✈️ FLYING With Your MUSIC GEAR/INSTRUMENTS - What You NEED To Know ✈️

[@JohnvanCapel]

Here's a hot take: The "Unwind your strings" argument is a Get Out Of Liability Free Card for the airline, and nothing else. IF the guitar gets damaged, "You didn't unwind the strings, so it's your own fault" is a common defense the airline will use and will get away with despite being bogus - so even though it's not going to physically help anything, you should unwind your strings and *film yourself doing it* for proof. Hard cases vs soft cases is definitely a tradeoff, and it's at least in part dependent on where you live. If you live in the US and do a lot of domestic flights, you have that law helping you out that says you can put it in the overhead if it fits - so a soft case will help there. Outside of the US though, you're really rolling the dice and I would suggest getting the most rugged hardshell case you can find - sometimes you won't even get to gate-check, it'll *have* to go on the conveyor.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s a fair point on the first part. And hard cases are nice for sure, but what I went over in the video has been my experience with domestic and international travel with my guitar. I still recommend mono cases because it’s the best of both worlds

[@ericglickrieman939]

About the string loosening thing; I know that my family's 60's Gibson acoustic was checked on a plane by a family member. They made him check the guitar because of lack of space. The head broke off. The strings were not loosened. I suspect the hard case took a solid hit and the guitar snapped with the impact. That's enough for me to loosen my strings.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I see conflicting info about it, but it can’t hurt it though!

[@OlegAryutkin]

I flew quite a bit. Saw my flight case get violently thrown 9 feet in the air, my rack cases arrived without lids, out pedalboards got messed up, you name it

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup, it really is a shame that it’s such a struggle

[@ronniemwagner]

I ended up traveling with a short scale bass in a soft gig bag. Always fits in the overhead compartment onboard the aircraft. Coat closets not 100% available in my experience. MusicMan short scale Stingray (passive) easy to fly!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s true! The 3/4 size ones definitely are easier to fit

[@OlegAryutkin]

My top 3 advice from experience: Everything essential to the show goes on my back. If u check something be prepared to not have it When I fly I make sure to wear presentable clothes. In case luggage gets lost and I don’t have an opportunity to shop for clothes before 1st show - I gotta hit the stage with what’s on my back. Also never know who you’re gonna meet on the road - meets and greets, fans at the airport (happened, although we’re far from being a big act)

[@deansinghgill]

Thanks for the tips, Scott!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks for watching 🤘

[@songboy40]

Next time you gate-check, use the term "Last thing on, First thing off". It's less likely they'll damage the instrument. I used a leather Reunion Blues double bag to carry a pair of guitars.

[@2112RushTributeBand]

Came here from the Turks and Caicos video...great stuff as usual, I appreciate learning what to do and what not to do based upon your trials and tribulations... and I mean that with the utmost respect.. thank you! Ps global entry instead of basic TSA is only 20 bucks more and you fly through Customs when you get back home if the airport participates in the program..worth the extra 20 bucks to get all TSA offers plus the added benefits coming back to the US.. even though you have to go for a pre-interview prior to going on the trip.. unless once you are approved in the system (you will get notified of "conditional approval" you can instead do "entry upon arrival interview" when you get back the first time

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks! And yeah I’ve considered doing the global entry. I have the app, but it only works in a few airports and sometimes it’s down lol

[@BigHugeYES]

The reason to loosen your guitar strings, I thought, was because cargo can get really cold and that will tighten the strings and put tension on the neck, which could slightly throw off its intonation.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s what I’ve heard, but I don’t believe it’s actually true

[@JohnvanCapel]

The thing is, even if it *were* true, the strings would just snap in that scenario before any damage to the neck could occur, same as if you over-tighten them manually.

