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What to Bring on a Climbing Trip Abroad turned the trip into a packing list and a total weight. The next question is how that pile gets through the airport. What can go in the cabin? What has to be checked? How are checked and cabin weights counted?
This article has two halves. The first covers security screening: how each country's carry-on prohibited list is written, and which climbing items it names. The second covers airlines: Taiwan's full-service carriers, Asian low-cost carriers, and European low-cost carriers, with their checked allowances, sports equipment rules, and cabin weight limits. A final table says where each piece of gear goes, and marks which entries are rules and which are just climbers' experience.
Rules reflect the official pages as of 2026-10-19. Airlines change their policies, so check again against your own ticket before you fly.
Carabiners, quickdraws, cams: on no list at all
The most important point first. The official lists of Taiwan, the US TSA, the EU, the UK, Japan's MLIT, and China's CAAC all agree. None of them lists carabiners, quickdraws, cams, nuts, or belay devices as prohibited, and none names them as allowed either. The full TSA list has no entry for climbing equipment.
Not being on a list is not the same as being officially allowed. Every jurisdiction leaves the call to the screener:
- Every TSA entry states that the final decision rests with the TSA officer at the checkpoint.
- The UK says security staff will not let anything through that they consider dangerous, "even if it's normally allowed in hand luggage."
- Japan's MLIT list says that even permitted items may be refused if the airline or screener judges, by material, strength, or shape, that they could be used as a weapon.
- Taiwan's notice ends with a catch-all for "other items that could affect flight safety through human operation."
So a full set of quickdraws in a cabin bag depends on whoever is screening that day. That is also why the community stories below include "fine on the way out, refused on the way back."
Items that must be checked
These items are named, can't go in the cabin, and belong in checked baggage:
| Item | Named as not allowed in the cabin by | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Rock hammer, hammers | Taiwan, US, UK, Japan, China | None |
| Ice axe | US, EU, Japan, China | Taiwan's notice doesn't use the word "ice axe," but its tools category lists axes and ice chisels |
| Crampons | Taiwan ("ice spike shoes"), Japan (アイゼン), Ryanair, easyJet | TSA says crampons are "generally permitted" in the cabin, but officers can refuse them |
| Knives, multi-tools with blades | Every jurisdiction | None |
| Drills and drill bits | US, EU, UK, Japan, China | None |
| Trekking poles | UK, China, Ryanair, easyJet; Japan if over 60 cm folded or with a sharp tip | TSA: blunt tips allowed in the cabin, sharp tips not |
TSA also asks that sharp items in checked bags be sheathed or securely wrapped. Tip protectors on ice axes and crampons also keep them from cutting a rope in the same bag.
Taiwan's sharp-items category also includes "metal nails longer than five centimeters," and Japan's list only allows nails of 6 cm or less in the cabin. If you bring pitons, checking them is the simplest choice.
Nut tools and small tools: length limits differ by country
No list names the nut tool, but it looks like a tool, and tool rules vary a lot:
| Where | Tool rule |
|---|---|
| US TSA | Tools 7 inches (about 17.8 cm) or shorter, measured end to end when assembled, are allowed in the cabin |
| EU, UK | Tools with a blade or shaft over 6 cm that could be used as a weapon (screwdrivers, chisels) are not allowed in the cabin |
| Japan | Screwdrivers up to 15 cm overall with a shaft up to 6 cm are allowed; wrenches up to 15 cm are allowed |
| China | Screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches are prohibited in the cabin regardless of length |
| Taiwan | Screwdrivers and awls are listed under "clubs, tools, and farm implements," with no length given |
The same nut tool might be fine in the US and must be checked in China. Whether a screener treats it as a tool is also a judgment call. The easy answer is to check it. One Reddit user says TSA flags their nut tool every time, and 8 of the community examples explicitly put the nut tool in the hold.
Wrenches for bolt hangers are similar: the UK and China ban them in the cabin, while the US and Japan set length limits.
Gas canisters, chalk, lithium batteries
Gas canisters: not in the cabin, not in the hold
Taiwan's Aviation Police notice on prohibited items (in Mandarin) lists gas canisters among the spray cans that are banned even from checked baggage on departure. TSA's butane entry and Japan's gas cylinders are also banned from both cabin and hold. The UK says you must not take separate gas cartridges on board.
The stove itself can fly if the fuel is gone: TSA requires that no fuel vapors or residue remain, and Japan requires no gas residue. If you plan to cook at the crag, buy canisters at an outdoor shop at your destination.
Chalk: volume rules in the US and Australia
Neither Taiwan's civil aviation notice nor the Aviation Police notice mentions powders.
TSA requires powders over 350 mL to go in a separate bin for X-ray screening, and containers may need to be opened.
