AgentOfShield
Well-Known Member
If one were to plan to bring an Iron Man Suit to a con, and the method of travel to said con is by plane, what method would you guys recommend for making sure the suit gets to that city safely and on time?
Bringing Armors to Cons? How do you guys do it?
- Thread starter AgentOfShield
- Start date
Armatus Cosplay
Well-Known Member
I use something like this to fit my armored cosplays:
Amazon.com: J. Terence Thompson 2851-1B Large 37-by-17-1/2-by-14-Inch Wheeled Storage Trunk: Home & Kitchen
Just need to find one thats big enough/the right size to fit your suit. I pack normal clothes in with my armor as well, so no one armor piece can contact another without first hitting a layer of cloth, so they don't scratch or chip in transport.
And for a plane, just have it be Stowe-away luggage.
Amazon.com: J. Terence Thompson 2851-1B Large 37-by-17-1/2-by-14-Inch Wheeled Storage Trunk: Home & Kitchen
Just need to find one thats big enough/the right size to fit your suit. I pack normal clothes in with my armor as well, so no one armor piece can contact another without first hitting a layer of cloth, so they don't scratch or chip in transport.
And for a plane, just have it be Stowe-away luggage.
Fireman Dan
New Member
Is it foam or fiberglass/resin? I would suggest a hockey bag and bubble wrap the heck out of each part. Luggage loaders don't give a damn about your stuff, so use lots of caution. Good luck
AgentOfShield
Well-Known Member
In my case it would be a foam suit. Also I like the plastic trunk idea, I was originally thinking of a cardboard box but this option is definitely more sturdy.
division 6
Master Member
I've transported my Fett and Snow Trooper in large Rubbermaid tubs.
I drilled holes in the corners and added locks and added cargo straps around the outside.
Packing everything in tight with my other cloths and soft costumes.
Although the last time I did this was just before 911 so it may not pass muster with the airports now.
I drilled holes in the corners and added locks and added cargo straps around the outside.
Packing everything in tight with my other cloths and soft costumes.
Although the last time I did this was just before 911 so it may not pass muster with the airports now.
Rubbermaid makes heavy duty black plastic totes that work pretty well if you have a way of handling them once you're off the plane. I have a few cases I travel with and a folding handcart I picked up at Home Depot that fits inside with all my work stuff.
From a seasoned business traveler who logs roughly 75,000 domestic air miles a year with all kinds of sharp implements and chemicals, if you're coming with weapons...ANY weapons...make sure you have them close to the top of the box and they are labeled as NON-FUNCTIONAL PROPS. Blue painters tape wrapped around itself to eliminate the sticky side and then taped to itself around the widest part of your prop works pretty well.
And just FYI...If they are even remotely realistic, declare them to the gate agent so they can tag it accordingly before it goes back into the land of horrors known as baggage handling. Having your stuff destroyed is bad enough, not getting it at all for whatever reason is way worse. If you do get it back, it's been shipped all over hells half acre leading to even more inspections and more handling. Do yourself a favor and just tell the clerk at the ticket counter what it is and they will log it into the system so it doesn't throw up any extra flags in the back.
If you think baggage handlers don't give a flying rats shiny hiney about your luggage, the TSA is the older, worse bullying big brother they learned all their tricks from. Put anything even remotely weapon like within easy reach once they have scanned it through the x-ray machine or you'll be wondering where that little piece that was "right frakking here when I packed it" went. I've traveled with real firearms before and I can assure you that they will be opening up and inspecting anything that looks like gun-like, and they don't care how they put it all back into the box once their curiosity has been satisfied.
If you're going to be going to a lot of conventions, it's worth it to invest in some heavy duty padded trunks with wheels that you can divide and pad out for your costumes. It also gives you plenty of room for support stuff (like epoxy, a hot glue gun, some touch up paint...etc) that you can ensure won't end up getting smashed in transit and gluing your hundreds of hours worth of work into one giant congealed mess.
Or if it's a particularly expensive costume, ship it to your hotel ahead of you. UPS will insure the contents if something happens in route. It may cost an extra $100, but it'll get there in one piece.
From a seasoned business traveler who logs roughly 75,000 domestic air miles a year with all kinds of sharp implements and chemicals, if you're coming with weapons...ANY weapons...make sure you have them close to the top of the box and they are labeled as NON-FUNCTIONAL PROPS. Blue painters tape wrapped around itself to eliminate the sticky side and then taped to itself around the widest part of your prop works pretty well.
And just FYI...If they are even remotely realistic, declare them to the gate agent so they can tag it accordingly before it goes back into the land of horrors known as baggage handling. Having your stuff destroyed is bad enough, not getting it at all for whatever reason is way worse. If you do get it back, it's been shipped all over hells half acre leading to even more inspections and more handling. Do yourself a favor and just tell the clerk at the ticket counter what it is and they will log it into the system so it doesn't throw up any extra flags in the back.
