5 Steps To Bringing A Basketbll On a Plane

Whether you just bought a basketball while on vacation or just want to take it with you to a prestigious basketball tournament your playing in, you more than likely have questions as to what the proper protocol is with bringing an inflated basketball on your carryon or in your luggage.

Are you even allowed to bring a basketball on to an airplane or does it have to be in your suitcase? Can it be inflated? According to TSA, Yes you can bring an inflated basketball onto an airplane as long as it does not exceed the dimensions of a carryon for that airline. Your only issue will be that the basketball may be an awkward item to pack in your carryon.

There are many ways you could pack and secure a basketball on your carryon or suitcase. We will discuss the options you have and eliminate any fears or thoughts of having to leave your basketball behind.

If you want to skip to the best basketball gear on Amazon to take with you on a trip Click Here! 

Steps To Packing A Basketball In Your Luggage

Packing your luggage can sometimes be tricky, when you have odd things going into your suitcase like a ball, deflated or not, and an air pump. Nowadays there are life hacks for everything you can find on youtube or on google. I’m pretty confident there are also hacks to packing your suitcase. Many people use the army method of making use of space in the suitcase by using the fold and army roll method to pack.

Packing An Inflated Basketball In Your Suitcase

1. Do not worry your basketball will not pop while your 30,000 feet in the air. Simply place the inflated basketball in your suitcase in the middle of the suitcase making sure the air valve is away from the walls of the suitcase. Your luggage will be checked so worse case it goes with the larger items that people check-in like large sports equipment like skis or even a hockey bag.
2. Pack your clothing around the basketball and as tightly as possible using the army roll method in the video above.
3. Zip up the suitcase and hopefully the ball doesn’t prevent you from zipping up the suitcase. If it does you may need to use another suitcase or deflate the ball a little in order for it to fit comfortably in the suitcase. There are instructions on how to deflate the basketball further down.

Packing A Deflated Basketball In Your Suitcase

1. You may place the basketball anywhere in your suitcase that you see fit (Corner or middle doesn’t matter).
2. Use the army roll method from the video and pack around the basketball.
3. Push down on the deflated basketball making a bowl-like shape.
4. Pack clothing preferably in the bowl of the basketball, making sure not to go overboard so that you can zip up your suitcase.
5. When done zip it up.

Packing An Inflated Basketball In Your Carryon

If you are packing your inflated basketball in your carryon you must make sure what the measurements are for the airliners carryon bags so that you may not exceed the dimensions. A simple way to do this is to look at the airliner’s website.

1. Make sure there is nothing in your backpack or duffle bag or carryon bag you are using.
2. Place your inflated basketball first in your carryon bag.
3. Pack all other things around it or on top without making the bag much bigger then it is supposed to be.
4. As a backup plan bring a pump needle, just in case you go over the size limit. You can then release air out of the ball.

Option: Buy a bag with a mesh pocket to place your ball in, remember just because it holds the ball doesn’t mean its perfect dimensions for what is allowed on the aircraft.

Packing A Deflated Basketball In Your Carryon

1. Make sure there is nothing in your backpack, duffle bag or carryon bag you are using.
2. Place your deflated basketball first in your carryon bag.
3. Create a bowl-like shape with the basketball by pushing down on the ball, so you can put more things and create more room in the bag.
4. Roll/fold more clothing and place it in the bowl do not put anything sharp or hard in the basketball bowl.
5. Zip it up when done.

As a backup plan, you should bring a needle and a pump with you to your destination. If you are unable to pump up the basketball yourself there are some clever ways to do so a few paragraphs below.

Here Are A Few Ways To Release The Air From A Basketball

1- With the needle from the pump, you will only need the needle so you may have to unscrew it from the pump itself. Lubricate the needle and apply pressure to the valve until the needle goes through. The air will start to come out of the ball and you will hear the noise of the air leaving the needle, maintain consistent pressure. This can take several minutes so be patient and try not to ruin the valve by sticking the needle further and moving it around to get a bigger hole or you may end up with a small leak in the ball because of a stretched air valve.

2- With a paperclip, you can release air from the basketball. Lubricate the end of the paper clip ( You will have to unfold the paper clip so you have the pointy end that looks like a needle) and stick it into the valve slowly until you can hear the air being released from the ball. You may need a second person to help you squeeze the ball to apply more pressure for the air to release. If you do not have a Partner place the ball while you are sitting in a chair in between your legs and use your knees to squeeze the ball as you hold the paper clip in the valve.

