Travel is now allowed for selected countries and states, so does that mean that you can bring your lacrosse gear with you on the plane?
If you plan to go on a vacation and bring your lacrosse gear with you, this is something you will definitely ask. You might also be wondering how lacrosse players bring their equipment to different places. Here are all your answers about traveling with your lacrosse gear on a plane.
Is Lacrosse Gear Allowed on a Plane?
Good news for you, because lacrosse gear is now allowed in planes. That means you can bring your lacrosse stick and head with you wherever you go. Is there a catch? Unfortunately, yes. While you can bring your lacrosse gear on the plane, you can’t bring it with you in your carry-on bag. Your only option is to bring it in the luggage area.
What about your knee pads and gloves? Should they be in the luggage compartment? Not really. Since gloves and knee pads aren’t long and don’t take up a lot of space, you can bring them with you in your carry-on bag.
The only reason why authorities don’t allow you to bring the lacrosse stick is that it goes beyond the allowable sizes and it can be used to harm a person inside the cabin.
If you plan on bringing other sports gear like hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats, and other sporting equipment, you can bring them as well provided that they are checked in the luggage area. Otherwise, you will be asked to leave them behind or open your luggage again so you can store it there. You definitely don’t want that.
New Airline Guidelines
There was a time when lacrosse sticks weren’t allowed even in the luggage compartment. This is because they go beyond the size requirements and they can be dangerous for those that are in the plane (even if they’re in the cargo area). However, the Transportation Security Administration revised this back in 2013.
Why did they change it? It’s to align with the International Civil Aviation Organization standards. According to these standards, small blades that don’t have a lock are allowed even inside the cabin.
These standards also include allowing sports equipment like billiard cues, hockey sticks, golf clubs, and lacrosse sticks to be boarded into the plane. However, when it comes to golf clubs, you’re only allowed to bring two.
Another reason why the TSA changed their guidelines is so the Transportation Security Officers can better focus on searching and detecting items that pose a serious threat to the safety of people on board. This means that the focus is shifted to explosives and flammable items.
How Do You Pack a Lacrosse Stick?
So you can bring a lacrosse stick. That’s great. But how do you pack it in your luggage? Will it even fit? Here are a few tips in packing your lacrosse equipment both in the carry-on and in the luggage areas.
First, know the size of your luggage. If you are bringing a small luggage, then there’s a huge chance that your lacrosse stick won’t fit. Since the average size of a stick is 42 inches (this includes the head), you have to have a luggage that is longer than 42 inches.
However, that’s a little hard to find. What you can do is remove the head from the stick so that you have a shorter stick to keep. This is also the best practice in storing your lacrosse equipment.
When you remove the head, you’re only left with around 32 inches from your shaft. That can now easily fit in a medium-sized luggage. If you’re using a small luggage and there is no way the shaft can fit, you can just wrap your lacrosse stick, secure it with wrapping paper and bubble wrap, and then label it.
Will it count as another bag? Yes, it will. If you have a bag limit, then this can be a problem. If you don’t, then it’s better to bring the shaft separately so that it doesn’t break.
Do you have longer bags? If you do, say, a snowboard bag, then you can use this to store your lacrosse shaft. Snowboard bags are long so if you don’t have luggage that can fit the shaft but you have a snowboard bag, then this is a sign that you should bring the latter, too.
What about the pads and the gloves? How do you pack them? Pads and gloves are like clothes except that they are harder. Since they can’t be used to harm anybody, you can bring them in your carry-on bag.
Packing them is just like packing your jacket. If you plan to pack them in your luggage, you can pack them all together with your shaft and head if they’re in the same bag.
Other Tips in Bringing Your Lacrosse Equipment
Are there anything else that you should know about bringing lacrosse equipment on the plane? Other than packing your lacrosse shaft, there aren’t any other rules about storing them when you plan to fly. As long as you pack the shaft and the head in your luggage or in a bag that is secured, you are ready to go.
It helps to pack your lacrosse equipment with care. To prevent them from getting bent when your bags are being thrown, you can cover them with bubble wrap or with clothes (if you’re putting them in the same bag). Wrapping them with other things will help protect them from snapping. Sure, the lacrosse shaft is not that fragile, but why take that chance?
Overall, your priority is to make sure that your lacrosse equipment is kept properly so that they don’t cause any problems when you board the plane. Since you’ll be putting your lacrosse shaft in the luggage area, it’s also better to bring them there, too. Having them in your carry-on bag doesn’t make sense when you can maximize your bag allowance for the luggage area.
