Carry-on gets the meds, a destination friendly charger and very *small* USB powerpack, small collection of stuff required for a day or 3 if the checked luggage wanders and a few of the dumb travel sized just in case things plus the Kindle.
We fly international often to see family in Europe.
The real trick is to pack for ready access with your carry on, not for maximum storage capacity. I put all the electronics in a single compartment of a backpack meaning I can get them into bins at the security checkpoint easily, and there's nothing else in the compartment that makes putting them away a burden. I love nice luggage, but a backpack works best for this, or a soft shell with exterior compartments.
Just don't even bother trying to convince them your sealed food was just bought right outside security. Bring an empty water bottle and fill it after security.
You can't know if any single checkpoint will be a "shoes and belts" off type of place. Don't wear heavy or metal jewelry. I'm in government buildings a lot, so my watch is even a wood band/case without enough metal to set off the sensors.
Charge stuff ahead of time. Longer flights have plugs/USB ports for every seat, shorter ones might need you to share with someone.
Pack an extra pair of unmentionables/absolute necessities at the bottom of your carry on. Flights do weird things to human bodies, especially as I've aged. I have to have compression socks if it's going to be more than 2 hours.
All of this. Things I must have stay with me. If we check a bag it's going to be stuff we can live without. We have a couple of small backpacks that make great carry ons. Between that and our Varusteleka field smocks, which carry a butt ton of stuff in the pockets, I think we're in good shape.
I think Pre-Check is the way to go. I'd also just select bags that have NEVER been to the range. I don't know how many times I've yanked a magazine or a knife from a bag before heading to the airport. I've also surrendered a number of knives to TSA over the years that somehow hid in the seams and pockets of a carry-on. Sigh...
Carry-on gets the meds, a destination friendly charger and very *small* USB powerpack, small collection of stuff required for a day or 3 if the checked luggage wanders and a few of the dumb travel sized just in case things plus the Kindle.
We fly international often to see family in Europe.
The real trick is to pack for ready access with your carry on, not for maximum storage capacity. I put all the electronics in a single compartment of a backpack meaning I can get them into bins at the security checkpoint easily, and there's nothing else in the compartment that makes putting them away a burden. I love nice luggage, but a backpack works best for this, or a soft shell with exterior compartments.
Just don't even bother trying to convince them your sealed food was just bought right outside security. Bring an empty water bottle and fill it after security.
You can't know if any single checkpoint will be a "shoes and belts" off type of place. Don't wear heavy or metal jewelry. I'm in government buildings a lot, so my watch is even a wood band/case without enough metal to set off the sensors.
Charge stuff ahead of time. Longer flights have plugs/USB ports for every seat, shorter ones might need you to share with someone.
Pack an extra pair of unmentionables/absolute necessities at the bottom of your carry on. Flights do weird things to human bodies, especially as I've aged. I have to have compression socks if it's going to be more than 2 hours.
All of this. Things I must have stay with me. If we check a bag it's going to be stuff we can live without. We have a couple of small backpacks that make great carry ons. Between that and our Varusteleka field smocks, which carry a butt ton of stuff in the pockets, I think we're in good shape.
I think Pre-Check is the way to go. I'd also just select bags that have NEVER been to the range. I don't know how many times I've yanked a magazine or a knife from a bag before heading to the airport. I've also surrendered a number of knives to TSA over the years that somehow hid in the seams and pockets of a carry-on. Sigh...