biggest bag for aircraft hand luggage?

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c_robinson

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charlie robinson
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Hi guys, just a quick one,

what's the biggest bag you know of that'll fit on an aircrafts hand luggage when full, and i mean full.

I'm flying to NZ for 3 weeks, and want to take all my camera gear (20d, 40d, 70-200 2.8, 10-20 or similar, 300 4, 17-55 2.8 or similar, plus loads of acessories, 2x flash, triggers and remotes, cards and cleaning gear, battery and charger)

cheers
charlie

(currently own a bulging expedition 5 tamrac, just too small)
 
The Peli 1510 is supposed to be sized to the maximum dimensions given by major airlines and is tough enough to be checked in if need be.

Link
 
c_robinson said:
what's the biggest bag you know of that'll fit on an aircrafts hand luggage when full, and i mean full.
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You want something that hs external measurements of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm and has been checked against the guages (because the guages have curved corners)

The Peli above isn't even close.

I have looked long and hard and almost no-one makes them. Not without wasting the space for wheels, extending handles and curves.

Duh! How can the manufacturers be *so* stupid?

For a trip coming up, I have bought a custom cardboard box(!). Double-flap construction, double wall cardboard, then covered entirely in tape. Only a few quid from: http://www.postpack.co.uk/ easily takes my 800, 200f2, 100-400, 180m, 65e, 16-35, 85f1.2 1ds3, 5D.

But to do it properly, I'll be getting a custom alu case from these boys: http://aluminiumcases.com/products/equipment.html for around £350.

Andrew
 
Checking in is not recommended, and you want to make sure that if you do have to check your luggage in, it is covered by your insurance in the hold and whilst out of your control.
 
c_robinson said:
Hi guys, just a quick one,

what's the biggest bag you know of that'll fit on an aircrafts hand luggage when full, and i mean full.

I'm flying to NZ for 3 weeks, and want to take all my camera gear (20d, 40d, 70-200 2.8, 10-20 or similar, 300 4, 17-55 2.8 or similar, plus loads of acessories, 2x flash, triggers and remotes, cards and cleaning gear, battery and charger)

cheers
charlie

(currently own a bulging expedition 5 tamrac, just too small)
Click to expand...

My lowepro commercial fits as hand luggage, & with the exception of the 300 f4 my gear of the same sort of size. You do need to remove the external pockets though

Hugh
 
I spend time at Gatwick Airport as part of my consultancy work for Gatwick Airport Limited and I see quite a few disgruntled passengers walking around moaning that they had to check baggage that they wanted to take on board.

Some airlines are flexible, some are not. Look at the website for your particular airline and check the maximum size and weight for hand luggage. If you do this and decide to take something bigger or heavier be prepared to check it in, which is something that I would not recomend at all for camera gear. The baggage handling guys do take care of the bags but just down to the amount of bags they deal with bags sometimes fall off the conveyors / baggage trucks and sometimes bags get caught on the conveyors which doesnt do them a lot of good.
 
Isn't there an issue of weight though as well as dimensions? When I travel to Canada there's a 5 kg weight limit on hand baggage which is far too low for all of my equipment. Last time I got away with not having my hand luggage weighed- is this the norm?
 
I've flown loads of times and only think I've had my hand luggage weighed once.
 
But you need to bear in mind the dimensions of the bags allowed on airlines which is dictated by the UK Security and not individual airlines and then the weight of cabin language is dictated by the airline.

So bear both those items in mind also if you have to checkin the bag make sure you make the airline aware it contained fragile items most will tag as fragile, But still does not mean it will be looked after but it's a better chance as those items are stored separately with Snowboards and the likes.
 
Many airlines have different weight / sizes for carry on luggage.

