Anyone ever check a full growler in their luggage?

[sherm10161]

I've never had any issues checking bottles or cans (save one lowly can of Coffee Bender that got a tiny, little pinhole in it somehow - I still drank the 15.8 oz that were left when I got home).

Just wonder if checking a growler would even be possible? Any success/failure stories out there?

Cheers!

 

[gtx281]

I assume the screw-cap type would be fine. Swing tops are always a gamble.

 

[VaTechHopHead]

You can check a growler in your baggage, not a problem. The only drawback is 1.) glass is fragile and 2.) it's easy to go over the 50lb weight limit.

I've done it once, no problem. I just taped the cap with a shite load of tape and wrapped the growler well and put in the middle of the suitcase.

 

[lb304854]

I checked two swingtops on my trip to Portland in November so it had both the distance and the cold going against it. Both made it fine. I taped the hell out of the arms of the swing top with rubberized splicing tape to the point I had to break them off of one growler to open it.

Cargo holds are pressurized. The bag monkeys treat your stuff like ****. Pack accordingly.

 

[deuce92591]

Checked (2) swing top growlers from Cycle a month ago or so. One had a pin hole leak around the rubber gasket. Taped it up real nice, both made it home safely, and was pleased with the outcome when opened.

 

[brees6221]

I've never done it but my only concern would be TSA. Every time I've packed bottles in a checked bag, TSA has inspected my bag and left a pamphlet in there. The first time they did a REALLY crappy job of repacking the bottles and I have no idea how they didn't break. Since then, I've included a note saying something to the effect of, "This is beer and I understand you may need to inspect it. Please try to repack it well to prevent breakage. Thank you for all you do."

Since that first time I've noticed an improvement, and one time they even wrapped the hell out of the bottles in bubble wrap and TSA logo packing tape.

I'd say pack it very securely, but in a way that can be unwrapped and rewrapped fairly easily in case the bag is pulled for inspection.

 

[Arbitrator]

Yep, I checked all these in to Kauai a couple of years ago.

I basically packed a box the same way as if I was shipping the growlers, but I used thick plastic sleeves and knotted them around the growlers so TSA could see what they were if they opened it. Then clear bubble wrap, then shoved into a bunch of packing peanuts. Foam on bottom, sides, and top just in case they pushed the growlers too close to one edge.

No inspection on the way there, but the empties I checked in on the way back were checked.

Since then, I've included a note saying something to the effect of, "This is beer and I understand you may need to inspect it. Please try to repack it well to prevent breakage. Thank you for all you do."

Great idea.

 

[stupac2]

Most of the time it's fine, but sometimes you can hit trouble. Paging bugdoc, he has a funny story about this.

 

[phing]

I've done it a few times without incident. Once was a 2L growler brought back from Russian River to NH. Another was a few growlers checked from Boston to Sweden. Both had plane changes, bags tossed around, etc., and everything made it fine. No inspection notices in either (both looked undisturbed). Use sealed plastic bags (Ziploc), pack real well and it should be fine.

 

[MordorMongo]

Remember the good old days when you could just walk on the plane with a growler in one hand and a cigarette in the other?

See, now the ***** is 85% of you actually think I am kidding.

 

[sluggo1]

I flew with 8 1L fliptops in a suitcase to Oregon from Philly. All made it fine. No leakage. They just stickers my suitcase that it was checked. Didn't even seem like they unpacked it at all. On the way home I had like 17 bottles in the same suitcase. I checked it online prior to arriving at the airport and when I got there it was waaaaay over 50lbs but I had already paid and it wouldn't let him change it. I gave him a $20 and he let me go ahead. When the suitcase arrived every single bottle had been unpacked, unwrapped, given a TSA retape job around the ziplock bag then re bubble wrapped and packed up well enough to make it all safely.

 

[walterfredo]

Many times. I usually tape the caps with electric tape. I've also used a hard shelled cooler as my checked luggage for added protection.

 

[sluggo1]

Many times. I usually tape the caps with electric tape. I've also used a hard shelled cooler as my checked luggage for added protection.

Damn that's genius. I'm just checking a cooler next time.

 

[thomasaurus rex]

However you decide to pack them don't use bubble wrap and tape. I made this mistake and the TSA slice open the wrap and had no way to rewrap them, or at least made no effort to. They stuffed all three growlers back in the luggage laying them side by side, Zero Fuxx given. The plane flew half way across the country with the bare glass touching. Nothing broke fortunatly, but I'd recomend preparing for the TSA to do some digging.

 

[lambandtunaphish]

Many times. I usually tape the caps with electric tape. I've also used a hard shelled cooler as my checked luggage for added protection.

Off topic, but I saw someone drop off a hard shelled cooler to ship at FedEx last week (no box around it). Just taped it up and slapped a label on it.

I asked if this was actually OK to do... They told me that they're supposed to re-pack it, but didn't feel like arguing about it.

 

[walterfredo]

Every time I've done the cooler thing I've been coming to/ from Alaska, where about every other bag is a cooler, but every time I've told them straight up it was beer. I always pack them with my sleeping bag, bubble wrap and clothes, then duck tape the whole cooler closed. I think only once was it opened and retaped, and it's always worked perfectly.

 

[stupac2]

However you decide to pack them don't use bubble wrap and tape.

You shouldn't ever tape up any container. A rubber band is exactly as effective and far less of a pain in the ass, plus then the material is reusable. Adding 800 layers of tape is basically the beer equivalent of making people take off their shoes to board an airplane, it might make you feel better but it doesn't actually do anything besides inconvenience everyone involved. If you absolutely have to use tape, use just enough to keep the bubble wrap on. Then the TSA (or your trading partner) can reuse the bubble wrap.

 

[Wagon Circler]

I packed 4 funky buddha swing tops in a cardboard box just like I was about to ship them across the country. The lady at the counter taped the crap out of it and fashioned me a tape carrying handle. Everything worked swimmingly.

 

[JulianB1]

I packed a filled Russian River 2L flip-top growler in my checked bag (a duffel bag full of ice climbing equipment no less) on the way back from the west coast. Bubble-wrapped the **** out of it to the point where it had probably doubled in size, got back with absolutely no problems.

 

[nablock]

I've never had any problems with flying with growlers. I typically fly with bubble wrap in my hard shelled suitcase for bottles I'm bringing back, as well as air packets for the perimeter of the suitcase. I wrap the bottles and growlers in bubble wrap and buffer with laundry. I normally put the growlers near the bottom so they are less likely to shift. TSA will normally check my bag, and have taped around bubble wrap before, but since I don't tape my bubble wrap, they typically pack everything back properly.

 

[cosmicevan]

i would make sure to put them in a bag. i've travelled with bottles tons of times and the only time i had a breakage was when i used a wine skin and didn't secure the bottom good enough. wasn't too big of a deal except all my clothes and what not were soaked in beer. thankfully it was a return trip.