3- With a broken pen take the pen apart, fetch the plastic ink tube and release the end of the tip from it. If you can see how much ink is in there cut away the part with the ink and used the cleanest part of the holder. If there is still ink run it through water or blow it out. Use the empty ink tube holder and see if you can stick it in the valve. You may need to cut the end at an angle so that the end is sharp and easily stick through, again lubricate it so it can slide in.

Several Ways To Pump Up A Ball Without A Needle Or Pump.

1 – Using a Balloon it is possible to pass air from the ballon to the Basketball. If you have a needle it is as simple as blowing up the balloon as big as you can without popping it. Take the balloon and pinch it off to prevent the air from leaving but do not tie it. Get the needle or anything that is small enough to transfer the air into the basketball and fit in the air valve. Wrap the balloon’s rubber opening around the needle or makeshift tip as tight as possible you may hold while trying to prevent air from leaking or clamp it down. Stick the needle into the valve and voila.

2- Just like how I showed you how to release the air from the basketball with the ink tube holder from a pen. You can simply do the same and stick into the basketball valve and blow into the ink tube holder transferring the air into the basketball. Use your own discretion and don’t pass out.

3 – Using compressed air will work but only if the ball is slightly flat and it is your last hope. Compressed air is a bottle with a long needle used for cleaning dust and lint from electronics and office supplies. How you want to use it is by sticking the needle into the basketball valve and squeeze the trigger for a couple of seconds at a time. The can will get cold fairly quickly so you want to gradually squeeze and stop. Do not do this frequently to fill up your basketballs as this isn’t very cost-effective.

If the above is not possible when arriving at your destination because you are strapped for time. You can simply do one of the following:

1. Visit a bike shop or mechanic shop.
2. Visit any gas station and ask the attendant or you may have to pay for the air.
3. Go to the basketball court and ask around, some people carry a small hand pump with them.

If anything, you can always purchase a small pump for relatively cheap, here is one I recommend that is small and can fit in your suitcase and carry on no problem. It comes with a few needles and a pressure gauge. Just click on the link to take you to Amazon.

TSA Restrictions And Tips

According to the tsa.gov website you are allowed to bring all sorts of sports equipment believe it or not. A basketball is one of them, inflated or deflated it makes no difference. With the most airliners charging for baggage you want to make use of your space in your luggage, I highly recommend a deflated ball in your luggage as it will give you more room. Especially on the way back home to your destination, you’re going to always bring back more than what you came with. Link to sports equipment allowed on TSA

So obviously you must meet the size requirements of a carryon, a basketball attached to an already full backpack bag that has the mesh pouch like the one I had recommended you to buy may exceed the size of a carryon. So no matter which way you put it in, it just can not be bigger than the size that is allowed. If you deflate the ball and still put it in your bag with the mesh pocket, you’re going to have more room.

The sports equipment that you can’t bring usually is equipment like a baseball bat, cricket bat, and golf club as these items can be used as a weapon onboard in your carryon.

Some people believe that if they take the basketball fully inflated on a plane that the basketball may pop due to the air pressure at higher altitudes. This is simply not true, the air in the basketball as no effect on the atmosphere outside of the basketball and even if it did nothing would or could happen. Basketballs have been checked luggage before, I think if this happened they would make sure to put a stop to it. TSA does prohibit dribbling, slam-dunks, and the setting of picks on the plane.

I haven’t been able to find these basketballs anymore but I bought a Spalding infusion basketball that has a built-in pump in the ball that you twist and release and is 2 inches long and all you have to do is pump away. I bought it from a garage sale for 2 dollars.

This would probably be the easiest way to bring a basketball with you anywhere you go especially on a plane, you would just need to release the air. You could place it in your carry on or in your suitcase for more of a convenience. It would take you about 5 to 10 minutes to pump the ball up with the built-in pump as it isn’t the greatest but it does its job.  Your biggest challenge would be to find a way to release the air from the ball before packing it into your luggage to take the least amount of room. Nowadays you are paying for luggage with most airliners and you want to utilize your space accordingly.

