Titanium spork in carry-on bag?

[MaggieScratch]

A friend gave me one of those titanium sporks. It was kind of a joke, but on a recent trip I realized it would be a pretty useful item to carry (in other words, I wished I had brought it). But I wondered if TSA would object to it. The tines are a little sharp, and it is metal, so it would show up on the X-ray. Has anyone traveled with one of these items?

[Frank II]

I've traveled with the plastic ones. No problem. The metal might bother them. The plastic ones are only $4 and fairly indestructible.

[RedBeard]

A friend gave me one of those titanium sporks. It was kind of a joke, but on a recent trip I realized it would be a pretty useful item to carry (in other words, I wished I had brought it). But I wondered if TSA would object to it. The tines are a little sharp, and it is metal, so it would show up on the X-ray. Has anyone traveled with one of these items?

I would throw it in my bag and see what happens. It doesn't have a blade, so it should be alright. If it is not, what a great story if it got confiscated! The TSA took my spork!

[backpack]

Last year, I carried a steel dessert spoon and fork in my Quarter Cube, both are approximately the same size as the spork.

No problem, the ladies at the Birmingham airport only mentioned the nice organizing pouches to which I responded, Tom Bihn's and smiled.

I was too tired to remember if they said anything at Washington DC Airport, not Dulles, the city airport, DCA.

[scotlib]

I just flew through Gatwick and Dublin with a folding spork in my carry-on. Bought it on impulse (on sale, lol) in an outdoor gear store wandering around Windsor. It's a fun souvenir, now. Never considered I could lose it, but I can write happily that I didn't. Cheers.

[MaggieScratch]

True, it doesn't have a blade--the little travel sewing kit scissors I carry for my tatting have a bigger point (the blades are about 1" long and the handles are plastic, so no objections so far). Maybe I'll give it a try next time. Thanks!

[Akilae]

I just flew to Chicago and back with a Titanium spork and didn't have any problems with security. Granted, it was in the same pouch as my stainless steel spoon and chopsticks...

[thorn]

True, it doesn't have a blade--the little travel sewing kit scissors I carry for my tatting have a bigger point (the blades are about 1" long and the handles are plastic, so no objections so far). Maybe I'll give it a try next time. Thanks!

To people who want to take a sewing kit with them, do what I do. Forget those sewing kits at the store that have 10 thread colors, scissors, multiple needles and take up a lot of room. Extremely few people will ever need to use this while on a trip. Create your own like I did. I use a short seam ripper that comes with a cap. Inside of that, stick a pre-threaded needle with black thread wrapped around the seam ripper so it does not tangle. You now have a sewing kit that takes almost no space. And there ya go!

[MaggieScratch]

I don't carry the sewing kit, just the scissors. ;-) I need a precise point to cut my tatting close to the work without cutting into the knots, so I do need a scissor. I don't take my good embroidery scissors for fear they will be confiscated.

[BJ Nemeth]

I have carried a titanium spork (love it!) in my carryon bags for more than a year, and I have never had a problem.

I keep mine in my Snake Charmer along with all of my computer cables, card readers, and things like that, and I don't know whether or not that's a factor in allowing it through. But really, if I saw one of these on an X-Ray machine, I certainly wouldn't consider it dangerous.

Anytime I mention the Snake Charmer I have to say that I consider it to be the single best product in the Tom Bihn lineup -- and that's saying something. You'll have to pry my Hunter Green Aeronaut from my cold, dead hands, but I think the Snake Charmer is something that *every* tech traveler should be using, regardless of the brand of their bag.

I've never seen anything that even comes close to its usefulness for storing cables and other small tech gear.

[Jenne]

I just traveled from Kansas City--> Amsterdam--> Venice and back with my titanium spork (and my knitting) and had absolutely no problems. I think two things helped me-- I try to be as pleasant and efficient going through security as humanly possible and I had already dealt with the possibility that they might take them away and I was okay with that. So, no worry, no stress, and it was just fine!

BJ, I also love my snake charmer! It's full-- I think I have to get another one!

[leviathan]

I used to carry a fork and spoon I swiped from a late nite diner in my bag. I'd been through tons of airports with it, and then one day, I believe in BOS a TSA agent told me I could keep the spoon but the fork had to go. Some places are weird like that.

I'd go with the plastic ones suggested above. Speaking of which, where can I find those? Any general camping/sporting sections of stores?

[maverick]

I used to carry a fork and spoon I swiped from a late nite diner in my bag. I'd been through tons of airports with it, and then one day, I believe in BOS a TSA agent told me I could keep the spoon but the fork had to go. Some places are weird like that.

I'd go with the plastic ones suggested above. Speaking of which, where can I find those? Any general camping/sporting sections of stores?

hi leviathan,

amazon sells plastic sporks.

[Frank II]

You can also find plastic sporks at Wal-Mart (in the camping section) and REI (if there is one near you.). I would venture to guess that any store that has a camping section probably carries sporks.

Be careful, sporks also come in "serving" sizes. You might look at them and think, that seems awfully big!!! The spoon side of the spork is about the size of an average tablespoon.

[ex machina]

You can find them on eBay too. Sporks!