Has anyone here flown while wearing riding pants with armor in them? I'm flying to San Diego next month and would like to wear my Klim pants so I don't have to pack them. I'm concerned that the TSA people won't let me through with armor inside my pants. I emailed TSA and they would not give me an answer. They just said that if its on the banned items list then it would not be allowed. But I can see them going crazy when I step into the scan area. My other option is to take out the armor and put it in my carry on bag. I ride for a living and in the past I have packed my riding gear, except for helmet, in my checked luggage. So far I've been lucky and my bag has always been there. Plus, the gear is heavy and my bag is always at 50-52 lbs and one day they are going to charge me for overweight luggage. So my plan now is to wear my riding gear while traveling so that if my bag does get lost that I can still ride once I get to the tour location. So if anyone has done this please let me know how it went. Thanks.
I wore my jacket with armor in it on a plane before but I put it through the scanner. Wearing the pants in the xray machine probibly would be a problem. Taking out the armor should make it ok.
I've flown several times wearing a riding jacket with armor, and riding boots - no problem. Haven't tried it with pants, but don't see why it would be a problem. Sounds like it would be pretty uncomfortable though. Unless it's a fairly short flight, I wouldn't really want to do it - the jacket and boots was bad enough.
Done it a few times in full gear. Not many people know what riding gear is so you might get those questions. Been asked what kind of work Im dressed for.:huh Those new full body machines seem to do thier job. Go for it!
I think you would be ok. Arrive early, be prepared to explain the pants if needed. Don't be offended if they ask about doing a pat down in a private room. Just take it all in stride.
You should be fine. I was asked what kind of bike I ride. I told him Buell... he said cool. Just don't be a dick about it... should be ok.
I've done fly & rides twice wearing all my gear (Klim Badlands jacket & pants, AStars Scouts) and carrying my helmet. Got the full feel up both times but that was it. The were not the most comfortable flights, but TSA wasn't an issue.....as long as you dont mind a good grope.
I am planning a fly and ride later this year. My plan is to carry only what I cant replace easily at the destination; helmet, boots etc. Jacket and pants can be picked up anywhere if necessary.
You are right but when I get to my destination I don't have time to shop, its straight to work. Also, it makes a poor impression if you're tour guide shows up and is missing his/her riding gear. I have a week left until my flight. I will be wearing my riding pants (Klim Latitude) with armor. My carry on bag will have my helmet, heated vest, Zumo and cables. I will also carry my riding jacket with me. I'll give a report upon my return on how it worked out.
Can't you just wear a pair of running shorts for when going through the viewing machine? Remove & scan the pants with your other riding gear, then re-dress after the scan. Be polite. Have a good sense of humor and a positive attitude. These folks are protecting America from the Black Knight, and they see it all.
I've ridden my motorcycle to JFK multiple times (since they have free motorcycle parking ) and never had any trouble getting thru security with my riding jacket and helmet.
I checked the pants/boots, wore the riding Jacket and carried the helmet on. My electronics went into my backpack. TSA was not a problem. I had the helmet jammed with munchies, the agent asked me to remove the goodies and then they rescanned the helmet and goodies seperately. Easy/peasy.
My wife and I are planning to fly out to SF later this spring. What would be the best way to fly with helmets, jackets, boots and pants? Are there special bags that would work well for that stuff?
The boots and pants will go into regular luggage. DO NOT make the luggage look like any thing out of the ordinary. Carry the jacket and lid with you. If the boots are street boots and are easy to get on and off wear them through security.
Why don't you wear a pair of jogging shorts under your pants so you can remove your pants and slip them through the X-ray machine? You know what jogging shorts I mean? Those really thin, skimpy ones that get me all hot and bothered when I see a hot young chick jog past me in the summer. Or do what I would do - just non-nonchalantly strip down to your ginch in line and throw your riding pants on the scanner belt and act like nothing is out of the ordinary. If a tube of toothpaste larger than 100 mL poses a threat to flight safety, it's only logical that you would assume armored outerwear would shut the airport down.
I wasn't sure a large helmet would fit in the overhead bin. I wear a Shoei Hornet. I was thinking I could put my other riding gear in my large Nothface bag. I may purchase a pair of DS boots so I don't have to travel with my big MX boots.
The helmet should fit on most airlines no problem (if you are on a small commuter type flight then maybe not, might want to call the airline). I've flown with my XL HJC full face lid multiple times and it always fit in a bag in the overhead bin no problem.
My wife flew from Toronto to Vancouver last summer to join me for 5 days riding in the mountains. Because she wouldn't be able to ride without her every piece of her gear she didn't want to risk loosing any important so wore or carried it all on. Her helmet stuffed full of junk, and in it's bag, used like a purse. It wasn't an international flight so maybe less security.
