# Can i bring a flashlight onto a plane?



## Bobpuvel (Sep 22, 2009)

I just wanted to know if i could bring a flashlight in my carry-on bag... i was just thinking of a ld10(lithium AA).


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## JohnnyLED (Sep 22, 2009)

I Just got back from LA....Had the LX2 in my pocket both ways...no issues

johnnyled


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## Marduke (Sep 22, 2009)

As at least a dozen other threads on the matter will tell you (ahem...  ), yes, you can.


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## Bobpuvel (Sep 22, 2009)

ok sweet. thanks. haha it's my first time on a plane....


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## Fonly (Sep 22, 2009)

Bobpuvel said:


> ok sweet. thanks. haha it's my first time on a plane....



yeah, first time i flew I had a Inova X5, worked great.


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## LEDobsession (Sep 22, 2009)

No problem.


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## besafe2 (Sep 23, 2009)

What others have said. No problem.


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## Cataract (Sep 23, 2009)

Got searched once because I forgot to remove all the metal from my pockets, the guy only had a quick look at my L0D and asked what it was and I did say it was a flashlight... no problems there


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## Zeruel (Sep 23, 2009)

Just don't flash the pilot when he's taking a toilet break....


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## fyrstormer (Sep 23, 2009)

Of course you can. How else are you supposed to find the snakes?


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## maxspeeds (Sep 23, 2009)

I've never had a problem with bringing a light on my person and in my carry on. In fact, on my most recent trip, I brought 3 lights in my carry on and 4 in my check baggage. I would have had them all in my carry on as I don't trust the baggage handlers (I have heard many stories of things missing from people's bags when they receive them on the other side), but I decided that some of them (larger surefire lights with KT2 bezels) could be construed as weapons.

Short story, if your light is big and has a crenelated bezel, I recommend taking it in your checked baggage and hiding it good within it. Wrap it in clothing and hide it on the bottom/back of your suitcase.


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## bullfrog (Sep 23, 2009)

Make sure if you are packing spare batteries to keep them with you in carryon - *do NOT put lithium cells in checked luggage.*

If you do put a light in checked baggage (which I don't recommend) make sure you remove the cells.

I have carried eight spare cr123s with me and six lights on a recent trip to africa - other than a crack from the tsa screener that I "must be afraid of the dark" I had no issues. Its funny - another tsa screener made the EXACT same joke when I was travelling through green bay :ironic:


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## Dioni (Sep 23, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> Just don't flash the pilot when he's taking a toilet break....


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## ionizedsky (Sep 23, 2009)

bullfrog said:


> Make sure if you are packing spare batteries to keep them with you in carryon - *do NOT put lithium cells in checked luggage.*
> 
> If you do put a light in checked baggage (which I don't recommend) make sure you remove the cells.
> 
> I have carried eight spare cr123s with me and six lights on a recent trip to africa - other than a crack from the tsa screener that I "must be afraid of the dark" I had no issues. Its funny - another tsa screener made the EXACT same joke when I was travelling through green bay :ironic:



So what was the point with not checking them.


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## Alaric Darconville (Sep 23, 2009)

ionizedsky said:


> So what was the point with not checking them.


http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html


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## bullfrog (Sep 23, 2009)

ionizedsky said:


> So what was the point with not checking them.



With regards to checking a light - I wouldn't risk a baggage guy stealing it.

With regards to lithium cells in checked luggage - there is new law from the DOT that no longer allows loose lithium batteries in checked baggage. Just not worth the risk to me of having my bag pulled or delayed bc of batteries when I can check them - even if they are kept in a carrier and not "loose."


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## bullfrog (Sep 23, 2009)

Alaric Darconville said:


> http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html



I was looking for that to post - thanks :thumbsup:


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## RobertM (Sep 23, 2009)

bullfrog said:


> With regards to checking a light - I wouldn't risk a baggage guy stealing it.
> ...



On that note, I don't ever put ANYTHING of value in checked luggage. It all stays safely with me. 

-Robert


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## Dioni (Sep 23, 2009)

Alaric Darconville said:


> http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html



Thanks for link too! :thumbsup:


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## divine (Sep 23, 2009)

I did some reading the last time I flew.

