Bringing an External Hard Drive
 

I am leaving the Philippines going to LAX on the 24th, I am planning to bring my 160GB external hard drive to copy personal files (pictures, videos, etc.) to my father's laptop. I have a tourist VISA and I'm planning to stay there for a month.

Are there any implications? I can't find it as prohibited on the TSA website.

There shouldn't be any. I regularly travel with a 320gb Simpletech Pininfarina Drive, and on one occasion with a pair of 1TB drives. Not even an eyebrow has been raised any of those times.

OK thanks. Did you carry it on the plane or had it checked in?

Carry it if you want it to be there when you arrive.

I believe that some airlines (DL comes to mind) officially prohibit the use of the USB drives in flight, but if you're just carrying it in your bag you should have zero trouble.

just be ready to remove it from your carryon when going through security.

carryon... always. I will not risk them being lost or damaged.

I've never pulled them out.. lol.

Absolutely unnecessary, though enforcement of the rules is subject to change at the whim of the TSO working the xray that day. Only full-sized electronics are required to be screened apart from anything else. A single HD does not qualify for this.

so "carry on" it is. thanks guys!

I just travelled to and back from the Philippines this month, transiting through NRT. I carried on two external hard drives in addition to laptop, camera equipment, and UW camera housing with accessories.

There was absolutely no interest in my two Ext HDD in my bag at any airport. You have nothing to worry about, don't even need to take them out of the carryon, but do need to xray the laptop out of the bag. They now make you remove the shoes too. :td:

OTOH, if you have a UW camera housing + strobes, then be prepared for them to stripsearch the bag. I have never had so many of them open up that bag on a single trip. In Manila, just remember that you will need to pass security three times on the way back (once to get into airport, then once to enter past the check in counter, and finally again at the gate ... yes the last two times include a free grope, every time!)

We travel with a "brick" hard drive and have been chastised a few times for not taking it out - once involving the screener removing it and dumping it in the bin like an old shoe. If you have anything really important on there I suggest you handling it yourself. While that is not the rule it happens often enough that it's a serious possibility.

I regularly (several trips thru security per week) carry external hard drives, multiple laptops, Cisco equipment and other things that would raise an eyebrow to the uneducated without incident. If they (TSA) ask what it is, I start going down the extremely technical explanation and start to explain the finer points of 1's and 0's before getting told to go on my way.

You shouldn't have any issues. If asked, it's your portable storage device for your digital photos.

It's not a laptop. Only remove if they ask for it to be removed. The rule clearly states laptop.

An leave the Kiddie Porn at home!

I've only traveled domestically thus far, but I've not had a problem keeping my 120GB 2.5" HD in my laptop case in the past 2 years, roughly 100 segs...