Airline Carry-on recommendations

[phillybob]

I like my hard case just in case I am made to check it.

 

[Gilligan]

Not to be redundant but it all depends on where you are flying too and on which airline.

For example, when I leave Manila for Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines they weigh my carry-on as well as my check-in luggage.

25 pounds is the limit on the 1 carry-on regardless of whether or not it fits in the overhead or under the seat. So if you have a 40 pound carry-on bag you better be prepared to check it in.

Best to check in advance (online) for the baggage limits on each airline you are traveling on so as not to be surprised at the counter.

 

[zahner]

Not to be redundant but it all depends on where you are flying too and on which airline.

For example, when I leave Manila for Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines they weigh my carry-on as well as my check-in luggage.

25 pounds is the limit on the 1 carry-on regardless of whether or not it fits in the overhead or under the seat. So if you have a 40 pound carry-on bag you better be prepared to check it in.

Best to check in advance (online) for the baggage limits on each airline you are traveling on so as not to be surprised at the counter.

that's a good point. most of my travel is on Delta between the Caribbean and NYC and there is no weight restriction for carry on baggage (yet :depressed: ). So I got something that would fit maximum gear in a easy to transport, carry on legal size. Priorities may shift for future travel.

 

[MdkSniper]

Check out the Pelican 1510. It is the maximum carry-on size allowed by the FAA and its on sale right now from amazon for $113 shipped.

Amazon.com: Pelican 1510 Case with Foam (Black): Camera & Photo

 

[-hh]

Okay, the snow shoveling is done for awhile (self + two retired neighbors, plus a friend with a healing shoulder).

We use the Think Tank bags, and most of that will fit fine. The problem will be the dome port. Put that inside your wetsuit in your dive gear.
Bill

Just took a quick look; this one looks pretty promising to me.

Check out the Pelican 1510. It is the maximum carry-on size allowed by the FAA and its on sale right now from amazon for $113 shipped.

The Pelican's interior dimensions are 19.75" x 11.00" x 7.60".

For both/any, I understand the suggestions of putting 'overflow' into the dive gear bag, but I generally try to limit that to a drybox with tools/liquids, since as soon as one starts to split stuff up, something invariably gets left behind.

Also, my dive gear bad is now a "non-hardsided" rolling duffle (LL Bean) to cut down on parasitic weight, so protection (crushing) also becomes a bit of a concern.


-hh

 

[MdkSniper]

Just took a quick look; this one looks pretty promising to me.

Check out the Pelican 1510. It is the maximum carry-on size allowed by the FAA and its on sale right now from amazon for $113 shipped.

The Pelican's interior dimensions are 19.75" x 11.00" x 7.60".

-hh

Just a note, even though amazon has a fantastic deal on this case. It is not supposed to ship for another month or so. I know because I ordered this case two days ago.

 

[anferney]

I have a Pelican 1510 and I love it, but it weighs 5kgs when empty! With my gear loaded it's pushing well over 10kgs. I've flown with it a few times and avoided checking it in even though it exceed the limit for most airlines. It's only a matter of time before I'm forced to check it in.

I'm not really worried about my stuff being damaged because this case really feels indestructable. The problem is that it screams "valuable goods inside" and I would be very surprised if it turned up safely on the other side... even two good locks aren't going to stop a determined person.

 

[jbb]

Not to be redundant but it all depends on where you are flying too and on which airline.

For example, when I leave Manila for Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines they weigh my carry-on as well as my check-in luggage.

25 pounds is the limit on the 1 carry-on regardless of whether or not it fits in the overhead or under the seat. So if you have a 40 pound carry-on bag you better be prepared to check it in.

Best to check in advance (online) for the baggage limits on each airline you are traveling on so as not to be surprised at the counter.

That's interesting because when I fly EVA out of Seattle they will weigh my carry-on and must be 10k or 22lbs or less. They always weight the check-on. But when I fly back out of Manila they really haven't bothered with the carry-on. So when I leave the states I use a travel vest. I don't wear it because it kinda looks ridiculous instead folding it over my arm. It keeps the "carry-on" at legal limit and then i repack before i get on the plane.

You can also look at the allowances of different ticket classes. EVA has a Deluxe Economy that I believe has an additional bag allowance or heavier bag allowance but of course it's about $4-500 more. Read their fine print as camera bags may be considered separate from the carry-on bag.

 

[-hh]

As a quick follow-up (in case I forget later), I made up a mock-up out of a cardboard box and did some test-packing (borrowed foam dividers from the old camera bags laying around).

The template that I tried was the interior dimensions of the Think Tank "international" bag, which I found to have been 'mostly adequate' for my pile-o-gear. Since it did fall a bit short, I checked a few websites and found the airline carry-on restrictions for the airlines, and found that all the ones that I expect to be using over the next few years permit a 45" total / 22" length carry-on, which means that the slightly larger Think Tank "Airport Security" bag would be OK, so I've ordered that ..

Hopefully by the end of the month, I'll have received the bag and have conducted a real test pack and have this all solved. Bug me to post photos


-hh

 

[Mike Sea Hunt Fan]

I just made a trip to Nassau on Spirit Airlines and had two items to carry on, a backpack ( the personal item) with the camera and essentials ( dive computers, dive mask, bathing suit, tooth brush ) and a Pelican 1510 with wheels for a Sea & Sea housing and dome port and 2 strobes ( the "carry on" ) . The first problem was the gate agent announced that since this was a connecting flight, there would not be room for ANY carry on bags, only what you could put under the your seat! They asked everyone to check their carry on at the gate. I had a quite discussion with the senior gate agent which got me through, and I did find room in the overhead but you need to always be ready to hand over the carry on, especially if you are at the end of the line.

On the other hand, the only problem with TSA Security was when my wife went through security while I parked the SUV, I forgot to tell her about the floatation arms in her carry on and she did not have a good explanation for the inspector!! I had the product description page from the Ultra Light web site with me, next time I will put it with the arms. Fortunately she did get through.

And be sure to register all the expensive stuff with US Customs BEFORE you leave the country. You can do this ahead of time at a local Customs office using Customs Form 4457 which you can get at their web site. Call the office to make sure someone is available before going, at some offices you need to make an appointment.

Sometimes I use a larger hard case that does not look like it has camera equipment in it for my video housing and lights and check it in.

Conclusion, I use the hard case Pelican with two locks and insure the heck out of everything just in case. I still need to check the floatation arms for the strobes with my other dive gear if I am traveling alone. I fly every week for work and the rules change at the gate all the time, on vacation I find the air travel very challenging! Delta is my first choice as well but I don’t know how I will manage if I ever go really remote!!