Traveling Out Of State With Your Tools.

cyberbone

greetings. i had a question about flying out of state with hand tools/power tools. has anyone ever done this what was your experience like? what did you take?

im from CA and just started with a new company that flies out of state occasionally to install dentistry equipment and other machines. i was wondering about getting a stanley 4-in-1 mobile work station-# 020800R to carry most or all needed hand tools and parts with a cordless drill case in the bottom.

hopefully someone can help me out.
TIA
CB

swantucky

With todays restrictions with the weight of the bags you can fly with you may be better off shipping them UPS to the jobsite, probably alot cheaper. When we have had to send guys by plane to a site we figure tools into the job and they just put them on the company credit card and buy them when they get there. When the job is done before they head home they sell they to another contractor on site or hit up the pawn shop.

KillerToiletSpider

As long as you're not trying to take it as a carry on I don't see why the airline would refuse it, they may make you pay for overweight luggage though. I have a friend that flies all over the world with a mechanics tool cart full of specialized mechanics tools, he works for Mercedes Benz as their trouble shooting specialist.

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cyberbone

no, i wouldnt be taking it on as a carry on. it would be checked of course and the company would pay over weight fee anyway.
just trying to get a feel for any problems that might come up. anyone know what the max weight is before they start charging? i think it was 50lbs. but it may have changed since then.

ProWallGuy

When I work out of town, which seems to be more and more often this year, I fly my hand tools with me, but arrange for the larger stuff at the destination. I either rent them there, or hire a local to supply all the big stuff like ladders, scaffolding, paste machine, paste/primers, etc. I check my bag of tools, and have never had a problem. I do tell the skycap what is in the bag so there are no surprises (I have lots of knives and blades in there) and tip them large so they don't get 'lost'. For shipping tools, check out Pelican Cases.

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Quiglag

I am from Cali, and I fly out of state. Some airports are more of a pain then others, when it come to checking luggage. Some just do a simple chemical residue test, and some want to pull everything out and look at it.

I use a Stanley Mobile Tool Chest, and so do most of the guys at work. I also use some cheap carabiner key chains to keep the latches from popping open. TSA will throw these around, so you need to be sure they wont open; but they need to be easy to get into.

I got mine at homedepot.

I carry everything from drills, nail guns, hand tools, clamps etc.

TempestV

when I was in high school, I competed on a robotics team, and we would fly all over for competition. We carried several crates of tools, sealed wheelchair batteries to power the robot, and other supplys. We never had any problems, other than a lengthy discussion between the TSA people to decide if we could check a pair of large JB weld tubes (they ended up letting us keep them). In those days, we could each bring 2 50lbs checked baggage without paying extra charges. Usually we would pack luggage and tools in a suitcase, and bring a plastic crate full of tools. the crates were ziptied closed, and we duct taped several extra zipties to the bottom of the lid so they could be replaced if the box had to be opened. We never had any problems with this method. I beleve now you are limited to one 50 lbs bag, so if the rest of your luggage could go carry on, you could get one decent size box on without paying extra charges. On the other hand, if you aren't paying the over weight charges, then you might as well bring what ever you want.

cyberbone

thanks for your suggestions and ideas guys. i know exactly how im gonna travel now. one stanley tool chest and a carry on for my clothes for a couple of days.

CB