travelling with military rucksack

[treadlightly]

Has anyone ever had any trouble getting on commercial flights with a military rucksack as baggage? I want to take my old Austrian army canvas sack to India next month but have a memory of reading/hearing somewhere that this type of bag is frowned on by airport security. The last thing I want is to get to the airport and find my bag is not acceptable.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Old style no, but the modern "Tacticool" bags can be worrying to some and the airpoort security will give you odd looks (so will most police officers) I can ask a few Indians I know what they would think if that's any help.

 

[JohnC]

I usually take an old army kitbag when travelling on business in europe and its never been a problem.

 

[santaman2000]

No not really. They're going to x-ray ALL baggage anyway at a minimum. And hand search a good portion. It's the contents they're worried about for the most part.

An exception would be if you were carrying firearms (and I seriously doubt that's on your agenda) somewhere it were legal to do so, most governments allowing it would secify that they be transported in a hard, lockable case. Although even then a soft rucksack could be exceptable IF! said firearm was inside a locked case inside the rucksack. I've flown that wy with my duffle bag on commercial flights many times.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Santaman, go through Gatwick or Manchester with Tactical bag's you'll get funny looks if your not checked in on a military flight. Both are departure points for war zones and they know where your going and what tactical stuff looks like and get a little puzzeld when a Civilian has it, not illegal just puzzled.

Tread I have asked my mate Guneet, what would the reaction be from airport security in India I'll post his response when I get it.

 

[santaman2000]

Santaman, go through Gatwick or Manchester with Tactical bag's you'll get funny looks if your not checked in on a military flight. Both are departure points for war zones and they know where your going and what tactical stuff looks like and get a little puzzeld when a Civilian has it, not illegal just puzzled.....

I've done that through both those airports. On regular civilian flights. Granted it was 23 years ago.

 

[rik_uk3]

Its frowned upon to wear camo clothing in some countries but I doubt you'd have any problems with a rucksack for crying out loud. As for getting funny looks or getting stopped at Gatwick or Manchester????? if people were the Daily Mail would be full of it; the paranoid and "its my right to use bla bla" would make sure of that.

"MAN STOPPED AND SEARCHED BECAUSE OF MILITARY BACKPACK" lol Perhaps some strange looking bushcrafter might get stopped but thats probably got as much to do with the rest of his 'uniform' as it is a rucksack that makes him look a bit dodgy.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

I've done that through both those airports. On regular civilian flights. Granted it was 23 years ago.

Yea the modern climate is a little over (read alot) paranoid, my sister from time to time has to do duity at liverpool airport and they watch people with tactical equipment closely and they get screened a little more. I suppose it's good that they do that as perceived threat is better than waving them though but in reality it dose little or has any real effect.

 

[ozzy1977]

The problem isnt normaly people with millitary looking kit though, is it

 

[andybysea]

Surely if you were intent on doing something naughty(being polite) on a plane/airport etc it would'nt mater what type of bag you carried said naughty thing in? as such why would you be anymore suspicious carrying your stuff in a military pack as a civi one?

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

Surely if you were intent on doing something naughty(being polite) on a plane/airport etc it would'nt mater what type of bag you carried said naughty thing in? as such why would you be anymore suspicious carrying your stuff in a military pack as a civi one?

That is true but they have to go off guide lines issued to them, some people need extra screening and part of that is anyone who has X clothing or is suspect. Not fair and not realistic but it has to be done according to the rules, and they can't apply racial profiling so that might get part way to explaining it as certain cultural clothing will get you searched more than others.

 

[andybysea]

Okay get that(think it would be quicker and more effective if you targeted for the specific threat your looking for)

 

[santaman2000]

That is true but they have to go off guide lines issued to them, some people need extra screening and part of that is anyone who has X clothing or is suspect. Not fair and not realistic but it has to be done according to the rules, and they can't apply racial profiling so that might get part way to explaining it as certain cultural clothing will get you searched more than others.

"Certain cultural clothing" IS racial profiling.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

"Certain cultural clothing" IS racial profiling.

Yes it is but the wording get's around the rules regarding racial profiles, i.e. Skin colour, Race or Relegion. While I do think it's not right I do feel it's fair having x-ray machines at airports, and the countrys that use them the most are the ones with heavy Muslim imagernts that ware traditional garb is common. While it's not PC to single out a group due to race, an non invasive way to do security checks without, distressing for women to have a frisk search a X-Ray is non invasive and has no physical contact between sexes as to not break religious laws.

Also Racial profiling hasn't got the same stigmata in the EU as it has in the USA, different connotation.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes it is but the wording get's around the rules regarding racial profiles, i.e. Skin colour, Race or Relegion.......
.......Also Racial profiling hasn't got the same stigmata in the EU as it has in the USA, different connotation.

How is it NOT breraking the rules against religious profiling when the cultural clothing in question is religious clthing? I.e. a burqua?

And the conotation of racial profiling (in the context of airport security) would be about profiling Arabic or Muslim tarvelers. I expect that would be the case in the EU as well at the moment.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

How is it NOT breraking the rules against religious profiling when the cultural clothing in question is religious clthing? I.e. a burqua?

And the conotation of racial profiling (in the context of airport security) would be about profiling Arabic or Muslim tarvelers. I expect that would be the case in the EU as well at the moment.

Because it's not in the rules, they can probe at risque or high intensity groups, but can't single out a racial grouping. Wording is all when it comes to the law not the spirit of the law. I am not saying it's right in anyway shape or form but it happens,

 

[benp1]

I've taken a Maxpedition condor to a lot of countries in Africa and never had a problem

 

[santaman2000]

Because it's not in the rules, they can probe at risque or high intensity groups, but can't single out a racial grouping. Wording is all when it comes to the law not the spirit of the law. I am not saying it's right in anyway shape or form but it happens,

I'm not saying it's wrong (in this example) But it is generally ineffective as anyone bent on malevolent behavior would do all they could to disguise it. But the practice (under the wording of the law) would indeed give rise to civil lawsuits. And indeed it often does whether there was actual intent to racially profile or not.

 

[rik_uk3]

Any links of repute to these 'guidelines'

 

[santaman2000]

Not mine Rik. They're taught in the various police accademies. But the law does indeed prohibit racial discrimination and most court decisions have upheld that racial "profiling" is a form of descrimination.

From what I gather from ASM the guidelines he's referencing are "unwritten" and "understood" by the searching authorities.