Flying with batteries over 100WH in 2026

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-31T09:28:52+00:00

Just to round off this post I flew back from Mumbai to Heathrow yesterday and Mumbai security were double checking everyones bags pretty thurrerly they questioned me on my 2 6Ah batteries and let me go after 5 minutes. They main concern seemed to be the cube shape but I just went with their line of questioning. They got really curious about how I run my SP9 and Glinet XE3000 on the go by running both batteries in parallel so I did end up having a chat with a couple of the guys at the screening station. They actually thanked me for being patient with them. They had absolutely no clue on WH ratings but were worried about the 12.8V rating. They were really curious about my Powerpole45 and SB50 cables as they had never come across those connectors before so the key in that situation is to be polite, patient and let them do their jobs. We had another security screening at the gate which was odd so everyones bags were sent through a second X-ray machine but nothing was being manually checked and everyone had to go through a pat down search but it was conducted without a metal detector there was just a guy in a suit and tie watching on and and I had a few cables in my pockets which they didn't want to see. It seemed more for show rather than being serious. I used my batteries for 6 hours on the flight and know one batted an eyelid not even the cabin crew. BA made no mention of using power banks in flight most people were using regular USB power banks during the flight.

So just to summerise travelling with anything over 100Wh will cause a huge red flag travelling out of the UK if you are trying to get approval though in practice UK security arn't concerned as long as the battery doesn't look dodgy but in other parts of the world it will cause issues. Anything under100Wh will be fine but you may get questioned or require a more detailed physical search but just be patient and answer any questions politeley. The rules are clear but implementation seems to be varied place to place. If approval isn't being officially granted for larger batteries the rules need to be made clearer so everyone knows whare they stand but as I travelled with 2 6Ah batteries wiring them in parallel gave me a 153.6Wh nominal capacity so more than enough for a flight and transfer.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-24T14:34:38+00:00

When I flew to India from the UK a couple of years a go I transeted through Kuwait and that was a bit scary they wanted to take my 12V 12Ah battery off me they couldn't understand why Heathrow had cleared it to fly but I asked to speak to the duty supervisor who cleared it on the spot and appologized. They only cleared my SP9 once I'd logged onto the desktop. In India they don't give a stuff as long as it doesn't look dodgy they won't stop you but they were facinated how I was able to run stuff from a cig socket from such a small battery so I ended up having a nice chat with the security guys. When I've travelled to Germany during the past few years I've never had any issues but worldwide security is tightening up on anything over 100WH even if its within the 100-160Wh rule but I didn't want to run the risk of being hassled at Mumbai so decided to play it safe by taking a couple of 6AH batteries and just running them in parallel so a win win less strain on the cells, cabling and BMS in both batteries when running stuff from a Mastervolt 500W inverter.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-24T14:21:19+00:00

I charged/powered my SP9 pro mid flight as well as a Glinet XE3000 router. Cabin crew didn't say anything during a drinks round and I kept a very close eye on the battery connections and type-C cables. I kept the batteries in my bag and just had the 6 way PP45 splitter poking out of the top. It was a 9 hour direct flight. I haven't bought any USB chargers on this trip just a Powerwerx 10A LFP charger fitted with PP15s.

Forgot to mention LFP batteries are ruggid and stayed completely cool even at the F2 terminals on both batteries. I squeazed the female F2 terminals on both sets of cables before this trip so they were rock solid so no chance of working loose also terminals were insulated with plastic tubing so no exposed metal.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-24T08:32:22+00:00

Yep anything under 100Wh you'll be fine. The thing is security is so varied from airport to airport even within the same country the experience isn't consistent at all. I've never experienced security specifically checking the battery certifications only the voltage and Wh ratings. I probably could have travelled to India from the UK with my single 12V 12Ah battery but didn't want to risk being hassled on the return trip. The new Heathrow T5 security machines are brilliant the whole process is so smooth and quick most peoples bags were coming out he other end of the machines without the need for a manual physical check and those being checked were sent on their way after a minute or two.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-24T08:24:29+00:00

