How do you take your camera equipment on a plane?

How do you take your camera equipment on a plane?

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Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,171 posts

212 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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When I go on a flight I tend to carry my SLR bag as my hand luggage. Only a smallist Crumpled shoulder bag.

50D and 17-35 up top, 70-300, batteries, cards, charger, filters etc jammed in below.
Leaving a macro lens and a speedlite at home.

I feel I need something bigger, ideal for carrying a camera, but with room for other items. Tablet, documents, somewhere to chuck a coat etc.

The missus takes a hard suitcase made to maximum hand luggage sizes and jam packs it with anything she sees fit due to ample room. Typically no room for my things, leaving myself with a bag a 1/4 the size maximum allowed, I feel I'm wasting an opportunity with such a small bag.

I'm assuming that carrying camera equipment as cabin baggage must be commonplace. Is it best just to get a hard suitcase designed for hand luggage and put the camera bag within, then utilise the extra space, or are there better items around?

Might seem an odd question, but it is going around in my head.

Zod

35,295 posts

257 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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If I take a lot, I take it in my Billingham 555. With two bodies, five or six lenses, a couple of flashguns and a laptop, it weighs way more than the 10kg limit, but I've never had a problem.

If I just take one body and a couple of lenses, I have another one, an f2.4. The rear pocket of that will take an iPad, so for short haul, it's fine as cabin baggage.

Marc W

3,782 posts

210 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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I use my camera bag (Lowepro computrekker AW) as I bought it especially as it's the correct size for BA hand baggage. I only go to Scotland with it (For the BTCC once a year) so I have laptop plus camera equipment in the camera bag and everything else in the hold bag. I always fly BA as they are the only one whose Hand baggage allowance is big enough to allow me to do it.

It's a bit rubbish if your hold baggage gets delayed as you have no spare clothes etc but fortunately that's only happened once in all the years I've been doing it. (This year!) It meant I could still work though. Sadly the Lowepro bag I use has been discontinued in favour of ones that are bigger or smaller none of which suit my needs, the smaller one is too small for my gear and the bigger one fits outside BA's size guidelines. Fortunately I managed to find one in old stock when my previous one wore out last year but I'm not sure what I'll do when this one eventually does the same!



MartinP

1,275 posts

237 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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If travelling with my gear for work then I use one of these:

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-int...

Easily swallows up 2 bodies, a wide selection of lenses, a couple of flash guns and grids, pocket wizards and numerous other odds and ends. It's designed to be just within the standard carry on bag size and really saves my back by not having to lug around a big rucksack or shoulder bag. It's dead handy for weddings in London too if I travel in by train.

If travelling for holidays, I'll go with minimal kit and the smallest bag it will fit in smile

markmullen

15,877 posts

233 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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I carry everything other than my tripod as carry on, always over the weight limit but as long as it doesn't look ridiculous it isn't a problem with proper airlines. I use a Lowepro Dryzone Rover and the top pocket takes iPad, headphones, magazines, drinks etc. As I approach the checkin desk I slide one shoulder out of the straps so it isn't obviously a heavy rucksack.

I also wear combats with plenty of pockets to travel, if ever there was an issue of weight I could slide lenses etc into pockets to get past the desk.

jurbie

2,339 posts

200 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Lowepro Fastpack for me, not sure if it's the 250 or 350 however I've never had a problem taking it on any flight as it's designed with air travel in mind. With most of my gear which can include a Sigma 50-500 and or a SIgma 120-300 plus a laptop it weighs in at just under 10kg and even Ryanair didn't question it.

With the budget airlines be aware that now they charge for hold luggage everyone tries to take everything aboard which means space is at a premium and if you are not one of the first onto the plane then your bag could end up in the hold anyway. The other problem is that the overhead storage space fills up quickly and you could end up with some imbecile trying to force their Samsonite case into a gap next to your bag which is obviously too small but if they ram it in as hard as possible then it will surely fit. I had some choice words for that particular fellow.

Of course the obvious solution is don't fly budget but sometimes it can't be helped unfortunately.

tim-b

1,279 posts

209 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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When I was struggling to fit all my kit in my hand luggage once, I read in the small print of the airlines website that you're allowed to wear a camera around your neck, additional to the hand luggage limits. Probably wouldn't get away with that 500mm f4 prime wink, but if you really need a bit of extra space it's worth knowing about.

