How to travel with a pen, cartridges and needles
Pens and cartridges are small, and the whole kit fits in a carry-on. The only parts that need thought are the glass, the needles and, if the contents must stay cold, the temperature. Before you fly, check the rules for your airline and the TSA. The links below go straight to them.
How to pack a pen for travel
- Keep spare cartridges in the ReconStation Cartridge Holder or the Cartridge Vault so the glass stays safe and cannot roll or knock together.
- Keep pen needles and syringes in their original sealed packaging and box.
- If the contents need to stay cool, freeze the two ice packs that come with the travel cooler case, then pack the pen, the cartridge holder and the needles into the case's compartments.
- Keep everything together in one bag that stays with you.
- Before a flight, read the TSA's own page on what you can bring and check your airline's and destination's rules.
The travel cooler case
The travel cooler case is an insulated case, 8 by 4 by 3 inches, with two ice packs, room for up to 6 pens and separate spaces for needles and accessories. The product page says it fits in a carry-on bag. Freeze the packs ahead of time; they do the cooling, the case keeps it in. The case is sold in black or purple and is sometimes out of stock, so order before the trip rather than the day of.
Cartridges on the road
Glass and luggage do not mix. The ReconStation Cartridge Holder keeps four 3 mL cartridges safe under a screw-on lid and is sized to sit in the cooler next to an ice pack. The Cartridge Vault does the same job with a hinged lid. Cartridges that are still sealed in their sterilization pouch can travel as they are.
Needles and syringes
Leave pen needles in the box and syringes in their individual wrappers. Sealed, labelled packaging is easier for anyone inspecting the bag to recognise. Pack a small sharps container or a hard case for used needles if you will be away long enough to need one.
Before you fly
The TSA publishes a searchable list of what can go in carry-on and checked bags at What Can I Bring. Search it for needles, ice packs and liquids before you pack, and check with the airline for anything the TSA page defers to them. Outside the US, check the destination country's rules too. Rules change, so check again close to the day you fly.
When you arrive
When you arrive, take the kit out of the cooler, put cartridges back in the fridge if that is where they live, and give the pen a wipe before use; see clean and store your pen. If anything arrived cracked or leaking, write to [email protected].
Products in this guide
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For research use only. Not for human or animal therapeutic, clinical, or diagnostic use. Not FDA-approved.
