The Transportation Security Administration this week shared the list of the 10 most unusual items that passengers tried to bring through airports last year.
And wow, some of them may make you say, “REALLY?”
Topping the TSA’s list was a replica pipe bomb — stressing the word “REPLICA.”
The TSA said the replica explosive device was found in a checked bag at Boise Airport in May. The bag was referred for additional officer screening because it set off an alarm. So an explosives specialist responded and found PVC pipes and wooden blocks wrapped in brown paper with “C4″ printed on them and wires coming out of them.
The expert determined they were replicas and the passenger said they were training aids, leaving them behind, according to a news release.
While they were fake, TSA Federal Security Director for Idaho James Spies reminds passengers, “Realistic replicas of explosives are not allowed in checked or carry-on bags.”
The list of the 2025 unusual finds includes:
- Explosive replica, Boise Airport
- Turtles stuffed in pants and bra, Newark Liberty International Airport and Miami International Airport
- Razor blades in clothes, Denver International Airport
- Drugs in Shoes, Kona International Airport (Hawaii)
- Knife in a knee brace, Quad Cities International Airport (Illinois)
- Pills in a shampoo bottle, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
- Knife in a car seat, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- Bullets in Nesquik, Miami International Airport
- Firearm in a golf bag, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston
- Bullets and knives in tinfoil, Akron-Canton Airport (Ohio) and Newark Liberty International Airport
While replica pipe bombs are, of course, not permitted at all, you can check what you can and cannot bring on planes here. Some items you’d think you could not travel with can be packed in checked bags with special instructions.
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