Travelling with Gear

[Will_Perlis]

From a thread about a trip I took last month:

"The TSA people at LAX didn't do more than look at the X-ray but the TSA at Ft. Lauderdale coming back looked the contents over.

They swabbed a lens hood and camera body but didn't question the extra battery pack, the other electronics stuff, the assorted wires, nor the two containers of liquids (contact lens stuff) in double ZipLoc bags."

This was during a period of "heightened security" for some reason known only to the TSA.

[CharlesBrown]

[ QUOTE ]
"... is get a crappy suitecase from Walmart and put the pelican case into that."

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this idea feasible in today's world?

Every case within every case still has to be unlocked, and is still subject to opening and inspection anyway. Unusual items seem to beckon opening up for a physical rifling through, and a case within a case is unusual. Consider that every time I pack my Wimberley in a case (which looks very unusual and gun like on an Xray machine), I get the love note from the TSA.

Beyond the need for all cases to remain unlocked, or just-about-unlocked with easily compromised TSA locks, know that the standard photographer's favorite Pelican 1650 case weighs 29 lbs EMPTY, with no foam or padded dividers. That leaves a mere 20 lbs capacity for any gear. Surrounding this with the additional weight of a cheap suitcase would reduce the carryable gear down to 10 lbs., rendering the entire exercise futile.

While some airlines only charge $25.00 for any checked baggage item over 50 lbs but less than 70 lbs, others charge $80.00 for anything exceeding 50 lbs... even 51 lbs. All of them have scales, some of them beep when the weight exceeds 49 lbs.

[PaulChaps]

We have had more broken gear and theft since TSA came on-line than ever before. Google TSA theft and read about the problems. I use Tamrac rolling studios for lighting, and my assistant and max size Samsonite carry-ons w/minimum padding to get as much camera/lens gear on-board with us. The problem is that once you hit the small regional jets or turboprops, the carry-ons will not fit, so we check them planeside. No problems with the regional folks.

Paul