TSA and batteries

marikris · February 24, 2011

I have a quadra that I plan to bring to a wedding in another state, and while I have a ton of Eneloops, my main concern is that they will not let me carry or check in my battery pack. Have you ever flown with a portable pack before? I was at the tsa website, and they say to keep the batteries on your carry on and not checked in, however, I recall a photographer in another forum talking about his AAs being thrown away when he tried to carry it in. And that makes me worry about my quadra.

Thoughts? Appreciate your help!

Matthew Saville · February 24, 2011

Nahh, I've carried on TONS of AA batteries and they never care. My bag is so packed with stuff, they don't even notice when I forget to take out the *highly flammable* lens cleaning liquid.

I would however be hesitant to bring on a giant battery pack, because they DO have rules against large lithium ion batteries now. I believe you are allowed to bring only ONE, which may be enough for you.

When all else fails, ship it! Whenever I travel for weddings, I at least ship BACK a separate hard drive of all the images, if I can't get a copy of the best ~150 shots online before heading home.

=Matt=

aj986s · February 24, 2011

Another option would be to consider shipping some of your stuff directly to wherever you're staying. Most hotels are cooperative about receiving your stuff if you have a reservation and they know its coming by UPS, FedEx, etc. If you plan/pack with a strategy, you can ship enough so that you only have your carry-on items to handle when you travel.

heatherfeather · February 24, 2011

^ Yep, you should be fine with your AAs... I just got back from Israel and carried on a container filled with about 50 disposable AAs... and while they did have to dig through them a bit, they let them on just fine, even in Turkey (Where the security was quite a bit more picky. They make TSA look like saints, haha. ).

Matthew Saville · February 25, 2011

aj986s wrote: »

Another option would be to consider shipping some of your stuff directly to wherever you're staying. Most hotels are cooperative about receiving your stuff if you have a reservation and they know its coming by UPS, FedEx, etc. If you plan/pack with a strategy, you can ship enough so that you only have your carry-on items to handle when you travel.

I wonder if I could ship an entire suitcase of clothes and misc. gear for less than that stupid extra fee they charge for checking bags at airlines? Probably not... Oh well!

aj986s · February 25, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I wonder if I could ship an entire suitcase of clothes and misc. gear for less than that stupid extra fee they charge for checking bags at airlines? Probably not... Oh well!

I guess it depends upon how you pack. But if you're traveling with something questionable, its worth considering. I like being able to get off a plane with only carry-on luggage, and head straight out the door.

marikris · February 26, 2011

Well, thank you guys soooo much for the shipping tip. I am definitely going to do that in the morning. Thank goodness for Priority Mail, should get there by the 4th. My hotel charges a package fee depending on how heavy (like $5/2-15 lbs) but it's not a big deal.

I'll be putting in a couple of flashes and maybe 2 stands, eneloops, and stuffing it full of clothes for padding. I think I'll not bring the quadra this time, since it may be overkill. I have the vagabond mini as well, and I've been chomping at the bit with it and my dream of walking around with the ABR800. Oh well lol. Darn.

Jeff_Milo · March 1, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I wonder if I could ship an entire suitcase of clothes and misc. gear for less than that stupid extra fee they charge for checking bags at airlines? Probably not... Oh well!

The last destinatiuon wedding I shot I shipped everything except the camera and lenses which I carried on. Cost me $60 to ship everything back & forth, where it would have cost $150 - $200 to check it in on the plane.

TSA and batteries

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