How to fly with hiking carrier? And a bunch of other stuff too.

Beth.1212

DH, DS and I are going to some Utah parks for our vacation this year. We'll be doing a lot of hiking and will NEED our hiking carrier. (If it matters, we have the Deuter kid comfort.) I just realized that I'm not sure how to get it there! 

We'll be getting DS a seat, so we'll have our carseat with us and that will go on the plane. We'll also have his stroller, which we'll gate check. Can we gate check the hiking carrier? Can we check it for free when we hand over our big suitcases at the ticketing window? Anyone have experience traveling with a hiking carrier? We'd rather not have to pay extra to transport it, of course, though I don't know if that's possible. 

Also, now that I'm thinking about this, if we have a carseat, stroller, hiking carrier, two suitcases, two carry-on suitcases, a regular backpack and a diaper bag... oh, and a toddler... how the heck do the two of us carry everything inside of the airport, and then take most of it to the gate?! Do people do multiple trips from the car to the ticket window? In terms of getting to the gate, I guess we might be able to check our stroller at the ticket window, but I feel like it gets less abused if you gate check it. 

Beth.1212

theresat858 said:

I'd consider getting something like a toddler Tula, Kinderpack, or Action Baby Carrier in toddler sized instead and use that for hiking.  Then just wear your toddler through the airport while you carry your other stuff.  I use the stroller as a luggage cart while wearing LO through the airport; it's far easier to travel that way.

You could also call the airline and ask about gate checking the hiking carrier. But it's less useful for wearing baby through the airport because of the metal parts; toddler will have to come out of it through security.

Thanks for your replies so far! We actually have a Boba carrier, but the aluminum-framed hiking carrier is WAY better for hiking. We'll be doing some serious outings (~6 hours, which is a long time for us) and want to make use of the (pricey!) hiking carrier. 

We're still figuring out flights, so I'll definitely keep this in mind once we have an airline picked out. 

JENandJEH

Do you have the option to ship the hiking carrier to your resort or hotel before you fly?  Many hotels will accept packages for incoming guests and hold them at the desk.  Then you wouldn't have to worry about taking it on the flight.

As a side note, a PP mentioned checking your car seat.  I would urge everyone to reconsider checking their car seats.  This video shows how some car seats are treated by baggage handlers (sure, not all would treat them like this but if you don't always have sight of your car seat, how do you know it was treated properly?).  The vast majority of car seats are required by the manufacturer to be replaced after any accident.  Car seats thrown around like this are probably more likely to be damaged than a car seat in a minor fender bender yet the fender bender car seat has to be replaced.  Anyhow, sorry, that's on of my soapbox issues.  

Hope you have a great vacation!

Beth.1212

Pinkie78 said:

Could you skip the stroller and wear the baby in the hiking back pack? Another idea is they make an attachment that turns your car seat into an airport stroller. Or We have a back pack carrier for the car seat so you could wear the car seat on your back.

I'd like to have the stroller at our destination (we'll be spending a day in Las Vegas, and I think it'll come in handy there), so leaving it behind isn't my favorite option. 

The bolded sounds interesting. Maybe I could wear the carseat on my back, push LO in the stroller with one hand, put the diaper bag underneath, and drag one carry on suitcase behind me. Then DH could wear the backpack carrier with his regular backpack tucked inside, take the other two big suitcases and a duffle carry on. It wouldn't be the easiest thing and we'll look very fashionable , but it'd be doable from the car to the ticket desk. Then we'd check the two big suitcases and DH could take the carry ons while I kept the stroller. Hmmmm... yes, I think that'd work! 

(I'm reeeealy hoping we're allowed to gate check both the stroller and the hiking carrier. I have very little confidence in the baggage handlers' abilities to get them to the plane without damaging them, so the less time the gear spends in their hands, the better.)

Thanks for the ideas and tips, guys! I love the tip michyme123 gave - we'll definitely have one of us get the rental car rather than haul everything over to the rental facility. 

happy_un-bride

We traveled for a month long family vacation. We brought his stroller, car seat, pack n play and hiking back pack. We gate checked the first 2, his pnp fit in out suitcase and we checked it. Our hiking back pack was small enough to take on as carryon (little life brand)

UMichGirl

Sorry to hijack this post but we are flying with DS this summer (he will not quite be 2 yet) and I am wondering about the car seat thing. We got DS his own seat on the airplane and plan on using a CARES harness on him in the seat. We will need a car seat though so I don't know if we check it (which I've heard not so great things about bc of videos like the previous poster linked to) or get one with the rental car (which can be expensive AND who knows the car seat's history). What do people generally do then for car seats when traveling on the plane??

JENandJEH

UMichGirl said:

Sorry to hijack this post but we are flying with DS this summer (he will not quite be 2 yet) and I am wondering about the car seat thing. We got DS his own seat on the airplane and plan on using a CARES harness on him in the seat. We will need a car seat though so I don't know if we check it (which I've heard not so great things about bc of videos like the previous poster linked to) or get one with the rental car (which can be expensive AND who knows the car seat's history). What do people generally do then for car seats when traveling on the plane??

