Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Gear Reviews Long guns and the airlines

First of all, for those of you who fly, what system do you use to get your rifles/shotguns to and from your destination safely and securely? Do you take a backup weapon and is it in the same case as the primary <P>gun.http://www.tuffpak.com/tuffpak_gun_case_welcome.html<P>The Tuffpak system looks good to me. Do you guys see anything wrong with their design? I am thinking I could pack my heavy cloths in with my rifle and cut down on suitcases etc. <P>I'll be flying to a hunt for the first time this fall and have no experience transporting guns via air. I have read horror stories of "lost" or broken guns. By the way I will be flying into Spokane so it will be Horizon, United, or Southwest. Are any of these more likely to screw with me then the others?<P>I haven't seen a topic like this for a while, so I hope to shake a few of you worldly hunters out of the bushes with this one. <P>Thanks guys<P><P>------------------<BR>Rick

Rick,
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<br>E4E talked me into a Tuffpak for my Aalska hunt a couple years ago. It is a very strong and durable case. Folks who see you wheel it around think you have a set of golf clubs. I have also seen Tuff-packs used to haul other stuff around. When you have a regular gun case, it's obvious what you have. I also like that there is room to haul some clothes in the case with your rifles.
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<br>Blaine

Blaine has it right on the Tuff-pak (bet you thought I would never be rational enough to admit that ;-)). I have been using mine for just over a year and have flown at least a dozen times with it. I have put 5 cased long guns at once in there, with room to spare. Even tossed a couple fishing rods in for a combined fishing and grouse shooting trip.
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<br>None of the airlines have even asked if there was a firearm in the case... have had several luggage handlers present me with my "golf bag." I consider that a very good thing.
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<br>My only complaints are that the handles are far from comfortable when the case is seriously loaded, and a lockable latch seems like a better idea to me than the built in lock. I am always afraid I'm going to lose my key far from home.
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<br>I have a storage room with a big stack of gun cases which have failed over the years. I don't believe the Tuff-pak will add to that particular pile anytime soon.
<br>art

Rick, I live near Spokane and have flown in and out of there with guns only once. To and from Dillingham, Alaska. I used a fiber glass case but would have preferred one of the Cabela's metal cases that hold two guns and sells for about $200. A friend has one and it is nothing short of spectacular. With the larger Tuffpac cases you talked about, how does one keep the cased rifle from banging around inside of the case? Also, I would think the Tuffpac case might be awfully large to put in someof the smaller airplanes for shipment to spike camp.

Rolly
<br>Good point about the size of the case and small planes. If it turned into a problem one would need to find a place to store it before heading out. A hassle, yes, but the case has a number of positive features that out-weigh that.
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<br>A typical guncase can only hold guns, little else. I have on a couple occasions had guns bang together in a typical fiberglass case damaging both.
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<br>The guns are put in the Tuff-pac in standard cases, and the slack is taken up with "stuff." If you need to travel with more than 2 guns, a standard case doesn't cope at all, I 've put 5 in the Tuff-pac. The extra room is always helpful to me for putting needed stuff in, often to the point of eliminating a third bag.
<br>art

Forgot to add that the aluminum cases I have looked at are far heavier than a Tuff-pac, and they would have problems fitting into an ordinary bush plane as well.
<br>art