Jazz said: But were people really still trying to carry on hammers, screwdrivers over seven inches in length, and power drills? I know some of these flights can be long and passing the time is a challenge, but what were you planning on doing? Finally getting around to fixing that creaky kitchen cabinet door en route from Chicago to Orlando?
Peter says: I used to work in a job building and installing semi-conductor industry equipment. I was required to take my tools, usually in a wheeled tool box about the size of the average carry-on item, on every job, wherever around the world the install might have been.
After seeing how the airlines handled my toolbag, which I could not lock for obvious reasons, nearly losing half my tools between Boston and Washington-Dulles because the TSA inspector didn’t bother to close my toolbox properly after searching it, I can understand why people who have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their tools might want to carry them aboard in the overhead rather than risk losing literally their livelyhood because of some overworked, underpaid inspector throwing their box around and the tools going everywhere but their actual destination.
I would never consider carrying my tools as carry-on, but I can understand the urge to do it.
