My First Kilted Airport Security Experiment

[DyerStraits]

I often wear one of my utility kilts for travel, especially for air travel. The extra cargo pockets are very useful, and, as is always the case, a kilt is far more comfortable to wear while seated for long periods than trews. The additional advantages are that a kilt would otherwise occupy a lot of space in my baggage, and I prefer to wear a kilt for playing golf--which is usually on the agenda when I'm travelling on holiday--and a kilt is also ideal as loungewear.

[OC Richard]

Glad to hear you breezed through. You never know about that sort of thing until you try!

I've never done that. On the occasions I bring Highland Dress (visiting Games back east, travelling with a pipe band to Scotland etc) I've packed it away.

But I've certainly thought about wearing it. I've considered the pros and cons:

Pro:
The kilt, kilt jacket, and ghillies are the three bulkiest things I bring, and take up the most room in the suitcase. Why not wear them instead of pack them?

Cons:
1) the kilt will get all wrinkled on the flight.
2) there will be more hassels at check-in, for one reason all my kilts have metal buckles.
3) I will be subject to unwanted attention.

and in the end I pack the Highland Dress.

[Taskr]

Great outline. I've air travelled kilted a number of times and all of them have been no hastle at all. The first trip I was taught "the stance" by the wand person (one foot forward of the other). I wear velcro-closed flashes and don't have a SD.

Here in Canadian airports you likely would have lost your kilt pin when it was scanned, even though it was in your carry on.

The kilt pin has gone into the sporran and the sporran in a tray for scanning. No problem (yet, anyway). Arriving in Vancouver once I was joyfully welcomed to Canada by a fellow walking by. Didn't bother telling him I am one

[Liam]

Great outline. I've air travelled kilted a number of times and all of them have been no hastle at all. The first trip I was taught "the stance" by the wand person (one foot forward of the other). I wear velcro-closed flashes and don't have a SD. The kilt pin has gone into the sporran and the sporran in a tray for scanning. No problem (yet, anyway). Arriving in Vancouver once I was joyfully welcomed to Canada by a fellow walking by. Didn't bother telling him I am one

I have a grouse foot kilt pin on a Velcro casual kilt that I have successfully navigated airport security. The one advantage of a kilt is that few believe you are trying to hide something, or blend in with the crowd - even in Scotland).

[SPS tools]

I usually fly kilted these days, but with a slight variation for TSA.
- Instead of shoes, I wear sandals & hose. I suppose loafers would work as well.
- I wear bicycle shorts for an undergarment.
- I wear a UtiliKilt with large pockets. Everything goes in them, including stuff from my shirt pockets.
While in line, I remove my sandals and place them in the tote. Then I remove the entire kilt and place it in the tote.
This saves a) removing my belt, b) getting the change out of this pocket, c) getting the snack bar out of that pocket, d) yada yada ... Of course emptying pockets is so much easier these days because of all the stuff (knives, lighters, etc.) you can't have in them any more.

I also have a hand-carved maple "sgian dubh" with a 1/4" thick safe "blade". I've never had any problem with that once they see the "blade".

[The Q]

I usually fly kilted these days, but with a slight variation for TSA.
- Instead of shoes, I wear sandals & hose. I suppose loafers would work as well.
- I wear bicycle shorts for an undergarment.
- I wear a UtiliKilt with large pockets. Everything goes in them, including stuff from my shirt pockets.
While in line, I remove my sandals and place them in the tote. Then I remove the entire kilt and place it in the tote.
This saves a) removing my belt, b) getting the change out of this pocket, c) getting the snack bar out of that pocket, d) yada yada ... Of course emptying pockets is so much easier these days because of all the stuff (knives, lighters, etc.) you can't have in them any more.

I also have a hand-carved maple "sgian dubh" with a 1/4" thick safe "blade". I've never had any problem with that once they see the "blade".

I bet when you start undoing your kilt some of them start worrying!!

[tpa]

I have tried the trick of rotating my kilt so the buckles were front and back and sailed right through. Not sure why this works but it does.

It has worked for me in the past, but didn't the last trip from Birmingham UK to Zurich, neither on the way out or on the way back. I don't think the metal buckles in the hose garters help either.

[Taskr]

TPA. On one trip I did wear the metal-buckle hose garter- bad idea. The wand person was getting ready to move me off somewhere, so I rolled up the hose top. Crisis averted. Velcro close for air travel wins.
I don't bother with the kilt twist for the buckles. I beep , they wand, they pat the bucklesith:. done.

[OC Richard]

Thanks all for the various experiences and suggestions. Maybe I'll try the kilted flying next time.

My shoes (size 14) take up so much room that I need to have them on my feet when I fly, if I'm going to just have the one rolling carryon, as is my custom.

Thus the ghillies I ordinarily wear with kilts have to be left behind. I don't feel quite right wearing Highland Dress with ordinary casual shoes, but one pair must serve the entire trip.

I was thinking about the practicality of swapping out the metal buckles on one of my kilts with plastic. Good to know about using Velcro on the garters. I don't take a sgian or kilt pin when I travel anyhow.

About metal and airport security, when I was returning from Hawai'i in ordinary clothes the scanner stopped me though I had no metal whatsoever. The hand-held scanner was indicating something around my waist but there was nothing: the shorts had no belt, just a cloth draw-string, and the holes the draw-string go through are sewn like buttonholes- there are no metal grommets or any metal anywhere. Yet the scanner was insisting that there was something. They finally let me go when they were convinced there was no metal anywhere.

[Father Bill]

Must have been your iron constitution, Richard!