Travel Bag for Equipment

[jspierre]

What kind of equipment bag do you use when you travel and check your equipment on an airplane? Who would sell such a bag?

[southernepee]

The safest way to transport fencing gear on a plane is to put it in a hardshell 'golf' case. These run about $100 but are well worth it if you want to avoid worrying about whether your equipment is being damaged.

Pete

[darius]

I've always travelled with my soft-side Allstar fencing bag, and never had any problems. I pack my mask full of socks and put plenty of extra clothes around my weapons.

But honestly, the golf case is a good idea - and it's $100 cheaper than any fencing wheelbag.

darius

[Anne]

I've used a soft sided bag and never had any problems, however, recently there have been brief periods of "failure to get my luggage on time". So, what I'm doing now is to carry on all that I can, especially the mask (since it is so expensive) and any other pieces I can. I try to check only the weapons (because I don't have any choice). If they don't get there on time it will be easier to deal with than if nothing got there.
I do check everything back though, since it's a whole lot easier than carry-on.
I use a soft-sided bag with a hard bottom and wheels. I used a golf club hardshell, but it didn't hold enough, so I use a bag made by a fencing supply company. I;ve never had any breakage of the equipment, and if they break the bag they will reimburse me for the damage(at least I have one friend; who got a new bag out of it).

[Purple Fencer]

I'm amazed Slim Grady hasn't mentioned my own creation..."Frankenbag" He can fit inside the damn thing!

It's a double wide hard golf travel case, and everything's mounted inside (foil mask, sabre mask, 4 foils, 2 epees, 2 sabres, two hanging bags for tools & body cords, plus my jacket, foil & sabre lames)

I've only flown with it once, and it exposed a few problems that I'll need to correct, but I have time since I'm not flying to any tourneys in the near future. I can drive to Summer Nats (8 hours...OY!), and it DOES fit in the car.

Come to a SoCal event some time & you'll see it. Or look me up in the Div II/III events at Summer Nats.

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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[Slim_Grady]

sorry sam, i was away for the weekend at Jr. PCC's...

and no, it didn't go well

gman



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Pain is only weakness leaving the body.

[Cutter]

If traveling by air, you should expend the few extra bucks for the hard side bag. I have heard horror stories of one woman's mask getting flattened like a pancake and other people's blades getting broken. Everyone knows luggage handlers arn't the most gentle.

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Cutter
"Don't run with that, you'll poke your eye out."

[Mergs]

There is another hardshell golf carrier out there that goes for about $40US. Fairly thin plastic, but holds up remarkably well. The only problem is the latches that for some reason don't last as long as the rest of the carrier, but what the hell, if you replace it every two or three years, you're still money ahead! I've had mine for nearly 6 years now, with only one latch that gives me trouble.

The only problem with hardshells is that they tend to be difficult to get into rent cars. Took seven kids to JO's one year and most of them had the carrier I was describing and the bags barely fit into the van we rented.

[Purple Fencer]

Mergs;

Is that when you strapped a couple of kids to the roof rack ?

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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[Mergs]

Nah, made 'em run from the airport to the hotel. Figured they needed the exercise after being cooped up on the plane for so long.

[Purple Fencer]

Shoulda' made 'em run in a block, with you calling cadence and wearing a Smokey the Bear hat.

Bring back memories?

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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[chilli]

I use a combination of soft equipment bag, big heavy plastic ziploc(holes punched in) with lame rolled inside, PVC plumbing pipe for blades, and an old bowling bag for my mask. I stuff the mask with a towel. I always have at least two towels, for I am a froody chick. Oh yeah and one of those squishy compartmentalized drinks coolers with cords, tools and bits. I guess I look like a rummage sale, but I've never had a problem taking it on flights.

[Mergs]

Thanks, Sam. Ten years of therapy down the tubes in one stroke!

Ever tried herding cats? Not much difference in trying to get teenagers to do ANYTHING together!

[southernepee]

I know first hand how UNgentle the tarmac baggage crew can be...my teammates and I were waiting in the airport terminal last summer, and watched in horror as my teammate's soft bags were tossed around like yesteday's garbage out on the tarmac.

My advice is to definately use the hard shell for air travel...

-Pete

[sabreuse]

I actually found a high-quality hard-sided golf bag at Marshalls for about $60. It was way nicer than even the best quality hard-sided fencing bags for a fraction of the cost.

[veeco]

Yeah, but there are a couple problems with the golf bags:

1 - The most annoying thing is when someone comes to you in the airport and starts talking about golf. Or, as it happened to me once, in the shuttle to the terminal: "All golfers in the back; yeaaay!"

2 - More seriously though. I love my Allstar bag. I travelled with it a lot, and now both wheels have dissapeared thanks to the tarmac guys. But just the fact that there are all those compartments to put your stuff is makes it much better than any golf bag, I think. I hate to have my clothes and my blades in the same place.

I guess I'm spoiled.

[Mergs]

Or you can have fun with the golf bags too.

Waiting for the bag to come down the baggage ramp, here it comes rattling and clanging, etc. and turning to my wife and say "Well, its about time! Why do we have to take your mother everywhere we go?!??!" Crowd around us backs away as "argument" ensues!

[fencingfoolfour]

i was kinda worrying about that kuz i might be going to my 1st outta state tourney this summer...........(nationals)...but from what i understand if u throw a lot of clothing and crap into ur bag ...and throw on a lot of fragile stickers u should be fine.....by the way mergs....where did u find that bag.........if possible tell me somewhere i could get it online

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Mergs:
Thanks, Sam. Ten years of therapy down the tubes in one stroke!

Ever tried herding cats? Not much difference in trying to get teenagers to do ANYTHING together!

Dude, I volunteer for a cat & kitten rescue when I'm not fencing, so I've already been there/done that



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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Mergs:
Or you can have fun with the golf bags too.

Waiting for the bag to come down the baggage ramp, here it comes rattling and clanging, etc. and turning to my wife and say "Well, its about time! Why do we have to take your mother everywhere we go?!??!" Crowd around us backs away as "argument" ensues!

Oh, that's GOOD! Better then the Jimmy Hoffa jokes I use with Frankenbag. The younger the audience, the blanker the looks I get.



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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!