Serious question....

Recently, as in the last two years, I’ve been setting off the TSA bodyscanner! It has happened five times this year. Indicating there’s something in, either my groin area, or buttocks area. Or sometimes both! I tell them they can do whatever they’ve got to do. I don’t need to go behind a curtain. Then they feel around my waistline and I’m always good to go. Nothing found.

Just last week, I went through security three times one day. At three different airports. The first two times, the thing set off. Showing a box around my groin area. Then both the groin and the backside a few hours later. At the final screening of the day, while I was coming back through security after a smoke, I walked through with no problems.

The first time this happened, I had a slightly damp bathing suit on under my pants. The screen completely lit up red throughout the highlight box on their screen, so I thought that water might have had something to do with it? But now it’s happening again! Could my boxer shorts be too thick? Or, is the machine just a worthless piece of junk?

Before Marijuana was legal in my state, I use to fly with my medicine bagged and lined down my butt crack and up under the jewels. (sorry to be graphic) and I have gone through that machine dozens and dozens of times with up to a half ounce of weed down there, and the damn thing has never signaled.

Why am I now setting it off when there’s really nothing concealed under my clothes?

The only thing that can set off a bodyscanner is metal, and underwear is very unlikely to contain metal. It's certainly visible, but can't be the cause.

Just think, where in or on your body do you have any metal? Even in small amounts like a ring, clip or coin.

Could it be the Prince Albert?

Or the chain mail g string

PatrickZ80 wrote:

The only thing that can set off a bodyscanner is metal, and underwear is very unlikely to contain metal. It's certainly visible, but can't be the cause.

Just think, where in or on your body do you have any metal? Even in small amounts like a ring, clip or coin.

I think metal might be the only thing that can set off a traditional metal detector. But not the body scanner machine, which is suppose to detect any object under the clothes on the body. For example, if you strapped a plastic knife to your lower back, the machine is going to highlight an object in that general area in a box on their screen that will require a pat down to check the area.

PatrickZ80 wrote:

The only thing that can set off a bodyscanner is metal.

Not true.... I use the body scanner everyday, and around 50% of the time , it shows up as a square at the back of my head.
I have absolutely zero metal in my head...!!!

I was at PHL a few weeks ago - at 7am and hungover. Got randomly put into the body scanner from Pre-Check line. It set off around the groin area. The TSA guy was very touchy - put his hands between my underwear elastic and body and worked all the way around. And of course, ran the back of his hand over the junk. As I was leaving, it "looked" like they hit the 'female' button on the scanner, but I couldn't tell for sure.

I have some Dockers and Haggars brand slacks with cargo pockets, they are always setting the machine off as it seems there is too much material there's round the pockets!
Its always, you need to empty your pockets, I did!, pat down, ok you're fine.

PlymSpotter wrote:

Could it be the Prince Albert?

LOL!!! Thank you for making my day. Of all the crappy news, the topic and this response - PURRRFECT!

I've noticed that I set it off more when my shirt is wet from sweat.

I was told once that a really full bladder could bring up a "finding" in the body scanner around that area.

Did you compare your bladder states during the occurrences?

As a previous commenter mentioned, it could have something to do with the contents of that underwear...

PatrickZ80 wrote:

The only thing that can set off a bodyscanner is metal...

I used to keep setting off the body scanner, and would always get pulled aside to have a TSA screener pat down my legs. I eventually realized it was likely because I often wear those pants with the zip-off legs when I travel (it's a lot easier than packing both shorts and long pants, and I can be prepared for any kind of weather). I'm fairly certain that it was the zippers running around the middle of my pant legs that was setting it off.

TUGMASTER wrote:

PatrickZ80 wrote:

The only thing that can set off a bodyscanner is metal.

Not true.... I use the body scanner everyday, and around 50% of the time , it shows up as a square at the back of my head.
I have absolutely zero metal in my head...!!!

What, you have a square head?

I had a hard time getting past you wearing a wet bathing suit under your pants beyond all the other stuff going on in that nether region.
Maybe try going commando........

