Sorry if this was covered, but I didn't find anything regarding the M5 battery. I'm headed to Alaska from Chicago to shoot...will I have any issues with the M5 and security? Do I need those to be carry-on? Thanks for your insight!
You must carry on LiPos of any size, AFAIK. Another option is to ship them FedEx (which I've done and had them held for pickup at a FedEx retail outlet. When I'm traveling I usually carry 1/2 of my LiPos and ship the other half. That way I've got some redundancy if I end up with an overzealous TSA person (or other security screener).
Ok, thanks for the input. Unfortunately I waited too long for shipping to be an option. Have you ever had an overzealous TSA person take your batteries? o
Hi Jeremiah, I took 7 of my M15 batteries through TSA without a problem. I also regularly fly with larger Lithium Camera batteries. Bring some electrical tape or something in case they have a problem with the connectors being exposed, but they're completely permitted in carry-on. DO NOT CHECK THEM IN WITH THE LUGGAGE AND CARGO!! That is unsafe. TSA permits them in checked baggage ONLY if they're installed in a device, but I recommend carrying them on. If there's a fire or problem, you want to know about it and be able to get to the batteries, which you can't do in the cargo hold. When you carry them on, I've sometimes removed them from my main carry-on bag, so they go through screening together in their own bag. Here are the TSA's own regulations, and I've found them to be very good about understanding their own rules: http://blog.tsa.gov/2013/06/travel-tips-tuesday-safely-packing.html