Australia's rule for international departures is stricter. The Department of Home Affairs limits inorganic powders such as salt, sand, and talcum powder to 350 mL (or 350 g) per person in total. Magnesium carbonate is an inorganic powder, so pack your chalk for Australia with this rule in mind.
The UK notes that powders can obstruct X-ray images, so bags may need a manual check. The community advice is to bring chalk unopened in its original packaging so anyone can see what it is.
Power banks: the 2026 rules
ICAO approved an emergency amendment in March 2026. Taiwan's CAA dangerous goods table (in Mandarin) and Japan's MLIT have both adopted it, and Japan has applied it since April 24:
- Power banks are carry-on only, never checked.
- Two per person at most.
- Up to 100 Wh needs no approval; 100 to 160 Wh needs airline approval; over 160 Wh is not allowed.
- No charging power banks on board. Taiwan says it "recommends not" using one to charge a phone in flight, and Japan asks passengers not to.
Japan's government guidance also asks passengers to keep power banks at hand, such as in the seat pocket, not in the overhead bin. If you're heading to Yangshuo with a domestic connection in China, note that since 2025-06-28 the CAAC has banned power banks without CCC markings on domestic flights.
Headlamps and spare batteries
A lithium battery installed in a headlamp may be checked, but Taiwan's CAA recommends carrying it on; if checked, the device must be fully switched off. Spare lithium batteries are carry-on only, and each must be protected from short circuits: keep it in retail packaging, tape the terminals, or bag each one separately.
Checked baggage: 23 kg, 158 cm, and climbing gear is ordinary luggage
Full-service airlines
Full-service airlines flying from Taiwan almost all use the piece concept in economy:
| Airline | Free pieces (economy) | Per-bag limit | Size limit (L+W+H) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVA Air | 1–2 depending on fare | 23 kg, up to 32 kg for a fee | 158 cm |
| China Airlines | 1–2 depending on fare | 23 kg; bags over 32 kg not accepted | 158 cm |
| STARLUX | 1–2 depending on fare | 23 kg; 32–45 kg needs advance approval | 158 cm recommended |
| Cathay Pacific | Light 1; Standard/Flex 2 | 23 kg, up to 32 kg for a fee | 158 cm, up to 203 cm for a fee |
| Thai Airways | 1–2 depending on fare (piece concept from 2026-03-02) | 23 kg, up to 32 kg for a fee | 158 cm |
| JAL | 2 | 23 kg | 203 cm |
| ANA | 0–2 depending on fare | 23 kg | 158 cm |
On the same airline, the cheapest fare usually includes only one bag. Is one enough? In a 2021 UKC thread, one climber's checked luggage for a 9-day sport trip came to about 16 kg, including rope, quickdraws, harness, shoes, and clothes. For a sport-climbing holiday, one 23 kg bag usually holds it. If you're bringing a full trad rack, or carrying a rope and quickdraws for two, check whether your fare includes two bags.
No need to buy a sports equipment allowance
Airline sports equipment lists cover golf, skiing, surfing, and bikes, and almost none mention climbing. The exception is Cathay Pacific: its sports equipment page names climbing gear, which can travel as one piece of checked baggage, with a 203 cm length limit per item. It counts toward your normal allowance, with no extra free piece.
Airlines that don't list climbing end up in the same place. EVA Air (in Mandarin) and STARLUX state that equipment not on their list is treated as ordinary baggage. AirAsia's sports equipment allowance only covers golf, surfboards, bicycles, ski/snowboard, and diving gear; everything else goes under regular checked baggage. Tigerair Taiwan (in Mandarin) folds sports equipment into the checked kilograms you've prebooked, with no separate fee.
The upshot: put the rope, quickdraws, harness, and shoes in a normal suitcase or duffel and check it as ordinary luggage. You don't need a sports equipment add-on. Crash pads are harder because of size: above 158 cm in total dimensions, Cathay and Thai charge oversize fees, while JAL's limit is 203 cm.
Low-cost carriers: buy by the kilogram
Most low-cost carriers include no free checked bag, so you prebook by weight:
| Airline | How you buy | Per-bag limit | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tigerair Taiwan | Prebook 15–40 kg, shareable within a booking | 30 kg | 203 cm total, 100 cm on any side |
| Peach | 20 kg per bag (Standard fare includes one) | Up to 32 kg for a fee | 203 cm total |
| Scoot | Prebook 20–40 kg | 32 kg | 158 cm total |
| AirAsia | Buy by weight tier, shareable on the same itinerary | 32 kg | 119×81×119 cm |
| Jetstar Japan | Combined weight, up to 40 kg | 32 kg | Oversize fee if any side exceeds 1 m |
| VietJet | Weight packages | 32 kg | 119×119×81 cm |
Tigerair Taiwan's fares from Taiwan (checked 2026-10-19) show the gap: 20 kg prebooked at booking costs TWD 950, while excess weight at the airport counter costs TWD 500 per kilogram. With a difference that large, buy enough weight for your climbing gear when you book. That fee table only runs to October 24; check the website for later prices.
