Can I carry rock climbing hardware as carry-on in Europe?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 27 Jul, 2023
- |
A year or two ago I worked on a project in Amsterdam and flew weekly between London and Schipol. There’s a half decent indoor climbing centre in the city and I regularly took indoor climbing gear in my carry on;
- harness
- rope
- quickdraws
- karabinas
I didn’t carry any trad gear such as nuts, hexes or keys. Only once did I get asked to open my luggage when the gear showed up on the X-ray, but after I explained what it was then I was let through. In total I probably took between 20 and 30 flights.
I didn’t carry chalk as I thought it would be problematic at security, and it was always easy to beg or borrow from someone at the centre.
So I contacted Munich airport and they were quick to reply:
- climbing equipment in general is no problem
- also large cams and friends are ok
- the only exception being: no sharp or pointed objects i.e. no nut tools
These answers were from the responsible department of the airport and the person in charge also absolutely knew what they were talking about in terms of climbing gear so I would be willing to trust this info. In theory the rules should also be the same throughout Europe.
However YMMV and at another airport and other staff might see things differently so as has been pointed out by JoErNanO it would be sensible to have a back-up option (i.e. checking your stuff in hold luggage or leaving it with a friend).
Finally, of course you have to be careful to respect the size/weight limit of your airline.
Is Climbing Gear Allowed in Carry-On Luggage?
My answer is based on personal anecdotes and common sense. I’m using TSA as a reference because its prohibited item search tool is quite simply awesome, as opposed to the EU list of prohibited items which is (IMHO purposefully) generic and vague.
Carabiners / Quick-Draws
I have carried carabiners in hand luggage before. I never had problems with them. Usually security staff don’t even look at them. I use full size carabiners as keychains, and always have an extra one hanging from my backpack in case I need to hang something there. However, a luggage full of quick-draws might raise a few eyebrows. As an authoritative reference, TSA says that carabiners can be carried in both hand and hold luggage:
Climbing Rope
Climbing rope should be fine in hand luggage. I fail to see how it could be construed as a sharp, dangerous object. TSA seems to agree with me:
Nuts, Wires, Hexes, Cams, Friends, and Nut Tools
IMHO all of these could be construed as blunt/dangerous items by a zealous security officer. The nut tool itself could even be considered a blunt weapon. I can’t find mention of any of these items on the TSA search tool so I’ll go with EU regulations this time:
c. objects with a sharp point or sharp edge (objects with a sharp point or sharp edge capable of being used to cause serious injury)
[…]
d. workmen’s tools (tools capable of being used either to cause serious injury or to threaten the safety of aircraft), including:
[…]
- tools with a blade or a shaft of more than 6 cm capable of use as a weapon, such as screwdrivers and chisels,
Climbing Chalk
This is just plain old chalk so it should be fine in hand luggage. Climbing chalk is made primarily of magnesium carbonate which is non-toxic and non-flammable.
A Final Recommendation
As always: go for checked-in luggage if you’re unsure and, most importantly, not prepared to have all the gear thrown away by security agents. Personally I would not risk losing all my carabiners, quick-draws, nuts, hexes, cams, and tools the day I’m leaving for a rock-climbing trip.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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