Things in checked luggage that look suspicious
 

From another thread I just learned a few interesting things that look suspicious on the x-ray and will most likely trigger a manual search of your checked luggage.

The examples were:

- Piles of books
- large quantities of chocolate
- canned fruits
- peanut butter or jam jars
- anything the x-ray cannot easily see through
- boxes with metal objects and many cables

What other things throw the red flag?

I now know why recently my bag was searched. I had packed a 1lb glass container of homemade jam inside a double-walled steel tea pot. This was cradled in a boxy arrangement of books I had packed in this particular way to protect the tea pot's spout. And I thought that was smart. ;)

So if we know what looks suspicious we can avoid this or pack it differently.

Till

You can add bars of soap, blocks of cheese to those things the x-ray machines can't see through.

Think opaque.

I carry a Stanley steel thermos in my carryon luggage. I prefer to get coffee in the lounge at the Hilton and take it to the job site.

I have NEVER had my bag checked for the thermos, even when there was still coffee in it.

Back in 2002, I carried the thermos, a switch box and a set of PS2 cables. I knew that image on the monitor would raise at least an eyebrow, but nada. I guess the machines and the operators are able to discern the difference in a flash.

Oh the X-Ray can see through them, but they have the same basic density as that of many explosive compounds, which is why we will pull the every single time. Go ahead and tell us its cheece, but we are still going to pull the bag.

Stacks of books and magazines can sometimes be to dense to see through, or can cast shadows that may require an additional look, but they are usually not much of an issue.

A single bar of soap is not a problem, but if one brings those packages with 6 to 10 of them stacked and wrapped then they are most likely going to get pulled. Why would anyone want to take 10 bars of soap anyway? I'm sure there are reasons, but I cant think of any.

Heavy metal objects. Magnets (many electronic devices have them), tools, metal tubes, jogging weights, barbels (yes, some folks try to carry them in their carry-on bags), anything that weighs a great deal is going to get an extra look.

I have placed scuba fins in my checked luggage for years and the bag was always opened and searched by TSA. A diving friend told me to lay the fins flat on top of the clothing so the XRay would show them as fins. I had been storing them along the edge of the bag. They must have looked like a long knife that way. Started laying them flat and no TSA search since.

If it's in your checked bag, why would care whether it was a knife of any length?

Oh wait a minute, this is the TSA.

My bad.

Do you check your other scuba equipment with the finns? The respirator or breather, things like that? I have had to check lots of scuba equipment, but never because of the finns, always because of the heavy metalic scuba items that the ctx can not scan.

I was coming home from a concert in WA once and had stacks of sheet music at the bottom of the bag I had checked. It was opened in SEA and had the love note and things were messy in the bag. Next time books and music were carried on. Must have looked like sheet of explosive on the x-ray. What they got was selections from the Messiah and Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Sorry.

I don't understand half the things our relatives in China ask us to bring. Some years ago IIRC a package of bars of Dove was one of the things we brought. (Our clothes etc are already stored there, most of our checked baggage is odds and ends they want.)

Thanks! One might want to bring a certain kind of soap that is not available in the destination country. Same for chocolate. BTW, interesting for the soap. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Why the weight thing? I mean I once had a big copper saute pan as a gift in my checked luggage. I was pretty certain they might pull it and indeed they did. Still it was very easy to see that it was a frying pan. You probably mean big metal objects not because of their weight (which the x-ray can't see) but because of their density, right?

What about powders? Say I wanted to bring 2lb of finely ground almond flour. Would that throw a flag?

Till

the term is regulators. No i wont put life support gear (RX mask, Regs, Deco Regs, gas analyser, epirb, dive computers, cameras, camera housings, strobes, and misc other life support items) in my checked bag unless i absolutely have to (reasons why should be very obvious and are topic for a whole other thread) and normally in my carry-on, which is why at times my rollaboard weighs close to 50+ lbs .

Depending on the Finns it wouldn't surprise that fins cause a bag check as the plastics used in some fins are super dense (Jet, split jet, turtle, and force fins).

the irony is that in all of my travels I have yet to have my rollaboard searched when i have my regs in them despite that they have to look like a device in the case based on how i coil the hoses. Then agian i have carried a steel in my carry-on without so much as a peep.

I am pretty sure it is not your Finns that cause your checked bag to be searched. Even if something looked like a knife in checked bag, no matter how big that "knife" was, it's ok and would not be checked. BTW, pretty much all checked baggage x-ray equipement has dual view - 2 screens, a side view that takes multiple "slices", which you can look through, and a top down view. It really wouldn't matter what position you put your Finns in.

Many people in the military put their body armour in their bags, and of course these "alarm", but often, depending on the type of alarm they generate, we can clear those without having to search the bag. I do not think your finns are as dense as this.

It would help to know what else you usually have in your bag?

I have been asking TSA for a definitive list or a referenc to a definitive list of these kinds of items for some time now. I want to know becaise I am tired of my luggage being ravaged through and reasssembled like someone threw everything in the bag and sat on it to close it. No such luck on getting the list - I just is is super secret information.

I am told, but canot be 100% sure that the following will also raise suspicion and cause a manual search (disassembly and unpleasant random repacking):

peanut butter
bags of brown sugar
bags of ground coffee (maybe beans too)
brownie mix
cake mix
cake frosting in plastic cans
baking powder
cornstarch

Now you ask why would I be carrying these items - because you can't get them in Bulgaria and I wanted some comforts of home to kep me sane.

Earlier this month, I carried about 2 dozen in various shapes ranging from bars, gingerbread men, candy canes, and other fun shapes through security. My friend has a handmade soap business and I was taking some home to give as gifts.

Not only did a whole security line get shutdown before my bag was pulled but it took a whole bunch of screenwatchers almost 5 minutes to make the decision. Then in a very public show of force, the bag searcher tried to make me look like the next OBL. Too bad she couldn't work the zipper much to the amusement of travellers looking on. Each bar was treated like C4 and checked for explosive residue. It was almost comical as they went into SWAT team mode thinking they found the world's dumbest terrorist. They were very disappointed when nothing sinister was found. All in all, it was about 30 minutes of wasted time for everyone.

I always pack MRP powder packs in my carry on and have yet to be stopped for them yet. So I guess powder is still ok.