TSA Airport Security

[Josh998]

Manchester airport … nappy’s in carry on bag went through security no problems  

 

scanned my bag and went right though no problems  

 

hope this eases anxiety’s… 

[DAQ]

The biggest problems I ever ran into was the powder. Apparently diaper powder is explosive or smells like it according to the machines. Last time I went through TSA with powder I got to meet the nice explosives man and have a 10 minute conversation as they retested.

[zzyzx]

1 hour ago, DAQ said:

The biggest problems I ever ran into was the powder. Apparently diaper powder is explosive or smells like it according to the machines. Last time I went through TSA with powder I got to meet the nice explosives man and have a 10 minute conversation as they retested.

A full (plastic) can of Talc powder will show up on the X-Ray machine like other items they are trying to restrict.  Once they run the explosive (secondary) test on the container, it will pass.  But it will cause secondary screening.  At this point I always pull my bottle of talk powder out of the carry on being inspected so that it is by itself and they don't have to dig through other items.  And they usually have to wait on the explosive test till they clear me from the nude scanner, due to that not being programmed for thicker cloth diapers.....  If I can avoid the full body scanners and just use the metal detector, those are usually not set sensitive enough for my diaper pins, and if they are, the hand held usually triggers on the metal snaps in the jeans near the pins and causes no further inspection....  Last I checked, non of the items I've mentioned are prohibited from going through (US) airport security....

I suspect if you put the talc powder in checked baggage you will find they open your checked bag, but I haven't tested that recently (i.e. not tested post 9/11). 

I think this is the same issue I hit back when I carried undeveloped photographic film in lead lined bags.  Of course they want to inspect the contents of those bags (in carry on luggage).  Going digital on the camera has relieved that issue.

There is one other item I've gone through air port security with that causes even more trouble, but you can eventually get cleared.  Just takes time.... 

[oznl]

1 hour ago, Josh998 said:

Manchester airport … nappy’s in carry on bag went through security no problems  

 

scanned my bag and went right though no problems  

 

hope this eases anxiety’s… 

I know that this varies by jurisdiction (and how aggressively they setup the scanners) but in Australia, it's nappies on PEOPLE that get you flagged it seems (even if they're dry).  I know this from personal experience.  I've never attempted passing through in a wet one but I imagine here, that's worse.

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

I have gone through TSA many times and have never been questioned about my wearing diapers or having them in my carry-on or in my luggage. I carry small, travel sized items such as powder and A&D Ointment. I have been doing this for 25 years and have never had an issue. 

[AbabeBill]

If you feel your powder could be a sticking point for security, and you don’t want that. And if you can forgo needing powder, in transit. Leave it home, and out of your luggage. Once to your destination, pop in to any pharmacy/drugstore, and buy a small bottle. On the return trip, again leave it behind. Yeah you might be waisting some of that small bottle, but consider it part of the travel expense. 

[Little Sherri]

I have a small bottle of baby powder that's always in my travel toiletries case, usually in my checked baggage, and as far as I know, it's never been looked into. It's quite small, though - maybe 4 inches tall and 1.5" x 1.5" in profile. I've put nappies through the x-ray machine in my carryon or my laptop bag a bunch of times and never had an issue, not even a glance. My checked baggage, when I take one, is inevitably 1/3 occupied by diapers. 

On my actual person, I have, amazingly, only had to go through the body scanner a couple of times, even though I've flown in diapers a dozen times or more, I'm sure. Somehow, I inevitably get directed through the metal detector instead, but it's sheer luck. When we flew South over Christmas, they were going to scan me, but then had a technical issue scanning the person in front of me, and took our line and switched us to the metal detectors. 

The occasions when I have worn a diaper through a scanner have been uneventful. Once, a younger lady in Canada scanned me and then asked an older guy to review the results, and he said "Just send him through the metal detector", after which I was good to go, and, the other time, the officer scanning me just waived me on - that was in the UK. I have always sought to go through that thing in a dry diaper, though, just from a "marginal embarrassment" perspective, because I know they can see the elevated density in "the area", even if they aren't likely to investigate it further. And I like to start a flight in a dry diaper. 

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

If you knew what "TSA" means, you would understand: "Tough Shit: Allaya!"

[zzyzx]

15 hours ago, Soggy Bottom Boy said:

I have gone through TSA many times and have never been questioned about my wearing diapers or having them in my carry-on or in my luggage. I carry small, travel sized items such as powder and A&D Ointment. I have been doing this for 25 years and have never had an issue. 

@Soggy Bottom BoyDo you wear cloth or disposable?  I've mainly warn cloth as until recently a disposable wouldn't handle a full on flood from my full bladder.  I used to try to wait till after security to put on, but I'm worse now.  And if I'm going to wear, I'm going to have something that can handle my worse case day time issue during the day (i.e. a full bladder during a nap)...  That takes more than a thin cloth diaper...  Combine with sweat, and the newer (post 9/11) scanners aren't set to pass such a situation.

As to the powder, travel size might get through easier.  And a used canister (partially empty) tends to have a better chance of getting through without issues.  But the 18oz (or 22oz?) talc baby powder bottles that are full (un-opened) I think I'm at 100% secondary inspection on carry on luggage since 9/11.  And since I can't buy that in North America any more, I do need to take a bottle with me if I want that....  No, I haven't switched to Corn Starch based baby powder....  It isn't the same, and I question the logic of possibly feeding a fungus with corn starch....  When I run out of my current supply it will get interesting on what I do next.  (I believe it is still sold in Europe.)

And some of it may be the air port(s) I've been through...  The larger ones usually have the body scanners for everyone that isn't running with a TSA pre-check clearance.  I did get a "free" clearence outbound on one ticket early on, and the metal detector had no issues with my situation.

14 hours ago, AbabeBill said:

Once to your destination, pop in to any pharmacy/drugstore, and buy a small bottle.

@AbabeBill In the US, that's no longer an option for Talc Baby Powder as you can no longer purchase such in the US.

[Josh998]

Yes ! On the way back they clocked the powder …. On the way out they didn’t 

[2sail2]

The powder is an issue because one of the UK airports a few years ago someone was trying to put explosives in printers and toner, which is a powder.  I believe it was going via cargo flights.