Cameras and air travel

[CSidney]

I am a serious amateur photographer, and I do several photo-shoots far from home each year.  That means air travel with all its hassles.  I start with the requirement that all valuable and sensitive equipment, e.g. cameras and lenses, go with me as carry-ons.  So what do I really need and how can I pack it so that it will be allowed as carry-on luggage?

The problem was made clear to me a couple of years ago on an Icelandair flight from Baltimore to Iceland.  Before boarding all standard carry-on bags were collected and checked.  Passengers were only allowed to keep small backpacks.  Fortunately my backpack was small enough.  Now I have more equipment and this has become a pressing problem.

I have finally decided on a standard set of things to take and ways ways to pack in order to maximize the chance that nothing has to be checked.  A complete description, camera bags, etc., with illustrations can be found at photophys.com.  This might work for you also if you do not need really large lenses.  Maybe you have better ideas.  Please let me know.

[feppe]

I do quite a bit of travel throughout Europe on (non-photography) business and travel without check-in luggage. I've never seen carry-on sized luggage having to be checked. This is actually very hard these days since check-in is through a computer at home or at the airport, so you don't get someone eyeballing whether something should be checked by eye.

The overhead luggage compartments on many short-haul planes are too small to fit even a regulation-sized hand luggage. On those the stewardesses (or whatever the politically correct term these days is) have you leave your bag outside the plane, to be picked up right after landing - ie. it doesn't go on tumbling luggage conveyor belts.

If you absolutely, positively need the camera with you, get something small, like a shoulder bag or a large fanny pack - but if you do you're required to sport a mullet  I use a medium Lowepro Slingshot, and have never had to leave it behind. It's big enough to fit a dSLR with 2-4 lenses and some random accessories.

YMMV outside Europe, especially in post-9/11 US.

[Thomas Krüger]

My hand luggage got always checked in Italy, Germany and Austria. Tripods and monopods must be in the suitcase. Maybe it's for the strange looking panorama head. One time in Frankfurt they checked my camera case if it got in touch with explosives. Or maybe I'm just looking like a bad boy....

[David Sutton]

My stuff goes in a Kata backpack. I've only ever had it's weight checked once. I make sure my suitcase is several kilograms under the limit, and make sure the backpack has straps dangling of it everywhere to catch in conveyor belts, and that it hangs casually off one shoulder.
I don't know whether this would work nowadays, but when I travelled with a classical guitar I would insist it went on the plane with me. I would make sure there were a lot of people behind me in the queue and have a LONG speech prepared beginning "I have travelled all over the world with my beautiful guitar and never before have I been treated this way...", become flustered, become faint, clutch the counter and politely ask to speak to the purser.
David

[CSidney]

A friend, who travels with a Canon 500mm IS lens in his standard carry-on suitcase, was asked to give up his bag for safe storage as he boarded a regional airline.  As he deplaned, he saw his bag dropped four feet onto the tarmac from the plane.  The telephoto lens still works, but he was not happy with the treatment it received.  I hope to avoid handing my cameras and lenses to anyone for “safe storage”.

[ashley]

I'll just add a second voice in support of the Kata backpack. I have an R-103  http://tinyurl.com/necvr8  but I know they do others as well that may be suitable or even better. It will allow you to pack a laptop, a couple of bodies and various lenses etc. Most importantly, it's comfortable to carry, small enough to use as a carry on, protects you gear well and doesn't really look like a camera bag.

[RSL]

Ahsley, According to Zone Labs that's a spy site.

[bill t.]

My hand luggage got always checked in Italy, Germany and Austria. Tripods and monopods must be in the suitcase. Maybe it's for the strange looking panorama head. One time in Frankfurt they checked my camera case if it got in touch with explosives. Or maybe I'm just looking like a bad boy....

My high school photo teacher was a retired news photographer.  He was fond of demonstrating his 4x5 field kit which included two chemical road flares, the red kind that look like sticks of dynamite.  Those were different times.

[JeffKohn]

For domestic US flights I've not found there to be any enforced weight limits for carry-on. I load my backpack pretty heavy, and as long as it fits in the overhead it's fine. There have been a couple times I had to gate-check on smaller planes, but since Houston is a hub city for Continental I'm usually on direct flights and decent-sized planes.

