Paintball equipment is usually stored in checked baggage.
Paintballers travel for conventions, tournaments, and to check out new fields. Specific rules vary from airline- to-airline, but the rules tend to be fairly similar across the board. Learning the airplane rules for paintball markers and equipment allows you to skip having to ship it to your destination, which comes with problems of its own.
Markers
Airlines consider paintball markers as a compressed air gun. Most firearm rules apply to markers, but they do not need to be in a specific type of container. Paintball markers are included in checked baggage. To avoid delays, tell the customer service representative about the marker so he is not surprised by the gun- shaped object in your baggage. Markers are permitted on all airlines as long as these guidelines are followed.
Tanks
The tanks are the real issue in paintball equipment. Airline regulations vary concerning whether the air tank is allowed on the plane. For all airlines that do allow tanks, the tank must be completely emptied of compressed air or CO2. The paintballer must remove the regulator from the tank. Tanks are only allowed in checked baggage.
A pressured air tank is incredibly dangerous at high altitudes, so a number of airlines do not allow air tanks at all. The only way to deal with this issue is to ship the tank to your location ahead of time.
Other Paintball Equipment
Other paintball equipment such as masks, padding and paintballs are not under any restrictions for air travel. You can put any of these items into your carry-on luggage, or put it into checked baggage.
Tags: checked baggage, allow tanks, paintball equipment, paintball markers