[@horseoftroja]

I just saw this video. Great video by the way. My band Horse Of Troja had a small tour in Poland and Germany now in March 2023. We flew with Eurowigs from Arlanda Sweden to Berlin, No problems to bring the guitars to the plane. But the same company, same airplaine from Berlin there was A big No to bring the guitars in to the plane. Don't fit the overhead compartment. But hey we flew with you over here. They didn't care. First they wanted 120 euro for each guitar, Hell Moore than the ticket cost. Any how, 1 of our guitar player and bass player left in special check in. But our 2 guitar player just put the guitar neck under his jacket under his arm pit so it look like hi was carrying a briefcase. No problems at all to bring it on the plane.

[@itisWhatitis12345]

This video was really amazing. I had no idea you could gate check your guitars. The point about not flying with your most precious guitar/gear is actually really great and makes sense. Although it's a bit sad.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thank you 🙏 and I agree, it’s definitely sad that we have to worry so much about it

[@CuZn7030]

I’m on a deep dive watching your videos- really exceptional detail and explanations you’re providing along with real world reviews. The advancements in tech over the last few years have completely changed the game for the average user !

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks for watching the videos on the channel John 🤘🤘

[@BigHugeYES]

Yea soft case vs hard can be a catch-22. After flying many times I got tired of worrying about free gate checks and bought a big SKB iSeries case for my acoustic and then I cram all the most heavy, dense gear into that case to get it close to 50 lbs. then check it and use a normal carry on. Optionally you could draw the shape of a guitar on the outside of the case to visually indicate that it's fragile. Also, most airlines credit cards make your first bag free for you and 4 travel companions on the same reservation.

[@Theonlymoog]

Said it before, I'll say it again. You're a genius. Some absolute gems here, especially the hard/soft case thing. Just picked up a Taylor GS Mini so I would be able to get it to Ireland when I travel for work. Haven't run that gauntlet yet, feeling better about my choice now. Thanks!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thank you! And yeah the soft case/hard case thing is very real. I got the mono case that’s even more slim than the one I had and it’s definitely a lot easier to travel with and I get stopped even less 👍

[@dvdpz89]

Can’t thank you enough for this. Going to be traveling a lot more next year and this is so helpful. Thanks to you I plan on getting tsa precheck and that sennheiser wireless. Will definitely Benjamin that’s small traveling tips as well.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Glad you found the video helpful! Safe travels 🤘

[@mvp019]

Great advice from someone who has walked the walk...

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thank you!

[@jameswhite9300]

I can’t believe they thought your IEM receiver was a bomb lol. That’s insanity

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Hahaha yeah man, that freaked me out for sure!

[@hemanthsridhargowda6673]

wonderfull it helped ahh lot being an av programmer

[@briankelm]

Replay!!! I love how thorough your videos are!!! Thank You Scott for all your hard work and effort with each of these videos!!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks Brian! I appreciate how much you’ve enjoyed the channel 🤘🤘

[@briankelm]

@@ScottUhlMusic You bet! The topics you cover and approach you take matches my style.

[@RobCmusic]

A good backup rig is the Mooer P1 Prime, which is basically the GTRS guitar's FX in a small, ipod-looking device.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup! That’s another great option for sure 🤘

[@kevystead]

Once, while traveling from Ontario to Edmonton via Air Canada. I almost missed my flight due to being a bit underprepared for the security check. I was traveling with a backpack containing my IEM rig, Tablet and some back up cables. Also had a cymbal bag with a couple extra cymbals and clamps as well as my Tama rhythm watch. They took EVERYTHING out, swabbed it, and asked multiple questions I barley made the flight boarding! Talk about nerve racking! Luckily thought the plane crew was Amazing and let me store the cymbal bag on the plane To Edmonton and in the plane belly via gate check on the way back.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s funny, we just did a few shows in Canada last weekend, and the TSA in Canada had to do the same thing. She was very polite though, and even asked me to take my guitar out so she didn’t damage it. But they definitely will take time to go through your stuff!

