Traveling with a speargun: how to transport it safely and without surprises

Traveling with a speargun: how to transport it safely and without surprises

Despite thecrossbow cannot properly be considered a weapon, it remains a rather complex object board a plane: it must in fact be packaged and transported carefully and may be subject to in-depth inspections airport checks. Furthermore, packing the speargun on board will almost certainly require an additional expense for the out of size of the baggage.

The speargun on the plane: weapon or sports equipment?

THEcrossbow may attract the attention of airport security personnel: the advice of expert travelers is to package it in a rigid container (the classic tube) and never mention the fact that it is a rifle.

Many of the problems that may arise, in fact, concern the combination of the speargun with the weapon concept, that the word "rifle" will inevitably resonate in the minds of airport staff. In reality, the speargun falls to all intents and purposes in the category ofSports equipment, and not in that of firearms.

Italian law is quite clear on this: while pneumatic fishing rifles are explicitly excluded from the list of common firearms, the speargun falls into the category of objects intended for sporting practice and not suitable for offending, like bows and crossbows. Traveling with a speargun It should therefore be no different than traveling with golf equipment, a surfboard or a fishing rod.

Arbalete when travelling: how to transport it on the plane

The philosophies of thought here are different. There are those who put the speargun calmly in the suitcase together with the fins and to the rest of the hold baggage and who dedicates a separate tube to it well labeled as "sports equipment".

The important thing is that it is well packaged: the auctions, for example, should be protected and isolated from the rest of the luggage. In any case the speargun will end up in the hold, so it is a good idea to inform airport employees that it must be treated as delicate baggage.

That said, there are several options for carry the speargun:

• soft bag for speargun, which can be placed in a bag or secured to the main luggage with straps. If you choose the soft bag it is important that it is equipped with elastic material or padding capable of avoiding any damage from rubbing;
• transport tube: the classic fishing rod tubes are not large enough to carry a speargun, so many equip themselves with do-it-yourself solutions but rather effective ones based on PVC pipes, bubble wrap and adhesive tape;
• golf bag (pencil bag): when you have a very long speargun, the most practical solution (although certainly not the cheapest) is to get a pencil bag, one of those large bags used to carry golf clubs. In addition to being a safe method, it will also help the inspectors to understand that it is sports equipment at first glance.

Traveling with a speargun: airline rules

Each airline has its own rules regarding the transport of sports equipment and oversized items: the weight limit for the surcharge is always around 20-23 kilos, and in some cases it is necessary to declare the baggage in advance. To get an idea, here's how it works for some of the major companies:

• ITA Airways: sports equipment costs money, regardless of size. ITA has very stringent rules: luggage cannot exceed 300 cm and must be packed in rigid packaging and non-deformable;
• Ryanair allows you to carry sports equipment in the cabin within certain dimensions, but if you travel with a speargun it is always better to send it in the hold, paying the "sports equipment" supplement (35 euros online, 45 euros at the airport);
• Lufthansa requires you to reserve the place of your sports equipment on board the plane with at least 72 hours in advance on departure (to do this online, you must also specify that it is fishing equipment);
• Iberia: Iberia also requires reservations. In this case the prices depend on the length of the flight (ranging from 35 to 105 euros); on long journeys, however, sports equipment is considered as checked baggage, so you can avoid the surcharge of the additional item.

Arbalets Travel: the solution for those who fish while traveling

If you travel often and want to avoid the surcharge for oversized items of hold baggage, the ideal solution is to purchase a speargun Travel Version, specially designed for those who need to travel with equipment in tow and don't want to give up powerful rifles and long rods.

The Travel version is an option that can be requested for all the Alemanni spearmen, from size 110 up: demultiplied, double roller e single roller. It is preferably applied to carbon rifles, a material that allows an ideal connection joint, but can also be optionally used for wooden spearguns.

The travel speargun is designed to allow for separation of the stems and rods, which can also be supplied in a split version. The joint is a strong point: the use of additional materials increases the stiffness of the speargun, improving its performance.