Wow… a full 2-liter!

How does your bargain buddy know that the picture you take is of the actual bottle he gave you?

In any case, you made the deal. You’re obligated. Consider this a character building exercise.

—

Second thought… what was intended by “You just have to keep it for at least a year”?

Keep it safe? Keep it close? Keep it on your physical person?

I guess if it stays at your place of permanent residence, it’s okay… but then there’s no way you’ll be able to get a “spot check” photo to the guy in a reasonable amount of time.

I say take it. If nothing else, it’s at least funny. =)

Rob: If you look at her link, the other guy signed the bottle.

he signed it on label.

is there a chance the soda will explode in transit?

Got a point there. The luggage hold of an airplane isn’t pressurized at all.

Anyone ever attempt to transport a soda in checked baggage before?

Maybe you can mail it to the address that you are staying at?

amandaafoote: In that case, won’t it still have to travel in a plane? She’s going from west coast (I think) to east coast.

Are cargo planes pressurized? How does the Coca-Cola company send Coca-Cola?

A deal is a deal. Ship it before you leave if you are afraid to travel with it. Good luck!!

Ya know, this is the kind of stuff I lurve….
Take it with you…you never know when you may need to verify it’s existence.

wow. this is an intense commitment. what if i go away for the weekend? am i still obligated to bring it with?

how do i find out if it will explode in my luggage?

and what if it gets lost in the mail?

This is amazing. I will from now on devote significant blocks of time to the barter section of craigslist. And for god’s sake, take the damned bottle with you.

@judy, I know a great website where you could ask if a bottle of coke would explode in the cargo hold of a plane…

The 100ml limit on liquids in your carry-on luggage might be an issue.
Any chance you can make a slight exception and courier it to yourself in NY?

I think you should keep it, like allie and rob said, it’ll be fun and character-building – and a weird experience you can remember fondly :)

This will become a Fluther classic.

a coca cola classic.

Wow. I’m thirsty now.

I wouldn’t risk putting it in your luggage. I doubt security would see the humor in the situation if you tried to carry it on (even if you printed out the entire email exchange to show them), and I have a sneaking suspicion that if you checked it, you (and all the other passengers) would get to New York with Coca-Cola-y luggage.

But you’ve got to take it. A deal’s a deal, after all.

here is the part i take issue with:

”. I want YOU to have the Coke. You
> don’t have to drink it (in fact I’d prefer if you don’t), but you
> can’t give it away. You can’t offer it to a friend or roommate. You can’t
> post it in the barter section of Cragslist. You just have to keep it for
> at least a year. After a year, I don’t care what you do. Give it
> away then or drop Mentos in it at a party. But you have to keep the Coke
> for one year, unless you change your ways (which I wouldn’t
> recommend) and drink it yourself.”

i’m still KEEPING the coke in my room at home, it just won’t technically be with me.

doesn’t count?

Alright, I’ll buy that. But, just to be safe, you ought to forward him a link to this question and give him a chance to weigh in.

ask him if it counts or not? haha

I have a feeling this may turn out to be another “cake” question, ha ha!!

don’t anticipate greatness! let greatness sneak upon you!

oh scamp, the wonderful cake question!

I guess since he said keep it, but he didn’t say with you, you are in the clear.

If you decide to take it with you, you could what the kids do with Flat Stanley, take pictures of the bottle wherever you visit.

I prefer Pepsi. I just can’t seem to get into this.

OK, I’ll bite. Why did you do this?

That said, if you gave you word, how would feel about breaking it?

Baby clothes and a stroller for the airport? Of course, if they find the liquid, you’ll be busted as a terrorist for sure.

@loser , ha ha! Do the dew!!

Judy, that link was hilarious! Based on the exchange, I don’t think you have to take it with you. Do let him know you’ll be out of town, and unable to send a picture at the drop of a hat, though.

In keeping to the spirit of the letter, you should take it with you. 2 weeks away, ok to leave it. 1 whole month? Nah-ah, you should bag that baby and carry it with you. I would go as far as placing it somewhere plainly visible so it’s the first thing you see when you get home, like the stuffed dog the lead characters had in Scrubs. Plus think of the conversations that will ensue… “Guys, I think I’m gonna’ call it quit for the night. I have some coke to go hom to.”

All joking aside, I’m pretty sure you can’t take it on a plane, either as checked luggage or carry on. If you do decide you need to have it “with” you, you’ll have to ship it.

Can’t take it on a plane as checked luggage? I have transported bottles of juice with no problem.

@Bronx: How long ago? I thought it was restricted these days…but I haven’t traveled by plane in a while, so I’m not sure.

How do you feel about passing the torch?
Am I being a poor sport?
The updated blog post with our decisions:

http://tinyurl.com/cokebottle2

I think that’s a good solution! You seem like you have a lot of fun with your life…good for you. :)

Great solution! Would have been fun if you drank it tho

Leave the coke. Take the cannoli.

Besides you can’t carry it on the plane. Talk to the guy he should understand that it maybe impossible for you to take it with you.

I have two glass almond butter jars from Trader Joe’s in my luggage every trip back East. I tie them into plastic bags in case they break, and then roll in clothes. They do not, however, contain carbonation!

Aren’t these the same bottles that are transported every day by trucks some times hundreds of miles over every conceivable road conditions imaginable? I’m sure a toss from your local baggage handler (or ‘throwers’ as Palahniuk calls them) won’t cause any harm, although I do agree with the plastic bag suggestion.

@BronxLens It is the change in altitude and thus pressure that is the problem. No trucks at 40,000 feet.

You could always send it UPS Ground a week before you leave so long as there is someone to receive it on the other end. Or is that bending the rules too much?

Isn’t the luggage cargo area pressurized to mimic sea level pressure?

Yep. It would have to be. If it wasn’t, animals wouldn’t be able to survive.

As an aside, this has to be one of the most entertaining posts I’ve read in a while. Wouldn’t be surprised if, depending on how our flutheroorian judyprays proceeds, this becomes another One Red Paperclip . We’ll see…

There are limits to the volume of liquid you can take on the plane in carryon. You may be able to check it. You could also mail it to yourself where you are staying in NYC, and then mail it back. The post office will ask you if there is any liquids, so that might be a problem. I would suggest that it go “dormant” for the month with other things that you value, the things you would return to. I think going to NY for a month or so would not constitute coke abandonment, because your intention is to return to where the coke is stored and retrieve it.

How is the coke these days?

I just found this thread… wow. Fantastic.
What did you end up doing?

What was the point of the barter?

I miss this question.

@Blondy fun
@augustian me too

UPDATE:
When the year had passed, the guy emailed me and said it was ok to consume.
I kept it for nostalgia sakes, but in the end, we drank it at our last party because we didn’t have enough mixers.

I’ll keep you posted if I embark on a new barter…

That’s up to you. But I’ve had bottles of coke explode in my suitcase during flights. Wrap it up in several layers of trash bags to protect your clothes.