Transporting glass bottles in airplane luggage

[JadeShing]

If you are buying wine in bulk 6 bottles or more you can have the winery ship it back to your home for you. Failing that I have seen a 2 bottle hand carry wine container which you can stuff into your luggage quite nicely.

something like this looks pretty stable;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HC6WSE/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00015COUS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0HARM7BCDWDEEYMTEZ7P

[Kent Wang]

The WineDiaper product looks promising. It got good reviews, but I haven't checked the reviews on the rest, so I don't know if it might be the best choice or not.

We've used the Wine Diaper for years. The key with them is that they are not for protecting the bottle as much as they are for protecting the other contents of the suitcase. They offer minimal padding, but they are lined with super absorbent material that can quickly soak up the contents of any leaks or breaks. We put the bottle in a wine diaper, then wrap the whole thing with clothing or other padding material. We've never had a bottle break (probably 100 bottles of wine & liquor brought back to the U.S. in checked luggage with this method at this point) and the few times I've had seals/caps leak, the Wine Diaper absorbed everything and nothing in the luggage got wet or damaged.

The same company now sells the Jet Bag for even less money. I can't tell the difference between the two. This looks like the best solution.

Wine Hug gives better padding but it doesn't seal in the liquid. For ultimate protection you could use both. Wine Hug is also quite expensive at $25 each, while Jet Bag is $8 for 3.

[tonyrocks922]

The WineDiaper product looks promising. It got good reviews, but I haven't checked the reviews on the rest, so I don't know if it might be the best choice or not.

We've used the Wine Diaper for years. The key with them is that they are not for protecting the bottle as much as they are for protecting the other contents of the suitcase. They offer minimal padding, but they are lined with super absorbent material that can quickly soak up the contents of any leaks or breaks. We put the bottle in a wine diaper, then wrap the whole thing with clothing or other padding material. We've never had a bottle break (probably 100 bottles of wine & liquor brought back to the U.S. in checked luggage with this method at this point) and the few times I've had seals/caps leak, the Wine Diaper absorbed everything and nothing in the luggage got wet or damaged.

I use Wine Diapers several times a year and highly recommend them. The padding is sufficient to protect any bottle in my experience (though they're usually surrounded by clothing anyway) and the bag can absorb a full liter of liquid if there is a breakage or leak.

Edited November 15, 2013 by tonyrocks922 (log)

[scubadoo97]

The Jet Bag looks like a nice product at a good price. Cheaper than wine sleeves or similar products and the fact it can absorb the liquid if the bottle breaks is a big plus

[Kent Wang]

Consider decanting the contents into a plastic bottle. Much more resistant to breaking and lighter weight. For a sturdy bottle, I suggest Nalgene.

[Bill Klapp]

The answer depends in part upon how valuable your cargo is, and how often you will transport it over time. The above posts do a good job of setting forth the options for one or two bottles in checked luggage. If you have as many as 6 or 12 bottles, standard wine shippers (cardboard boxes with styrofoam inserts with 6 or 12 holes for wine bottles (this is what United has in mind)) are your best bet. Even if your bottles are too small or too large (within reason), or even a shape other than round, you can generally cut the styro a bit or bubble-wrap smaller bottles to make them secure in the holes. The styro also offers temperature protection for a limited time.

For added security and convenience, there is a product called the Wine Check, which is, in essence, a nylon box on wheels and with a telescoping handle whose innards are a standard styro wine shipper. If you are dealing with seriously valuable stuff, for several hundred dollars, there are a variety of shapes and sizes of something called the Wine Cruzer (a line of Pelican Cases), which is a carrier made of some sort virtually indestructible lightweight carbon-fiber material with a form-fitting, high-density foam interior with neck rings that quite literally keeps bottles from moving within the case. Expensive, but as good as it gets. These, too, have wheels and telescoping handles, typical of carry-on luggage, and are engineered to meet airline size and weight restrictions when fully loaded. I suspect that both of these products have imitators as well, but have not researched it. Not sure what the cargo is exactly here, but if I were carrying, say, bottles of three-figure single malts, I might be tempted to make the investment. $10 bottles of EVOOO? Not so much. The styro carrier will do it. Of course, both of the options above count as separate checked bags...

[FrogPrincesse]

This article about packing liquor just came up on alcademics.com. Teflon tape and ziplock bags to avoid leaks, mini bottles in shoes, larger bottles wrapped in pants or sweaters.

Personnally, I like wine shippers (polystyrene inserts in a cardboard box that Bill Klapp just mentioned) although they are a little bulky. They give me peace of mind.

Edited December 20, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Shel_B]

Styrofoam wine shipping containers:

http://www.uline.com/BL_5450/Styrofoam-Wine-Shippers

Why you shouldn't use Styrofoam:

http://www.paulgregutt.com/2011/10/dreaded-styrofoam-wine-shippers.html

Special cardboard containers:

http://www.spiritedshipper.com/?gclid=CKT5gJDgwbsCFe1xQgodHkgA0g

Made in the US from strong corrugated Kraft cardboard, our wine shippers are layered with extra cushioning and include a special insert for each and every bottle for safe and secure shipping.

Light weight and tough, our wine shipping containers are environmentally safe, fully recyclable and made with recycled material. They ship flat, saving you money and valuable storage space.

Edited December 21, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[scubadoo97]

Several times a year I get cases of liquor delivered to my home. The distributors have been using the cardboard inserts and I have never had a breakage. The last time they used the styrofoam inserts one member of our group did encounter a breakage in shipping. They switched back to the cardboard and so far so good

[Kent Wang]

Consider decanting the contents into a plastic bottle. Much more resistant to breaking and lighter weight. For a sturdy bottle, I suggest Nalgene.

 

I was going to buy a Nalgene, but bought the non-rigid, collapsible Platypus bottle instead. These are even lighter and when transporting them empty, they take up no space at all. I have non-rigid suitcases (duffle style, because they're lighter) and was a little concerned that in handling the bottles would get squeezed and potentially break, so I put them inside a cardboard box, and then put the box into the suitcase. This worked perfectly. TSA did check my luggage, but no harm done.

[ChrisTaylor]

Old thread but a product I've used in the past for both packing booze in my luggage and sending it overseas is available at a chain of Australian bottle shops. I assume such products are sold elsewhere, too. The shop calls them 'wine mailers': a cardboard box with a removable plastic pouch. The pouch is thick and balloon-like, filled with air on all sides. It's quite strong. I say this because I've deliberately dropped a wine mailer on the floor with a fair amount of force just to see what'd happen.  The 'balloons' don't burst and the bottle remains safe. 

[lesliec]

Chris, if that's what you put my rum in I can certify it's solid.  It almost looks like it could be blown up and let down for re-use, but I haven't tested that theory.

 

Never seen them for sale here.  Not that I've looked ...

[ChrisTaylor]

They've already been re-used. That same pouch and another just like it survived two run-ins with the baggage handlers at Oliver Tambo and Harare.

[nickrey]

Laphroiag send their whisky out in those. I re-use them all the time.