Bringing tent at airport

...good to know. I think I'll take a close look at my tent, my walking sticks and my boots before leaving!

Well, yesterday I set my tent in the living room (my wife definitely did not appreciate it, but it was pouring!) and carefully removed grass, sand and dead mosquitos. Do I have to _wash_ it? PS: just one week to departure :D

how dirty is it? I think the important bit is that there are no seeds nor any animals (or eggs etc).

just the king of brownish stains that remain after you _carefully_ brush away dried mud/sand. it is actually just stains, I removed everything that could be (how can I say it?)...loose. tomorrow I will clean it again with a little water and a sponge (when my wife's away, of course)

That sounds fine, dry stains won't worry them

I'm going to New Zealand in the mid of December, from Kazakhstan, got a tent, so I'm really curious what customs will say. It's not brand new, used it only twice in the mountains, already had it cleaned. Well, seems that I should check it more carefully. Thanks for tips.

I just stumbled over a funny quote concerning the airport stuff and hiking boots. It is from the book "Last chance to see" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine, which has a chapter about NZ and the kakapo. I guess he was a bit jetlagged when he arrived here. The whole book is fun and a good read, buy the way. "I looked at my boots again. They looked oddly clean. How had that happened? I remembered someone taking my boots away from me and cleaning them. Why would anyone do that? And who? An airport came swimming back to me and I remembered being questioned about my boots and where I had been with them. Zaire, I said. They took my boots away and returned them to me a few minutes later spotlessly clean and glistening with disinfectant. I remembered thinking at the time that any time I wanted to have my boots really cleaned properly I should remember to fly to New Zealand again."

Remember to put your tent pegs and walking poles in check-in luggage or you will lose them at the security screening points around NZ (pointy sharp ends!)

Also, pegs and poles will be checked for dirt. Stains are OK, but chunks of dirt are not OK.

Its better to sell it over there and go with the new one after your visit NZ