Thread: Vintage lights in Carry on Luggage! Has anyone done this? I did it! PICS ADDED!

ok, so I dont know if this is the place to post this or not. call me crazy , but I was wondering if I would be able to to pack two beacons in my carry on luggage and bring them on board a plane with me on my way back from my trip. Do you think TSA would give me any trouble? They both fit in my bag and are within the allowed measurement limit and will fit in the top compartment above my seat.

Originally Posted by JennyCop

ok, so I dont know if this is the place to post this or not. call me crazy , but I was wondering if I would be able to to pack two beacons in my carry on luggage and bring them on board a plane with me on my way back from my trip. Do you think TSA would give me any trouble? They both fit in my bag and are within the allowed measurement limit and will fit in the top compartment above my seat.

I am sure beyond a doubt that the TSA would be opening up your case and looking at them once their size/shape/material is seen on an X-Ray....

Whether they permit it or not, couldn't tell you.

I'm not sure about it either. If you try it I bet you'll have a whole bunch of people poking around that bag. If they let you throught after the jacking around, you'll probably have missed your flight.
Then again, who knows?

I'd just UPS or FedEx them and hope for the best.

If you try it let us know what happens. Should make for a great story.

What beacons are you transporting?

Originally Posted by JennyCop

ok, so I dont know if this is the place to post this or not. call me crazy , but I was wondering if I would be able to to pack two beacons in my carry on luggage and bring them on board a plane with me on my way back from my trip. Do you think TSA would give me any trouble? They both fit in my bag and are within the allowed measurement limit and will fit in the top compartment above my seat.

I have transported all kinds of things in my carry-on luggage without problem. They will certainly want to see it, so don't pack it all up- you'll just have to open up your packing. The TSA wants to make sure you don't have anything that can be used as a weapon or is otherwise illegal. Beyond that, in my experience, they don't care what you carry with you.

Leave enough extra time to explain what it is and why you have it.... but in theory there is nothing that prohibits it that I have ever found. i took a fireball with me home from a trip a few years ago w/o a second look.

As long as it's not illegal or a weapon you will be fine.

I once transported 8 portable radios, 3 laptops and a full trauma kit. (minus o2) Oh and fire tools. They didn't like the fire tools until they saw my id. (who wouldn't want a mini halligan breach tool on an airplane?)

Mind you they missed the seatbelt cutter windowpunch windowsaw​ and multitool with knife and sawblade completely..... LOL!

Oh and lots of crazy medications with about 30 syringes.
All on carry on luggage.

lol, been there as well many times!! try flying back from Europe with a disassembled a full size strobe light bar with power supplies and all and explaining why........ it was almost impossible, but i managed it!

Jenny, you're going to give those TSA guys something to talk about, for sure.

Originally Posted by unlisted

As long as it's not illegal or a weapon you will be fine.

I once transported 8 portable radios, 3 laptops and a full trauma kit. (minus o2) Oh and fire tools. They didn't like the fire tools until they saw my id. (who wouldn't want a mini halligan breach tool on an airplane?)

Mind you they missed the seatbelt cutter windowpunch windowsaw​ and multitool with knife and sawblade completely..... LOL!

Oh and lots of crazy medications with about 30 syringes.
All on carry on luggage.

lmao! This is incredible!

A few years ago I went through airport security with an old Federal Director siren in my tote bag. They X-rayed the bag and saw the box with the coily mic cord and asked me to take it out of the bag. So I did, and I told them that it was an old siren and I like to collect junk like that. The security lady smiled and said "You don't have to turn it on" and she ran a small scanner over it. I was tempted to tell her that it wouldn't work without a speaker and a power supply.

Back in July 2001, and fortunately before it hit the fan on 9/11, I made a trip to Southern California for a weeklong meet of the then-Southern California chapter of PCS: now Professional Cars Internat'l. Kevin O'Connell, whom a lot of you know, owns B&M Sirens. A siren I had sent it many years before he took over the co. had gotten lost, and suddenly at the meet he replaced it with a sweet all-chrome CS8B Siro-Drift. Neat! What was even neater was lugging that heavy siren back with me in my big carry-on zip-up bag. I had no problem at all, and all the flight attendants had a good time eye-balling it. The only problem was landing at D/FW when we got back to Texas. As little as I am, it was all I could do to carry my bag with the siren inside; but not to be outdone I happened to find a vacant wheelchair just sitting. So I grabbed it and put the bag in the seat and pushed it from the terminal where I landed all the way (seemed like 5 miles) to the SW terminal that got me back home! Don't think that would work nowadays!

i have never had a problem even in stored luggage. a few years ago i fly back from dayton with a bag full of radios. they have the scanner for the checked bagge. i told the TSA guys i have a bunch of radio from the ham fest. they said they have seen all types that week and were well aware

Originally Posted by NoVAFed

If you try it let us know what happens. Should make for a great story.

