Anyone know how many knives you can have in your checked bag heading to Africa? I've got a request to bring about 8 over but need to know before I pack my bag. Any and all help is appreciated.

I would put the knives in your locked rifle case, no problems.

I have taken bow saws, full size axes, and a dozen utility knives [fancy box cutters] and 2000 extra blades to Zim.
They use the utility knives to cut the panels when they skin elephants and giraffes.

Funny story, TSA opened my TuffPak to inspect the "stuff" inside it. When they got to the "box cutters" [what the 911 Terrorists used to HiJack the planes], I was standing right there. The TSA guy looked at me, and I said "That does not look to good does it???"

He said, "NO, but is it in your checked baggage, what is the deal?"

I explained what they were for...
And that they worked good for pigs as well...

He was an EX Police Officer, and a Hunter, and he said, "I may have to give them a try Myself"...

He said, you better repack all of this...
As typically, I had "7 pounds of stuff in a 5lb bag."

I have NEVER had ANY problems with TSA.

In June I took eight carpet knives (they use them to skin elephant) and two machetes, along with the knife on my gun belt. No issues whatsoever.

Never had any problems with knives in my gun case. Although one time I put them in my in my other luggage and they were not in there when I made it to my final destination. I should have known better.

Enjoy your hunt.

Thanks for the help. No gun case here, just packing my take down recurve in a duffel bag...with knives. I think I'll wrap it all in tee shirts and underwear.

When a rifle is going over, I put knives, small flashlight, Leatherman tool and other small semi expensive items in a locked Pelican type box with the ammo. If bowhunting, use the same box, put broadheads and all the other stuff mentioned above in the Pelican. I feel it is a little safer there from theft than items just put in at random here and there in the checked bag. JMTCW.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

I've taken whole boxes of those Victorinux paring knives and I always take several sheath knives for trackers and skinners. I've never had a question about them and I've quit even declaring them.

Mark

Like Mark, I've taken as many as 20 knives along as gifts without ever being questioned by anyone on either end.

I took 3 or 4 boning knives to Zim in my luggage last year, no problem.

My impression for Zim is that as long as the knives are not declared as gifts you may not have to pay import duties. That's probably their main concern, losing potential revenue.

I took several folding knives over there, including my personal use one. They Xrayed my stuff and other than checking the guns, never said anything.

Then when I was handing them out to the trackers, I was told that they were illegal (the folding knives a la a buck knife) but since I had given them all out and the trackers were happy, I didn't think much of it at that point, but wondered if they would say anything about my emerson- they didn't- but it was in checked baggage with the rifles.

The moral of the story- ask your outfitter about what to bring before you get it. I could have gotten some sheath knives just as easily.

While I've done it in the past, I've heard you can no longer carry a folding knife in your luggage through Amsterdam. Plan on doing some more checking before March.