BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm considering buying one before I head off to NZ in August, but I'm a bit concerned about whether I'll be allowed to bring the stove and fuel bottle on various airline flights.

Obviously a full fuel bottle wouldn't be permitted, but how about an empty but used bottle and/or the stove itself?

I checked on the Air New Zealand website and it says:
"Specific requirements exist for the carriage of camping stoves/fuel containers, firearms and any devices with petrol engines. Carriage of these items will require passengers to prepare the items or arrange documentation in advance of the travel date." which is singularly unhelpful.

Anyone with experience of this who would care to share?

just a guess:
pick up something there.
(plus you'll have the adventure of shopping in a nz outdoor store!)

quote:

Originally posted by Zopa:
just a guess:
pick up something there.
(plus you'll have the adventure of shopping in a nz outdoor store!)

Yeah, no matter what the answer is, I'd been thinking about doing that (the outdoor shops I've visited in NZ are fine places, [if a bit more expensive than in Canada] and it would save me hauling it around for a little while.)

That said, I'm still curious to know, because one way or another I'll have to deal with the issue at some point in the trip...

Thanks for the reply

my intuition is to *not* travel with a camping stove. those airline regulations are written vaguely and its up to the interpretation of the agent(s) you deal with.

Best case, you are in for a big hassle and lots of paperwork. Worst case, you will be traveling without your stove.

My advice, take the path of least resistance and buy one when you get there. And regarding moving on, I imagine there a method similar to craigslist over there where you can buy and sell used gear and in effect get the use of the gear for next to nothing.

I took my whisperlite to NZ. US inspectors confiscasted my (used) fuel bottle but allowed my stove to pass through. My fuel bottle was attached to the outside of my pack because I expected problems.

In retrospect, if I had burried the (empty) fuel bottle deeper in my pack, they probably would have let it pass as a "water" bottle.

If you are concerned you can either:

bring a virgin, in-box stove and bottle on the plane

mail your stove and fuel bottle ahead to yourself in NZ

buy a stove in NZ at 40% markup

I travel with my MSR Dragonfly all the time... though I've packed "Bear Spray" and no one has ever said anything to me either. Color me lucky.

The information I've gotten from the airline's front counter is that a stove is ok but a used fuel bottle is not whether or not it actually has anything in it at the time. I'd take this information with a grain of salt considering how many times I've been turned back by security after the person who checked me in told me I'd be fine.
Let us know how it goes.

DO NOT BRING A CAMPING STOVE. You might get away with it, but it is company policy to not let you travel with it. My brother had his stolen. Those guys cannot reason for themselves at all; they just follow the policy. But you can gamble if you like.

How common is this regulation among other airlines (though I'm guesssing pretty common)? If I took the option of sending a stove to my destination, where would I send it to? The first place I'll be staying?

That is what I would do. Call ahead and tell them you are sending it.

The core issue is this:

You are asking if you can take a device that can be pressurized and can contain accelerants (even just the vapors) on a commercial aircraft in the year 2006?

If I was your reservation agent and I knew you had either a used stove and/or fuel bottle, they would both be confiscated. This is why: Passenger/air crew safety trumps your convenience, every time!

I agree with other posters:

1. Either bring it all brand spanking new with stove pressure released (still not good - it could still be
confiscated)

2. Purchase it there. Worst case: Sell it for say 30-50 cents on the dollar before you leave NZ.

Good topic.

How about in countries like say Central or South America? I'm sure in some of the capitals or in area's with high tourism do to trekking I would be able to find something to buy, but riding around on my bike I'm gonna need one with in the first week.

How come you can ship potential explosives, is it on a ship or Jet? It's still a threat on a Jet right?? I'm not that bright though...

quote:

How come you can ship potential explosives, is it on a ship or Jet?

Ever see the letters ORM-D on a shipping carton? That means that it cannot go by air.
This applies to an amazing array of items, including seemingly harmless ones such as WD-40.

In answer to your question, no, they don't typically ship explosives by commercial airliners.

yea, no.... lol

I just bought a backpacking stove and almost bought the fuel for a trip to Maui until the salesclerk informed me that you CANNOT take the fuel on a plane!! OKay I felt stupid to not know that, but the thought that other people would sneak this on board?? *scary* Please dont do that!!

On a side note, I learned that because they have to ship it as hazardous materials, stove fuel is pretty dag pricey in Hawaii... NZ too for the same reason, I'd imagine...

I am stunned by this thread. There is a REASON airlines ban them-they BLOW UP! Am I the only person who pays attention to this stuff?

Doesn't anyone recall the number of times that stoves have blown up on airliners and brought them down like fucking darts? Remember the charter to Mecca a couple of years ago that went down? Fuel stove. How about the crash in India in 2004? Fuel stove. Or, my most recent example, I saw a guy hauled off a flight between Sydney and Tonga--in handcuffs--because they found a canister of stove fuel in his checked baggage. If you can't afford to buy a stove and fuel where you are going, you are under financed. If they do not exist there, take a water boiler and converter instead. Or a pack of matches.

quote:

Originally posted by salmo99:
Or a pack of matches.

Don't take those either...

No matches/lighters/sharpened car keys allowed on airplanes these days.

To be fair, nobody above advocated bringing along camp fuel.

The simple answer would be a stove that burns alcohol. No parts that work with pressure, and no fumes more dangerous than that bottle of wine I know you're all sneaking on too. And only idiots bring fuel on board a plane, regardless of the kind of fuel.

quote:

Originally posted by oswiu:
Obviously a full fuel bottle wouldn't be permitted, but how about an empty but used bottle and/or the stove itself?

I have travelled many times with my whisperlite. I check in both the stove and bottle. Before departure, I empty the bottle, rinse it out with water and soap and let it dry out a night. Then it doesn't smell anymore. I read it in the small manual that came with the stove. Quote from the msr website:

"Carrying flammable fuel on passenger aircraft in carry-on or checked baggage is forbidden. Before transporting a MSR fuel bottle on an aircraft, safely empty all fuel from the bottle, wash inside with soapy water, rinse thoroughly, air dry, and stow uncapped"

I managed to get ahold of someone at Air New Zealand (funny that it took me so long to get around to that) and he filled me in on their policies.

Stoves themselves are fine, no problem.
Refillable fuel bottles are okay, but only if new and unused, and you also have to fill out a form at checkin, attesting to the fact that they are so.

This strikes me as reasonable (if, perhaps, a bit over-cautious, since they let you bring up to 500ml of acetone on board, which is even more flammable than kerosene... an empty, cleaned-out bottle can't be worse than that.)

Anyhow, with all this in mind, I'll probably buy the stove in Canada and pick up a fuel bottle in NZ, thus striking a balance between cost and hassle-avoidance.