Flying to the Bahamas, looking for tips for taking the detector

[BootyHunter]

I have been on cruises and took my Equinox and travel scoop with no issues. But we are planning to fly to the Bahamas in a few months, and I am wanting to take my Equinox and Travel scoop. The Equinox I can disassemble and it fits in a large backpack, the travel scoop will fit in a standard suitcase when its broken down, but I have no experience flying and dont know what to expect. I would like to take the Equinox in a carry on bag so I can keep it close at hand, but not sure how large a bag can be used for carryon. We dont have the plane tickets yrt so I am not sure which airline, hoping to get some ideas from you guys if there is a better one to use than the others. What about the lithium battery in the Equinox, is it even able to be taken on a plane? Plan B would be my DetectorPro Wader or Seahunter Mark 2 (the shaft would be an issue unless I ONLY snorkeled with the diving shaft but I want to wade) if the Equinox is out due to the lithium battery. We will be there for a week, and I go out in the morning before my wife gets up so I really want to take a detector, I have found some jewelry and cool Bahamas coins from the cruise trips. Im open to suggestions and would love to hear your recent experiences flying with your equipment. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mark ( ohio )]

heres an opinion from my own personal experience...We also vacationed in the Bahamas ( tho many yrs ago ) an I took my detector and scoop with me..The detector broke down small enough so I carried it on and the scoop was in the checked baggage .. I was a bit worried going thru customs but US customs were more stringent then the Bahamas.. Seems they see alot of tourist bringing detectors with them.. I left the batteries in the detector and it wasn't an issue... Just two seasons ago I was in the Dominican Republic and again customs on the island didn't even bat an eye at the detector...

Good luck, hope you do well.. Mark ( ohio )

 

[BigTony]

About 10 years ago we went to Fla via plane and I took my stuff. I packed a detector bag with extra towels for packing. It was with the luggage. No issues back then with extra weight.
Tony

 

[sonnar28]

Do a duckduckgo or google search for "carry-on-luggage-size-chart" once you decide on an airline, specifically looking at the international flight max carry on size, as it varies by airline. We always fly American Airlines as we live near the Charlotte NC hub.

I have flown with the Equinox several times with no problem. I disassembled the detector, taking the control unit off the shaft, and carried the control unit, the coils, and the headphones in a carry on with the control unit wrapped in two T-shirts and the coils and headphones wrapped in thin towels. The lithium battery is secured inside the control unit, so no problem there.

The shaft, cuff assembly, screws, the torx screwdriver (with backup screwdriver), charger, charging cable etc go in the checked luggage. The broken down scoop goes in the checked luggage with heavy socks on each end of the shaft, and a circular piece of card board is securely taped over the lip of the scoop with a t-shirt over the scoop. When you pack the scoop, arrange it so the scoop faces inward to protect the luggage if someone is rough with it.

Then go find lots of gold rings!

 

[u2robert]

I think you can get scoops that break down for travel now with carbon fiber handles and stuff

 

[woffie]

Just got back from Cozumel with my excalibur II. broke it down and put all shafts and scoop in checked luggage, then the electronics and coil in my carry on.. No problems