow case. I take out the foam padding and lay in a thick layer of clothes, put in the rifle, and then layer another layer of clothes over it. I can get all my clothes in that case with the rifle, and that saves one piece of luggage. There are a couple little posts in the center of the case halves that come together, I drill a small hole in these and use wire zip ties to secure the rifle from shifting in the case when it gets tosses. With the amount of clothes around the gun it is probably safer than if it was in a smaller gun case.

Another tip, UPS is your friend.... If you score on your hunt, ship all your gear home UPS. BTW, you can ship your muzzle loader home without an FFL too. Get the meat frozen and go guy more cheap coolers and your meat is your luggage.

Another tip, one of your luggage pieces when going out is medium size cooler filled with your camp gear. I use a ratchet strap to keep it closed.

Another tip, if you think you need dry ice on your return (usually don't) you need to have a small hole drilled in the cooler lid and make sure to mark VENT HOLE with magic marker on the lid with an arrow pointing to the hole. There is also a weight limit of dry ice.

Another tip, get the meat frozen out there if time allows, but put the meat in the cooler and then freeze it. Trying to pack, sort, and weigh out frozen chunks of meat is a nightmare. Get the coolers at 49 pounds before you freezw and put them in the freezer with the lid open a little to get the chill in there. If you have leftover meat after your at 49 pounds, it comes down to getting another cooler or find a donor. Overweight fees suck.

So what else do you have?

When I fly to Hawaii I take a large ice chest and fill it with gear. Coming home it's filled with frozen meat and capes. Fill any dead space with dirty clothes, this will act as added insulation and saves space in your luggage.
If I don't want to cart an ice chest around the world ...ie; NZ...and I'm going on a cold weather hunt, I take an Xtra Large dry bag. After game is frozen solid I place it in a game bag, then inside a plastic bag, then inside of my cold weather sleeping bag, and then inside the dry bag. Works better than an ice chest and in the belly of a plane at 40,000 ft it's not going to thaw.

One of the things in my cooler going out is a large empty military duffle bag. If I kill and the cooler is full of meat the duffle gets the gear.
Another thing, your back pack is your carry on.
Another thing, your carry on very very rarely gets weighed so put all the heaviest gear in it that wont flag at security.

Ummmm.... Hunttalkers are all over the place to ship your meat for a steak or two?? Some even have discounts for shipping UPS and FedEx.

Ever since I had a 7 hour trip turn into a 26 hour trip I make it a point to drive as often as possible.

I did learn today that Alaska Airlines allows 3 checked bags for $20 each, which I didn't think was too bad.

I hate United.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

I hate flying.

schmalts said:

Another thing, your back pack is your carry on.
Another thing, your carry on very very rarely gets weighed so put all the heaviest gear in it that wont flag at security.

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I do this too, another hint. Carry or strap a small backpack to your larger backpack, some airlines will make you check the larger backpack at the gate if it does not fit in the overhead compartment. Having the small backpack gives you some where to put your optics...no way do you want to check your optics as luggage.

Ensure you have and keep all ammunition boxes. United and US airways do not have the same policy eventhough they are partners. United will allow you to have the ammo stored in the magazine, where US Airways will not, they require that ammo be in the original box or the rounds have to be separated from each other (rounds in magazine are not permitted). Throwing away ammo is expensive and wrong. Learn from me.

I will drive up to 20 hours each way before I fly. I can take extra gear such as a backup rifle or backup bow with target blocks that might be handy but would never be packed if was flying to the hunt. Lets me leave when the hunt is done which can be as early as Day 2 if the hunting gods are smiling. Easy to bring all the meat, antlers and cape back. Blackpowder hunts are a real concern since are restrictions on flying.

If I am flying then I will carry on the spotting scope, binos, gps, sat phone. I have heard that seals can fail on optics so only my rifle goes in the belly of the plane. I carry on tags, licenses, and carry on or wear key clothing items like boots. Sometimes my daypack is one of the carry ons.

On the flight home, I carry up to 70 pounds of meat on. I rarely have time to get the meat frozen solid which is needed if will be checked as baggage but 70 pounds of trimmed out chilled meat is most of pronghorn, goat, sheep or deer. I donate the rest of the meat or have a butcher at the hunt location make jerky and ship to me later. I also find a taxidermist at the hunt area and drop off the cape and antlers.

When flying, I pack like I am getting ready to hike to the hunt. There are lists available for backpack hunts that provide guidance on number and type of socks, etc. Is amazing what you can do without and still be prepared for most of what will face from mother nature.

Another tip is to use plastic storage bins to store gear. I started using plastic storage bins to separate and store my gear. Each bin is marked "socks" or whatever. I can gather up my gear for a hunt in less than an hour now and after the hunt put the gear away in even less time.

