How do I take a cane with me on a plane flight?

R

rifon2

Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
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I may have to fly out of the country for a few days, and I'd really like
to take my Cold Steel City Stick (fiberglass cane with plain steel grip) with me.
(It doesn't have a skull head or anything like that. :cool:)

The last time I flew, security confiscated my the (regular) umbrella I had with me.
So I have a feeling they won't like the sight of the cane...on the plane.

And it doesn't fit in my luggage that I'll be checking.

Any ideas?
 
Walk through security and onto the plane with the cane.
If they confiscate it, fall over and ask for a wheelchair.

I'm sorry. I am so frustrated I don't know what to suggest.
 
tape it to your bag or get a box big enuf to fit it in to and load your stuff in to that and check that in.


Hell throw it in to a garbage bag and check that in, I have seen people do that!
 
It's actually very easy. I often travel with a rattan cane and found that if you just check it in with your luggage there is no problem. Most airlines have a special tag that gets attached, and it's handled very gently. For safety sake I attach a luggage name tag with some tape. In fact, I'm flying out tomorrow morning for Pusan and will be taking my cane with me. Makes getting up and down all of Pusan's hills a lot easier, and makes walking around late at night a lot safer... Hope you have a good trip and your cane causes no problems!

Stitchawl
 
My last flight was some months ago, but everytime I've flown I just walk right through security with my blackthorn cane. The only thing they do, is pass it through x-ray to make sure it's not hiding anything inside. Once on board the plane, I put it down on the floor under the seat.

No problemo. Just act like it's no big thing. But then my canes/walking sticks are all solid wood. I don't know how they will react to a Cold Steel city stick. Maybe just buy a stadard crook top for the trip, and tell them its a sports injury.
 
just act like you need it and limp a little while you walk through the metal detector after you put your cane through the x-ray. I would go with the sports injury story as well. Might not be possible, but I assume with a doctors note they definitely wouldn't give you any grief. Doesn't have to be your doctor, just a doctor. Something to think about.
 
I carry my Canemasters hickory cane through airport security everytime. They are usually more interested in my boots.
 
cmdionne said:
just act like you need it and limp a little while you walk through the metal detector after you put your cane through the x-ray.
Click to expand...

Why carry a cane if you don't need it? I think karma will catch up to people like that pretty quickly.

Just out of curiosity, how legal is it for them to take a cane away from someone who obviously needs it? I ask because my mother has to use a cane and I'd be pretty pissed off if some airport security guy tried to take it away.

Of course, it's probably silly to even ask. A friend recently flew to Canada and was "detained" for a few minutes after he refused to remove his insulin pump :rolleyes:.
 
Rather than risk losing your City Stick, maybe an alternative like the Canemasters would be a better choice for the trip?
 
Psychopomp said:
Why carry a cane if you don't need it? I think karma will catch up to people like that pretty quickly.

Just out of curiosity, how legal is it for them to take a cane away from someone who obviously needs it? I ask because my mother has to use a cane and I'd be pretty pissed off if some airport security guy tried to take it away.

Of course, it's probably silly to even ask. A friend recently flew to Canada and was "detained" for a few minutes after he refused to remove his insulin pump :rolleyes:.
Click to expand...

A lot of people train with the cane. I personally teach the cane and none of my students need one. However, I do when my leg starts acting up.
 
ednemo said:
A lot of people train with the cane. I personally teach the cane and none of my students need one. However, I do when my leg starts acting up.
Click to expand...

hmmm... I guess I consider what you're talking about as a "walking stick." Carrying a walking stick and needing a cane are two different things in my mind. I carry a walking stick out in the woods (or make one as I go) but don't think of it as a cane.

Oh well.
 
Psychopomp said:
hmmm... I guess I consider what you're talking about as a "walking stick." Carrying a walking stick and needing a cane are two different things in my mind. I carry a walking stick out in the woods (or make one as I go) but don't think of it as a cane.

Oh well.
Click to expand...

I carry my cane just about everyday because I never know when I am going to need it. And...I ride a motorcycle. Attaching it to my backpack has made it that much harder. But, I never feel unarmed with my cane. So it's worth it.
 
A few year's ago, I attended a seminar taught by a gentleman who is very proficient with Hapkido canes. Apparently, he just cruised right on board. I forgot, but they may have sent the cane through the x-ray.

This was when TSA still prohibited nail clippers....

Who knows what rules TSA will be enforcing at any time.... Getting out of the US may be easy, leaving the other country may be the problem...
 
I've flown with a Canemaster hickory several times. It has been through the x-ray machine every time & only once has it drawn any comment. The security guy asked if I'd carved it myself, I said no, and it was on through the line. Once on the plane it either goes under the seat or up in the overhead bin.

In ordering that cane I deliberately resisted the impulse to have Canemasters fancy it up, leaving it with the finger grooves I wanted for handling & retention, but avoiding anything else that would draw any more attention to it than absolutely necessary. Aside from the nice grain running through it & the obvious heft over most regular & cheaper commercially offered walking canes, it's very plain & that's the way I prefer it. I do not want people to notice it. I'm just another old fogey with another old fogey piece of wood. Nothing to see here, folks, just move along.

The Cold Steel canes, on the other hand, stand out like a neon sign.
I'd suggest you leave the CS stick for around your normal habitat if you're wedded to it & find something less showy for the airport. You can confidently expect it to be noticed by somebody somewhere along the line, and probably by people you'd prefer didn't notice it.

Denis
 
Psychopomp said:
hmmm... I guess I consider what you're talking about as a "walking stick." Carrying a walking stick and needing a cane are two different things in my mind. I carry a walking stick out in the woods (or make one as I go) but don't think of it as a cane.

Oh well.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did mean it as a "walking stick".
 
DPris said:
I'd suggest you leave the CS stick for around your normal habitat if you're wedded to it & find something less showy for the airport. You can confidently expect it to be noticed by somebody somewhere along the line, and probably by people you'd prefer didn't notice it.

Denis
Click to expand...

Since last night when I originally posted this, I've come to the same conclusion.
If I do have to make the trip, the City Stick will stay at home.

______________________________________

Thanks to everyone for their input! :thumbup:
 
I made my flight today, and this time when I tried to check my cane along with my suitcase the woman at the ticket counter told me to just bring it on board. A first for me! All other flights I've taken were refusing canes or umbrellas in the cabin. (Anyone who needed one for walking was provided with a wheelchair.) Either the regulations vary from one carrier to another or one country to another or the whole damn thing is just arbitrary! They were most insistent this time though that I not have a cigarette lighter in my checked bags, and that less than one litre of liquid in carry-on that must be inside a plastic bag.

My cane is a very light weight rattan cane, about as thick as the 'CaneMaster's' brand but much lighter. I made it with the extra large crook (even a bit larger than CaneMasters) and it is plain light tan with no fancy work on it. I tried working with the CaneMasters stick about 10 years ago but found it too heavy for my style.

Stitchawl
 
When my Grandfather died, I ended up with his cane. When I went through airport security on the way home, I used the cane like I needed it. Security shot it through the X-Ray machine, I picked it back up, and limped away to my gate using the cane. No problem. It was a simple wood cane with the hook handle. Hope this helps.

Razz
 
Check it? I've seen the people just tape things up like my golf clubs, skate board. Have you checked TSA? I mean, a cane is almost like a health thing, might as well take someone's crutch.
 
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