Travelling with gear is fun! A lot of people overestimate the difficulties when it comes to especially airport security, so here I describe different precautions you should take while bringing interesting stuff with you for international trips.
The security restrictions here obviously apply to aviation, based on rules set by the IATA and ICAO, and adopted individually by countries. However, many places around the world regularly also screen train and bus luggage using similar standards, so it’s a good idea to always pack with this in mind.
Clothing
| Item | Restrictions |
| Regular fetish clothing: rubber, leather, lycra | Luggage: No restrictions in checked luggage or hand luggage. Worn: No restrictions, if you have the courage for it. |
| Heavy gear: motorcycling suits, hazmat gear, diving suits | Luggage: No restrictions in checked luggage or hand luggage. Worn: May need to be taken off for security screening. Wear something underneath. |
| Uniforms |
Luggage: No restrictions in checked luggage or hand luggage. There are a few countries that completely prohibit possession of camouflage. Canada prohibits public wearing of realistic military uniforms. United Kingdom prohibits wearing UK armed forces uniforms in public, although prosecutions are rare. |
| Gas masks | Luggage: No restrictions in checked luggage or hand luggage. Worn: The Covid pandemic has normalized wearing gas masks in public. |
| Chastity belts | Luggage: No restrictions in hand or checked luggage. Worn: Chastity belts should be taken off for security screening, or a secondary screening will follow. It is common courtesy not to delay security screening for others, or subject unwilling staff members to details of chastity play. |
Restraints, toys and other
| Item | Restrictions |
| Lubricants | Checked Luggage: No restrictions. Hand luggage: Allowed in containers up to 100 ml/3.4 oz, in a clear plastic bag like all liquids. |
| Handcuffs and leg irons | Checked Luggage: No restrictions. Hand Luggage: TSA explicitly allows handcuffs in hand luggage. Other countries will most likely not allow handcuffs or leg irons in hand luggage. Customs Warning: Leg irons are considered instruments of torture in international law. Their import and export is subject to licenses. In the EU, Council Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 forbids the import of leg irons. There is no exception for personal use. |
| Other restraints | Checked Luggage: No restrictions. Hand Luggage: Restraints which are deemed a risk to aircraft safety are not allowed in hand luggage. TSA allows strait jackets in hand luggage, but use your discretion. |
| Butt plugs and dildoes | Luggage: No restrictions, unless your plug is large enough to be used as a weapon, in which case you might want to ease a bit on the ass play. |
| Electro boxes | Note about battery sizes: the largest electro box on the market, the Erostek ET-312, has a battery of 14.4 watt hours. The IATA aviation limit for 100 watt hours is obviously not relevant to most boxes, unless you are doing something absolutely crazy. Checked Luggage: Electro boxes with built-in batteries of any kind (sealed acid, nickel, lithium ion) below 100 watt hours are allowed, but not recommended. Especially lithium ion powered devices should not be placed in checked luggage. If packed, must be protected against accidental power-on. Electro boxes without batteries are allowed without limitations. In hand luggage: Allowed with batteries up to 100 watt hours. They should be taken out of bag for separate screening like all electronics. Should be charged to display functionality to security personnel if requested. May be trace swabbed for explosives. If asked about the nature of the device, describe it as a “signal generator”. |
| Poppers | Luggage: Forbidden in both checked and hand luggage for flammability. Commercial x-ray devices, via multi-energy material discrimination, are able to detect abnormal liquids and may cause further scrutiny. |
| Shock collars | Luggage: No restrictions in hand or checked luggage. Worn: should be taken off for security screening. Customs Warning: Shock collars are illegal to import in some countries. There is generally no exception for human use only. |
| Medicine | Viagra and other erection aids are usually prescription medicines. Standard rules for posession and importation of personal medicine apply. |
| Military equipment | Military equipment and parts of them are subject to international controls. In the US, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) regulates the movement of such goods. There is no exception for personal use. The list of items controlled is surprisingly large, and found in the United States Munitions List. |
| Whips, crops, batons, stun guns, other weapons | Checked luggage: No restrictions. Hand luggage: Weapons or objects potentially usable as weapons are not allowed. Customs Warning: Public possession of offensive weapons is illegal in many countries around the world. |