If you have a seat for him, take your car seat on the plane.  The CARES harness really doesn't fit kids well until they are closer to 40lbs/4ish years old and it's outgrown at like 43lbs.  I would be willing to bet that your son will easily be able to slide himself out from under it (there is no crotch strap so they can submarine out in car of an emergency/quick stop on the tarmac).  I wouldn't get one from the car rental place because many times, they don't have age appropriate seats, they are NASTY from previous use, and you don't know the history (do you trust them 100% to replace after any accident or clean them if a child became sick in it?).  

If you don't want to lug your normal seat, there are many great lightweight seats that are recommended as travel seats.  The Facebook group Car Seats for the Littles can help recommend one that is best for your child based on age/weight/height.  

Beth.1212

happy_un-bride said:

We traveled for a month long family vacation. We brought his stroller, car seat, pack n play and hiking back pack. We gate checked the first 2, his pnp fit in out suitcase and we checked it. Our hiking back pack was small enough to take on as carryon (little life brand)

I hadn't even considered that. DS will have his own seat, so I think he's entitled to a carry on of his own. I'll have to measure his Deuter carrier and look at the size limits posted by the airline we end up with. 

shannm

I think there have been a ton of good suggestions but if it were me, I would leave the stroller at home (not worth it for one day), check the hiking carrier with my other luggage, and take the car seat on the plane with a go-go travel mate or something similar to get you through the airport.  Alternatively, look for rental places for a stroller and carrier.  Not sure if Utah has many of these but we have used stroller rentals and they typically are nicer than the ones that we use at home!

And I completely agree with only sending one person to pick up the rental car while the other person waits with the LO and all the gear.

baloneydisc

Check with your hotel to see if they have strollers. When we went to Disney World we mentioned that we were headed to Target to pick up a cheap umbrella stroller. The front desk clerk told us not to bother and showed us a huge closet full of strollers people had bought while on vacation and left at the hotel. We ended up borrowing a very nice, brand new stroller for free.

Beth.1212

elainelbuck said:

Check with your hotel to see if they have strollers. When we went to Disney World we mentioned that we were headed to Target to pick up a cheap umbrella stroller. The front desk clerk told us not to bother and showed us a huge closet full of strollers people had bought while on vacation and left at the hotel. We ended up borrowing a very nice, brand new stroller for free.z

I never would have thought of that! Thanks for the idea. 

GreenMonkey1

Personally I would gate check the car seat.  Partially because checked baggage is not generally well cared for and also because of the chance it could get lost.  I used to work with student travelers and always told students to carry-on or gate check anything they could not handle losing - like medication.  It would be a huge hassle for you to land in Utah and your car seat to land in Atlanta.

minervacullen

GreenMonkey1 said:

Personally I would gate check the car seat.  Partially because checked baggage is not generally well cared for and also because of the chance it could get lost.  I used to work with student travelers and always told students to carry-on or gate check anything they could not handle losing - like medication.  It would be a huge hassle for you to land in Utah and your car seat to land in Atlanta.

She's using her car seat on the plane.

redhead610

GreenMonkey1 said:

Personally I would gate check the car seat.  Partially because checked baggage is not generally well cared for and also because of the chance it could get lost.  I used to work with student travelers and always told students to carry-on or gate check anything they could not handle losing - like medication.  It would be a huge hassle for you to land in Utah and your car seat to land in Atlanta.

The car seat should be used on the plane. That said, gate checking does not ensure safe handling. We just got back from vacation and gate checked our stroller. The wheels are now out of alignment and the foam on the handle has a huge rip in it. I never planned on checking (even gate) a carseat, but this sealed the deal for me.

minervacullen

Pinkie78 said:

One last thought on this. Babies r us sells super cheap ($20) umbrella strollers. Could you gate check it and if it gets destroyed so be it or the airline won't gate check it then you just leave it. Or if you will have a car, just buy one at your destination.

I was thinking this too. Have you looked up those car seat carrier things that LO can be strapped in while walking through the airport? I know CSFTLs has mentioned them several times, I'd look into one of those too.

JamieBart

We just did a trip to Wyoming with my little guy and had all of this luggage as well - but - we rented a stroller when we got there and gate checked our hiking backpack.  The airlines are generally really good about baby stuff.  They even told me when I didn't have a separate piece of luggage for my little man that I could have checked a bag for him for free.  Plus if you're buying a seat for him then he's entitled to his piece of luggage as well.  Regarding your stroller another option is to buy the travel bag to put your stroller in.  I've done that a few times and it has worked out fine for us.  Enjoy your trip.  Ours was unbelievable and although my little guy won't ever remember it - the experience was amazing.