I think my Lowepro AW vertex 300 fits Easyjet but not RyanAir :bang:
 
mrgubby said:
Many airlines have different weight / sizes for carry on luggage....I think my Lowepro AW vertex 300 fits Easyjet but not RyanAir :bang:
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correct .. check out EACH airline bag sizes on your ticket confirmation conditions

i've flown for years with Ryan Air to France carrying cameras
new route to Rennes with flybe - exact same bag refused cost £12 to check-in --on each leg = £26 ....the damn ticket was only £29 . children of unmarried parents......:D
 
my flipside 400aw fits on as hand luggage (only been on easyjet with it), holds all my stuff
 
Lowepro Computrekker AW. Even Room for your laptop and ALL the kit youll need for your trip. I know that my dad's Mini Trekker AW fits and it seems to be exactly the same size (Although i'm yet to take it on a trip!)
 
What you gonna be shooting in NZ??

I have just come back from there so have an idea of what you may well use.

I managed to take two bodies, 10-20, 75-300, 50mm and 35-105 ok. I used all of the kit, but never felt like i needed more.

I had something similar to the Lowepro 100AW.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-lowepro-slingshot-100-aw/p1010349

I packed all other bits like chargers, spare batteries, filters, small tripod etc in to my hold luggage.

The 300 f4 is a heavy lens, so is the 70-200 2.8. So i think this is where you decision lies. Can you get a 2xTC and take that with the 70-200? That way you can get the extended reach without taking the 300.

Check your airline for restrictions. My hand luggage never got weighed, as the bag looked small. But i think if the bag looks large then it could get weighed as it is morelikely to be heavy. I flew with Emirates, who have a 10kg weight limit for carry on bags.

I've got to be honest and say that i can't see the need for flashes, unless you are going with a specific project in mind.
 
A LowePro Computrekker AW Plus can be persuaded to fit inside the standard airport measuring cage of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm or 22ins x 18ins x 10ins provided you don't pack it higher than the dividers, and don't put anything in the front pocket apart from papers. This includes carrying a 17in laptop, so without one you could pack it a bit fatter.

I've got in mine 2 x DSLRs, a 17in laptop, a big Fuji 690 MF film camera, a dozen or so 120 roll films, a videocamera (that's not the smallest), 4 lenses, a couple of small ext portable hard drives, a portable storage drive, batteries, all the chargers (five, I think), and loads of odds and sods squeezed in the gaps. The most it has ever weighed is 23kg, hence I will only fly on airlines with no cabin weight limit (BA primarily). All this has been to NZ.

Yes, 23kg is heavy, but it helps it drop in to the measuring frame as it is a snug fit. I can't see a bigger bag fitting in it. I transport it through the airport on some sturdy fold up wheels. LowePro do a similar bag with built in wheels but it will only take a 15in laptop. At my destination, a smaller bag for day to day carrying around has been packed in my checked in luggage, stuffed with socks, underwear etc so it doesn't really use up much space.

If you want to or have to pack it fat, you need to be wearing something like a photographer's vest in case you do have to put the bag in the size cage and have to remove a few items temporarily. It happened to me the first time I used this bag and had packed it higher than the dividers and put a couple of things in the front pocket. A second time I was ok because I'd packed it more carefully. It was a time when the airport people were really squeezing the passenger on hand baggage. It's not so bad now.

You can actually get away taking more on board if your chosen airline allows you to carry a laptop case in addition to your hand baggage, like BA does.

If any part of your journey is on Qantas, they are more than likely to weigh everything and charge you for overweight.
 
Marcus Geezer said:
I spend time at Gatwick Airport as part of my consultancy work for Gatwick Airport Limited and I see quite a few disgruntled passengers walking around moaning that they had to check baggage that they wanted to take on board.

Some airlines are flexible, some are not. Look at the website for your particular airline and check the maximum size and weight for hand luggage. If you do this and decide to take something bigger or heavier be prepared to check it in, which is something that I would not recomend at all for camera gear. The baggage handling guys do take care of the bags but just down to the amount of bags they deal with bags sometimes fall off the conveyors / baggage trucks and sometimes bags get caught on the conveyors which doesnt do them a lot of good.
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This is why I fill my pockets with the smaller items, baterys, chargers, extenders and the like all go in my pockets of a shooting vest lol.:D
 
Go on your airlines website - they will tell you the restrictions regarding weight and size, maybe even ring them at the airport to double check the info on their sites is current.

