TSA and Peanut Butter

[Gracefulskinny]

This may seem strange (and if I have posted in the wrong thread sorry!) but DH and I plan on bringing down some food with us and we aren't sure what will need to be checked and what can slide in our carry ons.

The plan is to bring 2 small jars of peanut butter. (One for the room one for the park bag with some spoons for the sudden hunger pains that catch you off guard.)

Since our flight is a short one the plan is to have one of my carry ons be our park bag as ready to go as possible. I know that the sunscreen will have to go into the checked bag and be counted as a liquid but DH has raised the question would we need to check the Peanut butter as well?

Anybody have any experience here? We rarely fly and so are not as familiar with how picky the TSA is.

 

[Poohlovr]

Peanut butter will have to be checked. After all, it might blow up, right?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Seriously?!?

How do you begin to qualify that as a liquid?!? TSA is nuts! I can bring my hockey stick and knife aboard the plane, but OH NO the woman has peanut butter and sunscreen!!! WATCH OUT!


Thanks!

 

[ironz]

PB falls under the "gel" consistency and cannot be carried on. UNLESS, you go get some of the single serve tubs or packets and put them in your 3-1-1 baggie in your carryon.

 

[goofy4tink]

Jars of peanut butter must go in your checked bag. And be careful...don't pack anything valuable in that bag. Peanut butter seems to be the one thing that always gets a bag opened and checked. I think it's a consistency thing.

 

[ironz]

Seriously?!?

How do you begin to qualify that as a liquid?!? TSA is nuts! I can bring my hockey stick and knife aboard the plane, but OH NO the woman has peanut butter and sunscreen!!! WATCH OUT!


Thanks!

I think the rules are sort of stupid, too...but the easiest way to think about it is anything that doesn't hold its shape outside of its container.
Sorry. Just being real and offering suggestions to help in my other post. Discussions about the inconsistencies and lack of logic with the TSA are generally frowned upon or shut down on this forum.

 

[goofy4tink]

Seriously?!?

How do you begin to qualify that as a liquid?!? TSA is nuts! I can bring my hockey stick and knife aboard the plane, but OH NO the woman has peanut butter and sunscreen!!! WATCH OUT!


Thanks!

If you take the peanut butter out of the jar, it is going to 'move'....hence the TSA requirement.

I think a lot of their stuff is nonsense too...but I am not going to do, or say, something that is going to cause waves. Those workers didn't make the rules...they are merely carrying them out.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I think the rules are sort of stupid, too...but the easiest way to think about it is anything that doesn't hold its shape outside of its container.
Sorry. Just being real and offering suggestions to help in my other post. Discussions about the inconsistencies and lack of logic with the TSA are generally frowned upon or shut down on this forum.

I hadn't heard that. Thanks. It does help remember what passes and what doesn't.

Jars of peanut butter must go in your checked bag. And be careful...don't pack anything valuable in that bag. Peanut butter seems to be the one thing that always gets a bag opened and checked. I think it's a consistency thing.

Thanks for the heads up! I was already planing on putting undergarments and valuables in my main carry on so they couldn't do that. Now I'll just be extra careful when I'm doing that.

How interesting that PB gets flagged so often.

 

[ironz]

I hadn't heard that. Thanks. It does help remember what passes and what doesn't.




Thanks for the heads up! I was already planing on putting undergarments and valuables in my main carry on so they couldn't do that. Now I'll just be extra careful when I'm doing that.

How interesting that PB gets flagged so often.

yes, jars of a dense substance raise flags. They also tend to open my checked bag when I have thick books, esp if I have more than one, in my suitcase. Really, they want a decently clear look at the contents on the xray, so dense things throw them off and they hand search. (to put it in simplistic terms)

As for your undergarments...I put mine in my checked bag in a zippered mesh and nylon bag (by Ebags) and they never look disturbed.
Definitely carry any valuables on.

Jif is sold in multi-packs of cups that would meet the requirements to go in your 3-1-1 bag. And there is at least one natural PB (Justin's) that comes in small pouches you could put in your 3-1-1 bag.

 

[bumbershoot]

We've brought the Justin's brand before in our 311 bags.

But we don't eat it on the plane. I don't want to panic anyone (with the wafting smell of peanut) with an allergy, so peanuts do not get eaten on the plane, no matter what form. At least not by my family.


I believe people have hidden things inside a jar of PB before, because it's hard to see through it, which is why it'll get a checked bag searched.

 

[DebbieB]

The whole liquid & gel thing started because terrorists were trying to mix explosives with liquids & gels. Something could be mixed into peanut butter.

 

[nacho113]

Avoid the hassle, buy your PB when you arrive.

 

[maxiesmom]

Since our flight is a short one the plan is to have one of my carry ons be our park bag as ready to go as possible. I know that the sunscreen will have to go into the checked bag and be counted as a liquid but DH has raised the question would we need to check the Peanut butter as well?

Anybody have any experience here? We rarely fly and so are not as familiar with how picky the TSA is.

Don't forget to pack a small bottle of sunscreen in your 3-1-1 bag, so you have it with you when you hit the parks!

 

[CPT Tripss]

The whole liquid & gel thing started because terrorists were trying to mix explosives with liquids & gels. Something could be mixed into peanut butter.

Not exactly. . . It wasn't an issue of diluting or camouflaging explosives in a liquid or gel.

Several/many years back, a group of aspiring terrorists "plotted" to use liquid explosives. Afterwards, someone decided that requiring no more than 3 ounces in a one quart bag would not be enough to blow up a plane.

 

[CPT Tripss]

If you take the peanut butter out of the jar, it is going to 'move'....hence the TSA requirement.

I think a lot of their stuff is nonsense too...but I am not going to do, or say, something that is going to cause waves. Those workers didn't make the rules...they are merely carrying them out.

Hmmmm! Where have I heard that last sentence before? .

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Don't forget to pack a small bottle of sunscreen in your 3-1-1 bag, so you have it with you when you hit the parks!

I might have to do that!

 

[gmeh1]

Seriously?!?

How do you begin to qualify that as a liquid?!? TSA is nuts! I can bring my hockey stick and knife aboard the plane, but OH NO the woman has peanut butter and sunscreen!!! WATCH OUT!


Thanks!

You cannot make a bomb out of a hockey stick or a knife. You can bring 3.4 ounces of sunscreen or peanut butter as long as it fits in that one quart zip lock bag. No, TSA is not nuts, they are trying to protect you. Just a FYI, the TSA site states that Hockey sticks need to be checked. http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/prohibited-items#5 also: http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/prohibited_items_brochure.pdf

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

In addition to all of the above, maybe just as important is the allergy issue some people have with PB?...........It can sometimes be a big issue for folks.

May I suggest you just bring something else to snack on during the flight and just avoid all the issues?


AKK

 

[goofy4tink]

Hmmmm! Where have I heard that last sentence before? .

Yep, and I still stand by it!!!

 

[ironz]

In addition to all of the above, maybe just as important is the allergy issue some people have with PB?...........It can sometimes be a big issue for folks.

May I suggest you just bring something else to snack on during the flight and just avoid all the issues?


AKK

The OP didn't say she wanted to eat the PB on the plane. Just carry some so that she could bring some to the parks on her first day (in case she wanted a quick snack) before her checked bags get to her room.