[@artofplanets]

Allen wrenches. Perhaps there are hex screws accessible somewhere on the inside of the plane. They don't want to risk someone taking the plane apart. Maybe there are access panels, etc.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Interesting, that might be it 🤷

[@antoinefleuriot2509]

Love your videos , loads of great imformation. A coment I would make about guitar soft cases is make sure all the straps are as short as possible if you are not alloyed to take it on the plane with you, as I have seen where the back strap on a soft guitar case got caught in the carrosel ripped the case apart and badly damaged the guitar. I have found if you get there early and are one of the first on the plane they seem to be more agreeable about bringing guitars on the plane as opposed to being one of the last on the plane. Also if you are for example going to spend a few weeks in one country are there specialist freight companies that can ship your gear out, does it work out cheaper and less hassle as if you go over weight it soon gets expensive. I would add some flights have weird rules. For example I flew to Cyprus and my lauggage was over weight. If I classed it as music gear it was a lot more expensive than classing it as ski gear and no one seemed to care that it was obviously a guitar. Of course any insurance claim would be void but it was substantially cheaper as excess weight, to class it as ski equipment.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Nice! Thanks for the tips! I appreciate you sharing them 🤘

[@raidenlozenthall]

How was the gig in Cancún? Very cool insight

[@ScottUhlMusic]

It was great! We’ve done it 4/5 times 🤘

[@oao8227]

You pretty much covered it all. Great video. I can't count how many times I've been in arguments with flight attendants about this. Many times you win, sometimes you lose. I also switched to soft shell because of that same issue. Hard shell case for a Country Gentleman (17" lower body") was never easy. Soft shell became easier. In the later 00's I had my tonelab taken apart in some country out in the middle east area. They kept it and eventually mailed it back to LAX where I had to pick it up, of course it wouldn't turn on. Most of my TSA issues came from international travel. Thankfully I pretty much exclusively do stuff in the states now and more part time basis (nothing that requires me to leave more than 4 days at a time, schooling to be a nurse) and have had no TSA issues, just the usual battle to get closet or overhead space. I'm glad you talked about the gate check trick. One time a dude who mustve really hated me took my guitar out of the overhead space and retagged it, there were plenty of empty overhead spaces. What a douche. I'm gonna look into one of those small travel cases, do you just fit that into your backpack? As of now I'm sticking my Ampero Stomp (roughly same size as HX stomp) into my backpack wrapped in old t shirts lol. I also put my wireless dongles, sennheiser IEM (without that cool hack that you use, itake the entire receiver), a midi controller, other items. So far so good but my backpack is heavy and clunky. I bought a lot of things because of your channel, but having the same backpack is a coincidence. I need to look into the reverse IEM hack to save some backpack space. After all these years, I'm sick of the battle for overhead space and closet space. Yesterday I ordered an ENKI 2XL travel case. I'm switching over to checking my guitars (if the Country Gent fits). Did you say you're from Denver? I just played there last weekend at The Soiled Dove on Friday then at Stargazers (CoSprings) on Saturday. I'll be at those venues again in February. Hope you didn't read all that. IT hurts my eyes just looking at the wall of text. Great video as always, cheers!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Oh nice man! Both are great venues! What is your band? And yeah the nightmares of travel are so obnoxious. I don’t understand the fight when there clearly is a lot of space. I’ll have to look into some of this gear you mentioned! Thanks for the comment

[@tomfostertennis]

You can easily renew your TSA online, they don’t require another interview. Easy stuff.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Good to know! I actually still have about a year left, but I’m glad to know it’s super easy

[@lgovantes1]

Awesome video, as usual. You had me laughing because I associated with your TSA experiences! I also have some really insane stories traveling. I also love your passion for compact toys! That is one of my goals…to maximize performance with minimal items. Your flight experiences bring that home! KUTGW!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks! And I had to take it down a little for the TSA stuff haha

[@lgovantes1]

@@ScottUhlMusic One thing I did that helped was having my phone preloaded with the links to the equipment description pages to show TSA. This brought some credibility to what I was carrying. I also watched the video on the GTRS guitar and was wondering if you saw the P800 model and if any of these had MIDI capability?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yeah I want the P800! Although it does not have midi capabilities

[@lgovantes1]

@@ScottUhlMusic I like the other option you had a video for…the P1 system. The only thing I do not like about these great compact systems is the lack of MIDI. Have you seen the W800?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yeah I want to try that one too 🤘

[@nana-ld4cr]

Love your videos, dude! Really helpful. Thank you

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thank you!

