<p>Flew back from a trade show once with several dog shampoo samples tossed into the bottom of my carryon. Completely forgot about them until I unpacked the bag at the shop the next morning. If they’d been found, I would have just tossed them … but despite screening, they weren’t noticed.</p>
<p>H had a Swiss knife in his carry on that he meant to put in his checked bag. He was caught. As a dutiful wife, I left him behind to deal with it. They actually allowed him to go back to the check in counter to out it in his “almost checked in” bag. No knife.</p>
<p>Wow, oldfort, you were lucky that they let your H deal with it while you went through the security. At Seatac, if the TSA finds anything suspicious in someone’s carryon, they could offer the obligatory massage to all family members traveling with the unlucky person. 
I’ve seen it done to some unfortunate folks.</p>
<p>H must have looked non threatening. He is a very nice guy. I was in a different line with D2. I asked him what was going on, when I found out, I just kept on walking. </p>
<p>H also lost his passport on a flight to Sydney. I was ready to leave him to go home(no passport, no visa, no entrance to Australia). I found it wedged in between seats. We had to get a mechanic to take his seat apart to get it out.</p>
<p>Scissors, DD brought on with her becasue it was a school project. She was only 14 than, we had to delay boarding for at least 30 min. while they went throught our carryons. Fortunatly, we were there early.</p>
<p>Have a friend who had a t-shirt made that said “I got to second base with a TSA agent”…Funniest thing I had seen in quite awhile!</p>
<p>
.</p>
<p>Years ago, when travelling to the DR, the baggage handlers went through everyone’s luggage and stole anything electrical or of any faint value, even if it was probably of no use to anyone; for example, my contact lens heating unit. If a bag was locked, they broke the lock, even if it left the item unable to close. I was astonished at the level of brazen theft.</p>
<p>NJres, we bought some Maine blueberry jam for my parents when we met up with them in another state for vacation. They had carry-on luggage only, so they couldn’t get the jam home with them. Grr!</p>
<p>Yesterday, we discovered that SAND is a big red flag. My son got some off the beach in San Diego to give to his girlfriend (I don’t know why!). I think the fact that it was a good bit (several pounds!) was what worried the security people. It took almost 15 minutes for them to check it out and let him take it with him.</p>
<p>Magnatic pebbles, they were sold in gift shops in China when we toured. Some kids on the tour with us bought many of them since they are fun to play with. All of them were confisticated at the security. There were plenty of them near the xray machine. Can’t figure out why.</p>
<p>Re oldfort’s situation - I agree. Go through the lines “independently” – don’t let on that you’re with someone else. If one person gets held up, why should the others suffer?</p>
<p>dkitty-powder makeup does NOT count in the 3-1-1 rule and you do not have to put it in the baggie. Same for your toothbrush. Toothpaste? Yes.</p>
<p>I ran into problems twice. Years ago I still smoked and forgot I had my Zippo lighter in my pocket. A couple of years later my wife found a small leatherman-style knife in her purse. Both times the luggage had already been checked. I solved the problem the same both times. I walked a couple hundred yards to the end of the arrival area to a raised landscape bed and buried the item for later retrieval. I suspect this sort of solution would be difficult at a large metropolitan airport but it worked fine at our local airport (Long Island - MacArthur Islip).</p>
<p>Very creative, edad.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the shoelace shoes or belts if that is what you would routinely wear. I wouldn’t wear only flip flops instead of my tie shoes (think safety if you had to evacuate the airplane) and don’t have slip on shoes. “Experienced travelers” do what works best for the long haul, not just the security check in. The time spent with getting your checked baggage is worth it if you want the stuff as customs will be the same wait for carry on and checked baggage. You may want one checked suitcase for the family to have room for souvenirs, suntan lotion and other stuff (including your dirty laundry- why haul that with you).</p>
<p>I also got questioned for having a LOT of change in my purse. That is apparently another red flag.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Other sources:</p>
<ul>
<li>Small tubes of free sample toothpaste from your dentist.</li>
<li>The half-used containers of shampoo you’ll have at the end of your hotel stay.</li>
</ul>
<p>My D had to toss out about 15 tubes of specialized watercolor paints that she’d packed in her carry on, not thinking they would count as gel/liquid. She was heartbroken. TSA offered her to check in the bag, for $35. She politely refused. Called me in tears. I ordered new ones and had them shipped to her. Lesson learned. 
I can still hear her telling me what happened through tears. That was 5 years ago.</p>
<p>On a recent trip to Mexico - we checked one bag going, so we could take our sunscreen, and after sun lotion. We didn’t take too much - and planned to run out of it … and then carried both bags on the way back. </p>
<p>Sunscreen is expensive at resorts. </p>
<p>We each took a roller bag and a back pack. I change to a smaller purse - with the essentials - and put it in the backpack for travel.</p>
<p>Items that get snagged by the x ray machine - are dense - like the big tolberone chocolate bars you can buy in Mexico. They can’t see through them - so they hand search your bag. Not a big deal, but slows you down.</p>
<p>I almost never put toothpaste in my quart-sized baggie - and it goes right through. I’m sure you are supposed to, but I don’t think it’s ever been checked. I’m now knocking on wood.</p>
<p>My daughter almost had a set of watercolor paint tubes confiscated. They hadn’t been packed into her 1 quart bag, but the TSA agent let them through anyway because they appeared unopened. I don’t know why that would matter, especially since some of them had been opened. She liked to use them and sketch while traveling.</p>