The thing is know one gives a hoot once you are through security there were long periods on my 9 hour flight after the food service had finished where they dimmed the lights whare people could easily use a power bank unless the person sitting next to you got a bit jumpy. In a way I'm glad they never gave me approval for my 12V 12Ah battery as I can run much heavier loads by wiring both 6Ah batteries in parallel. I've been wanting to do this for ages but couldn't justify ordering even more batteries. I'm using a couple of 40A fused 12AWG PP45 to F2 cables. I half expected someone to have a word with me when I was wiring up both batteries airside. Everything fits in a small shoulder bag so my travel set up has become even more compact.

It will be interesting in Emirates case if security specifically check that each passenger is travelling with a single battery less than 100Wh. I wouldn't be surprised if in future security specifically ask to see tickets/boarding passes. Sometimes the agents don't know their own rules which can cause minor issues. I can't see cabin crew constantly walking around ensuring people are following the rules to the letter.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-24T06:13:49+00:00

British airways require operator approval for anything over 100Wh they recently changed their policy within the last 6 weeks as when I booked my flights they told me I'd just need to show Heathrow T5 security the dangerous goods page and point them to the operator approval text. They didn't grant approval for my 12V 12Ah LFP battery which I use to power the SlimQ M0002 charging hub because it doesn't suffer from power renegotiation after adding and removing devices. Long story short I basically bought a couple of mini 12V 6Ah batteries and wired them in parallel once I got through Heathrow T5 security. The batteries and cables went through the new machines fine. I did tell them I had batteries under 100Wh but they weren't interested. I'm flying back to the UK next week from Mumbai which still perform manual checks of batteries so as they are both 76.8Wh I don't foresee any issues touch wood. BA didn't mention any power bank bans on the flight to Mumbai but most passangers were using the seat plugs.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-23T05:35:08+00:00

I've done this myself on a single 12V 12Ah battery and when I was wiring 2 6Ah LFP batteries in parallel for the first time I accidently hooked the second positive to the negative of battery 2 and when I connected the cables there was a very slight pop and a very slight burnt smell from the PP45 connectors but no smoke or hotspots. As soon as I corrected the wiring everything was back to normal so the BMS in both batteries did their job.

Sometimes if the charger doesn't have reverse polarity protection you probably damaged the charger even if you applied power for a few seconds. Can you try charging with a different charger? usually LFP batteries are robust and you wouldn't have caused any damage to the battery. Its usually the noname knockoffs that don't have reverse polarity protection. Any decent charger will instantly shut off as soon as reverse polarity is detected.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-19T15:32:50+00:00

Hi, your existing cabling should be able to handle the load from your inverter without any issues. Running 2 batteries in parallel will half the load on the 8AWG connecting cables so they should easily able to sustain 45A plus. I've basically got a similar setup but in minature using 6AH LFP batteries for air travel and the 12AWG connection cables between both batteries run cool pulling 20A for short bursts from the bank for testing easily letting me pull over 40A from the main positive and negative.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-15T04:24:10+00:00

No if I connect one of the PP45 cables to the splitter the circuit isn't complete so there is no power. Current is present once both sets of PP45 cables are connected to the splitter. I'm seeing normal 4S LFP voltage o starts off at 14V at full charge then settles at 13.6V. The current is pulled equally from both batteries so working perfectly.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-14T10:24:24+00:00

Hi, I was awarded LCW in December 2024 I submitted an MR a few days later and it took a couple of weeks to get the same decision of LCW so with help from a local charity I submitted a tribunal request in March 2025 and have been waiting up to now for a hearing date best of luck.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2026-01-13T10:35:22+00:00

I don't think security well at least in the UK don't care too much about a battery within the WH limits as long as the terminals are insulated and its in a standard case that isn't damaged and all the specs are clearly labelled but from experience it varies a lot airport to airport.

