Flying with a pack n play?

[aaklang]

Can I get some advice from people who have flown with a pack n play? My husband is worried that the nylon bag that it comes in is too flimsy and that it will get damaged by the airline. He wants to buy a stronger travel bag but I don't feel like spending the money. Please let me know your experience taking one on the plane and whether you think a stronger bag is necessary.

 

Thanks!

[Lewski709]

This was a hard one for me. I had two different opinions, I thought if I disguised it...they would mistreat it. Then I thought, if I don't it will get damaged. Ended up thinking that as heavy as it was, they couldn't be flinging it around carelessly.

 

I borrowed a HUGE body bag from a friend. ;) No seriously, it was a HUGE hunting bag. Can you believe I fit the pack n play AND the carseat in it? I did and it worked great.

 

I do think the pak n play covering is too tender and will get ripped. My luggage, after I first bought it, was torn up and I was upset about it a bit. I've seen what they do to stuff, I didn't want to chance it.

 

Good luck. I soooooooo know where you are coming from, not wanting to buy a bag for it. Ask some friends, maybe someone will have an old Army bag or something you can borrow. They hold a lot!

[khm1]

We flew with our travel-lite P&P a few months ago. It is a little smaller than a regular P&P. I found a rolling duffel bag that it would fit in on sale. I put the P&P in it and checked it with our other luggage. I was also able to fit diapers in the bag. I would never consider using a hotel or cruise ship P&P. I am a germaphobe and I can't even stand the thought! This solution worked very well for us and nothing got damaged. Good luck!

[sharktums]

I've done it two ways.

 

Once we kept the original box and checked it in the box. We taped that box to death and put all of our information outside and inside. It wasn't a problem.

 

All other times we've put it in a giant duffel along with diapers, wipes, and other random baby stuff. You can get a pretty large duffel for about $30-$40 at your big chain sporting goods store. That's been what's work best for us and we travel and fly A LOT.

[kat89447]

I used to pack mine in the original box and take it that way. I also cut holes in the box for carrying. My friend went to a Mailbox store and got a box she cut down to fit snug around hers and shipped hers that way. They are pretty durable and by using the box or building one it kept it small so she wasn't charged for oversized baggage. Hope this helps.

[myraid]

We have flown 5 times with our pack and play and have not had any issues with the cover (or the PNP for that matter). Don't know if we are just lucky or what!:D

[Baxter]

We have flown many times with our PNP. The airlines have always recommended putting into one of their giant plastic bags. The bag has always come back torn, but the PNP was fine.

[Dr_DNA]

We have packed ours in a large duffel bag and haven't had any problems.

[NoleWoman]

I have flown about 10 times with a PNP with just the nylon cover and never had a problem, cover never got ripped.

[Onessa]

BIL (commercial pilot) and his wife (flight attendant) travel with their now 3YO A LOT. When they still used the PnP, they initially had a lot of "incidents". Not so much with the cover getting ripped, but with poles being damaged.

 

Fed up, his wife went to home depot and purchased a cardboard tube (she thinks it may have been a form for cement or something). She cut it to length, put webbing on one end (stapled and glued), drilled holes through the cardboard and put on a handle and some elastic straps on the other end. Some duct tape to secure the elastic end and it was "set". It literally made it around the world with them. She now loans it out to friends and relatives. It is an extreme solution, but it does work!

[BJenn]

It has been a loooong time since we had to deal w/ a P&P but the issues are still the same. If you have the original box (or can cut 1 down to fit as someone else suggested) use that , strapping it shut w/ heavy-duty tape & use enough tape to form a handle. It will be butt-ugly ( I think my friend called it "hillbilly Samsonite") but will get the job done. We also once used a military duffle-bag that was an absolute perfect size & can

even be locked....you could prob pick one up for cheap locally on CraigsList or an Army surplus place (even EBay would be good).

I reccommend NOT using duct tape, seems to be red flag to luggage

scanners & there may well now be some prohibition against it.

 

Good Luck, Jen

[Lieblich06]

Have you considered an alternative to the pack n play? We do alot of traveling and I did not want to be lugging a PNP around. We will be cruising in Nov09 with a 4 mo old. We will be taking KidCo PeaPod. They have them at target and babiesrus and come in two sizes. It is very compact and lightweight for travel. Can be used as bed or taken to the beach for sun shade etc.

Just a thought...

[MCManders99]

Just flew with my Graco PNP and had no issues with the regular cover. Now I gate checked my stroller (travel system) and part of that got ripped. Go figure, they handled the gate checked item worse than the regular checked items.

[Luxuriate]

Your Pack and Play will get trashed by the airlines but, frankly, I expect it too. I just put the P@P in the outer cover and send it on it's way. It comes back stained and dirty but I expect it too. Still works out great.

 

Cheryl

[jerin]

My PNP is 10 years old and has flown numerous times during those 10 years, and the cover is still intact.