Valuable lights on the airport conveyor belt

When I fly I dump all metal objects including small LED flashlights into the basket that passes through the conveyor belt x-ray. Then I step through the security portal. The problem is that for some period of time the basket is out of my range of vision. Because of this I have always felt some concern when EDC'ing my expensive LionCub or HDS ULT 60. Now I'm awaiting the SPY005 which I think of as the ultimate compact LED light because of its side-by-side design and other features. Of course I could leave the expensive lights at home, but what's the point of having your favorite EDC light if you can't EDC it? Friends say I'm being paranoid and to take a cheaper light just to be safe. Have any of you had a similar concern?

Brightnorm

I agree with your friends. Most of my travel is for business and I never take lights (or most anything else of my own) which I would really regret losing.

If you really have to take a high quality light along, put it into your carry on so it's not out in the open to just be picked up. If it arouses X ray suspicions, at least you'll be standing there when they pull it out. Put it back in your pocket after you're through.

Just got back from a week long business trip. With me went a G2 with a spares carrier, an HDS ULT60XR, a Fenix L1P and a PT Quad headlamp. I put all these in a carry on, normally my laptop case along with my keys phone and everything else metalic before I even get to security. Once through the HDS goes back in my pocket. I have never really been concerned about someone digging through my laptop bag at security and stealling a light, not that it couldn't happen. It usely comes through promptly. I did get a question on a SF E1E once that I put in one of those bowls. I don't do that anymore. Being in a strange town and staying in a hotel I definetly like to have a couple decent lights with me.

What concerns me is the multi-tool and pocket knives that I have to "check". If not for that I would't check at all. Checked luggage is where I worry about "losing" stuff.

I always hold the little basket back until the person in front of me has cleared the detector and I know that I can walk through and catch up with the basket on the other side.

I wear a Royal Robbins vest while flying. I carry all my EDC (except for my Leatherman, arrggghhh!) in the vest, so going through x-ray I just put the vest on the belt. Nothing visible to be stolen, and I don't have to empty my pants pockets.

Listen to your friends.

US airport security checkpoints have to be among the most inhospitable places on earth for thieves these days. TSA staff and other passengers are watching the conveyor belts, everything is out in the open and videotaped, and if someone makes a run for it (either after they beeped or after someone saw them grab something) the TSA can (and does) shut down (and often also evacuates and searches) the terminal. On top of this, one needs a ticket and a valid ID to even be there in the first place and a thief who hangs around the checkpoint to look for potential victims is likely to attract notice. As unpleasant as air travel is these days, petty theft from a passenger screening checkpoint is simply not one of the many things to worry about going wrong during your trip.

And yes, I put my money where my mouth is here. I fly at least once a week, often with tens of thousands of dollars worth of computer, electronic, and camera equipment among my carry-on stuff, and almost always with an expensive flashlight or two. Deliberate theft at the screening checkpoint is the last thing I worry about.

That said, small loose objects in those little baskets seems like a recipe for misplacing things. To reduce my chances of accidently leaving something behind, I usually put small items (flashlight, coins, keys, ipod, watch, etc) in my jacket (if I have one) or my bag before I reach the checkpoint.

H. Caul.

The biggest theft risk for carry-on in the US is not from fellow passengers but from TSA agents themselves. Screener background checks and training levels are really pathetic, especially given what TSA airport screeners are supposed to prevent, and the number of agents who will help themselves to passengers' belongings is decidedly non-zero.

Pack everything metal in your carry-on bag before approaching security.

When I put things in the basket, my right eye shifts 85 degrees resulting in the basket never leaving my sight. The 85 degree shift took a lot of eye muscle training and has proved very useful in peripheral observation. On the remote chance an item came up missing, a full audit and in-depth questioning would follow. All cameras rolled back and the grubby hand that stole the item would face immediate referral.

My current lights for Air Travel.

- Photon Clipped to Camera Case/Backpack
- E2E in Camera Case Backpack or Cyclops w/P60 Lamp
- Fenix P1 in Laptop bag
- ARC P aaa neck carry
- Spare 123's in Camera Case

My Hasselblad H1 camera uses CR123's so I only need to pack one type of battery. (except the aaa ARC P)

frisco

I put everything in my pockets in my carry on bag before it goes on the belt. That makes it quite a bit harder for someone to snag something. I worry a lot more about my wallet, watch, computer, IPod and if I have one, camera; than about lights. I suspect stuff like that is a lot more likely to be targetted. I no longer typically travel with my more expensive watches for that reason.