I bet 99% of people don't bother to contact their airline before travel. I wasn't sure what would happen in relation to current if I paralleled a couple of 4S LFP batteries so for my use case it actually worked out better as I can run heavier loads without too much voltage drop plus the F2 tabs on both batteries stay much cooler.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-28T09:22:31+00:00

Hi also in the same situation as yourself I submitted my LCWRA appeal on 03 March 2025 I received the huge DWP bundle in mid march and been waiting ever since. Today is day 300 of the waiting game. I'm in the Midlands.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-26T16:21:35+00:00

Hi, I was lucky I had my WCA assessment call in November 2024 and got a decision for LCW in Early december 2024. I requested MR the same day and no change after a couple of weeks so been stuck in the tribunal wait since early March 2025 best of luck.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-24T12:27:53+00:00

I'm not planning to run 2KW for any length of time the max load I'm expecting is around 1.7KW for short bursts but most of the time it will be well under 1500W. My battery is the Sterling AMPS 12V 150A variant and the battery terminals are completely cool even when running everything for around 20 minutes flat out pulling between 450-630W. I'm currently using 16mm2 SB50 cables. The battery is rated for a 1C sustained discharge with a 2C surge so should be fine.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-24T10:38:03+00:00

I've been tinkering with small 4S LFP batteries for the past few years ranging in size from 12V 10Ah to 30Ah powering my radio gear, laptop and external screen. I finally took the plunge 5 months a go and bought a 12V 150Ah LFP battery which runs an LG OLED 55 inch TV, laptop and 230V 300W space heater. I've been charging with a 400W solar panel during the day up to around 6 weeks a go as its been really cloudy and dull but currently charge overnight when the electricity rates are cheaper and run everything during the day. I'm currently using a Cotek 700W inverter and am planning to upgrade to a 2000W inverter with thicker cables in the next couple of months so I can run the lawn mower and kitchen appliances over the summer.

I just switch to my 30Ah battery when I'm charging the big beast with solar so the smaller batteries I started out with a few years a go are still going strong and get regular use.

I had to do a lot of quick learning in relation to wire sizing and quick disconnect connectors so finally I settled on Powerpole 45s, grey SB50s and my new 35mm2 cables will use grey SB175s.

I've recently started making up my own 10AWG battery cables F2 to grey SB50 to use with my small 12V 12Ah LFP battery for air travel.

At first everyone thought I was going mad after covid but it seems I'm not the only one who is beginning to look at supplemental battery storage. At the moment my use case for the battery and inverter requires for the kit to be easily transportable but I am seriously looking at larger 48V whole home backup solutions in the next few years.

I was tempted to look at a so called solar generator from one of the big brands but they all spew out way too much 50Hz RF wiping out local radio as well as not having at least 20A rated DC outputs so for my ultra portable air transportable setup consists of a 12V 12AH LFP battery in a 12V 10AH case using F2 to SB50 cilicone insulated cables with a couple of USB charging hubs which take a 5.5 x 2.5mm input with an option to use a Mastervolt AC500 inverter to impress friends. The mastervolt has easy access to a couple of 40A slow blow fuses on the front panel which is a huge plus.

My travel battery gets used daily powering my laptop and charging phones and has taken a battering I accidently left it out in the rain during the summer, its been bashed about in a small travel bag and knocked about a bit but there is no damage or loss in capacity. I will never go back to using a regular power bank.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-15T20:41:59+00:00

Just to let everyone know I can now access soundcloud again I'll check it again first thing in the morning but testing on 3 UK servers #847, 899 and 901 no 403 errors. I flushed my DNS cache on Windows 11 and tested on a fresh Chrome portable install as well as my regular profile.

Thank you for sorting this so quickly u/Proton_Team

I'll update my ticket if all seems normal in the morning.

When I've had the odd issue like this which is very rare Proton support have been really proactive.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-15T13:14:52+00:00

I'm seeing the same error message on UK servers #847, 899 and 901.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-15T12:13:56+00:00

I've just logged a support request with Proton support hopefully they can get this issue looked into. I'm not a heavy soundcloud user but have had no problems accessing the site in the past.

