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Being able to carry your personal belongings with you when you travel is of the utmost importance. Why wouldn’t you be able to carry your bowie knife with you on an airplane? Well, after the backlash of 9/11, it seemed that you couldn’t carry anything aboard a plane, without being suspected of terrorism. However, the TSA has eased some travel requirements. So, can you carry that bowie knife with you on a plane?

The answer to that question is “yes and no.” How can that be? First, you have to understand the difference between carryon and checked baggage. For instance, any carryon bag must be sent through a metal detector, before you are allowed to board a plane with it. In addition, any item within that bag will be within easy reach during the flight. Therefore, you cannot carry your bowie knife in your carryon luggage.

Next, you will need to pack your knife appropriately. You would think that just placing it in your suitcase would be enough, but the TSA demands more stringent measures. You’ll need to make sure that your bowie knife is sheathed, first and foremost. You will also need to make sure that the knife is secured within the sheath in some way. Some sheaths have a buttoned strap for this purpose. However, even a simple piece of twine can serve your purpose here.

What if you are not taking any checked luggage? If you’re only going for a short trip, or just like to travel light, it’s pretty common to only take carryon baggage with you. If this scenario sounds familiar, you should consider shipping your knife ahead, through UPS or FedEx. However, you should check the freight carrier’s weapons policy before attempting to ship that bowie knife ahead.

You should also understand that your bag will likely be inspected during the loading process. No matter how well packaged it might be, it will show up in the x-ray machine. Therefore, having bowie knives wrapped securely will prevent injury to the inspectors, as well as potential injury to baggage handlers. You will find that traveling with bowie knives or even with swords and other bladed weapons is not a problem so long as you follow the proper procedures.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knives store featuring the Cold Steel training knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online humidors store.