[at-l] flying with gear

[Bluetrail at aol.com (Bluetrail@aol.com)]

I have one really HUGE wheeled suitcase which I used last summer when my son & I flew from Orlando to Las Vegas for a tour of National Parks around Utah.  

It is big enough that I got two backpacing tents, two thermarest pads, two sleeping bags, my leki poles (collapsed and placed diagonally in the suitcase), my tin can stove, two plates (car camping luxury), two cookpots, two mugs, and some other assorted gear into the suitcase.  I bought the suitcase at some discount store (Marshall's?  T.J. Maxx?? someplace like that).  Not sure of the dimensions, but the airline didn't balk at taking it. 

The only thing I wished I had taken--big, heavy, sturdy tent stakes.  The soil at the campsite outside of Zion was harder than rocks.  Some kind soul took pity on my son's 30-minute struggle with getting lightweight alumnium stakes into the ground and gave him a stake that looked like a railroad spike.  

Joan
bluetrail@aol.com