So, what's the strangest/silliest thing TSA has taken from you?

[aubriee]

Are you aware that bath salts are miss used as a drug. Why would bath salts be in your carry-on. I actually find it odd that it was in carry on. But from what I see people post they put in their carry-on I find a lot of the items odd. I am use to taking 14+ hour flights and not carrying on but the required items for if I need to go one night without my luggage. But I travel a lot. I also sometimes don't take carry on other than my purse and laptop. Makes it so much easier when the overheads are filled with other passengers who bring excess carry-on on board. I wish the airlines would enforce the carry-on limit.
Don't give TSA a hard time, and just don't pack questionable items.

I always pack bath salts or bubble bath and have never thought a thing about them. After a long day in the parks I love getting into the jacuzzi in my condo for a long, relaxing, hot soak. Since I was doing carry on only that trip I packed the bath salts because they were not liquid and easily fit into the carry on. The bath salts were in a sealed labeled bag and had a very strong tropical coconut smell. No way could they have been used for drugs. lol But even if they weren't, TSA's job is to find possible weapons, not drug enforcement. The bath salts were right on top in the carry on and clearly labeled, so I was obviously not trying to hide them. I agree with you on wishing airlines would enforce carry on limits. I am a very organized, but very light packer. My carry on always easily fits into the overhead wheels first. I have never had to force it. My personal item always fits completely underneath the seat in front of me. I have never even come close to not having a carry on easily fit. I hate checking a bag, so do carry on only when possible, but always make sure my carry ons are legal size and light enough for me to handle. Before they got pulled out of DFW I used to fly Air Tran alot and had no problem paying for the more expensive seats up close to the front that guaranteed Boarding zone 1. Now I fly mainly American which allows you to pay a $9.00 fee to guarantee Boarding zone 1. I like to have my stuff with me so have no problem paying the fee in order to make sure I have room for my carry on, over my head. I just got back from WDW (Sept 14th-22nd) and did carry on only. I again had a bag of bath salts in my carry on (plus two travel size bubble bath bottles in my 3-1-1 bag). I don't take a bath at home without bubbles or bath salts, why should I on vacation? Bath products are one of my weaknesses and I'd pack fewer clothes in order to make sure I had my bath products, if I needed to. I wouldn't find it odd at all that they are in a carry on. What I find odd are people checking bags when they could easily do carry on (you save the checked bag fee, don't have to worry about the airlines losing your luggage, don't have to hang around waiting for your luggage to come out, your bags don't get all dirty and torn up from the baggage handlers, and packing and unpacking is quicker and easier).

I don't give TSA agents a hard time. I usually wear shorts (with no belt) and a fitted tshirt with flip flops, no jewelry, nothing in my hair, have nothing in my pockets, and never wear an underwire bra on flight day. I always have my 3-1-1 bag in an outside pocket of my personal item, making it easy and quick to put into the bin, in order to make getting through security as quick and easy as possible. I make sure I never have anything that would make the alarm go off and never have anything illegal in my bags. I am always pleasant and polite to them, smiling, saying hello, how are you, and thank you. There are some good TSA agents out there who take pride in doing their job well. However, I think we would all agree that there are also some idiot TSA agents out there who have no common sense and like to use their titles as a power trip. The one who gave me hard time about my bath salts reminded me very much of Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith show. Even after his supervisor gave him a disgusted look, apologized to me, and told the guy to let me go, the other guy made a big deal of saying, "Ok I'll let you through this time, but don't try to sneak something like that by again." You could tell his supervisor was frustrated with him, as he just shook his head at him and gave him a disgusted look.

 

[winterman]

I was stopped a few years ago when there was something in my carry-on that they couldn't identify. It turned out to be 2 tiny screw drivers that were side by side in an eye glasses repair kit. Once he saw what it was, the agent said it was ok and I could keep it. It took less than 5 minutes and the agent could not have been nicer. I took no chances on the return flight and put it in my checked bag.

 

[LisaRae87]

Are you aware that bath salts are miss used as a drug. Why would bath salts be in your carry-on. I actually find it odd that it was in carry on. But from what I see people post they put in their carry-on I find a lot of the items odd. I am use to taking 14+ hour flights and not carrying on but the required items for if I need to go one night without my luggage. But I travel a lot. I also sometimes don't take carry on other than my purse and laptop. Makes it so much easier when the overheads are filled with other passengers who bring excess carry-on on board. I wish the airlines would enforce the carry-on limit.