Originally Posted by jph2

Jenny, you're going to give those TSA guys something to talk about, for sure.

Thank you all for your responses and wow..lol! The things you guys do, haha! I will be attempting it on my way back home sunday. I am sure it will make a great story. If you hear about someone getting kicked out of the airport for transporting a bomb that turned out to be emergency beacons...yeah thats me! haha! I am sure TSA will give me strange looks! I will take some pics of them in my luggage.

Originally Posted by dmathieu

What beacons are you transporting?

Dan, even if you'd guess I am sure you would guess correctly. But I will post some pics of them soon until then its a surprise!

Here is the TSA link for prohibited items.

Hope this helps.

TSA: Prohibited Items

Should I remove the glass sealed beams??

The last time I flew I saw an embarrassed looking woman at secondary screening. The TSA guy pulled out a rather large sex toy and quickly put it back into the suitcase. The look on everyone's face was priceless. Apparently she forgot to request a private screening! The whole operation then got moved to a private room. I'm sure on any given day these guys see it all.

OK, I did it! yay! lol alright, so I packed my beacons in my bag and headed off to the airport. During my TSA screening I placed the bag on the belt to go through the x-ray, as I walked through the metal detector at the same time as my bag, the TSA officer at the X-ray said "Stop her!" Then called another TSA guy over and told him"shes got flashing lights in her bag" The responding TSA guys face went pale and was really confused and responded with "what??" in a scared manor. He then asked the other TSA guy how he can say that so calmly,with a straight face, when there is stuff flashing in a bag and its coming out as flashing in the x-ray. I had two TSA guys watching me. The guy opened the bag and laughed saying "ooooh those kind of flashing lights! haha" He showed the X-ray guy and the x-ray guy responded with, yeah thats what I said flashing lights! Thats what I thought they were! A supervisor was called over, he looked at the lights then his staff and laughed. He said I was allowed to carry them on board, that he didn't think I would hurt anyone with them. He then told me that there was a guy the day before with a beacon. I responded with "awww.... you mean I'm not the only wierdo?" He said no, trust me! The things we see come through here lol will amaze you.

Here are my Beacons and can lights I transported. Both Mars Products in very good condition. The insides are really clean and the chrome is really nice! the tags have some wear on them.

Holy mother of god in heaven above. Wow.

Glad to hear it went ok with TSA! Your haul looks amazing!!!

All you need now is the cross bar......

very nice.

Very nice! Great story, too. Woulda been great to get a picture of the looks on the TSA guys' faces and glad to know some of them have a sense of humor. lol

Jenny, you're my hero..........SIGH.

is it me.........or do they look like a european blue??


Nice score on those

Originally Posted by MX7K_Collector_2010

is it me.........or do they look like a european blue??


Nice score on those

They do appear to be darker than the norm. Here is a pic for comparison.

Originally Posted by lotsofbars

Holy mother of god in heaven above. Wow.

Deo gratias!

Glad you were able to get everything on board, Jenny, considering the way things are nowadays. Back in '02 I had to fly from Midland to Dallas to pick up an ambulance we'd bought. I was in full uniform. Of course my badge had to come off, and all the stuff in my pockets went into the tray. One item was a little Trio gadget that had hideaway tweezers, a nail file and a very small knife blade. The guard doing the search was a former attendant of ours. He confiscated my little tool, promising to bring it to me when I got back from Dallas. Never happened! When I saw him again he informed me that their rules required him to simply toss it away. Was I furious! I'd carried that thing since I was in high school. It had been a graduation present. I can understand the search rules and confiscating something dangerous. But something like that, and then throwing it away? Ridiculous!

OMG, those Mars items are amazing...what a great find! Jenny, I must compliment you on those lovely set of cans you got there. *lights*

Wow Jenny!
Nice going!

Nice! The last Mars beacon I had, the chrome was peeling off in sheets.

Those are beautiful!! Nice find