Air Travel Tips or Tricks with your DG Bag

[ChainMan]

I'm flying Friday and have never taken a disc golf bag on a commercial flight before so I'm wondering who has and what tips or tricks they might offer? Did you carry on, check it? Nightmares stories and good experiences welcomed!

 

[mashnut]

I've carried my bag on, as well as having loose discs in carry-ons and checked luggage. The worst that ever happened was having to open up the bag to show what they were. I guess the discs show up funny on the x-ray, but once the security people saw what they were there was no issue.

 

[zenbot]

I guess the only thing you can do is be prepared to explain what they are any why you have so many.

 

[12StonesScott]

Never traveled with my full bag, but I've taken a small messenger-type bag with a half-dozen discs along. Sometimes in carry-on, more often checked (don't travel with any discs I care that much about, so if I lose them, no big deal). Never had any problems.

 

[bazillion]

I usually carry a couple of discs in my checked luggage - I do have a funny story about the time I took a Bomb along in my carry-on ...

 

[rikardob]

I usually carry a couple of discs in my checked luggage - I do have a funny story about the time I took a Bomb along in my carry-on ...

Feds are on the way. Locking your doors does nothing. They use angry bees through air vents now.

I would carry them on if it was all my good discs in my good bag. You could fit a bunch of personal stuff in the pockets too. No way I could cope with loosing my whole throwing collection and bag.

 

[Ryan P.]

Yeah, Carry-on or in the luggage, they are okay. like zenbot said though, be prepared to explain if you have to. Like bazillion probably had to with that Bomb. get it!!!!!! haha . . . . . . . okay so that was an awful joke.

 

[scarpfish]

Considering what some airlines are charging anymore to check a piece of luggage, and what a hassle dealing with carry on luggage is, I would carry as few as possible. If there's room, pack them inside of large ziplock bags inside your regular luggage so the TSA inspectors can check them easily.

You can damn near just buy discs where you're going a lot cheaper if they're available. Then ship them home the day before your return flight. I've always carried a flattened shipping box in my suitcase or bought one at my destination to send home souvenirs.

 

[Hamilton]

carry-on with quad straps is convenient...i've carried 20 in my bag and also put my other misc items in there too..no probs in three airports so far (Louisville, KC, Tulsa)...

 

[bazillion]

Yeah, Carry-on or in the luggage, they are okay. like zenbot said though, be prepared to explain if you have to. Like bazillion probably had to with that Bomb. get it!!!!!! haha . . . . . . . okay so that was an awful joke.

Not so bad, actually ... I had a layover and got to talking with one of the TSA guys. Turns out he plays disc golf, so after talking with him for a WHILE and getting pretty friendly, I said, "You know, I probably shouldn't tell you this but I've got a Bomb in my bag!"

Then I showed him and he told me never NEVER **NEVER** to do that again b/c part of the TSA training is a humor-ectomy.

Now I just leave that one in the car

 

[craigg]

If I'm going to fly, I never check my golf bag - I always carry it on. Never had an issue -and I've done it a bunch of times. Most folks stop and look - because they do show up strange on the XRay machine, and I have had to show them a couple times - but last time I went - the security dude was like..... "You going to a tournament?"
Just be sure to take out anything made of metal - no lighters, etc.

Otherwise don't sweat it.

 

[CaptainAnhyzer]

Just make sure any tools are out of the bag and you should be fine. I went by the airport a day early to ask them directly, brought by bag filled with what i planned to carry on the flight.

 

[SomeChump]

The discs look a lot more harmless than the 40 lbs of climbing gear I've carried on before.

I think my bag makes a great carryon. Be sure to empty the water bottle in the bag before going through security. I got sent to the back of the line as punishment the last time I forgot.

 

[joegraham]

Absolutely carry on so they won't be lost or delayed and you will never know when or if they will ever show up again. Could get warped in zub-zero cargo hold too. Take out nail clippers, lighters, etc. so you can sail through the x-rays. I usually always have my bag looked at, but no problems. Have fun.

 

[kerplunk]

I managed to put my small (squirrel monkey) bag in my larger backpack for carry-on, but they made me take it out the first time to run through the X-ray so I just take it out now (sort of like a laptop). I also checked my skillshot goal when I flew a couple weeks ago and no problem. I also considered bringing my PDGA card to show that there is actually a ton of people that play disc golf and I am one of them.

Funny story, I checked my skillshot and my regular bag, and my skillshot got through fine and they lost my other bag and I didn't get it until the next day. So as far as putting practice goes I was covered, just as long as I didn't mind doing it in stinky clothes.

 

[I3ooI3oo]

Just got back from a work trip. Since had my laptops I could not carry it on. So I put my disc bag inside my normal checked luggage. No problems to report. I had a lighter and Cig in my carry on and matches and nobody said anything.

 

[jaymon1]

I have a 12-disc Innova bag. For awhile I carried it on, that was no problem going through security, but it got to be a pain carrying it around while changing planes in big airports like ATL. So I started checking it, and again - and I'm afraid to write this for fear of jinxing myself - that hasn't been a problem either. Though I do keep a list of exactly what I have in my bag, should I ever need to replace it. When airlines started charging for luggage, rather than check two bags (a suitcase and the DG bag) I just take a bigger suitcase, put the full DG bag in there.

 

[12StonesScott]

I had a lighter and Cig in my carry on and matches and nobody said anything.

Despite the comments in this thread, TSA rules on lighters changed two years ago (August 2007). Most lighters are allowed in carryons or on your person.

 

[klay]

I'm flying Friday and have never taken a disc golf bag on a commercial flight before so I'm wondering who has and what tips or tricks they might offer? Did you carry on, check it? Nightmares stories and good experiences welcomed!

Just went through this for the first time. On the way out, I didn't think that my Fade Tourney bag would be small enough so I removed all my discs, stuffed most of them in a smaller messenger bag and put the rest in my suitcase and my girlfriends (carry ons). I then disassembled my bag, folded it up and stuffed it in my suitcase.

On the way back I said "screw it" and just kept my bag in tact, put all the discs in it and it worked out just fine. Most airlines allow 2 carry ons, one big one for the over head and one smaller one (laptop bag, purse, etc.) for under the seat in front of you. I fit my full Fade Tourney bag under the seat on a Frontier Airlines plane just fine.

Hope that helps.

 

[ChainMan]

Wow, thanks everybody! That is a wealth of useful information. Even though I could get away with a few discs in the suitcase since I'm only going to have time for one round in St. Louis I wanted to take my whole tourney bag and let the nieces and nephews toss some plastic around the folks farm. It's always fun to draw new newbies into the game.

Thanks again!