Fly with your Bogu?

[Rularn]

With all of the other threads on problems people face when flying with your bogu bag and shinai bags, I'd like to know how many people actually have had a problem with the airline damaging or losting their precious bogu.

And of course, if you haven't had a problem before, would you consider flying somewhere with your bogu?

Er... I can't create the poll...

Anyway, I've never flown before with my bogu but I probably will the next time around. I will just have to pray the airline people don't damage or lost it.

R

[KendokaJim]

It's funny, I was just wondering about this same thing today. I'm flying to Kentucky at the end of July, and I'd like to visit the dojo in Louisville, but I'm afraid of my bogu or my shinai/bokken being damaged. The shinai seem the most susceptible to problems like this.

I suppose sending my shinai to Louisville by UPS or Fedex would work...

Any other suggestions?

[Shazzanzzz]

It's funny, I was just wondering about this same thing today. I'm flying to Kentucky at the end of July, and I'd like to visit the dojo in Louisville, but I'm afraid of my bogu or my shinai/bokken being damaged. The shinai seem the most susceptible to problems like this.

I suppose sending my shinai to Louisville by UPS or Fedex would work...

Any other suggestions?

bring your bogu, see if you can borrow a shinai from someone there. Email and ask them that first of course.

I've flown with my bogu before, there wasn't any problem. I mean, it's pretty durable, as long as they don't lose it, it's fine. Even if they do lose it, they are obligated to pay you for it, so, just go buy another one. I wouldn't want to lose all my tenuguis in there though, since a lot of them are given to me by people from different dojos. I hope they don't lose my bogu when i fly to taiwan next week... I'm not going to bring my shinais, just going to buy one there.

[Taek]

I brought my three shnais from Japan early this year. I already had all my shinai safe in one of those black stiff shinai case but I was still provided with a long cardboard box at the Narita airport. I'm not sure about other airport but I was also offered the same service at Incheon (korea) airport. The box is free but you need to have it sent separate from your normal sized luggage (I went the oversize luggage platform or somewhere like that).
For bogu, I haven't tried yet but this was what I was going to do if I got my new bogu made before I left Korea. I have a quite large strong plastic travel case and I put whatever I think fragile in the case including camera lenses, computer and bottle etc. I was going to put men and do in the case and pack them with other smaller things while you send your bogu bag with only kote and tare and other light stuff like clothes. If you can find little things that you can fit inside men or under the do in your travel case, you will save space and give even more protection!! Make sure they aren't over 25kg well..except if you fly in the business or the first class. Bogu itself is about 6-10kg, isn't it?....and shinai....and your heavy double layer gi and hakama.

[DCPan]

Hi,

I use one of these:
Samsonite Bogu Case (http://kendo.tozando.com/bougubag/fa311.html)

Believe it or not, I got a huge dent on one corner of the case now...couple inches deep. Can't imagine what would have happened to the bogu without the case (or maybe, they threw the case thinking it's samsonite) :rolleyes:

In any event, I'm surprised not much has happened to other folk's bogu.

[JSchmidt]

I've flown plenty of times with my bogu in a standard bogu bag (and standard shinai bag) and have yet to have any issues.
I would actually claim that a samsonite bogu case is probably more fragile than the bogu itself :)
At Narita they also offered to put my shinais in a cardboard case (which remarkedly matched the size of the shinais!), but sofar that has been the only place.

Jakob

[DCPan]

I would actually claim that a samsonite bogu case is probably more fragile than the bogu itself :)

I think the only piece of the bogu that would have an issue is the bamboo doh. If not packed properly, it could split on you in the middle from applied pressure. But if you have a yamato doh, don't there would be any issue at all.

[taganahan]

isn't it possible to hand carry your bogu bag? cause that seems to be safer.

[Swissv2]

Why not put your shinai in a fishing rod holder?

Thats how my sensei carries his BO, Bokken, etc.

As for bogu, why not use a box with bubbles just like you recieve it in a box when you order a bogu from outside the country. YOu could always get a free box, and just buy the bubbles.

[Hai_hai]

...And of course, if you haven't had a problem before, would you consider flying somewhere with your bogu?
I always fly around wearing my bogu... at night... when I am fighting crime.

[D'Artagnan]

AHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! then i have dicovered the secret identity of my Arch nemesis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA....

[Hai_hai]

isn't it possible to hand carry your bogu bag? cause that seems to be safer.
Doesn't fit overhead luggage compartments for most planes.

[Hai_hai]

AHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! then i have dicovered the secret identity of my Arch nemesis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA....
Bonjour. Comment ça va?

[Swissv2]

I always fly around wearing my bogu... at night... when I am fighting crime.
LOL, I was about to say the same thing. When I first saw that forum, I thought it meant all leaping around in the air with your bogu on like superman.

[emitbrownne]

Put your Men and Kote in your handluggage...