Tripods go in the checked luggage. I bring two, one is larger and the other is small/light for hiking. I put them in separate bags so the chances of losing both are slim (never lost anything yet, though).

[BernardLanguillier]

It might be easier to ship the camera separately with Such a device?

Cheers,
Bernard

[bill t.]

Such a device

Well that's a good idea on the surface.

But have you considered that you would then have to ship the entire trebuchette to your destination just to get your camera gear back?

[BernardLanguillier]

Well that's a good idea on the surface.

But have you considered that you would then have to ship the entire trebuchette to your destination just to get your camera gear back?

Do you mean these are not readily available - say - in the US? It seems they have them all over the place in England.  

Cheers,
Bernard

[francois]

It might be easier to ship the camera separately with Such a device?

Cheers,
Bernard

Would only work for cameras with micro-adjustment AF!
 

[BernardLanguillier]

Would only work for cameras with micro-adjustment AF!
 

Yes... or a built-in parachute.  

Cheers,
Bernard

[francois]

Yes... or a built-in parachute.  

Cheers,
Bernard

Right! One very nice feature of trébuchet transport is that it adds free tilt/shift to any standard lens.

[BernardLanguillier]

Right! One very nice feature of trébuchet transport is that it adds free tilt/shift to any standard lens.

It also has the potential to make lenses and body more compact and streamlined.

I just don't get why it is not more widely used.

Cheers,
Bernard

[Anders_HK]

The problem was made clear to me a couple of years ago on an Icelandair flight from Baltimore to Iceland.  Before boarding all standard carry-on bags were collected and checked.  Passengers were only allowed to keep small backpacks.  Fortunately my backpack was small enough.  Now I have more equipment and this has become a pressing problem.

Hi,

I have lived overseas in a number of countries for years. Photography is my serious hobby and I travel worldwide with my gear. It goes in one place: carry-on. Except for very light on photographic gear it go in my Tenba PBP (Photo BackPack) with tripod strapped to its side. That is a larger sized photoback pack and one my most precious pieces of photographic equpment; discountinued by Tenba, but I also have a spare for future   . Light weight, strong and not conspicious. At times when loaded it weights 12-15kgs. I have now also added a Tenba large messenger bag when I carry also my Shen-Hao 4x5, or for lighter travels when I use only the messenger.

How do I get it all on as carry-on? Stand with straight back in check-in line, friendly, courteous speaking and all else ready for them at check in. It is rare that I am given problems, but when I am I simply courteous insist to carry it onbord, explaining that I hace traveled worldwide with it, and also carried it onboard, and that thus is the international practice (written or not), that one camera (! ~ ?) and one computer is exempt from weight requirements. That indeed is the international practice, although I am not clear if it actually means one camera... vs. camera system. It also helps to have other baggage being light. Sometimes they ask how many cameras... of course I say... ~ 1.  

Once they have started to enter you into their system at check-in, they are basically obliged to let you board the flight, or the flight will be delayed. If any problem I politely ask for the supervisor.

Above said, I travelled to Chicago on a business travel three years ago. Now how they could think that one Swedish and three Korean engineers could be suspect of terror I have no idea, or perhaps it was a random check. Horrible. Neither of us want to return. That time I only had a small camera with one lens, and a small duffle bag for luggage!

If it would have been me on that flight to Iceland, I would have done above, and... very possible is that they would have had to grant me an exception... or hold the flight. It is precious photographic gear we carry after all, and... checking it in is a risk, even more so these days when in some countries we cannot even lock our checked in luggage!
 
 

Regards
Anders

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I just don't get why it is not more widely used.

I looked and looked but couldn't find it in the B&H catalog. 

[BernardLanguillier]

I looked and looked but couldn't find it in the B&H catalog. 

Yep, pretty disapointing, although I understand that stocking these items in central Manhattan is a bit of a logistical challenge. But I guess we'll all agree that if photographers want it they should be selling it.

Cheers,
Bernard

[bill t.]

Will I run into clogging problems if I don't use my trebuchet every day?