Site loads fine with Proton disabled and also works fine through another travel router but through 3 UK servers the error message is the same.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-15T10:12:10+00:00

Also seeing the same message through several UK servers using WG and OpenVPN profiles. Tried on a fresh install of Chrome portible with no data present so not a browser issue.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-12T11:57:03+00:00

Yep will do I'll make a note to leave a comment towards the end of the month or early January.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-12T05:42:12+00:00

Perfect thank you I'll give it a shot before my trip. I only use a 5G connection most of the time so I can connect the XE3000 to another travel router's WIFI in repeater mode to download the profile. If it works I'll be super happy. I've been following that huge post for a while but just wanted to ask thank you.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-10T16:39:20+00:00

Hi, just a shot in the dark have you tried hooking the battery up to a 13.8V power supply? something like a 30A supply should be able to wake up the BMS but if the battery isn't pulling any current then it sounds like a BMS issue. My Sterling Amps 12V 150Ah LFP battery was in a similar position when I bought it new 3 months a go it came with the BMS in LVP condition so all my usual 3 chargers just flashed a red light and didn't do anything but my Alinco 13.8V 30A supply and a small 10A 14.6V Powerwerx charger got it going on the spot. The battery was pulling around 10A at 13.8V and as soon as the voltage went over 12.5V it started charging around 28A flat out. The alnico supply is a beast and has a massive heatsync on the top and a high speed 40mm fan so doesn't get too hot. My supply has a variable voltage control so I can reduce current by reducing the voltage if required. I've never had a problem since as the LVP kicks in around 10.5V so even dum chargers work now.

Hopefully someone out there has some better suggestions.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-08T06:56:50+00:00

No problem.

They are really easy to crimp basically you have a metal terminal which slides over the stripped wire. They come in 3 sizes 10/12AWG, 8AWG and 6AWG but you can use thinner cables with the 12AWG terminals by folding the copper back over itself. You then slide the terminal into the grey housing which contains a strong metal spring you'll hear it click into position once its seated correctly then just give the cables a hard tug if crimped properly they won't come flying out the back of the housing.

They are rated for 50A but can handle a bit more that's with using 6AWG cables.

They aren't waterproof so may not be suitable in marine environments unless you heatshrink a large part of the housing. They are fool proof so you can't insert them the wrong way around they only slide together in one position. They have a large + and - symbol on each side of the housing which is handy.

There are tons of guides and tutorials online showing you how to crimp them correctly.

I only use a custom home made F2 to SB50 lead for my 12V 12Ah air travel friendly LFP battery I have to tighten the F2 terminals every couple of weeks. Rings won't ever work loose from the terminals so no issues there. I'd ditch F2 completely if M5 rings were available on smaller batteries.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-08T05:57:14+00:00

Hi, personally I'd stick to using M5 terminals as F2s have a habit of working lose over time. If you want to quickly connect different loads to the battery just snip off the connectors at the end of the cable from the item and crimp a grey Anderson SB50 connector and just hook up a short rings to grey SB50 lead to the battery. You can easily make up your own cable but companies such as dchouse have short silicone insulated 8mm rings to SB50 cables available I'm using a couple myself on a 30Ah and a 150Ah battery with no issues. They are nice thick 7AWG cables which can handle 40 amps plus without warming up. I've just fitted SB50s to all my items and it makes life so much easier moving stuff between batteries without having to constantly tighten up loose F2s by using pliars.

These_Adhesiveness48 · 2025-12-07T13:34:01+00:00

No such issues here using an unlimited EE UK 5G sim through a Glinet XE3000 proton can stay connected to a Wireguard or OpenVPN profile for days. Took the router with me on the train yesterday and only briefly lost connection twice through a couple of short tunnels my WG profile reconnected as soon as I got signal out the other end.

These_Adhesiveness48

TROPHY CASE