Heads Up - Traveling with Li Batteries

[Dr. Fish]

Hello All

I feel as though I'm back from the dead. Hopped a plane to FLA early this month for a few days of meetings and then a few days of top shelf fishing with the long rod in the Keys. Well only a day into the trip I came down with a most nasty strain of the flu and I'm here to tell you it really took me down. After 3 days sequestered in the hotel I had to cancel the trip and flew home for treatment. As soon as I landed my wife took me to an after hours urgent care facility. Well after 6 more solid days in bed I finally started to come around. Then I got slammed with a horrible stomach bug that turned me inside out. Man was I begging the wife to crack open the gun safe, load one up and put me down but she would not do it. It's been 3 weeks of hell but I'm finally back on the road to feeling better but I'm still real bummed about the 4 cancelled days of fishing in paradise : (

Any way, back on January 1st, TSA was supposed to start enforcing a ban on Li batteries in checked luggage. Well I travel A LOT and with a full compliment of camera gear (35 - 55 pounds of it) which includes a ton of Li batteries. It was not until I went through screening on March 3rd that I was asked about batteries and told NONE were allowed in checked baggage. I have been prepared for this so I have been packing all of them in my carry on bags BUT I do know many that place these in checked bags. My batteries range from $55 - $125 each so I know how much it would hurt to have TSA take them and wanted to give everyone a heads up.

I highly suggest you either purchase the protective battery contact covers or make your own out of carbboard or plastic as this really seems to ease the TSA agents fears when checking bags and remember to carry them onto the plane. Nothing worse than unpacking in some remote location only to find out all your batteries are gone.