Basketball On A Cruise Ship

Years back I took a trip on a cruise ship, we traveled to Playa del Carman, Cozumel, and Key West Florida and I didn’t think I would get to play any basketball for the 10 days of that trip, because for obvious reasons I was on a boat. Then before boarding the cruise line at the Miami port, I noticed something high up on the cruise ship, Yup! You guessed it, a basketball court. As soon as I could I went to the basketball court to check it out and sure enough, it was beautiful but the basketballs they had were the worse ever. These balls could barely bounce without slamming it hard into the ground, they were falling apart and their fake leather was peeling off. If I had known that there was a basketball court there I would have gladly brought my basketball. But I never thought they would have had a basketball court in the first place so I didn’t bother to check. More on this later.

You’re probably asking wasn’t it hard to play with the ship moving? Didn’t you lose your balance while playing? No, not at all,  you don’t even feel the ship moving. It was a lot of fun waking up every morning and playing. One day on the cruise ship there was a game going on and I hopped in and played, I realized very quickly who I was playing against, It was Rowan Barrett former National Canada Basketball Player who played with Steve Nash on the Olympic team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Rowan also played pro in Europe. Oh and his son R.J. Barrett, The Duke Bluedevils shooting guard, drafted 3rd by the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA draft. Sadly Young R.J. Barrett wasn’t on the cruise ship with him. Probably working on his game at the time.

Other basketball gear you may want to bring with you if you plan on hooping a lot at your vacation spot or playing in a tournament.

Clothing & footwear

• Practice Basketball Shoes
• Game Shoes
• Basketball Socks
• Sandals/Slippers
• Practice Shorts
• T-shirts & Jerseys
• Leg sleeves or Knee pads
• Shooter Sleeve
• Compression Shorts
• Warm-Up Suit/Jacket
• Sports Bra
• Headband
• Wristband

Equipment

• Practice Balls
• Basketball Training Aids
• Ball Pump & Needle

Accessories

• Basketball Bag
• Earbuds or Head Phones
• Water Bottle
• Mouth Guard
• Athletic Tape
• Sports Drinks

Just For Fun Here Are Some Weird Things That People Have Tried To Bring Onto An Airplane or checked luggage.

Snakes – This happened just after the movie Snakes On A Plane by Samuel Jackson came out. A man brought 7 different types of snakes and 2 turtles and hid them in his pants before he was caught. Whether he made it on board or not, we’re not sure.

Therapy Animals – They come in many different forms and only require a doctor’s note to bring one on board an airplane. These animals have ranged from dogs, ducks, and yes a turkey.

Dead Body – A Woman and her daughter were pushing their husband/father in a wheelchair in an airport trying to get the man in the wheelchair who was wearing sunglasses on board an airplane when security found it suspicious. Security discovered that the person had already been dead. The mother and daughter claim they had no idea. Talk about a real-life Weekend at Bernie’s. Weekend At Bernie’s was an early 90s comedy movie based on two men transporting their dead boss around all while pretending that he is still alive.

Parachute – A man brought a full parachute it is carry on luggage, this man’s fear of flying was so high he needed peace of mind in case the plane decided to go down. Believe it or not, the parachute may be kept separate from all other luggage and may not be in the carryon. He was allowed to bring it on the plane just not in the carryon.

Hidden Animals – A man tried to sneak 200 tarantulas pass TSA, and thankfully he was caught. A tiger cub was in a woman’s luggage and was caught before the cub was harmed.

Cannonballs – Yup! It immediately halted the plane from taking off because of the air pressure at high altitudes. Cannonballs, in general, can spontaneously explode on their own.  A change in the air pressure may cause that, but I don’t think anyone would want to test that theory.

Human Skulls And Remains – Skull fragments were discovered in pots and were immediately reported to the police. In which they had to come in and treat the pots where they sat on the securities table as a crime scene. You are allowed to bring human remains but it must be in the form of cremation still, you need legal paperwork to bring abroad.

That concludes this article, I hope this came in handy pass it on to members of your basketball team or basketball program and let them know you have done this several times. What’s the weirdest thing you have seen a person try to take onto a plane?

Related Readings:

 

• Can 2 Basketballs Fit Through The Rim At The Same Time
• Can You Wear Basketball Shoes Casually?
• Your Guide To Inflating The Ball The Right Way