Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)
-   Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)
-   -   Has anyone carried disposable hand warmers in checked in baggage on airplane? Is it allowed? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/has-anyone-carried-disposable-hand-warmers-in-checked-in-baggage-on-airplane-is-it-allowed-492257/)

HannahHall Dec 25th, 2004 05:10 PM

Has anyone carried disposable hand warmers in checked in baggage on airplane? Is it allowed?
 
Is disposable hand warmers allowed on your checked baggage?
Thanks

annetti Dec 25th, 2004 05:25 PM

Call the airline and ask them.

Robert2533 Dec 25th, 2004 06:32 PM

Don't worry about the airlines, it's TSA who has the final say. If the hand warmers have a metal case then they may be detected and you'll have to explain why you're carrying a potentially explosive device and be stripped searched on the spot. So wear clearn underware. If they're a simple chemical device, I doubt if anyone at TSA would know what they are.

Have you every heard of a pair of gloves? They're a bit more fashionable.

elaine Dec 25th, 2004 06:43 PM

Interesting question, sarcasm not necesary, because I saw these chemical handwarmer packets in my hardware store the other day and wondered if I should buy some and try them for my upcoming winter trip to Paris. My hands tend to get cold even in lined gloves, and mittens are not a fashion compromise I'm willing to make.
I would imagine also that for people with poor circulation, handwarmer packets might come in handy. I bet they would be fine in checked luggage as long as the packet says it's not explosive or spontaneously combustible.

elaine Dec 25th, 2004 06:44 PM

The ones I saw, by the way, are just foil packets with some sort of liquid inside that is activated by hand, they didn't come in metal cases.

eurotraveller Dec 25th, 2004 06:49 PM

The packets that I brought with me a few days ago were in a foil pouch and I didn't have any trouble getting them through on my carry-on luggage. These packets are great for warming cold hands! Put them in the pocket of your coat and you will have warm hands for hours.

jody Dec 26th, 2004 01:44 AM

What is the brand name and where can you find them? I've developed a case of "white finger" and even in FL , it bothers me when it's cold. They'd really be a help on our Paris trip in Feb!

poochie Dec 26th, 2004 03:04 AM

I just flew to Paris 11 days ago and had three packages of six hand warmers in each package in my checked luggage. No problem at all. I got them at Wal-Mart, but I don't remember the brand. We didn't use them, so when we left we gave them to a homeless man who we saw sleeping in a cardboard box every night.

Frequent_Flyer Dec 26th, 2004 04:41 AM

I travel about 25% of my time, mostly internationally, and I never leave home without my hand warmers. I always carry them on - I never check luggage!

Travelnut Dec 26th, 2004 06:05 AM

You can buy them in the hunting/fishing sections of Walmart or the like...great for using at football games, too!

eurotraveller Dec 26th, 2004 08:07 AM

Hothands-2 by HeatMax. Go to www.heatmax.com for more info. I bought a case at Costco.

PJI Dec 26th, 2004 11:56 PM

I have a friend that brought these to Prague in the winter and put them in both her pockets and her shoes! Said they were the best things she could have gotten. May get some myself for our upcoming Paris trip!

lcuy Aug 2nd, 2005 04:58 PM

I've carried bags full of the disposable handwarmers on domestic and International flights--never had a problem.

I use them inside my gloves, or inside the cuff of my socks because gloves are not nearly as warming as these!

I also own the metal handwarmers that you fill with lighter fluid. If I take these on an airplane, I make sure they are empty, in the box they were sold in and pack them in my checked bags. When I get to my destination, I buy a small can of lighter fluid.

Spygirl Aug 2nd, 2005 05:08 PM

Uh, Icuy, am I missing something here? Is there some plausible rational reason you would bring this thread to the top for a response in August, the hottest part of summer????

Mystifying, to say the least!

lcuy Aug 4th, 2005 08:05 PM

Well, now that you ask, no. I'm not sure why I even saw this, as I never go back beyond the first 100 posts.

Was there another post in between that was deleted? or was it just a freak thing that brought it up into the top 100 posts. Don't know.

Funny you should ask though, as I just bought a box of 100 disposable handwarmers last week in our hot Hawaii weather. Getting care packages ready for all the Hawaii kids heading off to cold mainland schools.

lcuy Aug 4th, 2005 08:21 PM

And, even more mystifying, I almost never browse the Europe board, so it had to be a twilight zone post!

AnthonyGA Aug 5th, 2005 10:53 AM

Paris is not cold enough to justify hand warmers. It rarely goes below freezing even during the coldest days of winter. And recent years have been especially warm.

jody Oct 4th, 2005 05:51 AM

Obviously you must not have been inParis this past Feb..it was cold enough that the hand warmers were a godsend, especially if you have any kind of circulation problem in your fingers!

capxxx Oct 4th, 2005 12:30 PM


For what its worth, I did ask the TSA about taking those chemical packets on a trip to Edmonton Canada (in December). Nobody answered their phone, so I sent them a query by email.

They emailed back a completely useless reply, which basically said `check the list of forbidden things (they weren't on the list), but we reserve the right to confiscate anything we don't like the looks of.'

I ended up not taking them, but wished I had. They were sold out in Edmonton.





All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:57 PM.