[@sachachanyan]

Extremely helpful..... 🙂👍

[@johnconroy9989]

Awesome video! Currently traveling the world with weekly flights and a guitar based on some of your reccomendations Scott... A hx stomp, steinberger, anker powerbank and my volts cable have been awesome for me and I've always been able to put this under the seat or in overhead bin on central/South American flights with absolutely zero issues so far. A strandburg guitar could be a great investment if someone wanted a more professional version of this.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Awesome! Glad to hear it’s been helping you out! I still use my Stomp for one band I play in because I need to pitch shift, and as amazing as the GTRS is the pitch shifter is useless. And I still gig with that setup. Thanks for the comment! Glad the videos have been helping you out 🤘 safe travels

[@johnconroy9989]

@@ScottUhlMusic absolutely man! never miss any new uploads

[@Mr_A_Mia]

Very important video. Thank you!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks!

[@JDavilaDavilaDVP_Productions]

Great video! I’m not as famous as you and your band but it’s good info! Thanks!

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks for watching! I’m definitely still working on that fame thing though 😅

[@lennyevans4724]

Great video.. a lot of things I didn’t think of

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks! Glad to help

[@themullett]

Great content as always Scott. Appreciate your tips and tricks

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks Shaun! I appreciate it 🤘

[@ArtaskaStrings]

Thank you for this video!

[@sanchopansen4431]

I really enjoyed watching this. I'd like to throw in the soft cases of Reunion Blues. I've tried the Mono and wasn't too happy with them. The Reunion Blues are much better in my humble opinion.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I think that’s the one my other guitar player has actually. I can’t remember, but it’s similar to mono

[@sanchopansen4431]

@@ScottUhlMusic Yes, they are very similar. The zipper of the Mono case scratched the nitro finish of one of my guitars, that's why I tried different ones and settled with the Reunion Blues cases. Again, great video - as usual. Keep up the great work!

[@freddieonbass]

Hey great video how is the Ew112 p a wireless guitar system ? Amazon has it as a wireless mic system

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Here’s my portable wireless setup: My Favorite Multi Use Wireless System - Sennheiser EW 100/500 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ2peKFsdt2ap6M

[@lobo_zone]

Thanks Scott, a lot of good information and great advices

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks 😊

[@somnentofficial1097]

Your videos are priceless, thank you so much for this one and all the others 🙌

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Thanks!

[@allboutthemojo]

​@ScottUhlMusic one more thing about flying with your guitar or expensive gear ( can't confirm this is current because I've only read about it online) is that you can ask to buy insurance at the ticket counter. They have a term for it and last I checked, it wasn't expensive. Some people in threads posted that if you ask for that, they will sometimes just let you carry on.

[@bkauff00]

Starting to get a little burnt out with OnSong and this looks like a great alternative with even more functionality.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

When OnSong went subscription model, I stopped using it

[@bkauff00]

@@ScottUhlMusic lol I just realized I commented on the wrong video. KZbin must have changed videos before I realized.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Hahaha I thought my KZbin app was glitching out haha

[@EsmayOfficial]

Hi! Thank you so much for this helpful video! I’m about to fly for the first time. I play the violín but I was wondering if I can bring my “Mackie profx10v3 Mixer” with me as a personal item in a back pack like the backpack you mentioned. Will tsa approve of it? Also I have a rechargeable pedal board, 2 pedals, and some cables I would like to bring in my checked bag/suitcase. Are those allowed as well? Thank you so much! Any help will be much appreciated since I can’t find any info on any of this anywhere. Have a great day! 🙏🏼

[@ScottUhlMusic]

You should be able to, just don’t overstuff the personal item/backpack because they will put up a fight if it doesn’t fit in the seat underneath you. TSA is fine about 90% of the time I’ve found. The one thing always out of all of our control is the logic of a human in a “position of power” like the TSA lol. Best of luck!

