Boise airport tops list of ‘best catches’ in 2025. What did TSA find?
Planning to travel? You might want to double-check your carry-on bag before going through security.
The Transportation Security Administration recently released its top 10 list of the “most unusual items detected at U.S. airport security checkpoints in 2025” — and Boise Airport was the site of the federal agency’s “best catch” of the year.
In 2025, Boise Airport broke a passenger record for the fourth year in a row, serving more than 5 million travelers in total, airport officials said in a Jan. 23 news release.
The airport celebrates its 100th year of operation in 2026.
TSA finds replica pipe bomb at Boise Airport
In May, a checked bag was flagged at Boise airport for needing “additional officer screening,”according to the TSA.
After careful examining the security image and searching the bag, a TSA explosives specialist discovered a fake pipe bomb made of “PVC pipes and wooden blocks wrapped in paper, marked ‘C4’ with protruding wires,” TSA said in a Jan. 22 news release.
The owner of the bag told airport security screenings that the phony bomb was a training prop.
“Everyone has to operate like this could be a real bomb in that man’s bag,” TSA spokesperson Jessica Mayle told the Idaho Statesman via phone Friday, Jan. 23. “This category of item is so dangerous that we wouldn’t want anyone to behave in a risky or threatening way because they saw a replica that they thought was real.”
When asked whether TSA has confiscated replica bombs before, Mayle said it “happens more often than you think.”
She told the Statesman that travelers are regularly stopped trying to bring home replica grenades as souvenirs from war memorials like the National WWII museum New Orleans.
On Jan. 22, the TSA posted a YouTube video about the fake bomb and other airport security checkpoint finds titled “TSA’s Top 10 Best Catches 2025”
“No props were given for this passenger’s inert packing idea at Boise Airport,” the caption of the video read. “If you’ve got real or replica explosives they DO NOT belong at the airport. LEAVE THEM AT HOME!”
Guns found in carry-on luggage at Boise airport
The fake bomb wasn’t the only unusual item security screeners have confiscated at Boise Airport checkpoints. In May, TSA officials at the Boise airport found a stun gun “artfully concealed” in a cane near its removable handle, the Statesman previously reported.
TSA screeners discovered a record number of 49 guns in carry-on luggage at the Boise airport in 2024, the Statesman reported at the time.
No record has been updated on 2025 firearm confiscations since the 15 reported by the Statesman in June.
What else made TSA list? Knives, turtles and pills
In its release and video, the TSA gave a detailed list of the oddest items found in luggage at airport security checkpoints across the nation — ranging from reptiles to weapons.
- 1. Explosive replicas at Boise Airport
- 2. Turtles in pants and bra at Newark Liberty International Airport and Miami International Airport
- 3. Razor blades in clothes at Denver International Airport
- 4. Drugs in shoes at Kona International Airport in Hawaii
- 5. Knife in a knee brace at Quad Cities International Airport in Illinois
- 6. Pills in a shampoo bottle at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
- 7. Knife in a car seat at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- 8. Bullets in a Nesquik can at Miami International Airport
- 9. Firearm in a golf bag at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston
- 10. Bullets and knives in tinfoil at Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio and Newark Liberty International Airport
“The one I think people are going to be talking about is the turtles,” Mayle told the Statesman. “What are you turtle owners doing?”
Wondering what to pack? Follow TSA guidelines
Wondering if your luggage contents are TSA approved?
Check the “What Can I Bring” tool on TSA.gov and the free MyTSA app, text “Travel” to AskTSA (275872) or message @AskTSA on X or Facebook Messenger.
“I think overwhelmingly people are not trying to do something nefarious,” Mayle said. “They just kind of forget.”
The TSA advises travelers to “unpack before you pack,” she said, since the items you pack for a road trip aren’t always allowed on planes.
According to the TSA, prohibited items include:
- Aerosol insecticide
- Bear spray
- Cooking spray
- Fertilizer
- Fuels
- Liquid bleach
- Replicas of explosives and incendiaries.
