I’ve learned the hard way to never assume that a) your flights will all go off without a hitch and b) there will be food/beverages available in the airport.
I’ve had some really nasty layovers that turned into sleep-on-the-floor experiences. Most restaurants and fast food in the airport closes around 11pm or so, and after that your only options for food are whatever you can find in a vending machine.
When I travel, I always pack my carry on with an eye towards having to sleep over in the airport. To that end, I bring a compact blanket to sleep under…the Kifaru Wooby, and a small stash of freeze drieds and the necessary gear to prepare it. What does that look like? Glad you asked.
First, everything packs into a Blackhawk utility pouch.
Opening it up, we get this:
A graduated metal cup, a couple Mountain House entrees, a Platypus water bladder, some plastic tableware, and an electric heating element. I don’t drink coffee, but theres room for some small packets of freezedried coffee (or tea) in there.
The Platypus is so I can load up on water and not have to roam around the airport hunting down a water fountain once I’ve settled in and nested down for he night. Why not a hard Nalgene bottle? Bulk, thats why. The Platypus rolls up flat for compact storage when youre not using it and I recommend always having one in your bag because you never know when you’re gonna suddenly develop the need to have some way to keep water portable. Make sure your cup has graduation markings on it…when the freeze dried meal calls for a particular amount of water, its nice to have the markings on the cup so you dont get too much or too little water.
A slightly larger utility pouch would let you stuff maybe one more meal in there, but at that point youre taking up too much space for something that, hopefully, you won’t need to use. From a truly practical standpoint, you could always just head to the McDonalds in Terminal B and stuff forty chicken nuggets in your pockets for later (they’ll keep at room temp for about a day), but why live on CluckPucks if you don’t have to?
Following. This is actually a smart operational posture and kit to have at hand any time you are out of the house and away for any reason or extended durations. Those dwelling in those box store sized communities may have Ample commercial food outlets or retailers, but all is contingent on those computers working properly or the utilities services not being cut off as well. Pulling out your packed in rations in any such denied services scenario is an alpha tiered level of propper planning.
A different operational note to consider is do not entrust the preparation and serving of food and beverages by strangers. Sure I love a served up greasy cheeseburger and fries like the next fellow, however, in these uncertain times and it no longer being a high trust society it would be strategically big picture wise more prudent to eat your own carried and prepped food. Gnawing on some m.r.e. entrees or boiling up freeze dried grub is still way better than getting a case of food poisoning from substandard businesses or inferior hired help employees. This is in addition to a schizo theory of malicious poisoning by a disgruntled employee putting some fentanyl in your food, because you look like a MAGA person. Oops! you just overdosed and are laying on the floor of a fast food outlet, dying out right there. Things to consider as you slowly and methodically chew your food at your next meal. Stay healthy, stay frosty.
Excellent advice.
Excellent article. Having flown for the airlines for 25 years I can say that your assertions are correct. I didn’t have a dedicated kit like you, but they were all in the suitcase along with a small Swayer water filter.
I would add the following advice concerning the flights themselves:
1) Never get on an aircraft hungry or without water,
2) Never get on an aircraft needing to use the restroom,
3) Never get on an aircraft without something to read,
4) Don’t travel in sandals or flip-flops, they would suck if you had to rapidly evacuate a burning aircraft or into the snow with them.
Matt
I go the opposite way – I never eat or drink before or during flights. I don’t want to risk air sickness, and it precludes me from having to shuffle amongst the masses to use the bathroom.
This.
That said I am surprised they let you through with the stinger. Once the charger for my electric razor was taken away.
Obviously I trim my pocket junk significantly but I absolutely do not get on a plane, or any other public conveyance really, without a quality flashlight in my pocket. As of late I’ve been playing with the Nitecore ( https://amzn.to/3D63sWu ) which throws out some eyeball-scorching light. TSA was curious about it, but once they swiped it for residue they let it pass. Someone in the blog turned me onto the Streamlight ProTac ( https://amzn.to/41f2DCC ) which has become my everyday pocket light. Regardless of the light you choose, Im of the opinion that you should have a good quality small flashlight on you at all times but especially in an environment like a public transport system.
I miss the old Missoula Airport, before it became like every other airport in the country. Having Liquid Planet there in the upstairs gate was nice.
One of the ladies that works at the airport also had a side gig doing backround checks for security clearances. When I had to get my TS/SCI renewed, she was the one that did it. Took a minute to realize how we knew each other!
Man, I remember when it was just three gates and one luggage carousel.
I was referring to the water heater. That was prime contraband back in the day in the jails/prisons. I would not see a problem on a plane but those low IQ TSA types might. I agree about about a flashlight on the plane. Those lights don’t always stay on.
Spent multiple thousands of hours in the air in a past life, T-37, T-38, F-4, KC-135, etc. I came to the conclusion that air sickness is more likely on an empty stomach. The only time I ever vomited in any aircraft was in a KC-135, calm conditions, straight and level flight. I blame it on food poisoning from a Navy chow hall.
I agree with you about minimizing use of the on board bathroom, though.
Knowing what they are like the time you need it your suitcase may be AWOL.
I have traveled a fair bit over the years. I agree having food and water for delays etc can be great. I gravitate towards protein bars, cliff style bars, and trail mix. I carry a 1 liter bottle and fleet it topped off. A golf jacket has ridden with me for 15 years as it folds up small and does not wrinkle. Good suggestion on the heater if you want a good comfort hot food.
Brilliant! Thanks for the links.
When flying we try only to do direct flights, whenever possible these days. It seems to never fail that if we do a connecting flight there is a problem at the connecting hub. We recently missed a connecting flight due to an original departure delay and customs upon return to the U.S. Leding to an overnight stay in the hellhole of Philadelphia while our luggage continued on via three different flights. When we finally got home, we had to go to three different terminals at DFW airport to recover all of our luggage from baggage claim. My wife carries everything allowed in her carry on to survive a day/night without our luggage just to be safe. One thing we do once through security is pick up a bottle of water for each person, if we did not already bring our filtered water bottles. You will dehydrate on a flight and need to make sure this is address even if you are not eating.
Sadly, because I live in what many would call a small town, there are no direct flights to anywhere for me. So…connections. I usually load up a small Paltypus at the first water fountain I come to when Im past the TSA grepos, but I try not to drink much. My goal is to get on the plane, close my eyes, and wake up at my destination… like magic!
Would love to sleep on a flight, but for some reason it just never really happens for me, even on overnight flights. I have even flown international first class with a seat that becomes a bed but sleep still did not happened for me.
You both need to discover the magic of Benadryl.
Sleep without feeling doped up when you awaken, and useful for allergy emergencies as well.
Strip the label off an emptied tube of Tylenol or Advil, and half a dozen or so travel in about the space of a Chapstick.
For that matter, an entire med kit OTC pill case fits inside a mil-spec 12 gauge shell pouch, and should accompany your med kit inside your carry-on. Type labels, wrap them in clear packing tape, and even TSA doesn’t get stupid or butthurt about it.
https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2022/08/fak-hack-pill-kit.html
How the ehck you get it through the TSA, in Mpls you would be strip searched..
Nothing in there to give the grepos at TSA a fit. I go through Salt Lake and Minneapolis mostly and have never had an issue with the immersion heater. Only things that have ever given TSA the vapors has been a larger-than-3oz bottle of Swiss Navy and some of the more tactical flashlights, but its been a long while on the flashlights…I think TSA computer scan recognitions are recognizing them as harmless.
The only things? I seem to remember a time when it was a little more than that they did not like you having.
As I recall that wasnt carry on, so its not really germane to this conversation, is it?
I got one of those collapsible water bottles. It’s my second water bottle in my bag o tricks.
For food I carry about a dozen protein bars. Makes it easy to rotate and no prep/ mess.
Hate air travel but it’s a trade off with living a life worth protecting. Thankfully since moving home everyone is drive able.
Never thought of this setup, thanks.
What recommendation do you have for the graduated cups.
Doesnt matter. Theyre all basically the same Made In China stuff. I spent the money and went for a titanium cup just because I’m a gear queer. Whatever you get, make sure it’s got the graduations on the side so you know how much liquid youre working with. If you wanna go the cheap route, an ungraduated cup can become a graduated one if you fill it with a known amount of liquid and then scratch a mark in it at that level. Its stupid expensive, but I get the Snow Peak cup. If you have something that already has measuring points on it, like a Nalgene bottle, then you can use that to measure liquids into the cup to make sure you get the right amount.
Really good info. I would not have thought a heating element would be allowed.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all-list
Pretty cool ideas there.
Never had a hiccup with it with the grepos at TSA.
It may help that it needs to be plugged in to work.
Fancy! I go with nuts and jerky, myself. No preparation needed. Never thought about a collapsible water container, I generally buy a couple bottles of water after getting past the gropefest.
One thing I find helps with connections etc, is always booking the earliest flight out I can. That way, when something goes wrong, I have the largest span of time available to attempt to recover and get to where I’m going the same day.
A related travel hack is to stay the night before near the airport. I live a couple hours’ drive away from the airport, and there’s really only one road. And it means I can sleep for an extra couple of hours before that early flight, and am not starting my drive when the bars are still emptying out.
I also bring at least some halfway decent protein bars and snacks. Airport food prices have gotten insane, nevermind the quality. I fly enough that I’ve found a few “reasonable” places, but not many. (Great American Bagel in SJC, Nathan’s Hot Dogs at LAS.)
Plus one on the early flight and hotel overnight close to the airport. Stay at one you can leave your vehicle at and grab a shuttle.
Good article. I add a couple things to the list. An in line Sawyer Squeeze or equivalent. I don’t trust water ANYWHERE I travel, including airports. Also, I spend the extra $20 and get the Kifaru double woobie (doobie). Very, very warm, but it won’t pack as small.
Excellent simple kit. Thanks for sharing. I have a question for the group. What are some alternatives to the electric heating element that could be added to the existing package without changing the overall size of the holding bag? Not so much for in the event that TSA confiscates for their own, but say in a situation where the airport terminal you are stuck in loses power (I’ve been in this exact situation before). Just trying to think of another allowable heat source that could be thrown in the bag in addition to the heating element that would provide you with a hot meal option without getting a full body cavity search performed on you in public view. The TSA is worthless.
I was trying to find the blog where I saw it, but someone had used a USB 10w aquarium heater that heated to like 80-90 degrees F with a battery bank in the 10k range. It’s been a year or so the last I saw it, just cannot remember where I saw it from.
I really wonder if that’s even a feasible thing to do with the limits on portable lithium power banks that are allowed on flights.
They already make chemical heaters for mre’s. Just add water. Not sure any inspector would even recognize it.
That’s what I was wondering. If something like that would also be allowed through TSA? So many regulations at this point on anything even remotely useful being allowed through the gates.
Won’t work in your carryon, I know several people who have tried and doesn’t get past the Xray machine because of the reactants in the pouch. However, you can put them into your checked luggage.