EDIT - Thanks for the replies everyone, but I think enough data has come in that the thread has run its course.
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I have a friend of mine who is coming from the US via air and will be visiting me in Canada. I asked him to bring up a couple of small rocketry related parts for me to save on shipping costs and to take advantage of the strong Canadian dollar trading slightly above par right now. His plan is to use only carry on to come up since he won't be staying long.
He doesn't have a problem with bringing up small electronics (e.g. a raven and/or altimeter two) and some parts (an Aeropack retainer) because he thinks they don't look like anything the TSA would worry about, but he's absolutely paranoid about bringing up either an Estes or a small LOC kit because he thinks that TSA is going to freak out over this and think its a bomb or some other insanity. He just "doesn't want to go through the BS of being detained and having to explain what it is" even though I think bringing something like this is no big deal (I personally wouldn't have a problem bringing an Estes or small LOC kit in carry on, so its not like I'm asking him to do something I wouldn't do if you know what I mean).
Maybe things have gotten worse in the 5 years that I haven't lived in the US and the TSA has gone completely nuts, but is there really a risk of getting detained over having an Estes or small LOC kit in your carry on? Has anyone brought model kits with them when flying? I'm not worried about the Canada side as I've brought things back over myself (although it was on the ground, the CBSA seems to have knowledge of model rocketry). I'm just trying to figure out whether his fears of the US TSA are paranoia or legit concerns.
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I have a friend of mine who is coming from the US via air and will be visiting me in Canada. I asked him to bring up a couple of small rocketry related parts for me to save on shipping costs and to take advantage of the strong Canadian dollar trading slightly above par right now. His plan is to use only carry on to come up since he won't be staying long.
He doesn't have a problem with bringing up small electronics (e.g. a raven and/or altimeter two) and some parts (an Aeropack retainer) because he thinks they don't look like anything the TSA would worry about, but he's absolutely paranoid about bringing up either an Estes or a small LOC kit because he thinks that TSA is going to freak out over this and think its a bomb or some other insanity. He just "doesn't want to go through the BS of being detained and having to explain what it is" even though I think bringing something like this is no big deal (I personally wouldn't have a problem bringing an Estes or small LOC kit in carry on, so its not like I'm asking him to do something I wouldn't do if you know what I mean).
Maybe things have gotten worse in the 5 years that I haven't lived in the US and the TSA has gone completely nuts, but is there really a risk of getting detained over having an Estes or small LOC kit in your carry on? Has anyone brought model kits with them when flying? I'm not worried about the Canada side as I've brought things back over myself (although it was on the ground, the CBSA seems to have knowledge of model rocketry). I'm just trying to figure out whether his fears of the US TSA are paranoia or legit concerns.
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