How to travel with gear

[DiveDocMD]

I would like to survey the forum followers regarding how they travel with their gear. I've just entered the dSLR world and, expectedly, find the gear takes up considerably more space. I've got a pelican case to keep everything secure.

What are some of the ways you carry all the gear? Anyone check their photo equipment? Any hassles from the airline for carry-on size? Any particular hints or warnings?

Thanks for weighing in.

L

 

[tajkd]

I carry my camera, computer and regs on along with a few clothes. Check two bags, distribute dive gear between both. I almost always get my carry-on inspected but never a problem with the size. I use a combination rolling laptop case with extra space for camera stuff. I'm not sure your pelican case will be appropriate for carry-on.

 

[TheSmoothDome]

I pack my U/W stuff, ie, housing, strobes, ports, sync cords, etc., in a Pelican 1610 case that goes in checked baggage. My camera body (bodies), lenses, laptop, external hard drives, go carry on with me in a Lowpro Computrekker backpack. Fully loaded, the backpack weighs in around 35 pounds, but meets the carry on requirements in terms of size. So far no one has called me on the weight .

 

[bvanant]

My wife and I both use a Think Tank backpack to take housing, camera, lens, ports and a single strobe for me, she shoots video. This is (or used to be) carry on so that if bags got delayed we both could shoot something using rental dive gear. We also have a big Storm case (much lighter than the equivalent Pelican version) that has her video lights, extra strobes, batteries and chargers, tools etc. Each of us has a dive bag with wetsuits, BC, regulators, masks etc. and we share a clothes/sundries bag.

Bill

 

[cim72lando]

A lot of good ideas in the replies so far. I travel internationally for my dive trips and usually don't have problems with meeting weight limits on checked-in luggage and carry-on. I make sure with the airlines web site what these limits are. It's the destination country's domestic flights that's usually the problem. In any case, I wear a multipocketed photographer's vest together with my carry-on. My 2 camera bodies, 1 macro lens, 1 zoom fisheye lens, camera housing, and 2 wrist dive computers go in to the carry-on. Most of these, can be transferred to the photographer's vest if needed depending on what the check-in agent is doing. The vest obviously becomes very bulky when filled but I never was asked to weigh my vest. My laptop goes to its own bag. (I sometimes just bring my Epson multimedia viewer to store/review my images instead of my laptop.)
I try to equally devide the remaining items to the the 2 checked-in luggage, to minimize the possibility of not being able to use my camera rig at all if one of my luggage does not arrive on time. For example, each luggage will have (at least) one of the strobes, one of the ports, one of the sync cords, one of the chargers for camera or strobe, one set of arms/clamps, one of the dive masks, etc. This way I could take photos with a single strobe, if needed.

 

[Scotttyd]

How I travel:
Just got a storm 2300 case - put my housing, lenses, strobe and some small odds and ends (cables, memory cards). Hopefully this will work as my "personal item" You shooting with DSLR - this won't work - you'll likely have too much and have to have a dedicated carry on.
In my carry on I have two sets of regs (wife and I), computers and camera body in soft case along with t-shirts, etc.
Wife carries the laptop as her personal item and has a carry one with clothes.

All dive gear and remaining clothes goes in two checked bags.

 

[Snorkelator]

I am using an explorer hard case (same as pelican cases but way cheaper) for my photo equipment (camera, strobe, Arm, UW housing) and transport on boat (the whole camera set up just fits into the case).

 

[LeoS]

What do you guys think about this:

Amazon.com: Plano Molding 1819 XXL Wheeled Storage Box: Home Improvement

It's airline approved, lock-able, wheeled, big enough for 2 divers, all plastic construction.. no rust risks.

 

[Becca_007]

For checked bags size is never the issue for us; weight is the problem. We have the hard luggage by ScubaPro which makes me very comfortable checking my gear. I only worry about being over that 50lb/bag limit. The underwater housings are to bulky to carry-on and the luggage is so protected that we just check them. The camera bodies, lenses, video camera, laptops, and dive computers will be carried on. I'm not sure about the regulators yet but since space is an issue they will probably go in the checked bags as well.

 

[DiveDocMD]

Thanks to everyone for their input and insight. I'm planning to check my pelican case with housing, port and strobe since it is so well protected. I usually carry on my camera and computer with a Tamron backpack carrier that holds all of that gear. My second carryon is a double regulator bag that has room for my point and shoot housing and a book.

We'll each have a check dive equipment bag and then one large rolling duffel with clothers, etc.