Flying With MOCs: Should You Check LEGO in Your Luggage?

LEGO conventions are some of the most fun you will ever have as a LEGO fan—you’ll meet new AFOLs, hang out with old friends, and interact with the thousands of public visitors. From my short time attending conventions, though, there is a less fun part about them… traveling to them and having to rebuild all your MOCs when you arrive. A few weeks ago I went through this exact experience because I ventured across the United States from Florida to Portland, Oregon for Bricks Cascade. The trip there ended up being around seven hours of flying between two flights which was the perfect excuse to experiment with different ways of flying with MOCs.

Baggage Handling

Baggage Handling system in Seattle.

Besides LEGO, I love learning about and working in the airline industry, so before I get to what I discovered on my trip, I want to share a little bit about what happens to your luggage as it travels and then how I prepared for it. From check-in, your bag travels along a complex system of conveyor belts that eventually delivers it to an actual human—this process is generally pretty gentle on your bag. Once out of the belt system, the bag is loaded into carts and eventually taken to be loaded onto the flight.

Via International Airport Review.

Anyone who’s flown before has probably seen this last part—the bags being loaded. This process can sometimes be a bit rougher on the luggage. Anytime your bag is loaded into a cart or into the airplane there is a chance for multiple other bags to be stacked on top of yours, and even hard-sided plastic bags are not free of being compressed under that kind of weight. Of course, when you arrive this entire process happens but in reverse.

Via International Airport Review.

Crushing Reality

I could go on and on about specifics and differences between international flying vs domestic or having connecting flights, but what I will cover will address the basics for all flights—the risks to a MOC generally don't change. That being said, the two biggest factors in keeping your MOCs safe when flying are 1) making sure your builds can not be crushed under large amounts of weight and 2) ensuring they are not loose and can shift around as the bag moves.

Avoiding being compressed comes with a simple answer—use something that won't be crushed. For my experiment, I used two different methods. The first was a traveling toolbox—basically a rigid plastic box that would not crush under the weight of bags or me using it as a seat. (An alternative to this would also be a wooden crate so long as it's within airline limits, they can also be checked as baggage.)

Everything packed in the toolbox

The second method was using solid cardboard boxes originally used to hold produce placed inside a hard-sided suitcase. This could be substituted for any other sturdy box or bin that can withstand weight. Neither of these methods led to crushing during my flights so I can't say one is better than the other in that sense.

Everything packed in the suitcase

Minimizing Movement

For keeping my builds from moving and shifting during the flights, I used a few methods. Firstly, all my MOCs were taken apart in chunks and either wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in plastic bags. This kept all the parts with their respective builds. Everything was then split between both pieces of luggage and gently placed to avoid breaking them or creating larges air gaps.

Before travel

After travel

To top it all off, I used all my clothes to create a cushion around the builds in the toolbox and a sleeping bag to cushion the box in my suitcase. Both were packed tightly so nothing had room to move, but not so tight that there was a risk of my bag breaking. (This is a small risk to consider when flying but it does happen, so don't overstuff your bag—especially when flying with such precious cargo as LEGO!)

Before Traveling

After traveling

The two builds I’ve shared pictures of in this section fared worst of all—the deer in particular was very broken. In total, I brought 14 builds and everything survived at least a bit better than these.

Pros and Cons of Packing

So what did I learn about flying with MOCs, and what will I use in the future? Although my builds survived pretty well for the most part, neither option stood out as being incredibly better for keeping builds safe. But I'll run through the pros and cons that I found for each option.

Plastic Wrap

Pros: Holds loose parts from moving, can fit any size build.

Cons: Builds can break as you wrap them/unwrap them, not reusable.

Plastic Bag

Pros: Reusable, faster packing/unpacking.

Cons: Limited by bag sizes, do not hold loose items in place.

Box Inside Suitcase

Pros: Easy access to other items in your suitcase, easier to walk through an airport with.

Cons: Bag is more likely to be flipped upside down and all around, limited by box size, can crush if the box isn't strong enough.

Toolbox

Pros: No risk of breaking open, no space is taken up by an extra box, does not crush at all.

Cons: Not easy to work around without removing all your builds individually, can be expensive.

Having not seen any of these methods clearly perform better than another, I think all of these are good options, each with their own benefits. I personally will be using plastic bags to pack my builds in and most likely will then use a box/bin inside my actual suitcase. I found these work better with my types of builds and were easier to work with overall, especially since I arrived a day early and couldn't set my builds up right away.

This article is also not meant to be exhaustive. I’m sure there are many more ways to protect a MOC while you fly like bringing it as part of carry-on luggage, having a custom case made, or even gluing it. Everyone builds in their own unique ways, though, so some packing methods may work better for you and your builds. It is worth experimenting to find what works best for you, Happy travels!

How do you fly with MOCs for a convention? Let us know your experiences in the comments below.

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