Packing a canister light

[Phineas Gage]

I'm working out the details for a trip in October and thinking about bringing my Salvo HID. But I have to wonder, I mean, with the battery pack and the canister and the wiring showing up on some x-ray machine it's got to look like who knows what to some airport screener.

Anyone have any advice? Am I worried about nothing? Should I just stuff it in my checked bag and cross my fingers that it doesn't get pulled off the conveyer belt down in the bowels of the airport baggage handling machinery? Maybe there's some way of declaring that I have something in my bag that could be misinterpreted if seen under x-ray, but don't panic it's just a dive light?

Thanks in advance,
-t

[Sounder]

I took that exact light to bonaire just fine. My advice is to carry it on and when you get to the xray you take it out and tell them what it is. It is within the tsa rules on li ion batteries but it is up to you whether to disclose whether it is or not. Bottom line ... It is legal but tsa doesn't always have the brightest folks on the xray machine. See our bonaire trip report for more information.

[scottsax]

See our bonaire trip report for more information.

Where in the report do you talk about that? I couldn't find it...

[Grateful Diver]

I've taken mine through several times without problem.

Where ya heading?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Phineas Gage]

I've taken mine through several times without problem.

Through carry-on? Or just as checked baggage? I'm assuming that they x-ray checked baggage too and pull anything out that looks odd.

Where ya heading?

Kona, gotta do that manta ray night dive thing.
At least that's the plan, still working out all the details though.

-t

[Sounder]

Yeah, I carry-on all the expensive stuff and any other gear I can fit in. I checked the clothes and stuff. I definitely would pull the battery out and let them know that it is a "battery for a flashlight for scuba diving" before putting it through the machine. They may want to swab-n-sniff it but then should let you on your way. It DOES look like a bomb on x-ray.

I think I put something in the trip report from when Tom and I went to Bonaire about re-entering the US with the battery and how funny the TSA folks thought it was that it looked like I had a bomb. Ha ha... funny, a bomb, "hey come look at this - doesn't this look like a bomb?" "Yeah, ha ha, that's so funny - it looks exactly like a bomb" and on and on... that's how they roll in Puerto Rico.

[Grateful Diver]

I've taken mine through several times without problem.

Through carry-on? Or just as checked baggage? I'm assuming that they x-ray checked baggage too and pull anything out that looks odd.

Where ya heading?

Kona, gotta do that manta ray night dive thing.
At least that's the plan, still working out all the details though.

-t

Yup ... carry on. I just let 'em do the search thing and tell 'em what it is when they start opening the bag.

They'll swab it, realize it isn't explosive, and leave it up to you to repack your things ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[LCF]

Well, I'm going to differ a little bit here. We've hauled our can lights around all over the world, and the ONLY time they've caused trouble was when I carried the batteries on. I have them labeled with the Airspeed Press battery labels, but the TSA goons in LA almost didn't let me on the plane with them. They were considering CONFISCATING several hundred dollars worth of batteries!

We generally put the canisters and batteries in checked luggage, and take the light heads in carry one, since really, the light heads are the only part of the light that's really fragile.

[dsteding]

I carry on my light and regs and such.

One time, I left a NIMH battery in my backpack and then went on a trip to Canada. TSA never even checked it out, despite it looking very "bomb-like" at least on x-rays. So, it is hit or miss.

What I've found is that if I take EVERYTHING electronic out of my carry on when I run it through things go really smoothly. Or, I forget about one battery, and then everyone else seems to not notice it too.