How to Travel with a Bong – Our Top Hacks

The recreational use of weed may be legal where you live. Or, at the very least cannabis may have been decriminalized. But that doesn’t mean you will find smooth sailing if you want to take the bong you just bought at our pipe shop with you when you travel.

For starters, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I narcotic by the Federal Government, putting it on par with heroin in the eyes of the current administration. As such, any time you encounter federal officials during your travels (as in TSA employees at airports) you run the risk of incurring their wrath.

In addition, not every state has legalized recreational cannabis use. So if you leave Northglenn and cross into Utah to the west or Kansas to the east on a road trip, you will be in a state where possession of weed is a crime. In theory, if you haven’t cleaned your bong and it still contains traces of herb you could be arrested and, in Kansas anyway, face up to six months in jail.

All of this raises the question: “Is there a safe way to travel with a bong or pipe?” Read on to find out.

Tips on Traveling With a Bong

Before we get into specific tips on how to travel with a bong we’d like to propose a simple solution to the problem: don’t. That is, don’t travel with your bong. Leave it at home and then buy a new one when you reach your destination.

Colorado is not the only state where you will find a headshop, nor is the US the only country where they exist. So if your ultimate destination is a weed-friendly one, why not just avoid all the potential hassles between here and there by leaving your bong home and buying a new one when you arrive in Amsterdam, or LA or wherever you’re heading?

That said, let’s look at those travel tips now.

Driving safely with a bong

Bongs and road trips are made for each other. But authorities in some states seem to get their kicks out of hassling people when it comes to weed or weed paraphernalia. So if you’re heading on an epic road trip to Miami or Boston or elsewhere take the following tips to heart:

• Don’t use the bong in your car – For that matter, don’t smoke weed in your car at all while you’re driving. The smell of quality herb has a way of lingering, (even if you have the windows open), on clothes, upholstery and other items.
• Clean your bong before you leave home – Even a little bit of unburnt herb stuck to the inside of the bowl can get you in hot water in some states. It’s not worth it. Clean your bong before hitting the road and pack it away until you reach your destination.
• Don’t carry the bong in the passenger compartment – Clean the bong before leaving home and then store it in the trunk. That way, even if you’re stopped and the cops find some reason to search your car it’ll be obvious you weren’t smoking weed in it.

Flying with your bong

Driving with a bong can be tricky, but it can and is done all the time. Flying with a bong is another story altogether. When you get to the airport you’re going to encounter TSA officers. They work for the federal government and in the eyes of the feds, weed is a dangerous narcotic.

To be sure, TSA is more lenient in some places than in others. But even if you get your bong through security at DIA that doesn’t mean you’ll encounter friendly faces somewhere else. So if you’re planning on flying with your bong be sure to follow these tips: