Planning on making it an weekend with some hiking or ? Then there's some good news for those of you who are braving the skies to get home. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently relaxed its rules for bringing trekking poles on board in your carry-on, which could mean you get to your destination with all of your luggage for once. Formerly, hiking poles were required to be checked and during what the TSA is warning will be the , there's a decent chance that could mean hitting the trail without the support of your poles.
However, according to its most recent policies, the TSA now says that trekking poles can be packed in your carry-on bag and screened to come on board with you. There is, however, a caveat or two – this rule only applies to "blunt-tipped walking sticks", so if yours are snow-ready with sharp tips that could be seen as a potential weapon, you'll still need to check them. Furthermore, whether or not you can really get yours on board ultimately all comes down to who's on staff at the airport when you arrive, as the TSA advises: "Please note that even if an item is generally allowed, our officers make the final decision on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.
Check with your airline to see if they allow walking sticks as carry-on items." can be a really useful piece of kit for hikers of all ages. They can help you hike more efficiently, save your , keep you stable when you're walking over rough ground and make a useful probe for and.