Dear TSA, This Tip Can Save Your Project

If you are doing projects that require traveling with gear, props or costumes you know that a major risk is getting your gear inspected and messed up by the TSA. Especially the gear that goes in the belly of the plane, where you can’t explain first handed what it is.

Most “regular” bag content can take a bit of rough search, what’s the worst that can happen? A wrinkled Hawaiian t-shirt? Delicate gear and costumes, however, deserve a more delicate treatment. Kat Gray of Valkyrie Studios shared a very insightful tip on how to let the TSA know that they should be careful. Kat places a note telling the TSA what are the weird things in the bag and how they should be treated. She is also very precise when describing the box content, and highlighting the fact that it took a lot of work to create the things inside the box. All that while showing nothing but respect to the TSA team doing their jobs.

The note also contains a photo of the gear, and every bit of info needed to locate Kat in case any questions need to be asked:

DEAR TSA:
IN THIS BOX IS COSTUME ARMOR
If you are reading this it means you’ve opened my box! That’s totally ok, but please be aware that the contents are very fragile armor pieces for the costume pictured above, and packed carefully. I hope you’re good at Tetris, and that everything returns safely into the box (I have an itemized list of what went into it). Thanks!

Having your (sometimes pretty weird) gear explained and visualized before inspection can made the difference between a careful and favorable look and a messed up project box.

BTW, When Kat is not writing letters to the TSA, she is doing amazing design work, check out her site here.