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Another airport question you've heard before...

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2001 12:00 am
by Chinookaholic
I'm flying to the UK next week. While I'm aware that lockback knives like my Chinook and Endura are highly illegal to carry around over there, I'd like to take them with me anyway.



I want to pack them in my luggage with my clothes etc. When I check my suitcases in, will they make it onto the plane and be waiting for me on the other side of the atlantic or not? Do they check luggage for stuff like tactical folders? Does the *number* of folders in a suitcase make a difference? For example, would two get through, but would they stop five?



Thanks for any input.







Edited by - Chinookaholic on 8/2/2001 5:54:04 PM

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2001 8:22 pm
by Adr3nalin
I hope this helps

http://knifeart.site.yahoo.net/knifeart ... bysta.html

they have the laws of New Jersey as well as UK laws, and laws to carry-on planes

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2001 8:56 pm
by sam the man..
Dude ~ Suggest you pack the Endura and a smaller Spydie like a cricket for backup. Think the Chinooks bulkiness and intimidating blade shape will freak those British custom officers out! <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> Check in your knives with your main luggage and pack it in your toiletry pouch or something like that to avoid suspicion... Hope this helps... <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Sam

have spydies will travel

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2001 8:42 am
by yog
I'm afraid that there is no simple answer to this. It used to be that 4" folders (including lock-backs) were legal. Unfortunatly that has changed so that any edged or pointed object that is "deemed" to be an offensive weapon is illigal.
This means that although one police officer out in the countryside might see a fully serated Military as a camping tool (unlikely but possible), whereas another police officer might see a Ladybug as an offensive weapon.

Lugage is checked on a random bases if you go through the nothing to declare route. If I was coming back into the country with something "questionable" I would go through the red "items to declare" route and declare my copious amounts of alcahol for tax purposes, that way there is a lot less chance of them searching your lugage.
Although it is legal to by a Chinook in this country, I would seriously think twice about bringing one through customs.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2001 7:33 pm
by clipiteer
Chinookaholic, even if they did make it past security I'm not so sure it would make it tho the other side of the Atlantic! I would hate to lose a Spydie to some airport idiot that put your bag on the wrong flight.(maybe that same guy who left a Spydie/Walker collab open in the change collection dish )

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2001 11:21 am
by earthworm
Very simple:DON'T! While our cousins over the pond are quite civilized they still have jails I really doubt you want to spend your vacation in.& your American citizenship is worth squat:ask the young lady who defended herself from a mugger with a 2" Victornix-she was arrested & charged.
You KNOW it's illegal:?why do it?

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2001 2:16 am
by Dav
And... if you ignore Earthworm (who has given very sound advice!) make sure to have an SA&Stamped envelope with you so that you can drop the knife in a mailbox and it'll (hopefully!) get back to your house if someone gives you trouble.

FYI - I had no problems with my SS Calypso on my holiday this summer in the UK... I put it in the suitcase and carried it 24/7 while there. I remember some rude lady... err relative... mentioning it was illegal but I didn't really like her anyway.

Good luck and fun.

Dav

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2001 8:49 am
by Tightwad
I've read several threads about what's legal to carry / use on airplanes and other locations. All
worry about finding trouble if they make make the wrong choice in knives. I mean no dis-respect
,but why tempt fate & the unknown. To me the simplest solution is to carry the world's most
socially acceptable knife and leave the favorites home. A small SAK will get most jobs done
while on holiday. If not you've got way more trouble than a pocket knife of any kind could
cure. So I quit worrying about it decades ago. I have a SAK in my pocket so I at least have
A knife if I need one.

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2001 8:50 am
by Tightwad
I've read several threads about what's legal to carry / use on airplanes and other locations. All
worry about finding trouble if they make make the wrong choice in knives. I mean no dis-respect
,but why tempt fate & the unknown. To me the simplest solution is to carry the world's most
socially acceptable knife and leave the favorites home. A small SAK will get most jobs done
while on holiday. If not you've got way more trouble than a pocket knife of any kind could
cure. So I quit worrying about it decades ago. I have a SAK in my pocket so I at least have
A knife if I need one.

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2001 4:53 pm
by ftkinney
i agree with tightwad i carry a SAK all the time and haven't had a probblem. samo has a point pack with the toiletties looks more like a tool. however i would still carry a s.a.e. like Dav says, just incase. fend off mugers with your fists, not the swiss army knife, you're from jersey you wouldn't have to worry.

FTK

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2001 1:34 pm
by Chinookaholic
I'm actually not going on holiday- I'm going to be there fore a number of months and the spydercos are gifts for friends.

Please note that I'm wondering about packing them in LUGGAGE, not in carry-on bags for planes. I wouldn't bother taking a spyderco onto a plane.

Edited by - Chinookaholic on 8/9/2001 1:35:38 PM

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2001 11:24 am
by earthworm
?Maybe ship them to your friends or the adress you'll be staying at? Is carrying or posession illegal(a point of law to take note of,both for you & your friends)?
I think you need to see a lawyer &/or the British Consolate:if you plan to import something illegal into their country you are asking for it & they WILL give it to you.CYA BIGTIME amigo!

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2001 2:18 pm
by yog
None of the items listed so far are illigal to own in the UK, there is only the very vague question of carrying them in public.

Earthworm has a very good suggestion on shipping them over though. I had a note attached when my Military was shipped over to say that it had been searched by customs, and they were ok about letting it through.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2001 7:27 pm
by Tightwad
OH, customs......Now I understand your concern. That's a tough one ,mate. Since I always
carry the SAK I'm not sure how much grief Customs is going to be. I know I've seen some
God awful fusses over stuff that wouldn't bother folk's here in the USA. Are you military
or law enforcement? That might help a bit. Otherwise good luck.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2001 8:56 pm
by earthworm
Dav & Yog:Thank you for the compliments-nice to hear I've still got a few working brain cells*VBG*.
Chinookaholic:Here's a thought-see if Spyderco has dealers in the UK,pay for the knives here & pick'em up over there.Assuming there are dealers & that the knives you want to present are importable(& if they're not you don't even want to try smuggling them in!)it seems to me you'd save shipping costs,customs headaches & be assured the knives would be there.
Sal,if you read this am I on a right track?

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2001 9:02 pm
by earthworm
a P.S.to Yog:Thanks for the info.
"Possession"vs"Carrying" can be tricky:the hammer & screwdriver I keep at home is cool & legal but could be considered"Possession of burglar tools" in my car.Here in the States a sword cane can be possessed,but if you carry it on the street you're going to jail & God help you in court if you have to use it!I think you Brits had a case involving swordcanes lately:?know anything about it?Just curious..... Respects.

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2001 3:55 pm
by Chinookaholic
It looks like I have two options for getting them into the country.

(1) Post them over. They MAY be checked by customs and probably be let through.

(2) Put them in my suitcase with my shirts etc. and all the rest of my stuff. They MAY be checked randomly by customs when I get off the plane.

So now it's just a matter of figuring which of these options is safer, right?