Long trip to Ireland - Ship camera gear?

[ken davis]

Hi folks,

 

I'm planning a three-week trip to Ireland (and possibly Scottland) with my wife

in May. We're both avid photographers and therefore carry a good amount of gear

when we're out.

 

I'm concerned about all I'm hearing with regards to carry-on restrictions and

camera gear and I've heard that shipping gear to your destination is an option.

What I'm planning to take is a complete Hasselblad 500CM kit with an 80mm,

40mm,and 150mm lens, an Xpan, and a Nikon kit including a F100 and lenses from

20-200. All together this fits in a Pelican case and weighs about 35 pounds.

 

Is this a fair and safe way to enjoy my gear in Ireland or should I look for

another route? UPS will ship insured but it's expensive. Are there

alternatives with with airlines? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Ken

 

PS Any Irish photo advice is also appreciated :-) Thanks!

[devoted]

I carry my gear with me on the plane each and every time. I don't trust it to shippers, as it

can take ages, is very dear, and stowing it in the hold isn't an option. I've never had any

problems taking all kit with me as hand luggage; no one in security has even batted an

eyelash.

[david_henderson]

You'd need to check with your airline what limits they impose on the size of carry-on baggage. Lately the emphasis seems to be on controlling the number of carry-on bags rather than their weight so if it passes muster on the size front and you can lift it into the overhead bins without needing help it should be OK. You then have to think about how you're going to manage film and other bits and pieces though. Its doubtful that you'll be allowed two carry-on bags. Will your wife be able to help with this or does she have her own stuff to carry too. A 35lb Pelicase is guaranteed to make your journey to the airport and around it a real pain. They may be solid but they are not easy to carry.

 

Or you could put it in the hold, on the basis that you probably have it insured. I've travelled with a Pelicase in the hold many times without any damage or theft, and I have to say its kind of liberating to fly with only a small light bag with rangefinder and film. Again there's something to check though because airlines are getting more determined to make money from excess baggage and you'll need to know your overall weight allowance.

 

The good thing about the Pelicase is of course that if at the airport they refuse to allow the Pelicase as carry-on then you can check it after taking any film out and applying your TSA friendly lock.

 

The final thing is that I hope you aren't planning to use the Pelicase to hold your stuff on the trip. They are solid, but mine weighs 10lb on its own and they are a nightmare to get around. You'll need to have a bag or two to carry your gear in a more sensible fashion once you're there. I get round this by having a Lowepro Omni Trekker which fits inside a Pelicase 1550. The Pelicase is used only for travelling and otherwise sits in the trunk of my hire car. If you don't have an arrangement like this have you thought about how you're going to get a carry-bag or two on your trip too. That's where the route of carrying a small bag with one little outfit and your film whilst checking the Pelicase comes into play.

[martin_howard1]

I travel from England to Ireland (Cork) quite a bit - hand luggage restrictions on UK flights have eased since the recent terrorist threats. I was forced to buy a pelicase when the restrictions were at there worst, however I now take a Lowepro nova shoulder bag as hand luggage - in this I get a Mamiya C330 + film, Canon 30D + 3 lenses, and various accessories.

 

As for tips for shooting in Ireland - head to the coast there are endless oppurtunities, don't rely on the weather though, its not called the emerald isle without good reason!

[stephen_w.]

"stowing it in the hold isn't an option."

 

How do you think all your fancy gear got to you from Germany, Japan..?

[ShunCheung]

Are you bringing all of the above equipment by yourself or it is for the two of you? If it is for two, you should be able to spread those between yourselves as carry on.

 

Shipping cameras will only add more complication, risking delay, loss and accidental damage to the equation.

[michaelging]

If you are flying in and out of London , then the new smaller bags will have to be used. I am sure your pelican bag is to big to go into the sizing racks the will make you try your bags in. I was there last summer when the restrictions started and was back there at Christmas when it was a nightmare of lines and people not being allowed to bring more than one bag each , and a purse counted for women. If you are going to bring the equipment you mentioned , I would break it up between you and your wife, and wrap the cameras and lenses in something like a t-shirt, and then put it in a soft flexible backpack. This seem to be the best way to carry the most gear and film. You can kind of squish the backpack into the rack, they use to check the bags, and being flexible it fills the space with the max amount of gear.

[r_scott_steube]

Some much depends not only which airline you will be flying, but from where to where you are flying and what class/program your tickets allow for carry-on/checked. For an expamle see British Airways: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/baggage.php . There is also Exess Baggage rules/fees: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagex/public/en_us . Finally, triple-check your insurance coverage and be realistic if you ought to take out a special travel/gear policy to cover your valuables... Good Luck!

[Roger G]

Be careful. Recently Continental let me take TWO pieces of hand baggage from the US to the UK, but only ONE piece on the return trip! One carry on bag restrictions are vigorously enforced in the UK [and probably in many other] airports. Size restrictions likewise. Remember regulations can change with little warning depending on perceived terrorist threat.

http://www.gatwick-airport-guide.co.uk/security.html

[tara_photography]

Ken have sent email to the one given to this site for you, note you may have changed now, please check.

[david_ferrie]

Ken,

 

Greetings from Ireland. You don't mention what route (direct to Ireland or via another country) you will be taking or which Airline you are using, both of which can have a bearing on your luggage allowance. For example Aer Lingus (Ireland's national airline) and British Airways have recently announced an increase in fees for luggage. My parents returned from the US last week (have a brother in TN)and they were allowed 3 pieces of check luggage each, this was with Delta direct to Dublin.

 

Also be aware that film can be much cheaper in the US than Ireland, BUT, I would strongly recommend that you don't put film in checked luggage as the amount of X-Ray examinations it could be subjected to enroute could lead to fogging.

 

Personally, when travelling to/from US I have used a Lowe Alphine backpack, which is airline hand luggage regulation size.

 

In relation to shipping with UPS/FEDEX, you would need to carefully examine this option before going with it. As you are travelling from outside the European Union, you need to be really sure that you won't be hit with custom charges, you will need paper work clearly showing that the goods are not for resale and only for temporary export from the US.

 

Finally, sorry for waffling, if you want to email me off-line with details of where you plan visiting in Ireland I will be able to suggest some locations,I actually run photo tours of Ireland so kinda know the place ;)

 

David

[klauscembike]

I live in Dublin and recently traveled from here to London and should warn you about high ASA film. Up to this point I've traveled with ASA3200 B&W film that I didn't check in but carried on my hand baggage. I showed to the guys in the x-rays and after looking at it just let me take it through. Now they don't care about how much you complain... everything goes into the belt and through the x-rays, so the chances of ruining the film are high. Just be aware. Buy it at your destination and try to have it developed before you go back to an airport. These squareheads just need any excuse to switch off their brain and make no exceptions.....

For process, Conn's cameras here in Dublin do a reasonable job at developing and there are some posts in photo.net pointing to pro labs here in Dub.

Also, although maybe it's too late for you, Ken, but avoid at all cost Heathrow. It has the worst security lines that I know. Just a nightmare to add to these day's increasingly humiliating travel experience.

 

By the way, anyone else knows of Dublin labs with good quality/service/knowledge without having to use pro-only lab? I'm on a budget, I shoot B&W and can't find many places where they accept it. Decent enlargements are a rip-off or simply not an option in most places.

Best of luck! this island is quite photogenic.