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AirCanada sporting equipment

I am flying to British Columbia for a sheep hunt in a few weeks and was reviewing Air Canada‘s baggage policies. It states that no clothing or gear can be packed in the same container as sporting equipment, i.e. bows and guns. This really puts a wrinkle into my packing plan as I was planning on putting a lot of my gear in with my bow and rifle. Does anybody have any experience with this? Part of me figures I should follow the letter of the law just to avoid headaches but it sure does make things quite a bit more inconvenient if I have to have a bag just for my bow and just for my rifle.

Seriously?

I always pack clothes around my bow. It helps distribute bag weight and also protects the bow.

Nothing surprises me about the rules in Canada any longer.

"Sports equipment bags and cases can’t contain clothing or other personal items. They must be used only to carry sports equipment."

I'd argue that camo clothing IS 'sports equipment.'

I looked at other categories of gear and that same rule appears in every category I checked.

My hunters have always packed clothing and whatever else in their bow or rifle case, except bullets.

I suspect that is if you are clearly using their “oversized sporting equipment” provision. If you are checking a bicycle and got 50lbs of clothes in there with it they probably could have a problem. I have flown on Air Canada dozens of times with my terra glide and similar, and have never been questioned about oversized, or sporting equipment, or charged, or any of that.

I certainly can give some complaints about air Canada, but that is not one of them…

—jim

In late May I flew round trip to Saskatoon on Ait Canada and packed my bow in my big Sitka bag as usual with clothing all around it. No issue either way and the TSA (or what ever they call them in Saskatoon) went thru my bag on return with zero issue. Have a great hunt.

Their special instructions for archery equipment as "sports equipment" say no clothes with the "sporting equipment". But their special instructions for archery equipment as "hunting equipment" do not prohibit clothes with the bow. So you're ok as long as you are taking your bow as hunting equipment and follow their special instructions for hunting equipment.

I flew air Canada last summer on a sheep hunt. I packed a bunch of clothes with my bow. I wouldn't worry about it

Would you risk it with clothes and other gear in your rifle case?

Personally I never travel with anything that is or looks like a rifle case. I prefer discrete travel and use the big Sitka Bag (I think they call it a Nomad) looks like any other travel bag. Also, Due to Covid most Airports want you to get your luggage tags yourself now at a kiosk and just drop your bags off. I found the entry both ways to be mostly digitized now and easy peasey compared to five years ago.

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