I find this thread silly. Why question TSA on their decision (not just the bath salts). TSA is there for your security and mine. The fondu forks look absolutely illegal to be as it could be a weapon. I would have to see the Christmas ornament but sounds legit to me. Don't give TSA a hard time, and just don't pack questionable items.

Actual BATH SALTS, like the ones PP was talking about are NOT misused as a drug. Bath salts is a NICKNAME for an actual drug. Not sure why someone should have to check a bag just to take their bath salts to Disney with them. I personally don't use bath salts but if I did, I wouldn't hesitate to put them in my carry on luggage since there is NOTHING illegal about them, and cannot be used as a drug.

Bath salts is a term used to describe a number of designer drugs often containing substituted cathinones, which have effects similar to amphetamine and cocaine. The name derives from instances in which the drugs were being sold under the guise of being bath salts. Their white crystals often resemble legal bathing products like epsom salts, but are chemically disparate from actual bath salts. Bath salts' packaging often states "not for human consumption" in an attempt to avoid the prohibition of drugs

 

[LisaRae87]

This one wasn't me, but my boyfriend. It was before 9/11 and he was just starting High School I believe.

He flew out to visit his older brother who was moving, he gave DBF several random things that he just didn't want anymore. DBF only brought a carry on so everything went in there. One of these items was a large novelty telephone, one that looked like a beer can with the numbers on the bottom.

DBF gets to security, they x-ray his bag.. x-ray it again.. TSA calls someone over, x-rays it AGAIN.. they then grab his bag and haul him off into what he said seemed like an interrogation room. Start grilling him about where he was going, what his purpose was, etc. etc. Meanwhile, he is freaking out, sweating, not knowing what is going on. THEN, they start asking him about the content of his bag. He starts listing off everything and gets to the phone. The TSA agents were confused, and started to pull things out. They got the phone out and started asking him all about it.. where he got it, and such. He keeps telling them it is a phone.. They eventually take it to a plug and test it.. At which point the start laughing and packing up his bag. They then went on and said "What did you think would happen when a large cylindrical object filled with wires and has number buttons on it went through x-ray at the airport??" he had a total moment. DOH!

He still gives his brother a hard time about sending him on a plane with a wanna be bomb.

 

[MaleficentRN]

That phone is AWESOME!

 

[LisaRae87]

That phone is AWESOME!

I KNOW! It is a shame he doesn't have it anymore (that I know of) though neither of use a land line phone so it wouldn't get any use.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Clean tissues in my shorts pocket. This lead to a wand going over me where they wanted to know what was in my leg? There is nothing. It was weird. This was at MCO in April.

 

[alicat8]

Love this thread and lol at "too pokey"
I never had anything taken but I had 2 guys intensely scrutinizing my carry on bag once in the metal detector. After a solid 4 minutes, a female agent came over and told them my eyelash curler was safe.

 

[CPT Tripss]

My dignity.

.
And our rights.

Yen, an empty water bottle is allowed through security.

I understand sometimes it's not worth it, but if you're not in a rush when a TSA employee tries to confiscate an item which is allowed, you should ask to see a supervisor. It's also a good idea to check the rules at TSA.gov so you know what's allowed.

To the poster above, your screwdriver was okay. You should have protested if you wanted to keep it.

It's interesting to read posts from so many people having a difficult time with Airport Security Screeners hassling them, or refusing to pass, items that are clearly not prohibited.

It's also really very telling that folks routinely address the issue as Airport Security Screeners "confiscating" or "taking away" their personal property. Yet, despite this reality, leaders of the Airport Security Screeners insist that the employees neither confiscate nor take away or property. Nope, we citizen wannabe flyers "voluntarily surrender" or property. If that ain't Orwellian Newspeak . . .

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

....
It's also really very telling that folks routinely address the issue as Airport Security Screeners "confiscating" or "taking away" their personal property. Yet, despite this reality, leaders of the Airport Security Screeners insist that the employees neither confiscate nor take away or property. Nope, we citizen wannabe flyers "voluntarily surrender" or property. If that ain't Orwellian Newspeak . . .

You are voluntarily surrendering these items. You don't have to give them to the TSA, you can check them, mail them, discard them yourself, or don't fly.

 

[mikek]

my husband and youngest son, but they didn't keep them

pre-passports DH & DS (told it was due to same names as a bad guy on watch list) were always pulled aside for special treatment, leaving me to retrieve their bags from the belt and cool my heels while they both received a thorough once-over.

i got "on the list" for a time.

