...Incidentally, I'm about to acquire TWO Airport Security rolling bags from ThinkTank...
Rog
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Just a friendly warning about the size of the ThinkTank Airport pack...some airlines will make you check it. Here's a case regarding American Airlines and a damaged D2X:
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I am not sure if this the correct forum but:
Travelling with D1x, d100, sb24 & 800s, numerous cards up to 2 gig, 2 turbo batteries, rechargeable AAs (a ton), laptop, blank CDs, radio slaves, 3 lenses.
A concern regarding storage is Xrays pertaining to CDs, and CF cards.
Thank you,
Ed
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Ed;
I didn't have the extensive amount of gear you do but in 2002, not all that long after 9-11, we traveled by air to Italy. I had a Tamrac backpack with 3 lenses, 1 DSLR body and 1 35mm film body.
I was also carrying a X's drive, batteries, charger, spare hard drive and lots of other "stuff"
I was amazed that at no time did any security person ask to see the contents of the pack. It all went thru x-ray only. This gear was seldom out of my hands and NEVER out of my sight.
As for concerns about x-ray of CF cards or CD's or DVD's I have no worry.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I second the recomendation about chaining the pelican cases to toilet, it's a age tested trick. You're probably a lot safer leaving gear in the hotel than you are in a rental car. In all my traveling, I've never had anything stolen from a hotel room, but I've had my car broken into more times than I would care to think about.
I read an interesting article by a National Geographic photographer on traveling, and what she does with checked luggage (and these guys travel with WAY more gear than you can carry onto an airplane) is get a crappy suitecase from Walmart and put the pelican case into that. That's the best idea I've ever heard for traveling with gear. I think you'd be okay to check camera gear in a Pelican case, but I wouldn't put a laptop in one. Think of the knocks that your cameras take just being carried around day to day, and you realize who resistant to bumps they are.
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...Incidentally, I'm about to acquire TWO Airport Security rolling bags from ThinkTank...
Just a friendly warning about the size of the ThinkTank Airport pack...some airlines will make you check it.
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I have an Airport Security rolling case by ThinkTank. I love it and it holds plenty and is well made. As to its carry-on ability, I recently made a "test trip" on Jet Blue (DC to Boston) with my wife who had a carry-on roll-on suitcase which is slightly larger (taller) than my legal limit Airport Security case. When we approached the ticket counter the agent asked that I place my Airport Security bag in the metal cage to test its size being suitable for carry-on, bt NOT my wife's slightly larger case. In my case I had 2 D70 bodies and 2 lenses (on the bodies) and spare bateries and memory cards I was loaning to my daughter for a trip and my clothes for a weekend, remember this was a test. It was in February and I had a sweater of my wife's and a magazine of mine to read stuffed in the ziped outer posket. I had to remove the sweater & magazine to make it fit the cage. With NO BULDGE in any compartment the bag met the cage test, but just barely. I would caution you to check the size limitations of your airline and do not over stuff the case.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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If you are questioned by a flight attendant, who wants to take your bag away, tell her that it has $25,000 worth of photo equipment (they never know) and ask if the airline will pay for it if it gets stolen. Telling her its for a wedding shoot might also soften her up. Generally, act pathetic yet polite...8-)
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That technique might work sometimes, but not always. A few years ago was traveling through London and used that exact logic and the attendant (British Airways) just smiled and said you can stay here Sir! The items got packed.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Location: San Francisco, California & Alexandria, Virginia
Posts: 240
Re: Travelling with Gear
I travel with carry-on bag (Tenba) and packed/checked equipment case(s).
Carry-on can go through X-ray machines without harm. If you have film and want them to hand-check, tell them that it's scientific-grade film so TSA agents won't argue with you about X-ray safety. It's a pretty simple process; they simply wipe the rolls down with explosive-detection pads.
As far as checked-cases....I have a STARTER PISTOL (yes, those little guns used at track and swim meets and that fire blanks) in each case. TSA rules define starter pistols as weapons, and they must be "declared" at the check-in counter. You simply tell the agent that you have a weapon, and they issue a little card that you sign. The declaration card goes inside each case with the starter pistol, and the TSA AGENT LOCKS YOU CASE and gives you back the key. The bag is especially tracked and never opened....and is never lost(!) because of its tracking.
I believe this set of rules for flying with weapons (shotguns, rifles, pistols, airguns, and starter pistols) was in place prior to 9/11...and continued after 9/11 as a result of NRA lobbying.
Spending the $20 for each starter pistol (yup, that's what the cheapest ones are....and you don't have to worry about registering them) is worth the peace-of-mind when checking luggage/cases that have valuable camera equipment.
Happy and safe travels,
John
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I haven't had a chance yet to see the Think Tank roller (I've got a Tamrac roller) but have read a lot about it . . . Just wondering how you think it would hold up if it had to be checked.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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