Will the airlines allow you to pack bear spray in your checked luggage?
Bear Spray
Hi robt61x49
I think it would be best to ask your airline that question. Any opinions on this forum won%26#39;t help if you arrive at the airport and they have a problem with the spray.
If the answer is no, you can easily buy some here.
Bear Spray
I copied and pasted this from TSA%26#39;s flying guidelines:
Animal Repellants - You can bring chemical repellants in your checked luggage if the volume is less than 4 ounces and its active ingredient is less than 2%. Most bear repellants exceed these limitations. We suggest you buy these items at your destination and leave them behind when your trip is over.
Delta was definitely a %26#39;no%26#39; answer. We went to the REI store in Anchorage to buy ours. Just before leaving, we gave ours to one of the motel staff in Eagle River that was really friendly. You could also give it to someone coming out of the airport right before you leave. Or, maybe see if a local club/organization could use it.
Oh, what a pain it is! Maybe it is only since 2001, but carrying bear spray or guns or camp fuel or various survival items like flares has become a tremendous problem with seemingly changing rules and rules that change with each clerk%26#39;s interpretation and every pilot%26#39;s sensibilities!
As proposed in earlier answers, definitely buy it up here and give it away afterwards. Also check with the airlines and charter companies within Alaska that you will be flying with. Sensibly no one wants a bear spray to release and disable a pilot during a flight, so the justification is there for tight controls. (thinking of smaller bush planes).
No one would suggest violating the rules, nor in packing the spray deep in your pack wrapped in absorbent clothing with a large, expandable plastic wrapper to contain any leak. Such an idea could kill you and others on the airplane.
The only alternative may be to forgo the bear spray and use the good sense practices of cleanliness, food and scent control and full awareness of your surroundings. Our ancestors survived thousands of years before bear spray was invented.
71
I was only thinking of the commercial flight and security issues. I%26#39;ll definitly buy it up there. But, are there issues with charters as well?
%26gt;%26gt;Oh, what a pain it is! Maybe it is only since 2001, but carrying bear spray or guns or camp fuel or various survival items like flares has become a tremendous problem with seemingly changing rules and rules that change with each clerk%26#39;s interpretation and every pilot%26#39;s sensibilities!
I fly probably at least once a month. And actually, it is not all that difficult. The difficulty comes with those who don%26#39;t fly very often and don%26#39;t bother to familiarize themselves with the rules. Fortunately robt61x49 is doing some advance research which is excellent.
Camp fuel and flares have been banned on flights for as long as I can remember. I would prefer that the airlines ban things like this (and control it) than have incidents like the Valujet crash several years back (fire in the cargo hold due to prohibited flammable items being loaded).
Not trying to pick on you but just giving my side of the story - that it really is not that hard. Funny too how I am typing this from an airport where I have been traveling for 5 days with just carry on luggage. Traveling can be more simple - if someone puts their mind to it!
John
Yes, charters must also be fully aware of what is carried on board. When I mentioned the cautions and dangers of carrying bear spray, I was thinking of the charters. When the cargo is in the main cabin along with you and the pilot, a failure could be catastrophic.
In reference to the variability of rules, I must of course stand by reality as I experience it. Some flyers are quite comfortable with guns along on the flights, some will accept bear spray only in an external storage compartment (in the nose or belly, separate from the cabin), and there was one charter with about 6 stops where the pilot requested a new Federal firearms tag be filled out for each leg of the flight. Others are content with one tag for one charter, no matter how many legs or stops there may be.
Yes, the ValueJet incident was a tragedy. The reality in Alaska is a need for camp fuel, and regulations that require such things be flown in on separate flights without any passengers. That makes it difficult when you have an extended fly-in fishing trip, river float or hunting trip and fuel cannot be carried with all other gear.
I always figured that if I died early up here it would likely be due to my own fault. If I die early in the lower 48 or Europe it has a much greater chance to be caused by some one else%26#39;s mistake.
A good part the reason for my post was to solicit other perspectives, so thanks for the ideas!
71
';Our ancestors survived thousands of years before bear spray was invented.';
Sure, but our ancestors werent nearly as fat and tasty!
My guess is NO. You can pick it up in Alaska once your there. It%26#39;s highly unlikely you%26#39;ll need it, in which case, you%26#39;ll have to return it, or leave it behind since you can%26#39;t carry it back either.
Hopefully, if you%26#39;re lucky, you%26#39;ll get to see bears, but it%26#39;s highly unlikely you%26#39;ll need it. If you do see a bear, it will be at distance, unless you take a bear viewing tour, in which case, they will not permit bear spray.
All in all, unless you plan some seroius overnight deep woods hiking or camping, you%26#39;re wasting your time with bear spray. You simply won%26#39;t need it. And, if you really were in the unlikely situation to where it%26#39;s needed, it%26#39;s probably too late anyhow and you%26#39;ll either tick off the bear, or aim the spray in the wrong direction and end up spraying yourself.
Best to simply make noise while walking, as bears don%26#39;t want to make contact with you either.
';Our ancestors survived thousands of years before bear spray was invented.';
You don%26#39;t have to go many years back to find ancestors who had a life expectancy of 25-30 years.
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