TL;DR
Onewheel GT
Technically the battery is too big on the Onewheel GT to fly. So no, the GT can’t legally fly.
Onewheel Pint X
The battery on the Pint X is also too big, so this one is a no go.
Onewheel Pint
The battery on the Pint is actually just on the line and you can technically fly with it!
Onewheel XR
With a battery the same size as the Onewheel Pint X, this one is a no fly.
Disclaimer
While many have successfully flown with their Onewheel’s with lots of different methods, your results may vary.
You can (and should) do your due diligence, but at the end of the day some of the factors are just luck.
Happy travels and good luck!
Methods
There are 3 different methods the community has found that seem to work:
- Carry the Onewheel on with you
- Check the Onewheel in with your luggage
- Separate the battery from the board, bring the battery with you and check the rest of the Onewheel
Method 1 Onewheel Carry On
This is the method I’ve used before and it worked fine for me.
Basically the logic is that while airlines prohibit lithium Ion batteries, the Onewheel uses a Lithium Iron-Phosphate battery, which according to the TSA, is allowed to fly with some restrictions.
The special instructions provided by the TSA state:
“Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.
With airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium ion batteries (101–160 Wh) or lithium metal batteries (2-8 grams). This size covers the larger after-market extended-life laptop computer batteries and some larger batteries used in professional audio/visual equipment. There is a limit of two spare batteries per person for the larger lithium ion batteries described above (101–160 watt hours per battery. For more information, see the FAA regulations on batteries.
This instruction covers spare lithium metal and spare rechargeable lithium ion batteries for personal electronics such as cameras, cell phones, laptop computers, tablets, watches, calculators, etc. This instruction also includes external battery chargers (portable rechargers and power banks) containing a lithium ion battery. For lithium batteries that are installed in a device (laptop, cell phone, camera, etc.), see FAA regulations for “portable electronic devices, containing batteries.”
Best of luck here, it worked for me!
Method 2 Check the Onewheel in your luggage
This method is simple as it sounds, put the board in your luggage and check it.
Personally I’m not sure how they would know what’s in the luggage without really digging into it, but that’s the risk you run.
My personal advice is if you’re flying inside the continental 48 states you’re less likely to have problems with this method, but when flying to Hawaii, Alaska or internationally you certainly run the risk of someone checking out your baggage.
Happy travels, and good luck with this one.
Method 3 Check the Onewheel in your luggage but remove the battery and carry that with you
This one makes a lot of sense to me because you can pull up the TSA and airline guidelines on your phone if you get called out and show the battery and that it’s safe to fly.
In my experience, just having the board in your luggage won’t cause any big problems, the battery is the real kicker.
The biggest problem here is you have to void the warranty to remove the battery, so if you want to avoid that, I totally understand.
Or if you like videos better, here’s a video that shows how to separate the battery from the Onewheel for reference:
According to Onewheel Wiki this method is the only 100% success method, so do with that info what you will.
Tips and tricks
Here are a couple of tips that might help your journey
Be kind but confident
When I flew with mine the TSA guy was cool, which certainly helps, but I was also nice and confident.
I pulled up the website and the info and showed him and kind of shrugged and said “according to the airline this is totally fine” and he said “alright if they say its ok, then you’re good.”
So then I just put it back in my duffel bag and walked onto the plane and didn’t say anything else. It worked there and back, but I was nervous the whole time.
Never call it a hoverboard
This seems obvious, but hoverboards have a really bad reputation of you know, catching on fire.
So don’t call it a hoverboard, I just call it a skateboard or a computer, or even a camera dolly.
All of those will get better reception than a hoverboard.
Use the right bag
I’ve seen people recommend a Onewheel specific bag, something like this:
But personally I’ve always just used a duffel bag like this:
I just figure having a bag that looks weird makes you a target, having a normal bag means you’re a normal person doing normal stuff and you don’t need to be weird.
You do you.
Bring documentation
Wherever possible, bring documentation, official as possible, that shows all the info about the board and maybe even something official about the Onewheel being a camera dolly.
You might have to write something up yourself, but it’s certainly worth doing.
Also bring or have access to documentation that shows what the TSA rules are, what the airline rules are and what your board actually is and says.
Having documentation will make the whole process go smoother, but again, be kind and confident.
The best advice I can give on this is act like you’ve done this before and presume that it’s going to be fine. Others who don’t know will feed off your confidence.
Alternatives to flying with your Onewheel
I recommend 2 options as alternatives to flying with your Onewheel.
PEV Marketplace
You can rent a board locally wherever you’re traveling to.
Friend with a
Friend with a is basically just a rental service you can use for stuff.
There are tons of Onewheel’s on there (mine included) and they seem pretty great.
So wherever you go, consider just renting a board locally.
Suprents
These guys are pretty cool and come highly recommended from the community.
Basically you request a board and they send it to you wherever you are.
Give them a try, I haven’t yet but next time I travel I’m planning on it, and I know Jimmy from Freshly Charged highly recommends and uses them.
Conclusion
There you go, those are all the tips and tricks I can find on flying with a Onewheel.
If you’ve flown successfully, leave a comment and let me know how it went.
If you’ve flown unsuccessfully, tell me why and how we can avoid that going forward.
Happy travels!
