Photo Equipment and airplanes.. what to do?

[RMThompson]

Hey all, I am going to be flying on Wedensday for the first time in... well 8 years. That also means I'll be flying with my photo equipment for the first time. (Going to Atlanta for an interview and photoshoot!)

Anyway, I am wondering where my equipment is safer, with ME or in the belly of the plane with the luggage? I know I can only bring ONE carry-on, and I would like that to be a laptop computer, but then I am weary about leaving my equipment with the rest of my luggage.

I have a lowepro bag I would put it in, and THEN inside of a suitcase, so it would be pretty secure. Hell, when its in teh lowepro Its pretty darn protected, I've been known to throw it on the couch! (I know I shouldn't do that)

Advice, fellow TPFers?

 

[jlykins]

well you can bring one carry on, and one personal bag. In essence you can have two carry on's. The laptop bag is considered a personal bag.

 

[RMThompson]

well you can bring one carry on, and one personal bag. In essence you can have two carry on's. The laptop bag is considered a personal bag.

Oh is that true?

I think I'll have to look it all up!

 

[JimmyO]

Up to you really. Another reason to keep it with you is if somehow the checked lugage gets lost or ends up in England you will still have your equipment. How much gear do you have and which bag?

 

[patrickt]

Of course. If anyone says anything explain it's your "purse". I use a small backpack that has a space for my laptop, will hold a half dozen lenses, and my miscellaneous stuff. My camera is usually worn.

 

[Double H]

I flew to Arizona back in March, and I had my Slingshot 300 loaded pretty good. I kept it with me on the plane, I didn't want those gorillas "handling" my precious gear.

 

[jlykins]

sorry I was too lazy to look it up earlier, here's what Delta has to say. Every flight I have ever taken I take my laptop bag, which is a large backpack, and another backpack/camera backpack.

Carry-on Baggage

You can carry on one bag plus one personal item per passenger as long as it:

• Weighs less than 40 pounds (18 kg).
• Does not exceed 45 inches when you total length plus width plus height.
• Fits easily in our SizeCheck® unit (approximately 22"x14"x9").
• Fits in an overhead bin or underneath the seat in front of you.

Here are some examples of personal items:

• Male or female purse
• Briefcase
• Laptop computer (All laptop/computers must be carried aboard and cannot be checked. For information about Delta's battery-saving system for laptops, visit Connectivity)
• Camera case
• Diaper bag
• Items of a similar or smaller size to those listed above, such as Portable Electronic Devices.

These additional items are okay to carry on and do not count towards your allowance:

• Food items for immediate consumption
• Assistive devices such as wheelchairs or crutches, provided passenger is dependent on them
• One box or bag of duty free merchandise
• A coat or jacket
• An umbrella
• One item of reading material

 

[RMThompson]

jly, thanks a ton that was perfect.

I didn't know about the "personal item" so now I will bring both the computer AND the camera with me on the flight, and clothes will be checked!

 

[Big Mike]

Michael Reichmann at The Luminous Landscape has some good travel tips on that site somewhere.
He's got some reviews of some good travel friendly camera bags. One good tip that I remember, is to wear a photo vest. That way, if they tell you that your camera bag is too big or too heavy, you can take some things out and put them in your vest. As mentioned, you are allowed two bags (a personal and a carry-on) but you can also carry things on your person.
When it comes down to it, it all depends on the individual who is checking you through security...and their mood that day.

 

[rmh159]

I fly maybe twice a month and take a messanger bag for the PC and lowepro bag for the camera and have never been questioned. I wouldn't worry about it all unless your camera bag is ginormous.

 

[Antithesis]

On my last trip, I went on a total of like 11-12 different planes throughout the trip. Most flights on the non-budget airlines, your allowed one relatively normal sized bag and one personal item. There isn't much of a restriction on the size of the personal item, so I had a pretty small messenger bag and then a pelican 1500 with all my camera gear, laptop and anything else your worried about getting knocked around. It's an expensive way to go, but it's easy to flip open, grab your lappy out and send it through the x-ray machine.

I used two caribiners through the lock holes and hooked a strap through them for a badass looking shoulder bag. I got a lot of looks from other passengers because the case looks like it's for carrying small arms, but a big scuba sticker on the side solves that problem.