Do you check or "carry on" your camera ?

Skorri

I am heading back across the pond for Christmas/New Years and considering buying a Pelican case and checking my camera and equipment. I would love the feeling of no carry on luggage but certainly can't overlook the fact that there are thieves even at the airports who jump at the chance to swipe your stuff.

What do you do ? :scratch

Cameron

Skorri wrote: »

I am heading back across the pond for Christmas/New Years and considering buying a Pelican case and checking my camera and equipment. I would love the feeling of no carry on luggage but certainly can't overlook the fact that there are thieves even at the airports who jump at the chance to swipe your stuff.

What do you do ?

I have never checked my gear... As someone who has had a bag lost and never recovered (nothing of significant value, thankfully), I'm more worried about the prospect of my gear being lost/damaged due to error or mishandling than thieves. I have used a Pelican case as a carry-on and have, on one occasion, gate-checked it when the jet had tiny overhead bins.

Depending on the value of your photo gear, I'd also consider shipping your gear to your destination (insured) as an alternative to checking it. The airline's liability in the case of complete loss or damage to your gear is likely much less than the value of the items. I imagine you can buy supplemental insurance for your checked luggage, but I don't know much about those options or the associated costs.

gecko0

It will depend on how much equipment you plan on taking and your level of confidence in the airline's baggage handling. I always carry mine on, but all of my gear also fits in a regular sized Tamrac backpack. I like to keep things in my sight or at least know where they are, rather than let opportunity knock for others...or simple bad luck.

Skorri

Better safe than sorry is always the best policy. I fly Continental, especially for international flights, and they have always treated me very well. I will probably get the carry on friendly Pelican. It looks like it has enough room for camera body, flash, lenses, portable hard drive and the other gadgets that tend to make their way into my camera bag:)

Cameron

Check out this post by Scott Quier that shows how he packs his Pelican 1510 - you can fit a LOT in that case. The 1510 meets carry-on size restrictions (not sure about international flights).
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1198130&postcount=2

Art Scott

Carry on is the only way to go...I have had to gate check my LowePro Photo trekker a couple of times on my way to Prague,
and even then when they grab the bag from my hand they immediately ask me to stow it in the luggage bay.......and once
it was stowed along with the pilots bags up front as the pilot asked what was in it and all I got out was the number of cam
bodies by name................Never check camera gear....I had a footlocker, military ...bought from a friend that was destroyed
in flight, only thing in it was clothes...it was a test.......If it ain't a Pelican or Storm case I would not expect it to survive.....

MileHighAko

Don't check it. Carry on as much as possible. Consider UPS insured for the rest.

20DNoob

Always carry on.

yendikeno

20DNoob wrote: »

Always carry on.

Absolutely! I never check my camera gear. If need be, I'll ship clothes ahead of time, or buy what I have to when I get there, but my camera equipment never leaves my grubby little hands.

Matthew Saville

Not only do I avoid checking my main gear, I'm not even a fan of overhead compartments. ALL of my main camera gear fits under the seat. I use a Tamrac Messenger bag, and it fits a laptop, two grip-less bodies with 2-3 medium lenses and 1-2 flashes. The rest of the "junk" (chargers, cleaning supplies, etc.) can go in another overhead bag, or I may just check some of it as long as it' not too critical.

Say for example you have a layover, or you are delayed for whatever reason, and you're the very last person onto a completely full plane. Guess what? You get to check your overhead luggage, because EVERYBODY is packing monstrous overhead bags these days.

(RANT: There is a difference between fitting your bag in the overhead compartment, and fitting it in that little "your bag must be this size" measurement station. The measurements are SMALL not because that is the exact size of the overhead compartment, but because that is YOUR EQUAL RATION of the total overhead space.

When you tell the TSA & flight attendants "oh, it'll fit, I always carry this on" ...you're taking up someone else's space. I don't care if you get that compartment lid closed, you're still an ASS.)

(No, I have never had this happen to me, but I see it happening to other travelers on EVERY full flight I'm on. I have also heard stories of it happening to photographers, who end up waiting and taking a later flight because they can't let their gear out of their sight...)

If you're a working professional, you just gotta think about these things, even if they are OCD / paranoid. You're getting paid to safely travel somewhere with your gear and arrive on time, ready to shoot. It's not like you're piloting the plane itself, but you still gotta put a lot of thought into planning ahead...

=Matt=

BradfordBenn

I travel a fair amount and bought a Tamrac bag specifically because I knew it would fit in the puddle jumper Canadair Regional Jets. I do not check my camera gear. I will check a flash, cable release, memory cards and readers, tripods, chargers (not the batteries per airline regs), gorillapods, but nothing with lens optics/glass. (At least my flash is fairly solid and while I know it has optics, it is not as delicate in my opinion as a camera).

Skorri

Thanks for all the advice, I picked up the Pelican 1510 Carry on case. Here is a photo with the new 60D, 18-135, Speedlite 580EX, Bigma and Garmin GPS, and still more room

http://skorri.smugmug.com/STUFF/Canon-Rebel-XT/14393111_dGvmN#1076698849_houaG

gerry2153

check. . .NEVER

WillCAD

richy wrote: »

Very true. Also if you are under 60 and cannot lift it into the bin yourself then you should have to leave it on the tarmac. I really think they need to start weighing passengers and luggage and charge for overage combined. That way I wont have to share my seat with the rolls from those either side of me Or better, just build more sidewalks and treble the price of gas, would save the airlines a fortune in fuel.

It really should be a sign that if you cannot fit in a business class seat you may need some exercise.

Yeah, I'll go along with that.

I only fly once or twice a year, but on every flight I see tiny people trying to lift their bags into the overhead, and it's obvious from the strained expressions on their faces that the bags weigh more than they do. It's amusing, except for the fact that they block the isle, slowing boarding and deplaning, and they sometimes drop those bags - onto other people's heads. That gets me a little irritated.

I started having trouble fitting in the coach seats (I only fly Southwest, which has the smallest seats in the industry at 17"), so I went on a diet. Lost 30 pounds so far, and I'm gonna keep going. I had lost about 20 before this year's vacation, and it was a bit easier fitting into the seat than it was last year. Next year it will be even easier, because I plan on losing at least 50 pounds before I'm through!

Even so, I wish SWA had wider seats. 17" is just too narrow. And the seat pitch is uncomfortable for tall guys like me (6'-4"); makes it tough to put any carry-ons under the seat in front of me, because I need that space for my feet.

Doug Solis

I echo the don't check unless you absolutely have to. I just traveled on a Bombadare 400 a twin prop plane, which had smaller than normal overhead compartments. I took aboard my Naneu backpack with all my camera gear except for my tripod, I was actually able to stuff it under the seat in front of me so it was safe. I relucktantly checked my Gitzo tripod and RRS head and while everything was there when I opened my suitcase they had opened it both on departure and return flight. It stands to reason that someone is probably going to open your suitcase, you just hope it someone honest and careful.

Matthew Saville

richy wrote: »

Do they still put those little 'we tried on your underwear' cards in your case when it gets inspected?

Well the last time I got one of those cards, that wasn't the exact wording, but yes. ;-)

=Matt=