Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

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maximos92
Posts: 183
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:01 pm
Location: Germany

Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by maximos92 »

So recently moved to Germany from the USA for work and I was really at a loss for what I wanted to do with my mazes. I have heard many horror stories involving government shipping and was very apprehensive to ship my mazes with the rest of my household items as they are one of the few things I truly would be upset to lose. I did a lot of research involving cases for the mazes as well as airline travel and it was always hard to find a good answer. I know that many people have had different experiences with airport security so I wanted to give my story as well as my method of transport.

I had 9 open mazes that I did not want to close, and I did not have 9 original boxes to put them in. So I set out to find a case that would work to fit all 9 in a manor that I though would give adequate protection through an 8 hour flight. I settled on the Nanuk 908 Waterproof Hard Case. The case is 12.5" x 9.8" x 8.0", so anything near these dimensions would work. Being this deep allowed me to pack the mazes with them being open. Although in hindsight i could have just dropped the pins out of the sleeve and packed them in a shorter case. Anyhow here are some photos of the finished product. The case came with two layers of foam that have blocks that you are able to remove to create a custom layout for whatever it is you want to fit into the case. I settled on removing blocks in a 3x3 cube which seemed to be most optimal for the sleeve to fit into. This allowed me to fit a 3x3 of mazes in the case.

Photos, sorry they were too large to upload directly so you get an imgur album :roll:

When deciding how to approach security, initially I had decided to check the case in one of my suitcases. I had written a nice letter to place on the top once opened, which would explain what the puzzles were in hopes they would not mess with them or take them. In fear of them removing the mazes and possibly closing or losing the pins, I opted to carry on my mazes. My ration was I would rather the opportunity to show an agent what they were than take my chances with someone not reading my letter, or just doing whatever to the puzzles. I packed the case into my carry on roller and when I came to my turn at the scanner I put the case into its own bin and sent them through alone. They were stopped and pulled to the side, and the two agents opened the lid to the most confused look on their faces. I was able to flag them down and the agent had me show her what was going on. Since I had no shaft in my bronze I was able to easily explain what was happening and she let me move along with no problems. No swabs, no removal, no nothing just a brief explanation with me being able to show what I had. I know results my vary, but just so their is a more recent tale from someone traveling with mazes you now have mine. I also had two unopened mazes in my checked bag, which arrive untouched. As well as silver in my carry on backpack. In total i traveled with 13 mazes, all which arrived with no problems.

If anyone is worried about weight, the case + all 9 mazes (and the mini) weighted in at ~15 pounds. It is not light by any means, but you should not have any issues with carry on weight requirements. :D

Anyways I hope this helps someone in the future. It can be quite nerve racking when deciding how to travel with your mazes.
Open: AQ01402|BUMarbles|GRMarbles|MT01059|BR01870|R00052|OR00210|TI00284|GMMarbles|CU00004|Mini
Closed: OBS Black V2|IN00262|Silver|Handmade
Ordered: Salmon
WTB: Black|Lime
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ghxost
Posts: 579
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2018 8:53 pm

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by ghxost »

Glad it went well for you

I would not bring mine in my car to drop someone off at an airport... Some of those people just do not listen and if they think it's dangerous...
I almost went to jail for pulling over with a flat tire at an airport

YOU CANT STOP HERE

Uh.... not gunna ruin my car dude
Seeking:
Black extreme (not merc), Red (extreme), Ruby, Peach
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maximos92
Posts: 183
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:01 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by maximos92 »

Sometimes you are left with no good options. The only good option I had was to leave my mazes with family, which I did not want to do :| Tried my luck and it worked out, many hours of thought and reading went into it lol
Open: AQ01402|BUMarbles|GRMarbles|MT01059|BR01870|R00052|OR00210|TI00284|GMMarbles|CU00004|Mini
Closed: OBS Black V2|IN00262|Silver|Handmade
Ordered: Salmon
WTB: Black|Lime
Chyron
Posts: 721
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:56 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by Chyron »

Another thing you could try, not that I know it to work well, tell them they should be treated as metal tools. Some airports have a separate line for things that may be dangerous or awkward and you could speak to an agent about them there (for checked luggage at least)

Most Airline agents at the desk recognized heavy duty containers and ask that question.

But only if no reasonable option exists otherwise.
Chyron wrote:Sometimes I get the feeling that someone goes around hiding old Puzzles in RevoHQ.
mereacregrigore18
Posts: 202
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:48 am

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by mereacregrigore18 »

Woww! Nicely done!
Love that suitcase and looks cheap enough. Good price for it!
Thanks for sharing! Much appreciated by many people on this forum I think.
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darctangent
Posts: 534
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2014 3:17 pm

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by darctangent »

Last week I had one in my checked bag. Two flights, no problem the third was. What is this? Open it. I have to clear it. I popped it out halfway along the reset and they swabbed it. They then scanned it again and were able to see inside. They were satisfied at that point. I explained it was a puzzle and not easily opened. I showed them the webpage description. I was not bothered and smiled and laughed and did not make it a problem. After, I thanked them for being thorough. I thought it could have gone either way, fortunately I could have handed it off to someone and not loose it.
Cheers,
Shane.
CE 105 BU CE 105 GR CE 105 BR CE 105 AG CE 105 AU CE 105 TI AQ00105 MT105
PU01 BL00LE HM12LE R00105 OR00105 LI00105 GM 105 CU00105 IN00105
Crypton
Posts: 103
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:29 pm
Location: Germany, Colone/Bonn

Re: Airline Travel + Carry Case for 9+ Mazes

Post by Crypton »

Welcome to Germany!
Yeah, I traveled with a Revo in my carry-on several times and normally explaining, that it is a puzzle is sufficient enough. I also remove the Revo out of my bag and place it inside one of the containers, so they can scan it separately.

Btw: if you're interested the German Cube Day is on April 20th in Düsseldorf. I'll be attenting the first time. It's all about puzzles (Twisties, and others). It's invite only. You'll have to register on the webpage and ask for an invite.
AQ01342: 2018-09-06: ~15h, BU02953: 2018-08-25: ~20h, GR02049: 2018-04-24: 3.5h, MT01086: 0h, BR02343: 2018-03-26: ~40h, IN00191: 10h, GM00112: 1h, ORxxxxx: arrived, CU00018: 0h, TI(SE)18-50: 0h, AGxxxxx: arrived,
Obsession-Pro: 2018-09-08: ~10h, Obsession-Black: 2019-01-20: ~90h, Mini: 0h (it's soooo tiny! :o )
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