Traveling with your Rig

Carry-on vs. Checked

While many travel with their gear in their luggage without issue, I prefer to bring it on as a carry-on. If a checked bag is lost/damaged/stolen, the airline can only give you the maximum insured value (which is usually lower than the cost of a rig).

Regardless of whether you check your bag in or not, you should still cover your rig, as security may still open and inspect your luggage.

Why does my rig feel so heavy?

If you’ve ever wondered why wearing your rig around the airport is so much more draining than at the DZ:

• A rig will be more comfortable with the chest strap tightened
  • The yolk (straps) will rest higher up on your shoulders, where you are stronger.
• A rig will be more comfortable with the stabilizers spread, instead of behind you
  • You want to have your back flush with the backpad, instead of having your hip rings and leg straps dig into your back.
  • Rather than cramming the leg straps below the BOC, have them come up the sides/back of your container instead.

How to Treat Airport Security Properly

How to not look like a crazy person in airport security:

1. Breathe
   • If you start acting nervous/jittery, they're going to assume something's off.
2. Do not be in a rush
   • Airport security is not where you will save time. Trying to will only elongate the process.
3. Do not speak unless spoken to
   • Your gear should always get flagged. This doesn't mean you should warn them or explain what it is to them unprompted. Let them do their job and figure it out. Otherwise, you will come off as nervous and suspicious.
4. Be polite, respectful, professional, and nice
   • Don't threaten them with the "rules".
   • If you're a dick, they can be a dick right back and require you to unpack your gear to pass. Doesn't matter what the "rules" are - they'll make you miss your flight.
5. Only tell them the bare minimum
   • Answer the simple questions with simple responses.
   • DO NOT tell them that it is an "explosive" device.
   • DO NOT shove an X-Ray card in their face.
   • DO NOT give them complex explanations.
6. Do not freak out when/how they touch your gear
   • This is why you use a gearbag and protect your handles.
   • The supervisor knows how to handle skydiving gear.
   • If you lunge/reach/react (even verbally), if they pick your gear by the handles, you're going to be spending a lot of time with them.

Remember, airport security is mainly made up of minimum-wage employees with a high turnover rate who have likely never seen a parachute system before. They’ll spend a few minutes staring at it in the X-Ray machine before calling their supervisor. Then they’ll ask if it's a parachute (just say yes, they don’t need to know it's a whole system and what each part does), and quickly swab it before handing it back. Simply act like a normal person, and you'll get through security just fine.

After receiving my rig back, if I see them teaching another officer, I sometimes will show them the X-Ray card as a supplemental teaching tool.

What Should be in my Carry-on?

Anything that you can't jump without. For me, this is my jumpsuit as a bare minimum. I can always borrow a helmet and rig, but finding a properly fitted jumpsuit is unlikely.

Personally, I fit my helmet, audibles, etc., and 3-4 days of clothes in my personal item. Then, I put my jumpsuit and rig into a RigSleeve Unpacked that serves as my carry-on. I may also bring an additional drawstring if necessary, and stuff it into my carry-on after security (give them less to deal with when inspecting my rig).

Traveling with Weights

Under construction (I have yet to travel with weights).

Learn More

Related

• Gear Checklist - travel and gearbag checklists