This company is helping punters sneak booze into events

Not your average can of deodorant. Photo: smuggleyouralcohol.com

Now look again. It's actually a hip flask, designed to help punters sneak in alcohol where it's not allowed. Like music festivals, the races and even university exams, although we have no evidence that people do that.

Is that a camera in your pocket? Photo: Paul Rovere

With festival season upon us and drinks at major events often costing as much as the tickets, an Australian company called Smuggle Your Alcohol has created a range of hipflasks designed as everyday objects, designed to foil even the most eagle-eyed security guards.

Anyone spotted any security guards around here? Photo: smuggleyouralcohol.com

There's the hairbrush flask, the binoculars and even the extra-large carry-all tote bag, with a false bottom and a generous 830 millilitre capacity. It even has a funnel.

A similar company in the United States, the similarly named Smuggle Your Booze, even makes hipflasks designed to look like boxes of women's sanitary products and tubes of sunscreen.

This brush will get the knots out of your hair, and then some. Photo: smuggleyouralcohol.com

Smuggling alcohol into events isn't new but the methods are getting more creative as security guards follow their noses as well as their gut. At the Melbourne Cup Carnival, punters were spotted sneaking in alcohol the "old fashioned" way – in zip-lock bags – or they tried something more enterprising – a Pringles tin with a few chips on top of the grog for that "authentic" look.

The races are a prime target for contraband alcohol. Photo: Getty Images

While Victoria Police said it was not aware of a rise in the number of people bringing specially designed hipflasks to events, it said it assists private security operators to detect and eject, where necessary, patrons found to be carrying contraband alcohol.