[@navinadv]

I have a Martin GPC 11E that came with a Martin Gig Bag. Will the Martin Gig Bag suffice? I will be flying with my guitar only twice till I settle in Chicago.

[@sk1968dart]

Be careful going through Las Vegas, I had a carry on bag with iPhone air pods and they snatched them up, I go to Vegas often and every time I leave airport iPhone alerts me I'm leaving air pods at airport.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Wow, they wouldn’t let you bring your AirPods onto the plane?? That’s crazy

[@sk1968dart]

@@ScottUhlMusic Yes, an employee just flat out stole them. I’ve taken them many times before. Now I put them in the tub out in the open and put em in my pocket after I get my carry on back from x-ray. Only Vegas!

[@WarrenPostma]

I can see the various transport safety authorities blocking allen wrenches and security type screwdrivers because various bad people have tried to dismantle aircraft systems, panelling, etc, while onboard.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Hmm that’s interesting 🤔

[@WanderingWare]

Any tips for a keyboard rig? I have a Nord stage 3 compact in an SKB hard case (53” x 17”). I am flying to a gig in a couple months and trying to figure out if I need to just accept the fact that I need to gate check it, or possibly be able to bring it in with me.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

It all depends on the airline and the flight attendant. You will likely have to gate check it, but you never know! Give it a shot. My bass player when we traveled to Mexico was able to carry his very large bass case. Someone actually said “do we have room for this keyboard?” Because it was so big haha. But they got it on!

[@aleksandarbelic5275]

Back in 2005, I was visiting some family in the States (I'm from Europe) and when I was flying to the States, they let me take my Ovation with me on the plane. However, on the way back, they would not let me do the same and insisted I put it with the rest of the baggage. Apparently, the guitar can be used as a weapon and the strings too. This was few years after 9/11 so you couldn't really argue with them about it, I just had to do it. Needless to say, my guitar was lost, took 7 days to track it, Paris, Vienna, Budapest... When it finally arrived, the headstock was broken. The airline refused to accept any responsibility, I never got any compensation, and I also never managed to successfully fix the guitar either.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Oh my god! This stuff makes me so furious to read 🤬 I’m sorry man. It’s so frustrating the lack of respect some people have.

[@aleksandarbelic5275]

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that when it arrived and I went to the airport to collect it, the Customs tried to charge me for import fees because they thought I bought it in the US :) I was young, stupid, and furious, it nearly got me arrested when I snapped at them. Luckily, my dad was with me and managed to defuse the situation. Oh well...lesson learned.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Man, that sounds like it was one of the biggest nightmares. Sorry man, that really sucks!

[@darrylday30]

Great tips. What do keyboard players do? Should we just bring a tone module/Ipad app and rent a basic master keyboard at the gig?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

You can for sure. Keys are hard to travel with. Especially if they are 88 keys

[@livingsongministry]

Hey Scott, thanks for the information! Quick question, you mentioned your wireless monitor pack on this video, do you also use that with your Xair setup? If so, then is your Xair connected via ethernet cable to the laptop for mixing, instead of wireless connection? We thought you couldn't setup wireless devices on the Xair if it is used to mix wireless. Apparently the connection for the wireless instruments or monitors will get bumped off unless you use a ethernet. Sorry for the lengthy question.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I usually use a wireless connection for the xair and my iPad. You definitely can use wireless for it

[@BigHugeYES]

Guitar as a free carryon is an FAA regulation and only applies to US domestic flights or international flights that are arriving or departing in the US. At most non-US airports they probably won’t know this FAA regulation.

[@alexisjordan3303]

And even if they know this regulation, they don't have to apply iy outside the US!

