Flying with your Box

[digital abuzer]

Hello, this will be my first Defcon and I was wondering how I can bring my tower on a plane. Would I have to ship it seperately, put it below, or can I carry it on the plane since its a mid tower ATX. I know that laptops are allowed as carry ons but I wanted to bring my home system also.

thx.

[converge]

A tower will certainly not be allowed as a carryon.. it would not fit overhead, nor in the 6" area they expect you to fit your legs and feet into (maybe its just because I'm tall)

Check the regs online of the flight you plan on taking out. I know last year.. yes, approaching a full year ago now, I was allowed by Delta 1 carryon, and 1 personal item (laptop). Of course, I had a backpack and dual-laptop case fully stuffed with equipment, and it slid by then. I don't expect to get away with half of it if I flew at this point in time.

[blackwave]

yikes, seems like a world class hassle...
generally they like to see anything monolithic to be powered up and proven that it works...(somehow this proves that it isn't a bomb of some kind) then they would probably open it up and look like monkeys on an ant hill... better to have it shipped.

[Chris]

Originally posted by blackwave
yikes, seems like a world class hassle...
generally they like to see anything monolithic to be powered up and proven that it works...(somehow this proves that it isn't a bomb of some kind) then they would probably open it up and look like monkeys on an ant hill... better to have it shipped.

If you got balls of steel you could check it.

[BiZaR]

When i was flying to Poland they checked my Cd Player, and Gameboy Advanced. Turned it on, see if it works, Play with it for a little then you got to pass

They did crank security up a alot

[TwinVega]

Originally posted by BiZaR
When i was flying to Poland they checked my Cd Player, and Gameboy Advanced. Turned it on, see if it works, Play with it for a little then you got to pass

They did crank security up a alot

Those are a little bit smaller....

[simple3]

Actually you may be able to carry it on. My roomate carried his mid tower on when he flew back home over the summer. although it fell ouy of the overhead compartment when he opened it after the flight. That fucked up the case and it broke the power supply. If you pack it really tight you may be able to carry it on if they still have the same size limits as in august. You will most definately have to turn it on. But I think bringing your CRT onboard might not fly.

When I flew internationally last summer they made me give them the batteries out of my FRS radios. When I got to the other side of the secure checkpoint not only could I buy more batteries, they also had the radios for sale at one of those duty-free shops. they don't seem to be that intelligent.

--simple3

[Kai]

When I flew internationally last summer they made me give them the batteries out of my FRS radios. When I got to the other side of the secure checkpoint not only could I buy more batteries, they also had the radios for sale at one of those duty-free shops. they don't seem to be that intelligent.

That's perfect!
haha

[russ]

Originally posted by Chris
If you got balls of steel you could check it.

Oh yeah, I most certainly would NOT take the computer on the plane with me. Talk about a pain in the azz.... They'll open the box it's in, open the case, examine all the parts, call you back to power it on, etc.

I'd consider shipping it or something.

[blackwave]

Originally posted by simple3
When I flew internationally last summer they made me give them the batteries out of my FRS radios. When I got to the other side of the secure checkpoint not only could I buy more batteries, they also had the radios for sale at one of those duty-free shops. they don't seem to be that intelligent.

Hahah, actually that is pretty smart... at least in getting you to buy new batteries and probably at twice the price. :D

[highwizard]

Re: Flying with your Box

Originally posted by digital abuzer
Hello, this will be my first Defcon and I was wondering how I can bring my tower on a plane. Would I have to ship it seperately, put it below, or can I carry it on the plane since its a mid tower ATX. I know that laptops are allowed as carry ons but I wanted to bring my home system also.

thx.

How far are you traveling?

[skroo]

Recommendation...

I've done this *a lot*, and here's my suggestion for getting a non-laptop computer to where you're going to be:

FedEx.

Pack it well, insure it, and give them a delivery date. Call your hotel ahead of time and tell them to expect it and hold onto it for you. Bring the drives with you just in case something goes wrong, and reassemble it at the other end.

I have had airlines cause more damage to my equipment than anything else I can think of, and with the additional 'security' precautions in effect nowadays, it'd probably be more trouble than it's worth to try to check it or carry it on with you.

[murakami]

Another recommendation -

Buy a pelican case if you are going to do this more than once. They're expensive as cases go, but well worth it. I ship/fly 19" flat panels to trade shows and they have yet to be damaged.

[astcell]

At DC9 one guy put his PC inside a suitcase and flew with it, the motherboard was mounted to the suitcase. Quite a neat display. Just bring the guts, who needs the box.

[octalpus]

Originally posted by russ
Oh yeah, I most certainly would NOT take the computer on the plane with me. Talk about a pain in the azz.... They'll open the box it's in, open the case, examine all the parts, call you back to power it on, etc.

I'd consider shipping it or something.

I threw that Sparc workstation in my luggage last year, since it was something I wasn't too worried about... Just packed it inside with the clothes and hooker boots and zipped it up. Not a single problem. I even had ribbons tying the zippers shut, and they weren't tampered with at all. You'd certainly want to pack a more valued system better than that, but they didn't open it, question it, or anything. It was REALLY bulky, too. The edges were bulging, since I had jammed it in there diagonally, and it didn't entirely fi. I had thrown the CD-ROM drive in there as wel (that really really big heavy external bugger), plus some books and other heavy things. Oh... the DC10 dong was in the outside pocket, and the outline of that was clearly visible. I think I had some nipple clamps, and a few other, erm... "souvenirs" in that pocket too. The penis candles, among other things.... What else was in there? Wire strippers, crimpers, a few bartending tools... Yeah, it was a pretty interesting bag all around. It's amazing what they don't care about.