TSA’s #1 Worst Airport Catch of 2025 Happened at the Boise Airport

From snacks and cosmetics to electronics and self-defense items, we’ve tried our best to remind you what items need to be in your carry-on, which should be packed in your checked luggage and which items are completely banned from flights departing from Idaho airports.  

Even with ongoing public education on how to pack smart, the Transportation Security Administration continues to see travelers making dumb decisions. In fact, the TSA releases an annual list highlighting the worst packing decisions discovered at U.S. airports. 

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In 2025, one airport stood above the rest and it wasn’t a major hub like Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, LAX or O’Hare. No, the number one spot went to our very own Boise Airport.

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According to the video the TSA shared on their social media platforms, officers at the Boise Airport discovered a replica pipe bomb and fake C4, complete with wires and a detonator, inside a passenger’s checked bag. While the items weren’t real explosives, TSA officials say that these sorts of replicas are treated the same way as the real thing when discovered at an airport. 

As cosplayers, we found this catch particularly interesting. While we choose to leave our fairly realistic replica firearms behind while flying to Comic-Con events in Portland and Seattle, those are permitted in checked luggage. So are replica swords. However, the TSA draws a hard line when it comes to the sort of props that were confiscated at the Boise Airport. Their website clearly says:

Replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in checked and carry-on baggage. 

What makes Boise taking the number one spot fascinating is some of the other wild choices that made last year’s list. The list also included passengers at not one, but two airports, trying to smuggle live turtles through security in their clothing. At Newark, a passenger shoved the turtle in their pants. In Miami, a woman tried to carry two turtles through in her bra. While many airlines have rules against turtles in the cabin, the TSA doesn’t have a set rule preventing them from going through security. They would’ve screened those reptiles as pets and let them through. 

Other catches included 20 razor blades inside a sock hidden in a passenger’s waistband in Denver as well as knives, bullets and illegal drugs at multiple airports. You can watch the video of all 10 crazy finds below and keep reading for a refresher course on what can and cannot go through the airport.