Two barely legal c/o items plus the dolly? My guess is that you'll be over the C/O limit. But you might want to visit the airline's website to see what their posted limits are and then nose around to see if you can find out how strict or liberal the airline tends to be. But even if things look promising,on the day/time you travel, you could get a little dictator. And if you are lucky going down, you could be unlucky coming back. Air travel really sucks these days. So you might want to have a Plan B. Could you repackage your stuff, including the 500 into one bag and lose the TTGT? Could you ship some stuff to FL? Get by with either the lapptop or the iPad but not both? Wear a vest to shove some stuff in and then repackage later? Traveling with someone who can take some of your stuff aboard? Be a ninja? Good luck.
As a frequent flyer I can report that as of last summer, you could drag just about anything into the cabin and 'as long as it fits - it ships'. The flight attendants no longer seem to give a shit. Now, in Europe its a different story where the Airlines are generally more professional and proper. On the other hand, they tend to be more accommodating but don’t tolerate any BS either.
Still, the suggestion of shipping indirect via FedEx or the like' is a good way to go if its affordable. I used to do that quite often when I could claim it on my expense report. Those days are over and I now fly 'pesant class'.
and remember, if you pass the airline hurdle, it's really up to the Totally Stupid Assholes who make decisions about what goes through "security" based upon their own burger-flipping experience, and they do this on the fly, in the moment, w/o regard to the airline regs, just because they can.
Im about to fly to Daytona next week, this will be around my 10th time flying with gear.
#1 rule I have - detach any lens from your camera body. Keep them separate. If anything happens and the bag falls or tips over, you risk much worse damage than if they're apart. I'll be flying with a 1D3, 50D, 35L, 12-24, 300 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 430ex, chargers, extra batteries, iPad, 14" laptop, all in my ThinkTank AirPort Ultralight backpack. It's heavy but it all fits in one bag which is well within their rules for carry-on items. I personally would NEVER EVER put lenses or camera bodies in checked luggage unless it was in a specifically molded pelican case, but those get heavy real fast. But of course I do put things like tripod heads, tripods, monopods, think tank belt systems, blablabla in my checked luggage somewhere stuffed in my suitcase.
I've just seen too many drenched (in a variety of fluids) suitcases come out onto the belt in baggage claim.
Oh and don't feel weird if after you go through the scanners they pull you aside and ask if they can look through your bag, I've even had to turn my cameras on, take a picture, and turn them off again. Plus they made me take a drink of my coffee I was holding that I just bought at the Dunkin Donuts 30 feet away
Will Patterson wrote:
Im about to fly to Daytona next week, this will be around my 10th time flying with gear.
#1 rule I have - detach any lens from your camera body. Keep them separate. If anything happens and the bag falls or tips over, you risk much worse damage than if they're apart. I'll be flying with a 1D3, 50D, 35L, 12-24, 300 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 430ex, chargers, extra batteries, iPad, 14" laptop, all in my ThinkTank AirPort Ultralight backpack. It's heavy but it all fits in one bag which is well within their rules for carry-on items. I personally would NEVER EVER put lenses or camera bodies in checked luggage unless it was in a specifically molded pelican case, but those get heavy real fast. But of course I do put things like tripod heads, tripods, monopods, think tank belt systems, blablabla in my checked luggage somewhere stuffed in my suitcase.
I've just seen too many drenched (in a variety of fluids) suitcases come out onto the belt in baggage claim.
Oh and don't feel weird if after you go through the scanners they pull you aside and ask if they can look through your bag, I've even had to turn my cameras on, take a picture, and turn them off again. Plus they made me take a drink of my coffee I was holding that I just bought at the Dunkin Donuts 10 feet away ...Show more →
Thanks Will.. Great info and help.. I planned on using my pelican 1514 as my carry on. I managed to get my 500, 1dmkIV and 3 other lenses in it and I will be putting my tripod and charger in my suitcase. I also have a backpack for my laptop which is small.. My pelican case weighs in at 33lbs so i'm under the weight limit..
