Flying with cameras in hold luggage.

[LongLensPhotography]

I am happy with the TSA requirements and have no security concerns. My concern is whether the kit would be damaged in transit.

Try throwing the suitcase a couple of stories down; if a glass of bier inside survives you'll be OK. But with a 600mm in it there is no way in hell I'd risk it. I saw airport workers do pretty much that to the luggage while unloading.

I would never put anything of value in hold. Neither would I trust TSA with so many horror stories all over the place.

 

[zeb]

.... My Lowepro backpack takes a 500mm F/4L II, 100-400mm L II, plus 1DX-2 and 7D-2 bodies plus a few small bits and travels with me in the cabin overhead locker. The rest of my camera gear, including monopod, 2 tripods and a 24-70mm, travel in the hold in my Rimowa aluminium suitcase (very expensive but very very very excellent!). I don't know if its locks are TSA as I don't know what TSA is.

There ain't nuthin' better in my opinion : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=56&v=wmMcRuLO2Nw

EDIT : I have just found out that my Rimowa case has TSA locks.... Of course!

Could I ask what lowepro it is and do you know the weight with your stuff in? need to take the same set up next year but a 200_400mm f/4 instead of the 500mm.

 

[Fordsabroad]

Could I ask what lowepro it is and do you know the weight with your stuff in? need to take the same set up next year but a 200_400mm f/4 instead of the 500mm.

I have the flipside 500 AW which will just fit the 600 mm lens and the camera body in I have flown a couple of times with it and it has not been a problem. I will weigh it in the next couple of days and let you know but I am sure it is just about within the cabin luggage weight limit. I would not dream of putting that combination in the hold, just couple of lenses, 100 -400, 17 - 40, flashguns etc. The last time I flew with this lens I was going to Poland in the winter so a large coat stuffed with gear went unnoticed but I have a feeling it would raise a few eyebrows if I stood in the check in line ready to fly to the Florida sunshine wearing arctic clothing!!

 

[RedRobin]

Could I ask what lowepro it is and do you know the weight with your stuff in? need to take the same set up next year but a 200_400mm f/4 instead of the 500mm.

....Hi Trevor,

My Lowepro which fits in the cabin overhead locker both on the smaller FlyBe aircraft and the larger British Airways, is the ProTactic 450 AW.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/lowepro-protactic-450-aw-backpack-1559850/ < There are also lots of video reviews of it online.

I fit (very snugly) my (all Canon gear) 500mm F/4L II + 2x, 100-400mm L II, 7D-2 (without battery grip), 1DX-2, but because it's tight in FlyBe's airport size-check cage it's best to pack the absolute minimum in the lid's pockets if anything at all. BA and longer haul aircraft no problem. I don't know the size of the 200-400mm F/4 or its weight. My Lowepro weight was about 7Kg if I recall correctly < Again only a potential problem on budget airlines like FlyBe (which I don't recommend if you can find an alternative).

I hope this helps.

 

[zeb]

....Hi Trevor,

My Lowepro which fits in the cabin overhead locker both on the smaller FlyBe aircraft and the larger British Airways, is the ProTactic 450 AW.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/lowepro-protactic-450-aw-backpack-1559850/ < There are also lots of video reviews of it online.

I fit (very snugly) my (all Canon gear) 500mm F/4L II + 2x, 100-400mm L II, 7D-2 (without battery grip), 1DX-2, but because it's tight in FlyBe's airport size-check cage it's best to pack the absolute minimum in the lid's pockets if anything at all. BA and longer haul aircraft no problem. I don't know the size of the 200-400mm F/4 or its weight. My Lowepro weight was about 7Kg if I recall correctly < Again only a potential problem on budget airlines like FlyBe (which I don't recommend if you can find an alternative).

I hope this helps.

Cheers Robin flying virgin with 10kg weight

 

[StewartR]

My Lowepro weight was about 7Kg if I recall correctly

That seemed quite unlikely to me, so I added it up.

Lowepro ProTactic 450AW = 2600g
Canon 500mm f/4L II = 3100g
Canon 2x III = 325g
100-400mm L II = 1640g
7D Mk II = 910g
1DX Mk II = 1340g

That comes to 9915g - 10kg - and it doesn't include things like lens caps, body caps, hoods, camera straps, batteries, memory cards, etc. I reckon your bag would have been around 11kg, or obviously a bit more if there was other stuff you haven't mentioned.

