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Transporting medical supplies

Transporting medical supplies

Old Nov 20, 2014, 9:52 pm
  #1  
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Transporting medical supplies

It looks like I'm going to be taking a trip next month and I need to haul along some bulky consumables. I'm looking at splitting it between a carry-on and a checked bag as the whole amount would be too big for a carry-on.

To complicate matters a bit this is actually OTC stuff but uncommon enough that obtaining it at my destination is effectively impossible.

It looks like we will be flying American Airlines. What can we expect? Their website doesn't address this case--prescription stuff would be exempt from the normal limits, mobility devices would be exempt but this isn't.

(Yes, the normal advice is not to check medical stuff. The alternative pretty much would be buying another seat. Losing the checked bag would mean cutting the trip short but isn't a danger.)
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Old Nov 23, 2014, 9:18 am
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Loren there is no fee at all to check a bag that has ONLY medical supplies and gear. At least not in the USA. The items don't have to be Rx.

However, you know that you have to have enough of your stuff to get along if that bag is delayed so you will still have a carry on bag.

Your bag(s) of medical supplies and gear must be within the typical limits of weight and size.

Do not be tempted to put even one non-medical item into the bag that you need to check at no charge. Not even a sweater!

When my badly injured leg was a major travel problem for me, I was able to put special shoes and slippers into that bag but it was very obvious that they were not 'fashion' footwear. Among other items I traveled with a gel/foam pad which helped me get some sleep.

That bag may well be opened for inspection at check in. That is understandable.

Be aware that it is not wise to check medical items that are needed to protect your life. Nor any items that are extremely expensive to replace.

You will need to check in with a person at the airport. You can't do 100% self check in. A special baggage tag will be placed on your medical needs bag.

I have had reasonably good luck having items shipped to my hotels in the USA by Drugstore.com which does not charge for shipping for orders over $35.00 but your hotels may charge you a package receiving fee.

Best of luck in your travels!

Last edited by oldpenny16; Nov 23, 2014 at 9:30 am
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Old Nov 23, 2014, 9:59 am
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Originally Posted by oldpenny16
Loren there is no fee at all to check a bag that has ONLY medical supplies and gear. At least not in the USA. The items don't have to be Rx.

However, you know that you have to have enough of your stuff to get along if that bag is delayed so you will still have a carry on bag.

Your bag(s) of medical supplies and gear must be within the typical limits of weight and size.

Do not be tempted to put even one non-medical item into the bag that you need to check at no charge. Not even a sweater!

When my badly injured leg was a major travel problem for me, I was able to put special shoes and slippers into that bag but it was very obvious that they were not 'fashion' footwear. Among other items I traveled with a gel/foam pad which helped me get some sleep.

That bag may well be opened for inspection at check in. That is understandable.

Be aware that it is not wise to check medical items that are needed to protect your life. Nor any items that are extremely expensive to replace.

You will need to check in with a person at the airport. You can't do 100% self check in. A special baggage tag will be placed on your medical needs bag.

I have had reasonably good luck having items shipped to my hotels in the USA by Drugstore.com which does not charge for shipping for orders over $35.00 but your hotels may charge you a package receiving fee.

Best of luck in your travels!
My intention was to carry on something like a week's worth (I'll see what fits) and check the rest. As for shipping--if it were a domestic trip that's probably what I would do. This is foreign, though--shipping would be insane and would be asking for troubles with customs.

It's not something that would be dangerous to not have in the short run, just what's necessary to have a remotely acceptable diet.
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Old Dec 27, 2014, 3:51 pm
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What is the protocol to get the bag of medical supplies checked through easily? We are flying British Airways if that makes a difference. Should I contact them in advance or just hope for a nice agent when I check in?

Thanks!
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Old Dec 27, 2014, 5:36 pm
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Originally Posted by Liba
What is the protocol to get the bag of medical supplies checked through easily? We are flying British Airways if that makes a difference. Should I contact them in advance or just hope for a nice agent when I check in?

Thanks!
We ended up flying United. The check-in agent didn't even look. (Admittedly, the agent was a bit harried at the time, there was a group there that had missed the cutoff for international check-in.) We are taking our return flight in a few hours, the bag isn't quite empty. Hopefully it works ok here in PVG.
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 8:07 am
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I spoke with someone at British and they said they would allow it on my journey to the US but not for the way home since I should have used up the medical supplies before the journey home.