Don't know if that's commonplace, and can't even remember which airline that was tbh so check the t&Cs.....

nellyleelephant

2,705 posts

233 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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I use a ThinkTank Airport Accelerator to carry my 500. Silly name, good bag!

mike80

2,248 posts

215 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Usually use a Think Tank Airport International as I have a lot of stuff. I am on a flight to Brazil today with a crap hand luggage allowance but can check in two cases, so I've put the big heavy rolling bag in the hold full of charges etc, and most of my gear in a cheap rucksack. Will transfer everything over when I get there.

Simpo Two

85,147 posts

264 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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nellyleelephant said:
I use a ThinkTank Airport Accelerator to carry my 500. Silly name, good bag!
What was that company that gave their bags stupid names like Prismatic Omelette?

Robbo66

3,828 posts

232 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Lowe Pro, as mentioned, hand luggage. Just been to Arica...300ml 2.8 and 24-70 + bits etc....no issue.

Robbo66

3,828 posts

232 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Lowe Pro, as mentioned, hand luggage. Just been to Arica...300ml 2.8 and 24-70 + bits etc....no issue.

nellyleelephant

2,705 posts

233 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Simpo Two said:
What was that company that gave their bags stupid names like Prismatic Omelette?
Think Tank! I also have a Streetwalker Pro and Glass taxi!

Crumpler do a few funny ones too, I used to have a Mob Boss.

krunchkin

2,209 posts

140 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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If you want proper pro kit solutions for this then google Petrol, Kata or Portabrace

Simpo Two

85,147 posts

264 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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10 years ago I bought a fake Nikon bag from a Chinese bloke on eBay for £25. It came with a bundle of nick-nacks I sold back on eBay for about £25.

It's been to New Zealand, France, Spain and Portugal and many many weddings, and still works just as well as it did in 2005...

BagHeads - brand matters?

Marc W

3,782 posts

210 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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The trouble with cheap stuff and copies is, you have no way of knowing if it's going to be any good or not. Sometimes you might be lucky as the poster above but other times it may be total rubbish that breaks within a week. At least if it's a known brand you are pretty sure it's going to be something which will actually last.

Craikeybaby

10,369 posts

224 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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Gingerbread Man said:
Is it best just to get a hard suitcase designed for hand luggage and put the camera bag within, then utilise the extra space, or are there better items around?.
If I don't need a bigger camera bag for hiking etc at the other end I just do this with my small camera bag. Or I use a larger camera back FStop Satori EXP with extra stuff in the non camera section.

AndWhyNot

2,356 posts

198 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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I use a PeliStorm case designed to carry-on dimensions. It starts off heavy when empty and usually ends overweight but most of the contents are able to be redistributed to pockets in the event of a weight query. Most recently I acknowledged that I usually take too much equipment (two bodies, four lenses, macbook, speedlights, accessories) so pared down the photo gear and used the space for overnight essentials. Proved to be a lucky break as the airline lost my hold luggage.

baz7175

3,551 posts

210 months

Tuesday 2nd December 2014
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Having just checked my 2 frequent flyer sites, I've taken 118 flights so far this year from my home base in Germany to other parts of Europe, USA, Taiwan, Japan etc with work (those who have me on their facebook/flickr will no doubt be fed up seeing checkin's from me at airports here, there and everywhere - don't worry, only 5 more flights to go until I chill out for xmas)...I just have my standard work laptop rucksack (nothing special, normal sized job, made by Targa) into which I stuff my work laptop, personal laptop, 6D with battery pack, 2x lenses (both detached from the cam, normally my 50mm f1.2L and 24-105mm F4L) and add to that a couple of small portable hard drives, mouse, USB sticks, spare camera batteries, ipod and random cables etc jammed into the side pockets.

Of that 118 flights I reckon I've been asked <10 times to either weigh my "carry on" bag or the airline rep tries to lift it themselves, the key is to not look as though you're carrying a hugely overweight bag, if it's a normal rucksack and doesn't look like you've an anvil inside of it they normally don't even look twice.

In the event of them questioning me on those 10 or less occasions, simply saying that I had 2x laptops inside and that there was no way I would check the bag with them in it was enough to get them to go hunt down their next victim.