If you think baggage handlers don't give a flying rats shiny hiney about your luggage, the TSA is the older, worse bullying big brother they learned all their tricks from. Put anything even remotely weapon like within easy reach once they have scanned it through the x-ray machine or you'll be wondering where that little piece that was "right frakking here when I packed it" went. I've traveled with real firearms before and I can assure you that they will be opening up and inspecting anything that looks like gun-like, and they don't care how they put it all back into the box once their curiosity has been satisfied.
If you're going to be going to a lot of conventions, it's worth it to invest in some heavy duty padded trunks with wheels that you can divide and pad out for your costumes. It also gives you plenty of room for support stuff (like epoxy, a hot glue gun, some touch up paint...etc) that you can ensure won't end up getting smashed in transit and gluing your hundreds of hours worth of work into one giant congealed mess.
Or if it's a particularly expensive costume, ship it to your hotel ahead of you. UPS will insure the contents if something happens in route. It may cost an extra $100, but it'll get there in one piece.
deadeyes702
New Member
These are the same cases I was to recommend, we used to use these when I was in the service, strong and sturdy.
tubachris85x
Master Member
Had this issue for dragon con, as I was flying there. I simply do not have ANY trust for TSA when it comes to handling my luggage, let alone, a very expensive and fragile costume. I ended up shipping mine to Atlanta but was lucky to have a friend who drove, take it back for me instead of having to pay to ship it back. At least with the shipping, I can insure it if something does happen
Bob McCormick
New Member
I had to do this just recently to take my Half Life 2 HEV suit to Dragoncon.
If you're flying, the FIRST thing you should do is check the size limitations for checked baggage for the airline you're planning to fly on. For me, I was flying Delta, and their limitation is that the length+width+height of your bag has to add up to 62 inches or less. If your bag is bigger, they classify it as "oversize" and they charge you a LOT more!!!! (normal checked bag on delta is currently $25 for the first bag. If your bag is considered "oversized" that shoots up to $200!!).
What I ended up doing was getting a cardboard box from Office Depot, along with a couple bags of packing peanuts and some packing tape. The box was 24" x 18" x 18", which adds up to 60", or just 2" shy of Delta's limit. It was pretty ghetto, but it worked. If you go that route, make sure you tape your box up thoroughly and make sure there are no small, loose items that could fall out of a hole in the box. On my trip to Atlanta, my box arrived with about a fist sized hole in the side. Not to serious, but if I'd had lose small items it could have been bad. On the way back I completely circled the box with packing tape and that seemed to make it a lot sturdier. It arrived with me in Denver in exactly the condition it'd left Atlanta in. Also make sure your name is on the box in at least one place, and that it's marked in some fashion so that nobody mistakes it for a non-luggage box!
A hard side case or something like that would definitely be far superior and I plan to look for one between now and next years DragonCon.
However, far more important that what you pack your armor in is HOW YOU BUILT YOUR ARMOR!!! Don't make the mistake I did and not even think about how to pack your armor until the day before the flight! Think ahead and try to make sure your armor can disassemble into manageable pieces that'll fit whatever kind of box or luggage you have available. That'll save you a ton of headaches!
If you're flying, the FIRST thing you should do is check the size limitations for checked baggage for the airline you're planning to fly on. For me, I was flying Delta, and their limitation is that the length+width+height of your bag has to add up to 62 inches or less. If your bag is bigger, they classify it as "oversize" and they charge you a LOT more!!!! (normal checked bag on delta is currently $25 for the first bag. If your bag is considered "oversized" that shoots up to $200!!).
What I ended up doing was getting a cardboard box from Office Depot, along with a couple bags of packing peanuts and some packing tape. The box was 24" x 18" x 18", which adds up to 60", or just 2" shy of Delta's limit. It was pretty ghetto, but it worked. If you go that route, make sure you tape your box up thoroughly and make sure there are no small, loose items that could fall out of a hole in the box. On my trip to Atlanta, my box arrived with about a fist sized hole in the side. Not to serious, but if I'd had lose small items it could have been bad. On the way back I completely circled the box with packing tape and that seemed to make it a lot sturdier. It arrived with me in Denver in exactly the condition it'd left Atlanta in. Also make sure your name is on the box in at least one place, and that it's marked in some fashion so that nobody mistakes it for a non-luggage box!
A hard side case or something like that would definitely be far superior and I plan to look for one between now and next years DragonCon.
However, far more important that what you pack your armor in is HOW YOU BUILT YOUR ARMOR!!! Don't make the mistake I did and not even think about how to pack your armor until the day before the flight! Think ahead and try to make sure your armor can disassemble into manageable pieces that'll fit whatever kind of box or luggage you have available. That'll save you a ton of headaches!
AgentOfShield
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'll make sure I keep my pieces in manageable chunks. I'll have to actually finish the suit first before I figure out how big of a container I need 
closet batfan
Well-Known Member
Gorilla box, the army use them to transport kit, they are strong plastic lockable boxes with wheel. And they spare probably cheaper than plastic suit cases.
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