Bikini Frame and airlines....

[twintips16]

Does anyone worry about checking your bikini frame as checked baggage? Im flying to AK Tuesday and was thinking about take it as my bag but i keep hesitating.... I know that they will take some crap, but the airlines seem to dish out a huge pile of crap sometimes.

 

[Kotaman]

No...I've never had anyone even give my T1 with 26" stays a second look. I just scrunch my down into daypack mode and go. If you are going to try to carry it on full, you might have some problems...

 

[twintips16]

I don't think I'm too worried about theft but more or less it getting piled under a bunch of weight or getting thrown and broken. ...

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Like everything else it "should" be ok. I've checked one a couple times without issue. You just never know though from some of the pics of crushed baggage floating around. I would recommend putting it in a garbage bag to protect the buckles and what not from coming loose and being damaged.

 

[TEmbry]

I drop my pack loaded into a heavy duty rubberized roll top dry bag. Weighed to meet the 50# limit. Protects the material and buckles and I can use the dry bag separately for a return flight on the cape if successful.

 

[MattB]

I have used Kifaru packs of various shapes and sizes with no issues over the years. The only time I would see it as an issue is if you were in a late boarding group and the overhead bin space was full, because they likely would not let you put something that long under the seat in front of you. That means gate check, which could present some of the issues outlined above. I like to put my optics (or anything else expensive and breakable) in the lid, so I can pull it off the pack and keep it as a carry-on in the event I had to check the pack.

If I was going to mindfully check the pack, I would definately put it in a duffel of some sort to protect the buckles, etc. as described above. We got into camp last July in the NWT and the load lifter strap of another hunter's pack got stuck in the seat rail and a loose seat wore 2/3 of the way through the webbing.