If the luggage ends up sitting out in the rain, the box could break and the contents be lost or damaged. These usually are the last to come out, so we end up delayed at the airport.Īnd finally, cardboard boxes aren’t very durable when wet. Instead, we have to pick them up in a separate place with the special luggage. We typically have to sign a waiver indicating they are not liable for any damage, and cardboard boxes often don’t come out on the carousel with the rest of the luggage. The boxes have all been resealed with TSA inspection tape.Īnother issue is that airlines really don’t like cardboard boxes shipped as luggage. One of our three boxes was delayed into Fiji until the next day, likely due to the TSA inspection. On our very first return trip to the US, from Fiji, one of our boxes was delayed until the next day, we suspect due to the inspection. (We often wouldn’t have even noticed were it not for tag they leave to indicate they’d inspected the contents, and the special TSA-labelled tape used to reseal a box.) But the potential for loss or damage increases with every touch of the contents, and the inspection can delay the luggage. The inspection is always done very carefully, and we’ve never had anything lost or damaged as a result. The first is that a cardboard box always attracts a TSA security inspection, where the box is unpacked to inspect the contents, and repacked.
On our first couple of trips, we brought most of the parts back in cardboard boxes. Unpacking shipments for consolidation at our Seattle UPS store on a return trip from New Zealand. The service has always been remarkably good. The UPS store has been more than just a mailbox to us, they have been like our representative in Seattle. Then we unpack and repack everything to minimize the volume in preparation for the return trip home. We had most parts shipped to our local UPS store at 815 1 st Ave in Seattle, where we’ve maintained a mailbox since we first moved aboard on our previous boat. And many other items simply could not be obtained locally, or were prohibitively expensive. We sourced items locally when we could, but anything 110V or 60Hz, such as a kettle, must come from North America.
The gear usually weighed at least 200 lbs (90kg) in aggregate, and sometimes as high as 300 lbs (136 kg). And on every one of those trips (when international), we brought back a lot of boat parts and spares in checked luggage. In the decade we spent travelling the world in Dirona, we typically returned to Seattle two-three times a year.
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