Planning to do a section hike next couple of weeks through Shenandoah, starting at Rockfish Gap and getting off the trail in Hapers Ferry. May need to come home via Amtrak. Anyone have any problems (security hassle) carrying a pack with trekking poles strapped to the outside onto the train?
Dioko
last fall i took the train from dc to maine (with poles) and then vermont back to dc (with poles, ice axe, and crampons) with no search and no problems. of course, it doesn’t hurt to put all your gear in a duffle bag.
i would recomend doing that in any travel situation.
grizzly adam
I just took the train from Boston to Seattle after finishing the AT. We did have one issue with our poles. It was a safety issue for the baggage handlers, not a security issue. Our poles were strapped on the outside, tips up. We had to re-arrange our poles so that the tips were tucked inside of our Z-rest pad. That way they would not catch or poke a baggage handler.
anchor
Last May I took Amtrak out of Harpers Farry to D.C. There is no ticket agent at HF so absolutely no security hassle, but the train was 4 hours late. Had a 5 hour wait in Washington, D.C. during which nobody cared about my poles or pack. I felt like homeland security was a joke after walking around, in and out, with a 45lb pack. Train schedules were much more of a hassle than my pack or poles. Good luck.
Cj
just took the train from seattle to chicago after finishing the PCT- had poles strapped on the outside of packs, tips up, which we had as carry-on. no problem. as long as you don’t check the baggage, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Remy