Question about taking knifes on vacation?

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RockytopZT

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Apr 20, 2012
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I know this is probably a stupid question but Im not a big traveler especially on airplanes. So here is my question im fixing to go on vacation & i know you cant carry your knife on the plane but can you take your knife if you put it in your suitcase that goes under the plane? I feel naked without my knife & dont want to get in any trouble or have my knife confiscated! Sorry if you all think this is stupid but i just want to know before i go so theres no hassle. Oh and i forgot to say its a cruise to Bahamas im going on. Another reason im asking is in case i find a knife while on vacation i want to purchase dont want to just through money away buying something i cant bring home!
 
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The short answer is yes, you should be able to take it in your checked baggage.. They do however "randomly" search checked bags and will leave you a document in your bag if they did.. I just might not feel comfortable with the idea that I might not get my knife back. I'm not saying that Joe TSA worker is a crook but I'm sure things come up missing from time to time.
 
Yes you can legally carry a knife in your checked baggage.

Just make sure the area you are vacationing in does not have local laws against carrying a blade.
 
RockytopZT said:
I know this is probably a stupid question but Im not a big traveler especially on airplanes. So here is my question im fixing to go on vacation & i know you cant carry your knife on the plane but can you take your knife if you put it in your suitcase that goes under the plane? I feel naked without my knife & dont want to get in any trouble or have my knife confiscated! Sorry if you all think this is stupid but i just want to know before i go so theres no hassle.
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Yes, you can put a pocketknife in your checked luggage. But...

There's a chance it'll be stolen. So...

- make sure it's something you won't miss if it disappears, or
- buy a knife when you get there.

Also look into whether your knife will be legal at all of your destinations. The state, the city, theme parks, government buildings, etc.
 
I've travelled/flown many times with knives in my suitcase. It is perfectly legal. I did get an odd look over the scanned image of a Spyderco Ti Salsa in my suitcase, but when I explained that it's a pocket knife with a titanium handle, they cleared both me and my suitcase right away. I do prefer to carry something I won't miss too much if lost or stolen, but I've never had that happen. My favorite travel knife is a Spyderco Salt, it literally can go almost anywhere with me on vacation.
 
Bob W said:
Yes, you can put a pocketknife in your checked luggage. But...

There's a chance it'll be stolen. So...

- make sure it's something you won't miss if it disappears, or
- buy a knife when you get there.

Also look into whether your knife will be legal at all of your destinations. The state, the city, theme parks, government buildings, etc.
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That is important.

Check the rules for the cruise line as they may prohibit knives or at least limit the blade length.

Also be sure to ask the security desk if it is fine to carry a knife [best be sure to ask] on/off the ship as they do have scanner/detectors when you board the ship when returning from a port.
 
Knives are fine to have in your checked luggage in the vast majority of countries (including the US). However, I have had a lot of stuff stolen by TSA - 2 digital cameras, a pair of binoculars and an ipod (3 separate incidents). Out of all that stuff i was only ever reimbursed for 1 of the cameras and they gave me $150 for a $300 camera. So don't pack a knife worth hundreds of dollars. Over the years i've learned a few tricks for not getting stuff stolen: one thing i do is put my valuables with some clothing in a bag marked 'dirty laundry'. It works best if you have a bunch of legitimately dirty underwear in the bag. I have a few other tricks but i'm not sure they're appropriate for this forum.

I traveled a lot when i was 18-19 years old and i always had a very small fixed blade, swiss army knife and pocket knife in my backpack (even then i was all about overkill). I've since learned that i was breaking the law in some of the countries i was in but if you don't do anything stupid nobodies going to bother you. I've yet to meet a cop (in any country) that will get upset about a knife in your backpack thats packed in with camping/cooking gear. Even in a country with strict knife laws like new zealand they're generally cool if it's obvious you're not carrying it for self defense or just for the hell of it.
 
viper89 said:
That is important.

Check the rules for the cruise line as they may prohibit knives or at least limit the blade length.

Also be sure to ask the security desk if it is fine to carry a knife [best be sure to ask] on/off the ship as they do have scanner/detectors when you board the ship when returning from a port.
Click to expand...

For what it is worth, I just returned from a cruise to Bermuda aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Prior to the cruise, I wasn't sure what Carnival's rules were and online research netted contradictory results. I called Carnival Customer Service and the woman on the phone told me that "no, I could not bring a pocket knife as it is considered a weapon." So I left it in the car in the parking lot prior to boarding. Once aboard and at sea, I happened upon one of the Security Officers and asked them their knife policy. I was told as long as the blade is under 4", a knife is fine. My 10 year old daughter bought a SAK in Bermuda and has no issues getting on and off the ship.
 
