Avoid TSA Camping Stove Headaches

Paint the bottle with stickers, being sure to cover the words fuel and MSR.

While working at the store in the summer, we sell lots of camping stoves and fuel bottles because people either left them at home, in fear of the TSA taking them, or they have actually been taken away from them by misinformed TSA agents. I also talked to Andrew Mclean (see new StraightChuter.com link on sidebar) down at OR, who also had a fuel bottle taken on a recent adventure. The good news is that you are allowed to bring stoves and fuel bottles on your airline travel adventures. Here are some helpful hints on ways to keep your gear.

? Clean and rinse your bottle thoroughly…and multiple times. You don’t want to clog your stove with any soap residue and even the slightest fuel vapors may attract the attention of TSA dogs and other techy sniffing devices.

? Cover your bottle with as many stickers as possible, or at least any words indicating that the container is made to hold fuel. Maybe the TSA will think it’s a water bottle.

? Store you pump, bottle and stove separately and far apart from each other. That way if some anal retentive TSA agent decides to take your stuff anyway, maybe he won’t make off with your whole cooking kit.

? Another approach is to print off multiple copies of the TSA Rules and Regulations and store a copy with each stove piece in your luggage, to remind the TSA of what the official policies are.