Pins in carry-on? Film?

[MagicalMom]

Are pins & lanyards OK in our carry-on bag or are they considered a dangerous? Film is OK in the carry on right? Anything else I need to know. we haven't flown in years. Someone told me the other day that you have to take off your shoes? is that correct? Thanks,

 

[Gooofy-Blade]

Yes your shoes will come off at some point in your security check. The pins and lanyards in your carry-on are not a problem.....just leave the gun at home

Film is ok as well. You will be asked to "turn on" any devices you may be carrying such as laptops, gameboys, etc. to show they are not merely ploys for explosives. Please be patient with security and arrive early. They are the ones under the gun every time something goes amiss and the ones usually critical are the same passengers who complain about it taking too long to clear! My favorite-a gentleman complaining as he took off his shoes, "do I look like a terrorist?" he exclaimed in a smart tone. The officer replied, "well, sir, as a matter of fact............" hehe

 

[bballdiva]

If you bring film with you i would suggest developing it before you return. It's not good to put fim threw the xray machine when u have picts already taken on it. I guess it can vary rare thought cause problems with your picture quility.

 

[safetymom]

I agree about the film. The effects of xray are cumulative but there isn't a magic number when the scanners start to cause damage.

Ask for a hand scan when transporting film if you don't want to send off your film for developing.

 

[WillCAD]

You should never allow your undeveloped or unexposed film to be xrayed. Ever. Period.

X-rays expose film, just like light does. More x-rays equals more exposure equals worse pics, but the amount of exposure needed to make the damage visible varies according to the film speed, the length of time the film takes to go through the scanner, and the strength of the scanner itself.

It's very difficult to predict the combination of circumstances that will make the x-ray damage visible in your finished pics, so it's best to err on the side of caution and just don't let you film get x-rayed at all.

For more info, including complete explanations of what x-rays do to film, see my web page on the subject:
http://www.willcad.org/image_film_tips.html

 

[MagicalMom]

Thanks so much! I've decided to carry my film in a clear bag like will suggested. then I am going to mail it off to york for developing before we leave disney. Thanks

 

[amejr999]

I have had no problems with pins, but you may run into an overzealous screener. YMMV. You can always request a hand-screening for film so it doesn't go through the X-ray- just don't put any sort of film in checked baggage. Generally, however, any film below ISO 800 speed put through a normal airport X-ray machine less than 6 times will not be damaged.

Regarding shoes, the official TSA regulations state that if your shoes don't contain metal and have soles less than an inch, you don't have to remove them. Unfortunately, some airports have decided to create their own rules and require all shoes to come off. Your best bet is to ask the screener whether or not they should come off or not.

TSA no longer requires you to turn on electronic equipment, unless it appears suspicious.

 

[WillCAD]

You can always request a hand-screening for film so it doesn't go through the X-ray- just don't put any sort of film in checked baggage. Generally, however, any film below ISO 800 speed put through a normal airport X-ray machine less than 6 times will not be damaged.

Excellent advice Amerjr999! The x-ray machines used on checked bags will completely ruin undeveloped film of any speed with only one exposure.

However, the 5-time or 6-time rule for the carry-on bag scanner can vary wildly, because the damage to film is cumulative, i.e. the more exposure, the more damage. But it's not just how many times the film goes through that is important, it's also how long it stays in the scanner!

On my last trip, my carry-on spent nearly 5 minutes in the x-ray stream, because the 2 bags before mine and the bag after mine all got prolonged examinations, where the operator stopped the belt and looked at the x-ray screen for a minute or two to get a good look inside the bags, before moving it forward a little to get the next bag. If my film had been in that bag, it would have gotten 3 times the normal x-ray exposure.

So that's why I say, ALWAYS ask for hand inspection of your film. Better safe than sorry!