Coal-Cracker said:
For what it is worth, I just returned from a cruise to Bermuda aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Prior to the cruise, I wasn't sure what Carnival's rules were and online research netted contradictory results. I called Carnival Customer Service and the woman on the phone told me that "no, I could not bring a pocket knife as it is considered a weapon." So I left it in the car in the parking lot prior to boarding. Once aboard and at sea, I happened upon one of the Security Officers and asked them their knife policy. I was told as long as the blade is under 4", a knife is fine. My 10 year old daughter bought a SAK in Bermuda and has no issues getting on and off the ship.
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I will likely be going on a cruise as well with Carnival. I found that knife policy on their website and looks like it will be okay as well. I will probably carry my Spyderco Dragonfly2 and a SAK with me on the trip and hope to have on me throughout the trip.
 
hi rockytopZT.
not a stupid question. i just went on a cruise to bermuda and wondered the same thing. i just had my Vic Farmer with me. i actually had it on my person. i figured if security gave me a hard time, i was there early enough and i would run it back to the car.

going through security, i pulled it out of my pocket and threw it in the lil basket to scan through the security machine. no one cared at all. i did this half a dozen times getting on/off the boat, both in boston and bermuda. never a problem. i am guessing results might vary, so take that with a grain of salt (Norwegian Cruise Lines, btw).

Just an fyi.
 
Coal-Cracker said:
For what it is worth, I just returned from a cruise to Bermuda aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Prior to the cruise, I wasn't sure what Carnival's rules were and online research netted contradictory results. I called Carnival Customer Service and the woman on the phone told me that "no, I could not bring a pocket knife as it is considered a weapon." So I left it in the car in the parking lot prior to boarding. Once aboard and at sea, I happened upon one of the Security Officers and asked them their knife policy. I was told as long as the blade is under 4", a knife is fine. My 10 year old daughter bought a SAK in Bermuda and has no issues getting on and off the ship.
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Thanks everyone who has replied. If i do take a knife it will be one of my cheaper knives just in case. Im glad to hear they let you bring one you bought while on the trip aboard. I would really hate to purchase one while on my trip to have to throw it away before getting home.
 
I would add, if you disassemble your checked knife, it becomes a less tempting target. Put the blade in one suitcase and the handle in another. Put the small parts (springs, screws, spacers, etc.) in a sandwich bag and carry them on the plane. The assembly tools can go in the same sandwich bag.
 
Just this Saturday I went flying on a small Island hopper airline. No boarders crossed. It was a Piper Navajo that seats six. We where warned by the aircrew at check in(NOTHING sharp or pointy) and given the full security treatment at the terminal. I had no knife on me for the first time in eons. I hated it because we where not only flying but over water. Slim as the chances are, a knife would be reassuring now if anytime. My girlfriend even thought I was over reacting when I advised her to take her Spyderco Ladybug off her keychain. If I had not looked into it before hand, it would never have occurred to me to strip myself of so vital a piece of EDC for such a flight. Utterly absurd. The point being, find out for sure from exactly the relavant carrier. Sure we can help give an idea but never assume.
 
I had an extremely horrible experience with Carnival cruise lines a few years ago with a knife in my checked bags. I wrote the details in a prior thread on this type of topic. I will never travel with them again as a result, especially since they handed me a steak knife at dinner a couple of hours after the boarding fiasco that was easily twice the size of the knife they confiscated and then tried to get me arrested for by the Miami Beach police. The police wisely told the cruise security they were powerless to charge me with the possession of a legal folding pocket knife in a checked bag!
 
I bring knives with me when I'm on vacation, just keep in in your luggage rather than carry on. your suitcase is likely to get searched because of it just because when they see that in the x-ray it gives them reason for suspicion. I'm fine with that though.

if you're going on a cruise ship you might want to check with the liner to see if they're ok with it. they can have their own set of rules it seems, and they might not be down with the idea of people bringing pointy things onto the open seas with them.
 
I do the same thing when I do air travel. A 4" folder goes into a well-worn pair of running shoes, followed by a pair of well-worn, smelly gym socks to hold the knife in place in my checked luggage. Worked well for me; never had a knife stolen by TSA or baggage handlers.
 
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