European low-cost carriers work differently. Ryanair sells 10, 20, and 23 kg checked bags; easyJet sells 15 or 23 kg with extra weight added online. Neither sports equipment list mentions climbing, and easyJet does not let you pool sports equipment weight with hold bags.
Cabin baggage: 7 kg versus 10 kg is a big difference
If you want hardware with you, weight usually limits you before size does:
| Cabin weight | Airlines |
|---|---|
| One 7 kg bag plus a personal item | EVA Air, China Airlines, STARLUX, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways |
| Two items, 7 kg combined | Peach, AirAsia, Jetstar Japan, VietJet |
| Two items, 10 kg combined | JAL, ANA, Tigerair Taiwan, Scoot |
| Under-seat bag up to 15 kg (45×36×20 cm) | easyJet |
| Free small bag 40×30×20 cm; a 10 kg cabin bag costs extra | Ryanair |
| Size published, no weight limit stated | United |
How tight is 7 kg? The Petzl Volta 9.2 is a very thin single rope at 55 g per meter, and 70 m of it weighs 3.85 kg before you count the pack. On a low-cost carrier with 7 kg across two items, once the rope is in, there's little weight left.
Airlines with a 10 kg combined limit give you 3 kg more for some hardware. You can also pay for more: AirAsia's Xtra Carry-On raises the limit to 14 kg, and Jetstar Japan sells an extra 7 kg on some routes.
Low-cost carriers weigh at the gate. Scoot says it randomly checks cabin baggage at the boarding gate. AirAsia may check overweight cabin bags at the gate and charge a gate baggage fee (TWD 2,330 on the D7 fee sheet). Thai Airways and VietJet also reserve the right to re-check weight and size at the gate. Being forced to check a bag at the gate costs extra, so weigh everything at home.
Thailand from 2026-10-16: checked bags may be opened
Suvarnabhumi Airport's notice follows a 2026 notification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. From October 16, when there are reasonable grounds to suspect prohibited items, screeners may open and inspect checked baggage without the passenger present.
The notice strongly recommends TSA-approved locks. With an ordinary lock, screeners may cut it off, and passengers bear the loss with no compensation. If you depart from or connect through Suvarnabhumi, put a TSA lock on your checked bag. Some climbers skip locks entirely and close zippers with bright zip ties, so any opening is obvious.
What has actually happened at security
Beyond the rules, community stories show what "up to the screener" means in practice. Of the 45 public post-2020 examples collected for the next article, about 25 incidents involve gear being forced into the hold, confiscated, or nearly confiscated at an airport, most often in Spain and at Mexico City. For example:
- Mexico City to Monterrey (the route to El Potrero Chico): in May 2024 one climber had to check all their climbing gear; in a Reddit thread that began in 2022, another had quickdraws refused on the same route and ran back to check them.
- Madrid: in February 2026 a climber's rope and quickdraws were refused in the cabin; the poster said earlier trips to Spain with gear in the carry-on had been fine.
- Melbourne transfer: in the same Reddit thread, a climber's rope was confiscated as a "restraint" during a December 2024 transfer, while quickdraws, slings, and carabiners went through.
- Denver: in 2022 one climber's stick clip was confiscated, and the same person said their chalk was never questioned.
The reasons repeat: a rope "could be used to tie someone up," and carabiners look like brass knuckles. More than one climber passed an airport on the way out and was stopped there on the way back. On the other hand, one climber carried a full trad rack in the cabin through Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, Geneva, and Milan without trouble (thread from 2021–2022). These are individual experiences. Use them as a reason to leave extra time, not as rules for any airport.
