In reply to Mia Chereau:
depends what gear you're talking about. If its just standard shoes/harness/draws/rope then I tend to just chuck it in the bottom of my hold bag. If its crampons/axes and spiky stuff then make sure the spiky bits are well covered unless you like perforated clothing/rope/baggage handlers.
If your talking hand luggage then you take your chances. Sometimes its fine with security, sometimes its not. In my experience, just pay the 30 quid as its not worth the grief if you do get problems...
Post edited at 20:53
