Hello lovely people.

As I'm touring first (again!) when I arrive in August, I've got me a camper to bum about in and get to see a few things i missed last time as well as accommodate myself whilst down in Christchurch helping out.

I have the best double sleeping bag I've ever known with me. It's so warm and just lovely.

I've got a couple of those really cool vacuum pack bags which you put things in and then attach the vacuum cleaner to and it stucks all the air out reducing it's size.

As it's such a well made sleeping bag, I plan on bringing it with me but given that it comes under the 'camping equipment' section on MAF's 'Beware' list, I was wondering how I could ensure all the plant material was out of it before I pack it up and bring it with me? I have read their website and done a search on here but am none the wiser really.

Is washing it enough? How can I prove to them that it's clean or will they still assume it's not and treat it anyway when I arrive?

What a long winded way of asking a simple question! Sorry guys. lol. My brain is scrambling in the heat of the UK currently.............yeah, we're up to 18C right now where I live - positively balmy!

Surely a visual inspection will suffice to find any seeds or plant bits.

You'd think there would be something somewhere obvious . After all trampers and those that have been away on OE are returning with their rucksacks, sleeping bags and boots all the time.

I'd go with Stormer. It may well be a visual inspection at point of entry but I'll see if there is anything previous about this lying around somewhere.

Thanks BEVS.

My sister brought a sleeping bag with her when she came to visit and didn't have any probs (she might not have declared it I spose...)

I had to get me smalls out of me rucksack in '97 much to the OH's amusement coz the fruit dawg felt I was sus.

Twas the essence of an apple long gone.

Vicky,
When I last came in to NZ I had a pair of walking boots in my case that I declared and all that happened when I showed them to the MAF official was that she commented on how clean they looked. I think that if it's obvious your things are clean then no problems - they've got more serious problems to deal with.
Will you be able to get it back in your bag after you've shown it to MAF without a vaccuum pump though?
john.

Perhaps if I offer to vacuum MAF's mess room at Auckland airport whilst I'm at it, they might let me borrow the cleaner's vac to shrink it back down?!

Hope it wasn't the Ann Summers specials?!

That would be fruitier than any apple.....

More worried about why you ever had an apple in your smalls.....

.....now you see the apple.....