I fly long haul with Emirates at least once a year, and without fail, my hand luggage has been weighed in Manchester - first time I fell foul of their 7kg weight limit - the check in staff would not budge on their decision - I had £1000 worth of camera gear in my camera bag which was in a regular sized carry on wheely case - I was flying through Jo'burg and my husband had had cheap toys pinched out of his case there the week before. The attitude was definately a case of 'not my problem, the info is widely available, you should have thought about that before you got to the airport'
 
From experience you need to be careful with connecting flights if they are not the same airline. Even if the flight where brought from one airline and on one ticket they will apply their own rule to each flight.

Last time i flew to NZ (last year) i flew BA who didnt count the number of bags or even weigh them, and connect with AA in LAX and had a 2 bag max with weight limit.

You can get away with more on Long haul flights though, i have never had my carry on weighed long haul and once because i was being 'tested' by check in staff i wore ski boots checking in and at the gate, but after that i slipped on some trainers and carried the ski boots during boarding and on the plane. (the ski boots happend to be very heavy freestyle boots incase your wondering why.)

Another trick is to check in with a bag that is obviously within size and (usually long haul) they wont even ask about it then go back to your waiting family who are looking after your real carry on bag ;).

With little easyjet and ryan air flights fuel is very tightly controlled and the planes are smaller so less space for bags. On long haul the aircraft are much larger and always (that ive seen) have loads of space in the overhead. They also have to carry much more emergency or excess fuel so the carry on weight is less of an issue
 
malla1962 said:
This is why I fill my pockets with the smaller items, baterys, chargers, extenders and the like all go in my pockets of a shooting vest lol.:D
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Im guessing you've not tried to wear it through security in an american airport :bat:
 
Ok just a theory here.
People have said about NOT checking in camera gear for obvious reasons BUT could you not take a smaller bag that will fit in the handluggage bays to take bodies and lens, but all the other stuff goes in the suit case with your clothes, so the flashes get wrapped in say clothes and cleaning kit just gets packed.

If it where me I would want the bodies and lens with me at all times as only YOU will take care of them, and I would pack the not so unbreakable stuff in my case.

Just a thought
 
Thanks for the comments folks, certainly food for thought! i shall get onto BA and find out their rules, and the connecting flight from LA to christchurch.

direct answer to a couple of questions,

i'm going to NZ to photograph a rally covering the whole of the south island, one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the world ( http://www.silverfernrally.co.nz/ )

i'll need to take everything kit wise to be honest, certainly flashes, 2 bodies = 2 flashes!!

leave the 300 4 and take the 70-200 with 2x converter, no thanks is the simple answer, i'm not a fan of the degrading of image quality the 2x does, but will have a 1.4 with me in the (probably overweight, oversized) bag!!

Thanks
Charlie
 
When I was at Focus this year I saw a new Kata back pack which the guy said had been made to be the biggest bag to fit as hand luggage, plus it had a removable sleeve for a large laptop. I don’t recall the model now and at the time it was a sample with no stock available bur should have made it for sale by now I would have thought.
 
Well done for planning so far ahead but you do realise that the rules probably will have changed by the time you leave. I'd leave it 6mths before you think about buying anything by which time there will be lots more bags too.

malla1962 said:
Orlando last may.;)
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i must just look dodgy then, they dont like my bag with laptop, 400D, and cables and alway like a good nosey.
 
There's a HUGE degree of variation with regard to the maximum dimensions and weight which different airlines will allow.

This is a useful reference covering about 50 airlines.
 
I've flown to NZ a fair few times with all my gear. I usually pack anything without glass (flashes/triggers etc) in checked luggage but well wrapped or in a peli case. For hand luggage I usually travel with a burton zoom pro backpack countaining 2 pro bodies, 70-200+TC, 17-35, 24-70, 85mm, 50mm 16mm. It's still got space for laptop and books/toothbrush etc. Always flown with Air New Zealand and have never had any problems with baggage.
 
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