Well, they are back on the shelves again this season.
unfortunately, it sounds like they still have not addressed the issue with the Li-ion battery and air travel.
My understanding is this:
Because of the risk of fire of Li-ion batteries, for air travel they must either be small, or if they are over a certain size, they must be removed from the item. This is so that they can be immersed into a water bath in case of fire.
Although Litric (like Alpride’s E1/E2) uses super capacitROS to power the fan, those need ‘topping up’ (they lose energy over time) and also ‘refilling’ after a deployment.
E1/E2 uses AA batteries, but Litric uses a Li-ion rechargeable battery. And that battery is over the IATA max fixed battery size for ’smart luggage’ (carry-on bags with battery packs for charging laptops etc), yet it is not removable.
Orthovox/Arc’teryx are going with the statement that: “it’s not a smart bag, it’s personal protective equipment“.
This seems like trouble to me:
- The fire danger isn’t any different, regardless what bag it’s in
- airport security staff don’t know anything about technical stuff. They often misunderstand stuff they don’t know. Even if technically you are allowed to bring simething on a plane, it’s no use to you if the security staff stops you from taking it.