If your Do or Tare (which are in your main luggage) get lost then ask to borrow some from your destination Dojo.
The Men and the Kote are the only real "personal" bits of the Bogu.

As for your Shinai, ..... bubble wrap .. yep go bubble wrap crazy, and get Fragile sticker put all over it.

Another good thing is as you hand the shinai over, say that they are for the martial arts that you practice and look at them menacingly.. they will take more care.

[Kyros Nighle]

one thing that works really well two, is to wrap the shinai in (erm........dunno the word in english!:confused2 ) (cm on spanish speakers, help me out, how do you say "cartón" ?)
anyway, its the paperish material, often used to make boxes, so i kind of make a large box with that, you stuff the parts that are not secure with newspaper paper, and wrap it closed with tape.

by the way i copyed this system to fedex, (thats how i got my shinai shipped in the first place from the states:smiley: )

[Kyros Nighle]

o another thing i forgot in the last post, remove the tsuba, the space it creates inside the box increases the chances of damage while traveling.

now, with this system, they can even throw the box and it will suffer no damage at all! :D

[Danny]

(cm on spanish speakers, help me out, how do you say "cartón" ?)

Cardboard

Danny

[bginop]

LOL, this post seems really weird but at the same time convient. Why? Becuase in two days i am trying to rochester to train up there. So i was kinda worried about what might or might not happen with my bogu and shinai, but now after all of your reassuring post am quite satisfyied that nothing will go wrong. :old_man:

[mingshi]

Been there, done that. But mostly flights in UK, Europe and to Hong Kong (Indirect).

Bogu - I used my usual bogu bag as it has a large capacity for other things as well. Just stuff inside of men/kote with your other clothings (like socks, roll-up shirts, or even your keikogi). Wrap Tare under Do (as you should have after every practice!!) and that won't do you any scratch. Bogu will not be your body armour if it cannot protect itself!

Tho if your bogu bag has little wheels or buttons sticking out, they'll be the one being damaged. Now I use a sports holdall and it looks perfectly ok. The traditional Japanese draw-string sac feels a bit thin for travelling.

Hai Hai is right about the overhead compartment size limit - my Do doesnt fit, and I am SURE yours won't either. Also the weight limit is 6kg, so I won't recommand putting your Men there.

Shinai - It normally won't get through the conveyor belt behind the check-in desk, and you'll be asked to go to the "Oversize Lugguage" area, where the belt is wider and your shinai won't be caught in between belts. The airport has some plastic boxes/trays to carry long items through.

...If your bag is made with canvas then wrap it with some plastic bag. If it rains outside (especially on transit - it can even snow - you'll never know) then your shinai will end up soaking wet... Maybe bubble wrap it a bit can help. Although I won't spend too much time dealing with that!!

[Rularn]

It seems the thread has gone a little off topic. Was meant to see how many people have or have had trouble with taking their gear on a plane... not how to do so. The other threads on bogu and planes have great suggestions on preventive care and what not, I just don't want to see it all repeated here.

So far though, it seems a majority of the people who take their bogu on a plane don't have any problems with damaged or lost luggage which is reassuring to hear. I recently invested in a bogu-specific luggage bag since I plan on doing some traveling in the near future. It's a softcase, the hard-shell from samosite was a little pricy for me.

As long as the bogu gets there safely, everything is ok with me. Shinais are easy to replace.

[taganahan]

why not buy those little locks...that would give them a heck of a time to unlock it, unless they have those cutters.

[moetl]

i don't think you must worry a lot about your bogu getting lost. i have travelled many times (without bogu but with other luggage) and my luggage never got lost - except once! but it arrived savely at home the next day although it was a flight from south africa to europe, so...

so even IF it gets lost, i think they'll know in most cases WHERE your luggage had dissapeared to and send it after >_>

don't forget to put your name and address on your bogubag!

[JSchmidt]

Don't lock your luggage. If the security people wants to check it after you have checked it, they will cut/break the bag/suitcase.
If you have valuables like camera, etc, take it in your handluggage.

Regarding shinai's and having to take it to outsized luggage, it depends on the airport.
Of course, if you fly business class, that problem doesnt exist, regardless of airport :)

Jakob

[Curtis]

I have never really had a big problem with losing stuff. Horizon lost my shinai and returned them the next morning. Flying Alaska my shinai bag got damaged a little. Northwest, I think actually the Seattle-Tacoma airport handlers left my bag on the ramp coming home from Japan. It was at my house in two hours. The names the game, make sure you have a good tag that will not rip off.

I now use a TSA approved lock which lets you lock your bag and supposedly only a TSA supervisor can open it. The lock has an alert on it to show if it has been opened. Luggage straps help keep people out even if they are not locked. Takes them too much time to remove unless they want to cut them.

Unless you want to beg or borrow every time you have little choice but to drag it along.