Airports and Paintball "Markers" (Flying)

[djvelocitee]

Ok,
With all the ever growing security and airport problems how do i fly with my marker? If its in a bag thats scanned im sure i will get stripped searched by "Bubba"....if i break up the marker and have parts in 2 seperate bags they still will see the outline of the Benchmark .45 grip and eyebrows will raise. How do you all travel with your markers? I have not tried it yet and i dont want to find out the hard way the day i fly.
Thanks!
~Brian

[Restola]

Call the airline and ask.

None of it will make it on as a carry on, so its all getting checked.

[oldsoldier]

First, you cant carry it on. It has to be checked baggage. Second, call the airlines beforehand, ask what their policy is. Most likely, they will just tell you to declare it when you arrive. Tell the counterperson that you have a paintball MARKER. It is probably best to have it disassembled, just in case. Also, if travelling with a tank, take the gauges off, or the regulator, to prove its empty.
One last thing, a little idea someone else brought forward: travel with a copy of APG (newb freindly...self expalnatory). That way, if there are anyu questions...you have a ready source of info for them.

[Koosh]

The only problem I run into when I try and say that I have a Paintball Marker is that people look at me and go "what?"... so then I have to explain that "oh, its a paintball gun type thing" which defeats the purpose of originally calling it a marker...

[Lohman446]

Declare it as a paintball gun, who cares, you can carry a real firearm as checked baggage on a plane.

Its that tank you have to worry about, it seems to me that high pressure tanks, even if empty, are banned by TSA regulations (not everyone enforces this)

[breg]

Originally posted by Restola
Call the airline and ask.

None of it will make it on as a carry on, so its all getting checked.

Best advice.

Though, the airlines that do allow you to check HPA tanks and regs normally ask you to porvfe to them that it is empty.

[jdev]

an alternative to not wanting to deal with the hassle of the baggage check personell (because there is always one that will blow it out of proportion, regardless of what is said when you try to claim it at the check) is shipping it to yourself wherever you are staying. I know its a little extra money to ship it out and back, but, may be worth it to avoid the hassle. I say, give the checking it with your bags a try. If you find that to be too much of a hassle that time, ship it to yourself next time.

[lord1234]

i just got back from a trip where i brought my pb gear with me. Let me tell you, easy as pie. Tell the checker you have a MARKER...they will ask you what the hell a marker is...say its a paintball marker, and marker is another word for something that i don't think you are allowed to say in airports. They will understand that you mean paintball gun. It will get sent to the TSA, they check it, just make sure the barrel is not attached to the gun(thats all i did) and the gun is not gassed up. Other than that its easy as pie. No problems in either direction.

--Lord

[Restola]

One other thing to keep in mind. The airlines automatically "insure" your baggage. But only for "normal" items. Cloths, shoes, toothbrushes, etc. If you carry expensive stuff in your bags, you are responsible for them if anything happens. Your bag can not be locked, it will likely be opened by at least one person. After they inspect it, its going to get kicked and tossed around. All your careful packing might mean nothing and you could end up with a pile of bent metal (assuming your bag arrives with all the stuff in it anyways ).

I would recommend shipping it if its valued at more than $200-300.