Where each piece of gear goes
"Rule" means an official list says so; "experience" means most community examples do it, with no official basis.
| Item | Where | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock hammer, ice axe, knife, drill | Checked | Rule | Named as cabin-prohibited in most jurisdictions |
| Crampons | Checked | Rule | Named by Taiwan, Japan, Ryanair, easyJet; US generally allows them but officers can refuse |
| Trekking poles | Checked | Rule | Named by UK, China, Japan (some), Ryanair, easyJet; US allows blunt tips |
| Gas canisters | Don't bring | Rule | Banned from cabin and hold; buy locally |
| Stove | Either | Rule | Fuel fully removed |
| Power banks, spare lithium batteries | Cabin | Rule | Two power banks per person; protect spares from short circuits |
| Headlamp | Cabin preferred | Rule | Fully switched off if checked |
| Nut tool, wrench | Checked | Rule + experience | Length rules vary by country, and it is the item most often pulled |
| Chalk | Either | Rule + experience | Large amounts screened separately in the US; 350 mL per person from Australia; keep original packaging |
| Rope | Checked is safer | Experience | TSA lists rope as cabin-allowed, but elsewhere it has repeatedly been treated as a restraint |
| Quickdraws, carabiners, cams, nuts, belay device | Checked is safest; allow extra time if carried on | Experience | On no list, so it's the screener's call |
| Stick clip | Checked | Experience | 6 mentions of inspection or confiscation in the community examples |
| Climbing shoes, harness, helmet | Cabin | Experience | 20 of 45 examples do this: fitted gear is hard to rent locally, and you can still climb if the checked bag goes missing |
| Crash pad | Checked | Airline rule | Watch the 158 cm and 203 cm size limits |
Check in this order before you fly:
- Open your e-ticket and look at the checked pieces or prebooked kilograms and the cabin weight. Check every leg, outbound, return, and connections, because the operating airline may differ.
- Weigh your bags. On a 7 kg airline, subtract the weight of the pack itself.
- Decide whether hardware goes in the cabin. If it does, arrive early enough to go back to the counter and check it if you're stopped. If you don't want the risk, check the whole set and keep only shoes, harness, and helmet with you.
- Put power banks and spare headlamp batteries in your carry-on, and leave gas canisters at home.
For choosing the shoes, harness, and helmet themselves, see Climbing Shoes and Harness, Helmet. For choosing a checked duffel and cabin bag, see Climbing Travel Luggage.
References
Security rules:
- Taiwan CAA: Items that may affect flight safety and may not be carried into the cabin (in Mandarin)
- Taiwan CAA: Dangerous goods passengers and crew may carry or check (PDF) (in Mandarin)
- Taiwan Aviation Police Bureau: Prohibited items notice (PDF) (in Mandarin)
- TSA: What Can I Bring? All list
- TSA: Crampons
- European Commission: Restricted articles (summary of Regulation (EU) 2015/1998, PDF)
- GOV.UK: Hand luggage restrictions
- GOV.UK: Sports equipment
- GOV.UK: Work tools
- MLIT: Items restricted in cabin or checked baggage (PDF) (in Japanese)
- MLIT: New rules for power banks in the cabin (in Japanese)
- Government of Japan: Items you can't take on a plane (2026) (in Japanese)
- CAAC: Air travel basics (in Mandarin)
- CAAC: Power bank rules on domestic flights
- Australian Home Affairs: Travelling with powders, liquids, aerosols and gels (PDF)
- Suvarnabhumi Airport: Guidelines for Checked Baggage Inspection
Airlines (all checked 2026-10-19):
- EVA Air: Checked baggage, Sporting equipment (in Mandarin), Carry-on baggage (in Mandarin)
- China Airlines: Baggage rules (in Mandarin), Sporting equipment (in Mandarin), Carry-on baggage (in Mandarin)
- STARLUX: Checked baggage weight and size, Special baggage, Carry-on baggage (in Mandarin)
- Cathay Pacific: Economy fares (in Mandarin), Sports equipment, Extra baggage charges (in Mandarin)
- Tigerair Taiwan: Baggage (in Mandarin), Fees (in Mandarin)
- Peach: Checked baggage, Carry-on baggage
- Scoot: Baggage
- AirAsia: Sports items, Xtra Carry-On, AirAsia X fee sheet (PDF)
- Jetstar Japan: Checked baggage size and weight, Carry-on baggage
- Thai Airways: Checked baggage, Carry-on baggage
- VietJet: Baggage service
- JAL: Checked baggage, Carry-on baggage
- ANA: Free baggage allowance, Carry-on rules
- Ryanair: Bag policy, Prohibited items
- easyJet: Cabin bag and hold luggage, Hold luggage, Sports equipment, Dangerous goods
- United: Carry-on bags
Gear specs and community examples:
- Petzl VOLTA 9.2 mm
- Mountain Project: Flying with climbing gear in a carry-on (2024)
- Mountain Project: Gear in carry-on luggage (2021–2022)
- UKClimbing: Climbing gear on a plane (2021)
- Mountain Project: Can I travel internationally with my climbing gear in a carry-on? (2022)
- Reddit r/RockClimbing: Flying with climbing gear (2022–2024)
- Reddit r/climbergirls: Flying with climbing gear on personal item (2024-12)
- Reddit r/climbergirls: Madrid airport didn't let us keep the rope in carry-on (2026-02)