I dunno, how sweaty are your balls and ass?

Moisture definitely sets it off. I had it go off once on my chest because of a coffee spill that was mostly dry and already embarrassing enough.

PI4EVR wrote:

I had a hard time getting past you wearing a wet bathing suit under your pants beyond all the other stuff going on in that nether region.
Maybe try going commando........

Not wet. Just slightly damp. I was in Hawaii with a late evening red eye flight. Had checked out of the hotel at 11am and gone swimming that afternoon. It hadn’t completely dried because of the humidity, but wasn’t soaking wet. Just put my jeans on over them instead of putting them in my checked bag to mildew..

IADCA wrote:

I dunno, how sweaty are your balls and ass?

Moisture definitely sets it off. I had it go off once on my chest because of a coffee spill that was mostly dry and already embarrassing enough.

Pretty sweaty usually, but was a lot worse when I use to carry a half ounce of weed in that area. And that never sets the thing off. Makes me think somebody could pretty easily conceal a small amount plastic explosive, a zazor blade/small knife, etc.

funny topic, pwm2txlhopper!

Quoting you, "I use to fly with my medicine bagged and lined down my . . ."

a few questions came to mind . . .

1. Wasn't this arrangement terribly uncomfortable?

2. Did you have to practice walking "normally" so as not to arouse suspicion among security personnel that you were concealing something?

3. Did you have a plan, or a defense, ready, in case your concealed items were discovered?

e38

e38 wrote:

funny topic, pwm2txlhopper!

Quoting you, "I use to fly with my medicine bagged and lined down my . . ."

a few questions came to mind . . .

1. Wasn't this arrangement terribly uncomfortable?

2. Did you have to practice walking "normally" so as not to arouse suspicion among security personnel that you were concealing something?

3. Did you have a plan, or a defense, ready, in case your concealed items were discovered?

e38

Question 1 and 2 Not at all. Grind it up. Put in non ziplock sandwich bag and shape it. Line butt crack from top down to the bottom with slightly more in the bag as you get lower. I can walk around completely normally. Even spreading legs slightly to stand in the TSA bodyscanner. When I trigger a secondary search and they feel around my down my pants waistline, they still have never felt anything.

Question 3. Well, I usually fly out of a legal state. Before legalization it was already decriminalized. If they indeed detect it, they would call the local police. They would determine no state crime was committed and I’d be free to go, although they might tell me I had to get rid of it and come back through security.

interesting, thanks pwm2txlhopper.

e38

IADCA wrote:

I dunno, how sweaty are your balls and ass?

Moisture definitely sets it off. I had it go off once on my chest because of a coffee spill that was mostly dry and already embarrassing enough.

Not all wet underwear is caused by sweat. Or spilled coffee.

I had a couple of new pairs of golf pants I was flying with and they set off the scanner 4 trips in a row. I was told that pants that are kind of loose and not tight-fitting create a shadow that confuses the scanner.

Not sure if it is true but that is what two TSA agents told me was the issue.

IPFreely wrote:

IADCA wrote:

I dunno, how sweaty are your balls and ass?

Moisture definitely sets it off. I had it go off once on my chest because of a coffee spill that was mostly dry and already embarrassing enough.

Not all wet underwear is caused by sweat. Or spilled coffee.

I'm sure it Depends on the individual.

I've had this happen to me a couple times. I think it came from wearing heavier material boxer briefs in the winter to keep everything warm. It has never happened while wearing what I consider to be "everyday" type underwear. Thanks for bringing this up, I've never seen anyone write about this before. I suspect your swim wear was thicker than normal,( unless it was a speedo). I do remember the first time I set it off, I saw the box over my groin, and the TSA guy asked if I had anything concealed there. I told him " just my junk", which he didn't seem to find as amusing as I did. Got the good ole back of hand pat down.

Last time I set one of those off, it was at DCA before I retired form USAToday. The TSA officer looked at me and asked if I had anything to say and I replied, "My name is Magnum Enormous, and I am on my way back to Vegas to start filming a new movie." He laughed at me and sent me on my way.