Travelling with large glass (300mm 2.8, tripods etc)

[2WheelPhoto]

here's how I have mine laid out

D700, 17-35, 24-70, 70-200, 50, grip, filters, 4 SB-800s, 2 neck straps, all my batteries, memory, cleaning kit, rechargeables, etc.

What in the world is that black thing that looks like a hand grenade with a red tip? I can see that causing alarms at the security checkpoint!

haha security may think its a weired-out adult toy because its made out of soft rubber

 

[DigiJay]

I would assume that anything I value that is left in the checked luggage will NOT arrive at destination with you.

Have you considered shipping some of your gear in advanced ?

No.. I wouldn't trust international shipping to be precise with delivery dates. I'm moving around almost daily while in Peru, so it wouldn't work out if my gear was 1 day behind. This is why I bought the Trekker AWII.. It's about the same size as the Pelican, but being a backpack, I'm hoping it will be easier to manage and carry on.

 

[Canuk]

I know that occasionally things goes missing from checked bags. I fly quite often w/ my dive equipment, and have never had anything go missing. Full scuba gear, 2-dive computers, and underwater camera case. I guess I just put my trust in others and hope for the best. That being said everything is insured as well. I would not however put my camera gear in checked just for the fact of it getting thrown around and possibly broken.

 

[Kolia]

I know that occasionally things goes missing from checked bags. I fly quite often w/ my dive equipment, and have never had anything go missing. Full scuba gear, 2-dive computers, and underwater camera case. I guess I just put my trust in others and hope for the best. That being said everything is insured as well. I would not however put my camera gear in checked just for the fact of it getting thrown around and possibly broken.

Scuba gear is worth a lot money but hard to "move" for would be thief. A DSLR on the other hand will be gone in one hour on Craigslist.

Like its been suggested, tripod and other odd, not portable, object should be fine in checked luggage.

 

[MsMGreene]

I know that occasionally things goes missing from checked bags. I fly quite often w/ my dive equipment, and have never had anything go missing. Full scuba gear, 2-dive computers, and underwater camera case. I guess I just put my trust in others and hope for the best. That being said everything is insured as well. I would not however put my camera gear in checked just for the fact of it getting thrown around and possibly broken.

What kind of insurance are you using? I'm not ready to travel with my more expensive camera investments for fear of loss or damage, but I know travel is inevitable. I already have General Liability Insurance for my small business but I want to make sure my cameras are covered when I travel with my cameras, while not on business and not photographing product, if that makes sense.

 

[Canuk]

There are several places to get replacement/theft insurance for every possible thing that you own. Most policies are not that expensive, and may involve a small deductable.

From my understanding General Liability Insurance is for protecting you and your business from being sued for wrong doing, equipment failures, ect.

"No business should go one day without general liability coverage. This type of policy covers the business in the case of a claim or lawsuit that arises from injuries, accidents, or negligence. Covered claims may include bodily injury, personal injury, property damage, slander, or false advertisement. The insurance provider covers all covered expenses including legal representation except for punitive damages."
(taken from your source)
I would check w/ your insurance company regarding the insurance you do have and make sure that it does cover for loss and theft, because normally Liability Insurance doesn't.

 

[imagemaker46]

I've always carried my gear onboard with me, I usually travel with either 300 2.8 or 400 2.8, three bodies, and a couple other lenses, laptop and all the chargers. I pack the flash, and anything else that can be easily replaced. If you travel with all the gear in the cases and they are checked bagage, unless you leave them unlocked be prepared to have the locks cut off or broken. These guys don't give a **** about protecting gear. My Dad travelled to the states and had checked most of his Leica gear, case was broken into and the shutter releases had been hammered down, they couldn't figure out how to unlock then the shutter release, so they just used a screw driver and hammer. Did anyone admit to it, nope.

 

[Josh220]

Don't. Ever. Check. Camera gear... Ever. Ship it ahead of time or find a way to split it between your carry ons. Maybe carry some and ship some. If tripods are a huge weight/space issue invest in better ones such as Gitzo. You can strap them to your camera bag as your carry on. They have a model that is about 1.2lbs IIRC.

 

[davisphotos]

I'm traveling to the Dominican in a couple months for a wedding, so I have been doing a lot of thinking on the best way to carry my gear. I have a Pelican PCS283 rolling case, which holds 3 bodies, 3 flashes, 20, 35, 50, 85, 100, 24-70 and 70-200 lenses, PocketWizards and various accessories, plus a laptop, and my wife who is coming as my assistant will have a similar rolling case with my lighting kit. Light stands, tripod and beauty dish will be packed up in our checked luggage with the clothing.

Not a chance that I would risk checking or shipping my gear, even though it is all insured, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I showed up to shoot a destination wedding and the only camera I had was my Fuji X10 (although I could shoot a wedding with it if I had to)