Thanks again for everyones answers.. I leave in a week..
Kurt
I've never had any problems in the US if one bag fits in the overhead and the other under the seat. International flights have become more harrowing lately if you have photo gear.
Will Patterson wrote:
Im about to fly to Daytona next week, this will be around my 10th time flying with gear.
#1 rule I have - detach any lens from your camera body. Keep them separate. If anything happens and the bag falls or tips over, you risk much worse damage than if they're apart. I'll be flying with a 1D3, 50D, 35L, 12-24, 300 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 430ex, chargers, extra batteries, iPad, 14" laptop, all in my ThinkTank AirPort Ultralight backpack. It's heavy but it all fits in one bag which is well within their rules for carry-on items. I personally would NEVER EVER put lenses or camera bodies in checked luggage unless it was in a specifically molded pelican case, but those get heavy real fast. But of course I do put things like tripod heads, tripods, monopods, think tank belt systems, blablabla in my checked luggage somewhere stuffed in my suitcase.
I've just seen too many drenched (in a variety of fluids) suitcases come out onto the belt in baggage claim.
Oh and don't feel weird if after you go through the scanners they pull you aside and ask if they can look through your bag, I've even had to turn my cameras on, take a picture, and turn them off again. Plus they made me take a drink of my coffee I was holding that I just bought at the Dunkin Donuts 30 feet away ...Show more →
Another vote for the Airport Ultralight - I am amazed what you can fit into it and as well, it fits on any just about any aircraft:
I flew to FL from SFO last week, carried on a 500 f4, 100-400, 16-35, 1D4, 5D3, gitzo monopod, rrs head, and batteries, etc. - all in a Kiboko 30L. Also carried most the same gear to Panama. If you are also checking baggage, then definitely pack whatever non-fragile hardware (gimbal, ballhead..) you can in your checked bag.
The Kiboko fit easily in the overhead, but I'm sure it was over the weight limit, but they don't really check that. I can't recommend the bag enough for that purpose. Challenge is carrying it around as a backpack fully loaded is a bit of a strain.
Will Patterson wrote:
Thanks Will.. Great info and help.. I planned on using my pelican 1514 as my carry on. I managed to get my 500, 1dmkIV and 3 other lenses in it and I will be putting my tripod and charger in my suitcase. I also have a backpack for my laptop which is small.. My pelican case weighs in at 33lbs so i'm under the weight limit..
Thanks again for everyones answers.. I leave in a week..
Kurt
Keep in mind that at 33 pounds, you are OVER the official limit. The 50 pound limit is for checked baggage in U.S. (65 pounds generally for international). In most cases, 25 pounds is the official limit. That said, I've only been checked once and I've flown no less than 100 times with gear. I had a very full backpack and it was giving me fits. It was obvious the bag was heavy and I was called out for it. I was able to move a couple things into my "personal" item bag and talk my way through with the rest of it but it was close. Just know ahead of time that they could very well check your pelican and deny it as a carry on. Most likely they won't, because most attendants don't care.
When traveling with gear, give some extra thought to what you are bringing along. This is the time to re-think the "it would be nice to have" items. Scale down the kit as much as possible. Do you really need the iPad and the laptop? Do you really need six lenses (random number)? Do you really need 16 backup batteries?
Several people have mentioned the TT bags. I'm a big fan of their roller bags. Your shoulders will thank you and you will have more than enough room. The TT International is incredible unless you will be on a very small regional jet. In most cases I use the TT Airstream most often and love it. On the small side, but forces that thought process and fits on every tin can I've carried it on including some very small regional airlines in SE Asia. Not sure it would be big enough to fit the 500 though. Probably not, but you can with the International.
Good luck and enjoy the trip. Don't let the gear bog you down, let it accompany you.
so very true.