Is this typical?

Did you have trouble on your way home Loren? I hope everything went smoothly!
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 9:16 am
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Originally Posted by Liba
I spoke with someone at British and they said they would allow it on my journey to the US but not for the way home since I should have used up the medical supplies before the journey home.

Is this typical?
Can't say if it is typical, but my answer to that is that my companion must have at least 48 hours worth of supplies with him at all times in case of delays in travel. Although since a good part of his medical kit is liquid, we usually have more trouble with the TSA than the airlines.
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 7:16 pm
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Originally Posted by Liba
I spoke with someone at British and they said they would allow it on my journey to the US but not for the way home since I should have used up the medical supplies before the journey home.

Is this typical?

Did you have trouble on your way home Loren? I hope everything went smoothly!
I had a very strange result on the way home.

They (PVG) would not check in the bag without charging me. However, they were willing to have me gate-check the bag, no charge. This required stamping my boarding pass to allow the bag through security. (Not that security gave a hoot about it.)

I can't imagine why they would say they had to be used up--I would never travel without a reserve of anything essential. IRROPS happen. (And we narrowly avoided one on the outbound flight.)
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 7:38 pm
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The 'used up' stipulation is ridiculous!

Most experienced travelers know to allow plenty of whatever they need to make it all the way home, especially when weather delays are a risk.

You absolutely to not have to defend the nature of your medical supplies. One person's needs may be entirely different from another's.
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 8:04 pm
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Carriers tend not to be fussy about the volume of supplies so long as it's reasonable and can fit in standard locations, e.g. overhead / under seat.

At stations where carry-ons are monitored at a security check-point, you will need to deal with the issue at the counter. Otherwise, it's the GA.
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Old Dec 29, 2014, 11:42 pm
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Originally Posted by oldpenny16
Most experienced travelers know to allow plenty of whatever they need to make it all the way home, especially when weather delays are a risk.

You absolutely to not have to defend the nature of your medical supplies. One person's needs may be entirely different from another's.
And even if they are all used up, what about the bag they were in? This trip I used a duffel bag, figuring it would avoid taking up any more space than needed and I figured my stuff would be quite resistant to crush damage.

While I was right it wasn't going to get harmed (other than a tendency to clump that it did not have normally) the packaging on the unused stuff was shredded because it was free to move around the bag. Also, I realized the duffel handles were a snag hazard that I couldn't really do anything about since I had to be able to open it for inspection. Next time I'm going with a hardside bag.
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Old Dec 30, 2014, 2:09 pm
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Loren, your reasoning is good.

My checked bag is a semi-hardsided Mother Lode bag from ebags. Checked dozens of times it shows no obvious wear and tear other than a few grease marks.

eBags has a wonderful guarantee in any case.

My next challenge will be getting the TSA to leave me alone on the issue of my Blue Tooth hearing aids. Life is interesting.
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Old Dec 30, 2014, 8:37 pm
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Originally Posted by oldpenny16
My checked bag is a semi-hardsided Mother Lode bag from ebags. Checked dozens of times it shows no obvious wear and tear other than a few grease marks.

eBags has a wonderful guarantee in any case.

My next challenge will be getting the TSA to leave me alone on the issue of my Blue Tooth hearing aids. Life is interesting.
I see no such bag on their site.

I was figuring to go hardside so the bag doesn't get crushed going home mostly empty.
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Old Dec 31, 2014, 10:44 am
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Here's my bag

Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
I see no such bag on their site.

I was figuring to go hardside so the bag doesn't get crushed going home mostly empty.
http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/m...uctid=10317754

It's been checked dozens of times and has held up very nicely. The back of the bag is a very hard material. It comes in larger sizes.

eBags has treated me very well over the years.

Discount coupons and sales seem to go on frequently at eBags.
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Old Dec 31, 2014, 4:58 pm
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Originally Posted by oldpenny16
http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/m...uctid=10317754

It's been checked dozens of times and has held up very nicely. The back of the bag is a very hard material. It comes in larger sizes.

eBags has treated me very well over the years.

Discount coupons and sales seem to go on frequently at eBags.
I have a very hard time picturing "hard" and "duffel" together, that's why I didn't see it.

I do agree their discounts are nice. I've only bought from them a couple of times but there's a 20% off for reviewing my last purchase offer in my in box even now.
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