Some people have been hassled by security for having a light clipped to their pocket because people often clip knives to their pocket.

People advise not taking a light with aggressive crelenations, because if questioned, it will be difficult to explain that it isn't a weapon.


I carried a P2D in a holster the last time I flew. At each scanner, I took it out and put it in the plastic container. (They actually don't look at that plastic container much at all, most just glanced at it.) I think one person saw it and asked me to turn it on, which I did, and the head was untwisted, so it came on low and I didn't even get any strange comments. 

I argued to myself that during the day you won't typically need to have a spare light, or a light at all. I didn't actually use my light through all of the flying. I did check all my lights with crelenations, and carried on my spare batteries.


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## chipwillis (Sep 23, 2009)

I just took a Spy007, Titanium RA Clicky, and a Ti TB 38mm with 18650 tube to Vegas with no problems. They did want to look at my Sunglasses:thinking:.


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## Mr_Black (Sep 24, 2009)

I flew with my flashlights back in May. Had a Nitecore D10 in my pocket and two Surefire 6Ps (one with a Malkoff M60 MCE Warm and one with a standard M60) in my laptop case. Also had some spare 123s and Eneloops. Nobody said a word to me about them.

Never had a problem carrying a flashlight anywhere. The last time I was in DC with a boy scout group we did the White House tour and I brought my Surefire Z2 with me. I put it through the metal detector and one of the uniformed secret service officers picked it up, took a look at it and then just handed it to me.


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## gallonoffuel (Sep 25, 2009)

My flight out of Newark on Monday was started with the X-Ray guy indicating something of interest in my carryon backpack. The X-Ray operator was pointing something out on the screen to his assistant, and make an ice-pick striking motion into his left hand. I knew right away they were going to question my lights. The assistant opened up the front compartment of my pack and took my 6P and E1L out and inspected both, turned them on, etc. My only response was 'Flashlights...?'. He put them back and said have a nice day, but I do wonder if the X-Ray operator was hoping to take home about $200 worth of illumination tools that day. Neither had a strike bezel and both were fully operational.

On my flight back home I was stopped in the little regional airport I flew out of because of my SC3 spares carrier. It wasn't an issue but the SC3 apparently looks 'strange' on an x-ray machine.


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## bullfrog (Sep 25, 2009)

gallonoffuel said:


> On my flight back home I was stopped in the little regional airport I flew out of because of my SC3 spares carrier. It wasn't an issue but the SC3 apparently looks 'strange' on an x-ray machine.



I've had a few screeners tell me the sc3s looked like speed loaders under the xray machine - like yourself though, never had an issue.


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## MaxStatic (Sep 28, 2009)

I wouldn't bring a strike bezel light with you. 

I've never had problems with a G2, E2E or E1E but the one time I took my E2D....yea different story. Was hassled on the way out of ATL by a crooked TSA that wanted to take it home for himself me thinks. 

On the way home, out of SeaTac, the TSA wouldn't let me pass.  I had to call my father, that had dropped me off at the airport, to come back to grab the light so they didn't swipe it. 

It's laughable as they actually threatened to arrest me at SeaTac, I say laughable because just before this flight, I had just left my normal job as LEO and entered into active duty with the military. Apparently my checked baggage, that had a firearm checked in it, was not an option. It was either "get someone to the security gate to pick it up or lose it to us." :sick2:

So, no strike bezels unless you want your salad tossed by TSA. :thumbsdow


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## RobertM (Sep 28, 2009)

No problems here with LX2, A2, E1e, SC3, and E1B (different occasions, not all at once, LOL).

If they threatened to take the flashlight because of the strike bezel and I didn't have any other options, I'd give them the bezel only and keep the rest.


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## DM51 (Sep 29, 2009)

There have been many dozens of threads on this topic, all of which can be found quite easily if you look for them. 

Occasionally it is worth having a new thread about this, for example if there is a change in airline security policy or procedure, but these changes are few and far between and in any case they are usually outweighed by interpretations of policy made by individual security personnel.

However, there have been no such changes recently, so the answer to your question continues to be "Yes, you are allowed to take a flashlight onto a plane."

This thread can close.


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