Airline won't allow carry-on walking pole

[BobM]

Qantas will not allow my walking pole as carry-on baggage. It is too big to fit in my pack, even telescoped down.

Maybe I will just check it in tied to my pack and see if it pops out of the baggage system unbroken when I arrive at Heathrow.

In case it gets wrecked or lost, is it possible to buy second-hand walking poles in SJDP? I am thinking of the Leki-type poles with wrist strap.

Regards
Bob M

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Qantas will not allow my walking pole as carry-on baggage. It is too big to fit in my pack, even telescoped down.
Bob M

Are you limited to just checking in one bag on Qantas? Is there some way of wrapping it in lots of corrugated card or something and checking it in as a second piece of check-in baggage?

 

[BobM]

Is there some way of wrapping it in lots of corrugated card or something and checking it in as a second piece of check-in baggage?

No problem with a second piece of baggage, and you have given me a good idea. Muchas gracias!

I can check the pole in packed between 2 biggish pieces of heavy cardboard to make it bulkier and less likely to go astray than just wrapping it.

Then I only have to pay Ryanair for an extra piece of baggage (extortionate sods :evil: ) from Stanstead to Biarritz.

Perhaps if I adopt a grave pilgrim mien and promise to pray for their souls (which they don't have), they might relent.

Regards
Bob M

 

[Mercury]

Ryan air Souls

Bob

Despite Ryan Air being an Irish Company, and hence you would think staffed by good Catholics - I don't think they have any souls, just v strict regulations which they make you stick by.

Still it never hurts to try a smile

Mercury

 

[BobM]

Re: Ryan air Souls

Still it never hurts to try a smile Mercury

Now why didn't I think of that?? :mrgreen:

I suppose flashing a hairy, miss-shapen ankle at those fair Irish maidens would be useless? :wink:

Regards

Bob M

 

[Minkey]

NO airline will let you take your poles on board, sadly. It'd make life so much easier if they did. Grrrrrrr-woof.

 

[Anonymous]

I've always wrapped them up and checked them in with no probs, even when I brought home some 10 poles (I passed them out) sometime ago :!:

In case it gets wrecked or lost, is it possible to buy second-hand walking poles in SJDP? I am thinking of the Leki-type poles with wrist strap.

I've seen A LOT of regular, normal, wooden poles with straps at SJPDP and in many many places along the Caminos. Another poss is to cut a limb from a tree, and, with the help of a carpenter or an "angel" u may meet along your Caminos, turn it into a pole. Have done it.

Best, 8)

 

[peregrina2000]

Since 9/11, the government has put hiking poles on the list of prohibited items for carry-on. So those of us in the US have been dealing with this irritation for a while. I prefer to carry on my pack anyway, so what I've done is pack the sticks (and my small scissors and swiss army knife) in a cardboard tube and check it. You can find those tubes at any mailing store.

If I'm going to do traveling after the camino, when I arrive in France, I stuff some clothes in the tube and mail it ahead to my final destination. And then I have the tubes for the return flight as well. But they are easy to find in Spain, in a papeleria.

On one occasion my walking partner's sticks did not arrive. She bought a pair of Leki in Pamplona, there are several outdoor stores there. They were new, and I don't know about the second hand market. I bet St. Jean has some similar outdoor stores, but I have never hunted for one.

 

[Anonymous]

I hear u, but I tell u, every year all I do is wrap my pole in newspaper, tie it up firmly with a cord, check it in, and that's it. Once I even sent it without any wrapping, it made it (so did I) :!: Best, xm 8)

 

[Minkey]

XM, you took em into the cabin???

 

[Anonymous]

No no, as checked baggage.

 

[Minkey]

I've never heard of it being a problem with checked in stuff. I just strap mine to my pack, then bish, bash, bosh... They're (meant to be) where I am!

 

[Anonymous]

...checked in stuff...strap...to...pack, then bish, bash, bosh... They're (meant to be) where I am!
_________________

Case closed :!:

Best,

xm 8)

 

[alipilgrim]

Another option if you are checking your pack, is to strap the poles to the pack then place the whole caboodle into a cheap light duffle and check that. This way, both your poles and backpack (+straps) are protected. Mail the duffle to yourself in Santiago, along with any other extraneous gear, for the return flight home!

 

[Trudy]

Hi Bob

I'm taking my pack on the plane (Qantas/Air France) but checking my hiking poles. Have decided to use one of those big stripey Chinese plastic bags, and will pack the poles in bubble wrap. Will also include nail scissors, shampoo, voltaren, nappy pins, sewing kit, and any other stuff that cannot be carried in the cabin.

I'd rather keep the backpack with me as that is the most expensive thing to replace it anything goes missing. It's easy to find replacement poles in Europe if, for some reason, the checked baggage is mishandled.

Trudy

 

[Anonymous]

It's easy to find replacement poles in Europe if, for some reason, the checked baggage is mishandled.

Ah, but my brother the palo (pole)that walked with me hundreds of miles, slept with me inside my rramsakk (ye, got that bad), suffered and was happy along with me, protected me from countless enemies, and so much more, could not be replaced by any palo, anywhere. As I see them hanging from diff walls in my house, "visually," the Caminos I walked with them are always there, in front of me (palo fixation? :?) :?: Best, xm 8)

 

[WolverineDG]

Trudy & everyone: Keep your boots with you on the plane too! Yes, it's a pain to travel in such heavy shoes, but what if your bag goes walkabout? :shock:

dg

 

[Anonymous]

...Keep your boots with you on the plane ...pain to travel in such heavy shoes, but what if your bag goes walkabout?

Hi dg. I usually travel with my socks/Tevas on, shoes in backpack. More comfortable. I place my backpack on the little compartment above the seats, lid closed. So far it has not gone walkabout, how could it :lol: :!:

Best,

xm 8)

 

[WolverineDG]

I agree that your backpack is less likely to take a self-guided tour when you bring it on board, but if you check it & your boots are in it, then chances increase that you will come up empty-handed at the baggage carrosel lottery.

dg

 

[Anonymous]

if you check it & your boots are in it, then chances increase that you will come up empty-handed at the baggage carrosel lottery.

That's a given dg, it has happened to me.

Best, xm 8)

 

[WolverineDG]

Me too, although my bags do manage to find their way home. Once I came home & my 2 bags didn't arrive. The airline person went to the carrousel to check & came back with "There are 2 bags on the carrousel." To which I replied, "Yes, I know, but they're not mine." :lol:

dg

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: So what happened :?: :?: :?:

 

[WolverineDG]

My bags showed up on the next flight.

dg

 

[Anonymous]

Lucky u, mine showed up two days later at Madrid's Barajas Airport, after I had bought MOST of my gear...I ended up in passing it out to friends...Took that one experience to learn about always carrying, from then on, ALL my camino things with me.

Be well,

xm 8)

 

[Magnara]

I put my (telescopic) poles in a postage tube and strapped it tightly to my pack to go in the hold, no problem (I did label it clearly in case it got separated, although it was strapped on so firmly there was not much risk of that). On the way home I put them inside my pack and packed my clothes around them.

 

[Minkey]

Aha... Heard that one before. You'd be surprised how tough they are. Mine are Ti anyway, so could probably withstand a nuclear blast!

 

[Anonymous]

"La voz de Galicia" is great for wrapping up palos with newspaper :lol: