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tuckerhockey13

Tips for Flying with gear

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I just came back from a tournament in Anaheim, and even though living in Phoenix,AZ isnt so far away I hate traveling on the road. I would much rather spend money on getting to where Im going and not waste another day driving. Im sure Im going to be out there more often because i can stay with my friends and they are down the way form SNA orange county Airport. If they cant get me then there is always a cab or rental car.

So, what tips dose any one have about checking hockey gear at the airport? how to pack bags? any precautions to take with handling sticks?

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Nothing special with either. Just normal gear bag, and then a stick bag for sticks. If its Southwest, both should count as a single checked bag (print out the sporting goods page from the Southwest FAQ on their website to show the check-in agent as some of them get confused by this).

I'd also recommend putting your clothes in a canvas bag and put that into your hockey bag. Just one less bit of luggage you have to drag around.

Otherwise... nothing special.

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Definitely print out the checked bag policy, or have it up on your phone. I know Delta considers equipment bag and sticks as a single item, but it never hurts to have the policy handy in case they make a mistake (which they did in Boston).

Make sure you have a decent bag, one that can handle being tossed around such.

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Nothing special with either. Just normal gear bag, and then a stick bag for sticks. If its Southwest, both should count as a single checked bag (print out the sporting goods page from the Southwest FAQ on their website to show the check-in agent as some of them get confused by this).

I'd also recommend putting your clothes in a canvas bag and put that into your hockey bag. Just one less bit of luggage you have to drag around.

Otherwise... nothing special.

I find that every time I fly Southwest that even though bag and stick SHOULD be one item they rarely tag them as such if that's all you're checking. also, imo bad idea to stick your clothes in your hockey bag. if your gear gets lost you've literally got nothing. at least throw a change of clothes in a backpack and carry it on.

when you do go to pick up your checked bag don't panic if your sticks aren't there. some airports (like ATL) have to hand carry them up because the baggage claim belt goes up a floor from the tarmac so check in the Oversize area with all the skis and golf clubs.

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imo bad idea to stick your clothes in your hockey bag. if your gear gets lost you've literally got nothing. at least throw a change of clothes in a backpack and carry it on.

Meh, I don't see it as any different from checking all my luggage normally. There's always the risk it gets lost.

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If you have other clothing in the gear bag, some airlines will not consider it "sports equipment" and will charge you the applicable oversize bag fees. I have seen it happen mostly with golf bags but the same logic would apply to hockey gear. I used to use shafts and blades when I flew and I would put a heavy duty tube or PVC pipe inside my stick bag to prevent shaft breakage.

Pack your helmet inside your pants, bags get tossed around and you don't want those impacts reducing the effectiveness of the helmet. Especially is if has EPP padding.

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If you have other clothing in the gear bag, some airlines will not consider it "sports equipment" and will charge you the applicable oversize bag fees.

How would they know?

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How would they know?

Some places will have you open it and show them what is in there. Not all stations do that, but some will. You are claiming that it is all sports equipment to get the exemption from the oversized baggage policy. Putting other stuff in there is just trying to game the system.

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Some places will have you open it and show them what is in there. Not all stations do that, but some will. You are claiming that it is all sports equipment to get the exemption from the oversized baggage policy. Putting other stuff in there is just trying to game the system.

I didn't know there was an exemption. Cool, thanks.

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Some places will have you open it and show them what is in there. Not all stations do that, but some will. You are claiming that it is all sports equipment to get the exemption from the oversized baggage policy. Putting other stuff in there is just trying to game the system.

how is it oversized? do you mean by weight? my bag, complete with extra pair of gloves and usually 3 or 4 sets of understuff weighs around 30 pounds. not even close to the 50lb limit of most airlines.

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Southwest's magic numbers are 62 & 50 for all luggage including hockey or lacrosse bags or extra charges can be tacked on. It's a pretty common industry standard. L+W+H=62 inches and 50lbs maximum. A hockey or lacrosse bag with 2 sticks if they're taped together or in a stick bag makes up one checked bag.

I'd recommend a low frills pro style bag. They fit the airline's measurements. They're also light, compact, durable, travel well and fit nicely in a crowded trunk. There's also less zippers, pouches, handles, wheels and other stuff to add weight, get snagged, torn, broken etc. They're bags that have been designed specifically to carry hockey equipment as efficiently as possible for long distance travel, by truck, bus, car, train or plane. We've travelled a lot with my son over the years. The fancier, higher priced and more feature filled bags don't last nearly as long if you travel a lot.

On airlines that charge extra for checked bags when trying to cut down on a suitcase, we've found larger Ziploc bags and plastic grocery bags convenient for storing street clothes like underwear, socks, shirts, pants and shorts in the hockey bag. They keep the smell out and can be tucked into various corners and voids in the gear and bag. We've never had anybody go through his bag looking for extra clothing, never really thought about it. But if they ever do, I'm pretty confident they wouldn't dig very far.

As was mentioned above find the hockey bag policy for whatever airline you're going to be flying. A quick google search will usually get you there. Print it out and keep it with your tickets. Especially if you're in an area that is not a hockey hotbed.

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I just travelled all the way from Philippines --> LA then San Diego --> Minneapolis. I used a senior bauer wheeled bag + stick bag as one checked baggage. My wheeled bag only contained my gloves, the rest are clothes and other personal stuff since I needed to buy a new set of gear anyway. Fortunately non of the airlines that I flew questioned me or requested to open my bags.

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My daily driver bag is fairly large and seems to accumulate extra junk I don't need during trips like extra socks, tape, spare jock, sweaters for my other team, etc. When I fly, I pack only what I need into an old Vic bag instead. As stated above, no frills and clearly under the size limits.

For bonus points, though, I also pack a salvaged RS blade and shaft. It fits inside the bag because the hosel on the retail RS is about 18-20" long. If my sticks traveling separately are lost or broken, I can assemble the RS in the hotel.

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This is AWESOME! Just went on US Air.

Hockey equipment will be accepted in the normal baggage allowance in lieu of a piece of baggage. One item of Hockey equipment consists of

Pads, helmet, pants, jersey, gloves, skates and 12 sticks!

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