Last Updated on October 29, 2021
Hoodies are comfortable and that makes them ideal for wearing when you are taking a flight.
But can you wear a hoodie when going through the airport security line?
Let’s take a look.
The TSA Airport Screening Hoodie Rules
The Transportation Security Administration doesn’t talk specifically about wearing hoodies on their website.
You can find them on Twitter saying things like:
“We strongly recommend that passengers remove bulky outerwear before beginning the security screening process”
TSA
So is a hoodie bulky enough to be considered bulky outerwear?
I’d say it probably depends on the hoodie right? The thickness of the fabric, the tightness of the fit.
Some hoodies are more sweater-like and others more jacket-like.
Jimmy straight up asked the TSA if he would need to remove his hoodie at the airport:
The TSA answered that “jackets must be removed during screening”.
Talk about sitting on the fence 🙂
If you do wear your hoodie at the airport you should keep the hood down. This passenger reported that the TSA yelled at her son for having the hoodie on his head.
It’s probably best to take your hoodie off when going through airport security. Not taking your hoodie off might increase your chances of getting an uncomfortable pat-down search.
If you really don’t want to take your hoodie off the TSA will perform additional screening to make sure you are not hiding anything.
Any baggy clothing will increase the chances of receiving a pat-down inspection. Some passengers feel really uncomfortable during the pat-down if that sounds like you don’t wear a hoodie.
While a zip-up hoodie has more jacket characteristics it’s probably better to wear a zip-up hoodie so you can easily remove it and put it in a separate bin for screening.
Make sure you remember to wear a t-shirt or something underneath!
Sharon on Twitter got into a spat with a TSA security officer.
She was trying to go through airport security wearing a hoodie but wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
If you plan on wearing a hoodie during the screening process be aware that you might need to remove it.
It can get a little stressful at the TSA checkpoint, especially when it’s busy.
Remember that the security officers are trying to protect passengers.
The metal detector that you walk through only detects metal. That’s fine if someone had concealed a knife under a baggy hoodie it would be detected.
But liquids could be strapped to a body. And you know why the TSA is super worried about liquids right?
It’s to keep you and the airplane in the sky and not in a ball of fire.
These things are important, and that’s why baggy hoodies will probably need to be removed.
Not always though…
The TSA actually ordered Elisa to put her hoodie back on because she was only wearing a sports bra underneath!
How To Wear Your Hoodie Through Security With TSA Precheck
If you are a hoodie lover that wants to keep wearing your hoodie through airport security then you should look into TSA Precheck.
If you fly a lot TSA Precheck allows you to get through airport security faster.
You pay some cash, the TSA does background checks on you, and if you are approved you can go through security without taking your shoes off, removing your belt, taking out your laptop.
Importantly TSA Precheck fliers also don’t need to remove light jackets.
And that means you can probably keep your hoodie on and don’t need to put it in a screening bin.
The Bottom Line
Wearing hoodies at the airport is a grey area.
There is no written rule about removing hoodies when going through security.
But any bulky or baggy item of clothing should be removed. This allows the TSA to check whether you are concealing anything.
Jackets and coats do need to be removed when going through security screening, and hoodies probably do need to be removed too.
The TSA officer might ask you to remove your hoodie and you should be prepared to take it off.
It’s probably in your best interest to take the hoodie off anyway because then you’ll be less likely to get the dreaded pat-down inspection.
For that reason, you might want to fly with a zip-up hoodie so you can take it off easily without getting your head stuck in the neck.