What is in your carry on

[gbb]

I've been through Heathrow before with a 4 1/2 " angle grinder. I made sure it was at the top of the hand luggage as I thought it would be held back when they scan the hold luggage and definitely picked up on at the security check. As expected, the guy at the security check called me over. Before he could even ask I told him what it was and what I needed it for (cutting tiles at my parents' place in Cyprus). He just laughed and waved me through

Anyone carrying tools risks attracting unwanted attention.
Not in hand luggage, but getting into Egypt with tools was a nightmare...
It seemed to snowball, i'm sure i got flagged up and got endless questions and checks. Went through an initial secuity area where they scanned my bags (full of equipment and tools), they spent ages looking at the screen, then passed it through.
At the next desk, i handed my passport over. The girl looked at it, then looked at me. She did the same maybe 4 or 5 times. I smiled benignly. She called a colleague over....he looked at the passport then looked at me several times. they talked between each other (in arabic of course). I asked if there was a problem. No...but you look different to your photo ?. Well, it was taken maybe 8 years ago. Your hair is different ?. I've had a lot of haircuts in the meantime
Made it through there, nearly at the exit door, and i was pulled over to one side...'can i see in your luggage please sir'.
Duly opened it all up...a look of surprise/befuddlement came over the security guys face. 'Problem' ? i asked....'Yes, big problem' he replied. 'I need to know what you are doing with all these things'
How do you explain what a RJ45 to USB adaptor is for ?, specialist tools that if i told him, he wouldnt understand ? Circuit boards for proofing and testing machinery...just telling him i was here to install some equipment didnt seem to be enough.
Then the inevitable questions you cant answer...
Where are you going ? Err, i dont know, someones picking me up outside.
Which hotel are you staying in...err, they're arranging that, i dont know.
Do you even know which city you're going to...err, no, i only know the company name and its between Cairo and Alexandria.

Definately the worst country ive been to for security checks, even more so when you're carrying something odd.

Colleague often works in Spain. He's given up carrying tools, gets them shipped over beforehand. He got fed up of endless questions, security going through everything with a fine toothcomb...just too much aggro.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

All goes to show, all this security paraphernalia is a piece of p*ss anyway! If an innocent passenger can 'smuggle' a knife on board, so can al Quaeda...

There's invariably a 'confiscated' Swiss Army knife in the bin. Now I carry around my trusty Swiss Army all the time - indeed I'd be lost without it.
But at the airport I'm always doubly careful to remember to put it in the hold bag. I'm often terrified in case I forget...

I did that once at Prestwick, but was able to go out of security and post it back to myself. I have done that since with something else at Heathrow, although that was a total faff as the post office was in another terminal and I had to hurry!

On the other hand, I have been through security with a whole load of 'illegal' items that live in my bag (and hence forgotten about) and never had a problem.

 

[ayceejay]

I was on my way to visit grandkids. I was only going for three days so everything I was taking was in hand luggage. The previous day I had bought plastic water pistols for fun in the pool and some blow bubbles for, well bubble blowing. The customs guy confiscated all of it. I asked to see a supervisor because I couldn't understand the danger, he explained that I could draw lighter fluid into a water pistol (they were still wrapped in that hard plastic BTW) then set light to it as I shot the fluid across the airplane. I said that I suppose I could but as I had neither lighter fluid or matches the idea had never occurred to me before he mentioned it. The bubbles were dangerous for being a fluid, I was told.

 

[slowmotion]

I use a small battered day rucksac as hand luggage. I can take stuff to work and back using it and it is falling to bits. A couple of years ago, it got X rayed and they asked me to empty it, which I did. They still looked a bit worried, and showed me the screen. A 65 mm long, 16mm diameter router cutter (complete with a £20 collet) had slipped into the lining and did look a bit like a detonator. They took the cutter( £33) but allowed me to keep the collet.

What did they think I could do with it FFS...shave the pilot to death?

 

[Bollo]

...which is why I haven't flown in 6 years. Hate it. Hate it to death. I was unlucky (or lucky depending on your point of view) to be on the team sheet for a plane vs Rockies fixture when I was 21. Game cancelled due to the plane hydraulics failure and fuel leak not quite being serious enough, but I've been a very nervous flyer ever since. All the security guff just ramps up the stress.If you want to get all cynical about airport security (and link it to helmet compulsion in one vast conspiracy) look up the term 'theatre of security' on that there google.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I usually have a camera in my hand luggage (couldn't bear to lose it if my bigger luggage got nicked). My two part table top tripod has twice been mistaken for a dissembled pistol (think Day of the Jackal) but once they have seen what it is I get it back.

I once had a Marks & Spencers umbrella confiscated at Stansted because the (unbelievably blunt) pointed end meant that it was a dangerous weapon with which I could hijack the aircraft!