Travel with batteries

[TN]

Heading to Mexico next week. Any recommendations on traveling with the battery and cannister - carry on or with checked luggage? I've heard there are some new regulations concerning batteries.

[Al]

Heading to Mexico next week. Any recommendations on traveling with the battery and cannister - carry on or with checked luggage? I've heard there are some new regulations concerning batteries.

I've done it many times. I keep the light head in my carry on and put the canister and batteries in checked baggage. If your battery connectors have exposed contacts (like the trailer connectors everyone used to use), wrap them with tape. Make sure you check in early, as TSA will open and inspect your checked bags and they won't be on the plane if you check in at the last minute. I've also had the carry on light heads cause a 10-15 minute stop at security.

There are new regulations for lithium ion batteries. http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

[Sludge]

I've heard there are some new regulations concerning batteries.

I believe the only recent changes have to do with lithium batteries. NiMH and SLAs aren't affected.

That said, I always carry my HID. At least I always have since I checked it in 2003 and it arrived in Bonaire broken.

[FW]

I tape a note to mine, saying "DIVE LIGHT". It has helped a couple of times. Once they even asked me to turn it on.

[MTS]

Two years ago, going to Mexico, I printed the light's picture and description (including the battery pack and charger) from the manufacturer’s web site, wrapped my canister in the pages and put it all in my checked luggage. The HID head traveled in my carry-on, well wrapped in foam.

[DogDiver]

I download a copy of my owners manual from Dive Rite and tape it to the cannister with a copy of it with my light head. Only heard of one problem with one of Renniker's clients that was traveling from central america. Seems they took his battery pack out on the tarmac and shot it. I think Bill still has the battery at his shop with a bullet in it.......too funny.....Ken