Flashlight in Baggage on an Aircraft?

I am about to fly to Salem, Oregon from Mississippi tomorrow. If I carry my Mag85 in my baggage rather than hand carried will security grab it because it looks funny on an X-ray?? That is three rows of 17500's in FM holders. I would hate to have to whip someone for stealing my light. Last time I carried a jar of peanut butter because of where I was going and that did not make it. They opened my suitcase and confiscated it, and I found out after I got to my room.

I make a major effort not to put anything of value in a checked bag. I have zero confidence that it will not be stolen from checked baggage.

I've carried diamond jewelry, cameral gear, amateur radios, flashlights, and firearms in my luggage for 25 years and never had a problem. I typically fly a couple of times a month.

TSA had a handful of thefts a year or so ago, and aggressively pursued, fired and prosecuted the people who did it. They have cameras in the inspection areas and are very serious about theft.

I believe to the unenlightened the Mag85 looks like an ordinary Mag light (yes?), and as such I doubt anyone would think it wasn't a common $25 Mag.

I wouldn't worry at all.

My current employment is with a major airline & I do not trust the TSA at all. Hopefully you will luck out & it will all be ok.

Check everything on arrival, and if it isn't there contact the airlines right away.

Generally I think your flashlight will be fine though. I can see the peanut butter being removed as I think it looks similar to some explosives under an X-ray.

Get yourself the packaging of a similar size mag, pack it in that, it will make it like an ordinary mag even more

UVvis said:

I can see the peanut butter being removed as I think it looks similar to some explosives under an X-ray.

Click to expand...

Plus people like to hide their drugs in peanut butter in hopes that the dogs won't find them...

Getting Mag packaging etc is going to make the problem worse, not better. As you originally said, it's the x-ray that's going to make them suspicious of the modified Mag as the batteries will look wrong. If you put it in the packaging it will look more like your trying to trick people.

Is the Mag large enough to be considered a weapon? If not I'd carry it by hand just to be sure. A 2 or 3D should be fine, 4D or longer you might have problems.

I recently lost my Supertool 200 & a watch in my checked in luggage.

ive never had problems carrying tactical looking flashlights as hand carry, so my advice: Dont check them in.

In another thread, someone suggested wrapping your flashlights, etc. in your underwear. I like that idea...#$%& thieves might be less likely to fondle your underwear -- used or clean.

JM-99

Will the X-Ray be able to see through Mag tube to the batteries?

Icebreak said:

Will the X-Ray be able to see through Mag tube to the batteries?

Click to expand...

Yep. X-rays are like that...unless you have a lead-lined mag?

JM-99

So it seems to be a valid concern. I would think if security took the battery pack out they would be uninterested in confiscating the light for security reasons. But that would be reasonable. I suspect we can't depend on all security folks to be logical and reasonable. Then if they lit the torch and saw how powerful it was there may be some temptation to keep it.

I might risk a regular Mag85 but daBear's FM Li-Ion Mag85 is an extra fine iteration. I would not want to risk it.

Icebreak said:

I suspect we can't depend on all security folks to be logical and reasonable.

Click to expand...

Exactly. It's hard enough explaining a modified flashlight to friends and relatives.

A 3D is likely too big for carry-on, but even a 2D MagHID with epoxied-in ballast and 8AA carrier passes scrutiny A-OK.

The only way you are going to be able to really securely lock your checked baggage is if you declare a firearm. The TSA inspects the bag with you present, then you lock it right there and they apply a special TSA seal--you'd better believe the airlines are not about to lose such a bag.

I know people who check firearms all the time, even though they have no use for them where they're going. They just want to be able to lock their bags.

You are one lucky guy. I worked as a ground handler. Unknown to me, my team under my charge ran a theft ring. One guy got careless and that is how they got caught. One passenger complained that his expensive shoes were stolen. We caught the guy who wore them to work the next day. I hand carry the valuable stuff and check the rest in.

magic79 said:

I've carried diamond jewelry, cameral gear, amateur radios, flashlights, and firearms in my luggage for 25 years and never had a problem.

Click to expand...