I was wondering how many gals travel on planes with breast forms in their suitcase. I travel quite a bit but am scared to bring my forms for fear of TSA seeing them in the xray and thinking the are some new plastic explosive. I would hate for all the alarms to go off and a loud speaking to shout "WARNING, WARNING this man has boob bombs in his bag!"
Any tips on traveling with my forms and no I am not quite ready to travel femme just yet?
Thanks!
Absolutely I can offer advice as I fly with mine all of the time.
Put them in your checked baggage - do not put them in your carry on.
If you put them in your carry on, they WILL be detected as a large quantity of a "gel" which IS restricted and not allowed in a carry on. At that point your bag WILL be pulled aside for a visual inspection.
The breast forms are actually considered a medical prosthetic and you ARE allowed to carry or wear them on to the plane BUT they must be taken out of your carry on, and sent through the Xray. If you try to sneak them on in your checked bag, the guy running the Xray machine doesn't know that they are breast forms - all he is going to know is that there is a large amount of a gel substance there, and that's why he is still going to call for a visual inspection.
The long and short of it is, it is legal to carry them on and they should not be taken from you, but if the TSA does their job right, they will be detected and you and your bag will be pulled aside and inspected. If your courage can handle that, then go for it, otherwise just put them in your checked baggage. It will probably also be detected in your checked baggage, but that bag is going to be inspected somewhere a long way away from you where you don't risk being embarrassed.
I actually have flown several times to Florida from New York as well as Las Vegas with my forms in a plain backpack that I would carry on. The last time I went to Florida, the only thing that I was stopped for was my "cologne" bottle that was in the suitcase...nothing was mentioned about the forms or shoes that were in my backpack. I'm sure that when the screener saw the shoes etc., he just ignored and let the bag go thru.....
I have recently traveled and packed them in my suitcase, not my carry on. No problems with security whatsoever.
Good luck!
I haven't flown into the USA for somewhere between 8 and 10 years, so I cannot speak of what happens there.Originally Posted by Virginia B
I have flown within Canada several times in the last few years, with silicone forms either in my checked luggage or worn in my bra. The most that has happened was that once my belt buckle set off the metal detector and I was wanded; the wand blipped slightly for my underwire, which fact the agent promptly ignored; I had to take the belt off and go back through and then was allowed to put my belt on and continue on my way.
I have flown domestically with forms at least 8 times, probably more. I have flown domestically (Canada) with a visible bust-line and wearing a skirt either 4 or 5 times; at least 3 of those times I was wearing a top or blouse that was darted to emphasize the bust, not to hide it. Never a comment from the security people. I've never been "mam"'d on any of those flights -- but people have treated me nicer (e.g., holding doors with a smile, helping me pick up things), even though they knew that I was a guy dressed up.
Maria, you were lucky then. Do you want to know the scary part about your story? It means that the guy running the Xray machine didn't do his job right. That gel could just as easily have been an explosive or flammable substance and he didn't catch it and stop it. Presumably they have other means for detecting explosives than just the Xray, but there is no question in my mind that the guy who was running the machine when your bag went through failed at his job.
Last year I traveled twice to Detroit with my forms in my checked through suitcase. I never had a problem nor did I find one of those little TSA notice papers inside of my checked baggage, except for my golf bag (twice). Why not just wear them when you travel if you are worried?
If you wear them, how will they be detected? You'll be passing through a metal detector not an X-Ray. Providing you wear a bra without wiring in it you should be OK. And if stopped you can always just explain that you're transitioning.
I have taken on trips with me many times. In fact the last time I flew I was planning on flying home en femme. The trip got screwed up and I had to fly home early and be met by my unaccepting wife at the airport. Thus no flying girls club for me.
Michelle
One things for sure, they'd make excellent flotation devices!
No joke here - wearing them is perfectly acceptable and they wont set off any detector. I cant vouch for if a TSA inspector notes the bulge and wants to check you by hand though . . .
I suppose it comes down to your courage and what you are willing to endure. No way around it - the best answer is to check them so you will have no worries or stress
They show up on the whole-body scanners; and they potentially show up on the "sniffer" machines. The sniffer machines that you see (where they take a swab and put it in the machine) are only the proverbial visible iceberg compared to the sniffer machines that are on the market, which (according to what I've read in serious journals) are capable of detecting fairly low concentrations of literally tens of thousands of chemicals, with a high rate of air exchange. Current technology is sophisticated enough to be able to "sniff" you as you walk through what could look pretty much like any normal metal detector.
Traveling to SCC in Atlanta last year, I checked enuff silicone in my bags to open a small store!
When I opened those bags, (which had been CAREFULLY packed to the MAX), I found everything was scrambled, jumbled, wrinkled, and a pair of gloves ruined, when one stuck in the zipper!
I almost had to destroy the bag to get it opened!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
I have actually taken mine on at least a dozen or more domestic US flights in my carryon bag in and out of Chicago to various cities and Kimberly is exactly right... my bag almost ALWAYS gets flagged for inspection, which I now expect so I'm not nervous about it. I almost always tell the inspector as they are asking me "is this your bag?" that "those shapes on the screen are breast forms." It kind of disarms them a little and puts them (in a way) at ease. It's actually kind of funny how some of them then proceed to ask me if I want a private screening or whatever. No one pays any attention to anything in airports, so I just say, "nah, it's fine" and they quickly rummage through my bag and do the little explosive tests. They have ALWAYS been very courteous about it and only occaisonally do I get a nervous laugh or something, but never offensive... they can all sense that I don't care, and that helps too. I only feel bad since of course *I* know that they are wasting time on me... but the thought of them losing my bag if I check it with all my "stuff" in it is more horrifying than the experience of them going through my bag, which again has become sort of a non-issue with me. (Rather interesting that I'm ok with this, considering I NEVER go "out" except an occaisonal long drive somewhere.)
VS Fan
Last edited by VS Fan; 04-14-2010 at 06:10 AM. Reason: typo
These detector are in fact capable of detecting many chemicals but they don't detect your forms because there is nothing in them that is dangerous. These instruments only report on chemicals that have explosive potential such as nitro compounds and possibly acetone since it can be combined with hydrogen peroxide to make what the shoe bomber attemted to use. So maybe you shouldn't remove your nail polish 5 minutes before you go through the detectors!
Leann
Leann
Enjoy who you are but stay safe.
I have flown several time packing my girl things in a bag that I always check. There has been 4 or 5 times that when I arrive I find my bags had been opened and the lilttle TSA sticker on the out side but never any problems with the things in side. I do pack a lot of my stuff in clear plastic zip bags so if the suit case is opened everything can be viewed and moved around without the TSA agent having to handle my things.
star
I travelled to Dallas recently with my forms in my bag that I took through security. As I had gone through the metal detector and I was putting my belt and shoes back on and gathering my things, a TSA lady asked me, "Do you have anything interesting or different in this bag?" I said, "I do, they are breast forms." She said that she would have to look at them. She opened the box, inspected them and ran them back through the security device. They passed and I was on my way.
Mackenzie
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