Shortly after 9/11 one of my clients needed their sales offices to be audited by years end. The guy who was supposed to do it didn't want to travel so they hired me. Thing was no one was really traveling right after anyway so they didn't tell me till like beginning of december and it had to be done at year end. The sales offices where outside of chicago, denver, someplace in texas, and outside atlanta. it was just a day in each so i didn't want to come home in between so just went from one to the next. I wanted to get done quick before the holidays so i bought tickets for the next week right after they told me.

So this was after september 11 and I wound up buying 6 one way tickets in the space of a week without a 7 day advanced purchase. Set off a warning someplace and i got put on a list.

They put some code on my boarding passes for 2-3years to "pull this guy out of line and send him to THAT line". At first it was nerve wracking each time but after a few times I learned to kid about it with the security guys, one of them explained that about the code on the boarding pass (I never did figure out what or where they put it to notify security). After getting the same questions over and over one of the guys helped me figure out it was all the one way tickets. Eventually it actually helped out- this was around the time it took hours to get through security- but i would always get pulled out of line and wound up getting through "that line" faster. After a time i would just laugh. Funniest was when we would travel to Disney and I'd have the wife and 2 toddlers with me and they wold pull us all out- like we were a big threat with our mickey diaper bag and the like.

 

[CPT Tripss]

You are voluntarily surrendering these items. You don't have to give them to the TSA, you can check them, mail them, discard them yourself, or don't fly.

Hardly voluntary . . . a government agent insisting that one turn over private property, legally held, in order to fulfill a contract and exercise the right to travel. Extortion? A taking? Sure, a stretch, but hardly voluntary surrender.

 

[alicat8]

To be fair, no one is forcing you on the plane. You can go home and take your stuff with you if you want

 

[Flight]

TSA was all concerned about a BIC highlighter pen in my carryon bag. You know, the plastic ones that are the same size as a pencil or pen.

It had to go through the x-ray machine twice, get thoroughly inspected by two TSA agents, and required an inquisition directed towards me explaining what it was and why I had it.

The highlighter was the same kind used by school kids all over the nation every day.

Folks, do you think I felt safer after all of this?

 

[CPT Tripss]

TSA was all concerned about a BIC highlighter pen in my carryon bag. You know, the plastic ones that are the same size as a pencil or pen.

It had to go through the x-ray machine twice, get thoroughly inspected by two TSA agents, and required an inquisition directed towards me explaining what it was and why I had it.

The highlighter was the same kind used by school kids all over the nation every day.

Folks, do you think I felt safer after all of this?

Well, you know ATFS . . .

To be fair, no one is forcing you on the plane. You can go home and take your stuff with you if you want

To be fair, why not just accept that requiring a person to give property to government in order to complete a completely legal agreement is confiscatory?

 

[alicat8]

I guess I don't need to accept it because I'm not completely paranoid and don't equate giving up my half empty water bottle with giving up the bill of rights.

 

[delilah]

I have almost had items confiscated a couple times. One time, they tried to confiscate my oto/ophthalmoscope. I decided that I really didn't need to bring it with me on future trips (it was when my son and nieces and nephews were young, and usually would get ear aches when we flew).

Another time, I had gone to a medical conference in Chicago, and at the conference, one of the pharmaceutical companies gave out water with the drug name on the bottle. I put the bottle in the refrigerator in my room. This was during the time frame between 9/11 and you were still allowed to bring drinks through security. There was condensation on the bottle, which confused the TSA agent, and he somehow thought that since there was a drug name on the bottle, that must be what was inside the bottle. Of course, the drug on the bottle was not a controlled substance, and in any case, I had a medical license with me. Finally, he allowed me to take my water through security.

 

[jeff968]

Disney Princess Butter knife set

 

[dancin Disney style]

It wasn't taken from me but it got me pulled aside and this was long before 9/11. I had a woven metal belt that I had coiled up and due to it being a rather expensive accessory I had packed it in my carry on. When my bag went through the Xray it was flagged and the agent asked who's bag it was and what was inside. I said I had nothing but clothes and toiletries. He then asked me about the .......handcuffs..... and what they were for. They thought my belt was a set of handcuffs I opened the bag showed them the belt and they all started to laugh.

 

[artesian]

My backpack which after a couple times I stop bringing with me. It was one of those that had built in ipod control in the sleeves of the straps. I had to demonstrate more then once going through security that yes it actually does what it was design for. Can't say I blame them being on an xray machine seeing those wires throughout the bag did look suspicious.