If you are hunting outside the country, make sure YOU know the regulations for bringing your trophies back into the country, because there is a very good chance that the US Customs officer that you must deal with will not know them. Be willing to fight for what you know is right, and ask for a supervisor if you are not making headway. I cannot remember seeing as much incompetence with a professional agency as I saw in 60 lovely minutes spent with 3 Customs officers and a supervisor.

Airlines sometimes charge less for an overweight bag than they do for an extra bag.

I have used my sleeping bag to insulate frozen meat inside a regular wet lock box for shipping home, and it was stil frozen nearly solid when it arrived.

Like schmalts mentioned, use your gun case for clothes. I have a 2 gun case and pull the foam out of one side and sometimes the middle, and can pack clothes and gear to get it up to the 50 pound limit. Also, heavy stuff in the carry-on. I'm guessing my last carry-on was easily over 30 pounds, but was still small enough to not be gate-checked.

LopeHunter said:

I will drive up to 20 hours each way before I fly. I can take extra gear such as a backup rifle or backup bow with target blocks that might be handy but would never be packed if was flying to the hunt. Lets me leave when the hunt is done which can be as early as Day 2 if the hunting gods are smiling. Easy to bring all the meat, antlers and cape back. Blackpowder hunts are a real concern since are restrictions on flying.

If I am flying then I will carry on the spotting scope, binos, gps, sat phone. I have heard that seals can fail on optics so only my rifle goes in the belly of the plane. I carry on tags, licenses, and carry on or wear key clothing items like boots. Sometimes my daypack is one of the carry ons.

On the flight home, I carry up to 70 pounds of meat on. I rarely have time to get the meat frozen solid which is needed if will be checked as baggage but 70 pounds of trimmed out chilled meat is most of pronghorn, goat, sheep or deer. I donate the rest of the meat or have a butcher at the hunt location make jerky and ship to me later. I also find a taxidermist at the hunt area and drop off the cape and antlers.

When flying, I pack like I am getting ready to hike to the hunt. There are lists available for backpack hunts that provide guidance on number and type of socks, etc. Is amazing what you can do without and still be prepared for most of what will face from mother nature.

Another tip is to use plastic storage bins to store gear. I started using plastic storage bins to separate and store my gear. Each bin is marked "socks" or whatever. I can gather up my gear for a hunt in less than an hour now and after the hunt put the gear away in even less time.

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+1 - I spent 20 years in the airline industry and the reality is they don't care about your stuff and worse they treat it like they are throwing rocks. I'm the guy trying to push carry on limits fighting with the flight attendants. Yeah I know what happens in the baggage rooms and it's not pretty. There is also a little problem with theft.

I remember a couple times racks get broken, spoiled skins when they get stuck, crushed rifle cases (yes crushed). Horrible impact to hunters.

I will drive 30 hours to avoid getting on a plane with gear.

Before you leave for the airport, check all of your pockets, all of your carry ons for anything that might cause a problem with airport security.

The other thing to remember is you are allowed 2 carry on bags. One size to fit in the over-head, and one size that fits under the seat.

I ALWAYS carry-on my camera equipment and optics. Which I use a hard sided suitcase that rides in the overhead.

I believe the weight limit on Southwest is now 50lbs. If successful, I ship my gear back and buy two coolers on location. Like others have said, I make sure the meat gets a solid freeze and fill any empty space with clothes. When I flew home from Texas, we didn't use any dry ice or anything, and after 9+ hours in the airports, everything was still frozen.

I always try to stay in town the night before I fly home. I've found it gives me a chance to get organized, get clean, and get my mind right to spend the day in the airport system.

I drove to Wyoming twice this year, and I can tell you that flying is much more efficient.

Here's a pick of my stuff packed for a 7 day backcountry hunt in Arizona. My MR 6500 fit in the green duffel.


Here's all the stuff I had packed in there, but this was in Tuscon the night before my flight home.

Firstly, you get caught bringing in animal bi products from outside the US into the country be prepared for it to get destroyed without the correct paperwork.
At least that is what i have been threatened with by your authorities as i am trying to export a trophy to the US at the moment.

Also, before you fly checkout the airlines website, i went with Delta from the UK to Montana in November, i found inconsistencies with their webiste in relation to excess charges and sporting rifles, outcome was i produced the print off from the website when they wanted to charge me another $100 each way, they waived the charge.
Carry on, you can get a huge amount with no weight limit, just size, happy days!

Cheers

Richard

Gun cases

Regarding gun cases, make sure the case latches lock the entire lid down. When I flew out of Bethel, Alaska on Alaska Airlines they made me purchase a new gun case from the ticket counter. The case I brought, which worked fine on the way there, only had a locking latch on the center latch. The ticket counter person opened the end latch and pryed the lid open about an inch. She said this was unacceptable and that the locks had to lock the entire lid down. Just so happens, the airline had a case I could buy that met their standards. What a co-incidence! This is most likely a scam but ether way I ended up buying another gun case.

Separate the luggage you take to the range from what you will use to carry on. Lots of room in even a small duffle to lose stuff that the X-ray will find.

Depending on where you are flying to, it may not be possible to find decent coolers. Consider other options such as bringing a soft cooler inside a duffle, or a flattened cardboard box plus foam sheet from Home Depot.

Once your gun case is locked, it is the most secure piece of luggage you have. I put knives, etc. in the gun case. Check (and print) the regs for all countries and airlines you will use. Some of the African airlines allow only a gun in a gun case.

As I have a bunch of surgical hardware in a hip I am always "fortunate" for some of that "special screening" by TSA folks. Part of the process includes a wiping of the hands looking for explosive materials residue. This thread triggered a thought......maybe i don't want to travel in the clothing I wore out to the range making sure all was well with the rifle, and is there a possibility that handling the ammunition may leave a "suspicious" residue?

I use lots of hand sanitizer during the day at the office, and use a fair amount while afield. The travel size containers fall just under the travel restriction size so can travel with me in my pocket.

Try one of these.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1y4RRWm3xw

Kind a of random list, but here goes.

• I like to shop for flights on Kayak.com, but Southwest and JetBlue don't have their flights on there. So you have to search for those separately.
• Try not to book flights with less than an hour layover, that's a good way to miss flights.
• Know your baggage limits and factor those in to the total cost when choosing a flight. As schmalts mentioned, Southwest with 2 free bags can be a great deal.
• You will probably have 2-3 checked bags - 1 gun case, 1 backpack, 1 cooler. The weight limit is generally 50lbs/bag, weigh your bags before you get to the airport.
• If you have meat to bring back try to have it frozen solid before your trip home and you shouldn't need any dry ice. The airlines I looked at there was an additional fee if you were flying with dry ice.
• My carry-ons are a daypack and a laptop case.
• If you can, check several different airports and price rental vehicles at the same time. Rental car prices could make a big difference in overall cost of the trip. Check rental cars often, you can revise the reservation to get lower prices if they drop. Hotwire.com sometimes has really good deals on rental cars.
• Buy a pelican case for your rifle, it will get thrown and dropped, protect it right. You can also pack some optics in with the rifle. I watched as my gun was unloaded this fall, it made me cringe and be thankful for a good case. It kept zero despite the abuse.
• Whatever optics I can't fit in my rifle case go in my carry on, along with my flyrod and reel.
• Read the rules, don't do anything stupid like leave your gun loaded, carry too much ammo, have a knife or more than 3oz containers of liquids in your carry-ons. Any liquids under 3 oz in your carry-on need to fit in one quart sized ziplock. Make sure it's near the top of the bag, as that has to be out and in the bin to get x-rayed. Your jacket, shoes, and laptop also will have to go through the x-ray.
• Before going through security, untie your shoes and put everything but your boarding pass and passport/drivers license in your carry-on bag, so you're not fumbling with your belt, wallet, change, etc. in the security line.
• Get a map of the airport, inside and out. Have a plan for getting all your gear from shuttle to counter and vise versa.
• A smartphone is helpful if you need to change some plans on the fly.
• Try not to leave the patch of elk hair you saved for fly tying wedged between the seats of the rental car...
• Last but not least, try to convince a buddy or two to drive while you fly, that way they can ferry all your gear.

mulecreek said:

Regarding gun cases, make sure the case latches lock the entire lid down. When I flew out of Bethel, Alaska on Alaska Airlines they made me purchase a new gun case from the ticket counter. The case I brought, which worked fine on the way there, only had a locking latch on the center latch. The ticket counter person opened the end latch and pryed the lid open about an inch. She said this was unacceptable and that the locks had to lock the entire lid down. Just so happens, the airline had a case I could buy that met their standards. What a co-incidence! This is most likely a scam but ether way I ended up buying another gun case.

Click to expand...

There is a nice picture here of what you described and why they wouldn't accept it.
http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/firearms-and-ammunition
I investigated everything before i flew to the US and made sure i had an acceptable case in the eyes of the TSA.
Cheers
Richard

I always wear or carry on the heaviest and bulkiest items possible such as boots. It's not always practical to wear heavy hunting clothes so I always try to strap a heavy coat to the outside of my carry on and use it as a pillow on the plane.

Shoes take up a fair amount of room so I usually only bring shoes and boots that can be hunted in.

I started roll packing all my clothes which saves a lot of room (there are tons of youtube videos on roll packing)

I try not to have anything hunted related such as camo or decals on checked bags that aren't obviously for hunting like gun and bow cases to avoid any extra abuse.

I pack at least one days worth of hunting clothing in my carry on in case one of my checked bags are lost.

Along with several other suggestions from above...

I've flown with a cooler as a piece of luggage on the outbound trip and it did work. However, now I prefer to just buy one for the return flight and only check 2 for the outbound (backpack/duffle and gun case). They can often be resold or returned if you don't need it. I would especially consider this if a cooler would make you have to check 3 bags for the outbound trip. Most airlines charge more for the third bag than a cheap cooler costs.