[@TheRockk35]

Any advice on travelling with the helix?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I like the Hx Stomp for travel more for sure. Helix will be a lot tougher to travel with and probably needs to be checked

[@TheRockk35]

@@ScottUhlMusic Appreciate the insight

[@oao8227]

I noticed the "Sennheiser Pro Audio Plug On Transmitter, Color A (SKP 100 G4-A)" is EW G4.. do you know if it would work with a body back that's EW G3??

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Yup it does 👍 sennheiser designed it that way and I specifically asked them

[@itisWhatitis12345]

Does anyone know if you can fit an explorer in a mono case?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Mono should have it listed on their site for which one to get

[@castletransport]

So i'll be buying a brand new acoustic bass guitar from a foreign country (Philippines) and bringing it back to the UK, I was thinking of just checking the guitar in. I thought maybe put the guitar in a hard case then bubble wrap the outside of the case to protect it from people throwing the guitar around like a toy, then on the outside of that covering it with a cardboard box that I tape together to keep it water protected (rain). Any thoughts?

[@ScottUhlMusic]

If it’s in a hard case, 99% of the times it’s gonna be okay for sure from damage. I also believe good ones are all quite waterproof so you shouldn’t have to worry about rain. I understand the concern though for sure! You can try to bring it onto the plane as your carry on, or have them gate check it 👍 That would be my advice if you can.

[@davidg9927]

When I flew I put my guitar in its case and then a cardboard shipping box …. They treat it as fragile …. Last gig flying home I left the cardboard box behind and sure enough … my case got ripped ….

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Oh interesting! That’s a good tip for sure!

