When you're travelling by plane do you trust airport baggage handlers with your camera gear?

[KmH]

When you're travelling by plane do you trust airport baggage handlers with your camera gear?

No.

 

[TCampbell]

I have a Tenba airport rolling bag for my camera gear. The roller-bag is specifically sized to be compliant with carry-on rules. I check everything else, but my camera and lenses stay with me. If I need a tripod on the trip, I'll even check the tripod (they're durable - don't buy any tripod that you don't believe has the ability to stand up to airport baggage handle). But the cameras and lenses stay with me... in part for concerns about damage but also in part for concerns about theft.

 

[dasmith232]

Generally, no.

I've checked tripods, cables, triggers, some smaller lenses (well padded) and flash units. But never bodies or my better lenses.

 

[Tuckerjr]

Think Tank has a great series of carry on airport bags. They offer both domestic & international. I just purchased a new one for an upcoming Ireland trip. I got my D500, D7000, 24-70 f2.8, 12-24 f4, 200-500, 15" MacBook, & all my accessories on no problem


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[denada]

another no. using clothes and bubble wrap i carefully arrange my cameras and film (all hand inspected without regard to iso) in a backpack that's always my carry on. when they start talking about crowded overhead and checking carry ons, normal-sized backpacks are not targeted.

 

[Derrel]

I like to bubble-wrap a spare lens or two and stuff those into shoes, and toss a well-padded body into my checked luggage. Never has been a problem.

 

[ronlane]

I just got the ThinkTank International V.3 and I love it. It is supposed to be carry on approved and I could put anything that I need to take with me in it.

 

[table1349]

Generally no, but at times yes, with a codicil.

It is getting far more common for flights to be fully booked and the overhead it limited. On a couple of occasions we have been at the terminal when they asked for people to check their carry on due to lack of overhead space. The bag is tagged and then you take it to the entrance of the plane where they pick it up and walk it to the cargo hold. Upon arriving at my destination they hand it to me before we exit the terminal and go to baggage check. I watched it being loaded and unloaded. Through regular baggage check, not a chance.

 

[petrochemist]

Last trip, 2 bodies, 4 lenses, spare batteries, SD cards, filters & mini tripod all fitted in my pockets. The chargers (both bodies are same manufacturer but batteries/chargers are incompatible) I risked in my carry on luggage to keep my clothes company.
The airline I was traveling on had a weight limit on carry on bags & have been known to insist some 'carry on' bags go in the hold! Other trips have seen me carry on a camera bag.

 

[Charlie Gardiner]

Looks like everyone agrees that they cant be trusted, im the few occasions I have had to put gear in the hold its been fine but I try to get on the plane first so theres room in the cabin for it.

I just got the ThinkTank International V.3 and I love it. It is supposed to be carry on approved and I could put anything that I need to take with me in it.

Great suggestion, looks great I will have to consider it...

 

[andrewdoeshair]

My camera bag is basically my purse, it stays on me or near me almost all the time. Not because I always feel the need to take pictures, but because it just has all my basic survival gear, too (phone chargers, headphones, deodorant, tons of floss and tooth picks for my stupid braces, etc). The bag usually has two bodies (one digital, one film) and one or two lenses when I travel, as well as a speed light, collapsible Fong diffuser, spare batteries, a pile of film, and countless memory cards. It goes under the seat in front of me. I flew to Tahoe a few weeks ago and it was my first time flying with film. I handed the film to a TSA worker and requested a hand check because I've heard that the X Ray could damage the film, and they were perfectly accommodating. It didn't even slow me down.

About an hour ago I got home from Dallas. Last week as I was going through security at LAX to get out there the hand inspection request for the film apparently bothered them. I was felt up twice by the workers, and then they took one of my unused rolls of film and pulled it out of the roll half way to see that it wasn't a bomb or something. They also ended up putting the film through the X ray anyways. I told them to keep the film and said I was going to miss my flight, but then they went through my bags and my wife's bag (normally when they see something they don't like they ask me to get it out, this time they wouldn't let me near the bags) and when they were done they left my stuff in a pile next to my opened bags for me to pack up again. I had to sprint to my gate from there like the airport scene on Home Alone. I was so pissed, but I didn't have the time to complain so I just kept my mouth shut and let them have their way with me. I don't think I'll be flying with film again. I felt so helpless and violated.

 

[Destin]

My camera bag is basically my purse, it stays on me or near me almost all the time. Not because I always feel the need to take pictures, but because it just has all my basic survival gear, too (phone chargers, headphones, deodorant, tons of floss and tooth picks for my stupid braces, etc). The bag usually has two bodies (one digital, one film) and one or two lenses when I travel, as well as a speed light, collapsible Fong diffuser, spare batteries, a pike of film, and countless memory cards. It goes under the seat in front of me. I flew to Tahoe a few weeks ago and it was my first time flying with film. I handed the film to a TSA worker and requested a hand check because I've heard that the X Ray could damage the film, and they were perfectly accommodating. It didn't even slow me down.

About an hour ago I got home from Dallas. Last week as I was going through security at LAX to get out there the hand inspection request for the film apparently bothered them. I was felt up twice by the workers, and then they took one of my unused rolls of film and pulled it out of the roll half way to see that it wasn't a bomb or something. They also ended up putting the film through the X ray anyways. I told them to keep the film and said I was going to miss my flight, but then they went through my bags and my wife's bag (normally when they see something they don't like they ask me to get it out, this time they wouldn't let me near the bags) and when they were done they left my stuff in a pile next to my opened bags for me to pack up again. I had to sprint to my gate from there like the airport scene on Home Alone. I was so pissed, but I didn't have the time to complain so I just kept my mouth shut and let them have their way with me. I don't think I'll be flying with film again. I felt so helpless and violated.

That's beyond ridiculous, and I think I'd have contacted the TSA afterwards to complain. I'm sure it wouldn't go far, but I'd try anyway.

Also, x-ray can't penetrate metal. So if you wrap the film in tin foil or keep it in metal canisters, you'll save it from damage without drawing attention. They may still see it on the x-ray and want to insptect it, but that usually leads to a hand inspection and it's much better that they decide to do one on their own than you asking for one and drawing attention.

 

[denada]

that sucks, andrewdoeshair. never had a problem with hand inspection.

x-ray can penetrate metal.

 

[Scoody]

Have had to fly to a gig twice. Both times I was flown by private plane so I did not have to worry about checking anything.

 

[Dave442]

I always carry my camera/lens stuff with me. My grandfather used to put his 300mm and backup body in his checked bag back in the '70's on a number of international flights and never had a problem. I'm sure if he was around today he would not check his camera gear.