That's relevant because very few airlines allow more than 10kg as carry-on baggage. I compiled a very long list of airlines and their carry-on allowances here:
http://lensesforhire.blogspot.com/2016/09/flying-with-your-photographic-equipment.html

 

[StewartR]

Note also that Lowepro give the depth of the ProTactic 450AW bag as 27cm, and that will not hit within the carry-on allowance of any airline.

I'm not saying you can't take it on a plane - but if they ask you to put it in the gadget for measuring the size of the bag, it won't fit, whoever you're flying with.

 

[RedRobin]

Note also that Lowepro give the depth of the ProTactic 450AW bag as 27cm, and that will not hit within the carry-on allowance of any airline.

I'm not saying you can't take it on a plane - but if they ask you to put it in the gadget for measuring the size of the bag, it won't fit, whoever you're flying with.

....Perhaps I should drive to my nearest airport and take a photo on my phone of it fitting the FlyBe size measuring cage! It fitted, albeit very snugly as I already said. The depth of mine is about 20cm (I just measured it!) and anyway way it fitted!!

Regarding weight, I did say "about 7kg if I recall correctly" and was mistaken it would seem. And yes I know the 10Kg weight limit is fairly universal but an airline has yet to weigh my 450AW backpack - I'm wearing it, they see it and that's it.

 

[gcgraphs]

but an airline has yet to weigh my 450AW backpack

Avoid Air Baltic then

GC

 

[StewartR]

....Perhaps I should drive to my nearest airport and take a photo on my phone of it fitting the FlyBe size measuring cage! It fitted, albeit very snugly as I already said. The depth of mine is about 20cm (I just measured it!) and anyway way it fitted!!

I'm not going to disagree with you - you have one of these and I don't. I was just going by the measurements on Lowepro's website.

And yes I know the 10Kg weight limit is fairly universal but an airline has yet to weigh my 450AW backpack - I'm wearing it, they see it and that's it.

Absolutely. Carry it as if it's really light, and they won't bother you.

A couple of years ago I went on a polar trip, flying to Longyearbyen. My camera bag was loaded, 11½ kg, and the SAS carry-on limit was 8 kg. No problems, just carrying it as it was really light. Anyway, at Longyearbyen we transfered to the ship via Zodiac, and the two crew members were loading bags into the Zodiac. Obviously they wanted to ensure the load was balanced, so they were asking everyone how heavy their bags were. I fixed the crew hand on the dock with a stare, and said "Well, this has just come off a SAS flight where it was my carry-on bag, so it's 8 kilos." He picked it up with one hand, passed it down to his mate in the Zodiac, and said "11½ kilos".

 

[RedRobin]

Avoid Air Baltic then

....Thanks for the tip. I might be flying to Finland sometime next year to photograph Brown Bears etc but it's too soon to look into which airline I would prefer to fly with.

 

[RedRobin]

I'm not going to disagree with you - you have one of these and I don't. I was just going by the measurements on Lowepro's website.

....Indeed, going by the measurements on a manufacturer's website should be reliable. But I can only say that my Protactic 450AW measures 35 x 20 x 50 cm when filled and fits airline's pre-boarding size cages, so far.

Absolutely. Carry it as if it's really light, and they won't bother you.

....The trouble is that being 71yo it becomes more difficult to look as if it weighs nothing . But this is perhaps balanced by me being a bit of a charmer (so ladies tell me) and I find that most young ladies on airport check-in desks are kind to me.

A couple of years ago I went on a polar trip, flying to Longyearbyen. My camera bag was loaded, 11½ kg, and the SAS carry-on limit was 8 kg. No problems, just carrying it as it was really light. Anyway, at Longyearbyen we transfered to the ship via Zodiac, and the two crew members were loading bags into the Zodiac. Obviously they wanted to ensure the load was balanced, so they were asking everyone how heavy their bags were. I fixed the crew hand on the dock with a stare, and said "Well, this has just come off a SAS flight where it was my carry-on bag, so it's 8 kilos." He picked it up with one hand, passed it down to his mate in the Zodiac, and said "11½ kilos".

....That's a great story . Respect to anyone who is so good at their job - That's impressive and demonstrates what special skills human beings are capable of.