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

Hold up, did they take those tools from your carry on? Because that's an obvious no-no. But if they took them from your checked in luggage I would be shocked. I fly mostly intercontinental between East Asia and the West Coast, and I've never had anything taken away, because I avoid carrying the obviously forbidden items like a multitool which I basically feel naked without. The closest I've come to intense scrutiny was in China because I'm Man vs. Wild kind of guy so my bag included a mini tripod, DSLR, some gadgets like crampons and a bag hook, electronic stuff, but nothing with a blade or other actual tool on it, so they basically took an x-ray photo of my bag's contents but it was fine--and that's a country where you can't bring in any kind of liquids even if you bought some pricey liquor at the duty free before boarding. I'm originally a sax player, now born again musician on guitar. My sax in a gig bag, I always would have it with me in my seat, which really sucks on a twelve hour flight in Economy, but worth it for peace of mind. I'm also a cyclist, so of course I have to check in my $5,000 bike, but I've always used a soft case and never had a problem, no cracked carbon frames or the like, though I've had some damage to the cases themselves. I started guitar just before the pandemic and haven't flown since, so as I look to go back home to the States in the coming months, I'm thinking about how doable taking my guitar in a gig bag is as carry-on, but I'm thinking so long as I keep it minimal, basically just the Stratocaster in the gig bag and nothing else, shouldn't be a problem. ** By the way, I'm writing and adding to this while watching the video, and I'm only on 2:34 at this point. Anything that has pressure or tension, that will increase at a higher altitude because the barometric pressure is lower. On the ground it's about 15psi, but at 30k feet it's about 8psi in the pressurized cabin, and of course lower in the cargo cabin. Though there's just as much oxygen in the upper atmosphere, barometric pressure is what enables you to breathe. Guitar strings, I'm sure the tension increases, but I wouldn't worry about it unless it's a really cheap guitar; still, I would detune just so there's no question about it from the TSA folks. Bicycle tires and such by the way must be depressurized because they very likely will explode, and when they do it sounds a lot like a gun being fired. All kinds of cases, it's best to line the inside with cardboard. Also put something in between the strings and neck, such as a polishing cloth. I was a nationally competitive full contact Chinese martial arts fighter for about five years. I could definitely kill a few people with that multitool. Any kind of tool, especially made of a hard metal, sorry but TSA called that right. Besides, do you actually need that on the flight? Allen wrenches, in the passenger cabin? I could kill you with a standard size pencil, much moreso with allen wrenches. And again, do you need that in flight? You could run over the thing with a tank and it would be fine, so why not leave it in checked in luggage. Sometimes it's simply a matter of how you look to be frank. A friend of mine and I were reentering Japan where we were legal residents, from Korea, I went to the counter to check my Customs declaration and passport, said in Japanese, "I'm fluent, so ask me anything." she asked, "Did you write this all out yourself [in Japanese, including Chinese characters]?" I answered, "Yes." she replied, "Your writing style is beautiful." and told me to move along. Then my friend came to the same counter behind me and they started giving him trouble, so I asked, "Would you like me to translate?" and she said, "Is he with you?!" I said yes and they motioned him on. Then we get to bag inspection, pretty much the same, told him I speak Japanese and was told to move along, then my friend goes to the same counter, they start opening his bag like, "So where are the drugs?," I asked if they would like me to translate, "Is he with you?!" I said yes, and they waved him on. The Seinhauser thing, that's basically a detonator switch. No way I would take that as carry-on. But they probably let it go because there was no actual detonator to connect it to. Anything too long for the overhead, I've always just handed it over to a flight attendant. I'm just assuming they put it somewhere like a closet or something. I'm pretty fast and loose with this stuff based on experience but also basic sympathy. They don't actually want to damage or lose my stuff; accidents happen, but not intentionally or carelessly. I'm not worried about things getting scuffed and such. I think my attitude is probably my greatest asset here. They want to take it out, play with it, make sure it's not actually a gun or part of a gun or bomb, I'm totally friendly. My motto is, my wife yes, my dog maybe, my guitar never! But still even with the 'you broke it, you bought it' policy, we're talking components, not the whole thing. Also, that's what insurance is for. It would be fun, informative, and interesting to do a video where two or three TSA agents watch and comment on this video. Basically, you have tried every trick in the book, and they saw you coming, because they experience hundreds of people like you every damn day. The times you 'got away with it,' weren't because you're clever, but because you weren't worth the effort. My advice is, trust more, game the system less, because you're really getting away with nothing. Your behavior is suspicious, but only borderline dangerous. Basically, you could be dangerous, then five seconds later absolutely not. The more you work with them, the less you will need to plot against them. Actual terrorists, drug and human traffickers, they do all this stuff every damn day, then you come along and it's almost refreshing that you just want to board the plane with everything a terrorist would need to crash it into the White House. But borderline, they rather be wrong than right.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Definitely consider yourself lucky. Because yeah they’ve thrown away batteries and tape and a multi-tool (because of the ruler, no joke). The checked bag I’m 90% sure was theft unfortunately. For the Allen wrench, I never thought that would be thrown out. Now I do advice to pack it, and I do. Although your comment of “why do you need that on the flight”…. I mean I do not even need my guitar on the flight lol. However I like being in charge of my own gear. But… pack your Allen wrenches people

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

@@ScottUhlMusic : I'm not worried about losing a multitool so much. I don't usually carry anything that by itself is worth over $500.

[@thomasfokas]

Get a 4-pack of Apple AirTags for $99 and put them in all of your bags/luggage

[@ScottUhlMusic]

Holy crap! Adding to cart right now. Thanks 🤘

[@donlakakwaaijazz5220]

British airways is the most horrible for artists

[@ScottUhlMusic]

That’s funny, because I think it’s American Airlines hahaha but not always

[@rocket_appliances]

the most useful thing i've discovered is if you're not good enough to travel, you don't have to worry about most of these things

[@ScottUhlMusic]

🤣🤣

[@maxammo6282]

Well nowadays if the gig is not within driving distance it ain't worth it. No messing around with TSA I had my share of that, those days are over unless somebody's going to offer me a lot of money.

[@ScottUhlMusic]

I get it, it’s a huge hassle for sure. I do love traveling and playing music though, so it’s still worth it for me 🤘

[@maxammo6282]

@@ScottUhlMusic yeah if it's worth for you Scott enjoy it while you still can. My situation I'm in the Chicagoland area really don't have to travel far it's spalling suburbs for literally 150 miles in every direction once you're out of the city.🤘☠️🤘