Nature Photography and Travel By Air

[bob_royse]

Sorry for the typo above. Make that t-shiRts! :)

[pete_su]

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Carry on luggage is a pain in the butt. To put things in perspective, I travel with my wife, who uses a wheelchair, all the time. We have to let the chair go down into the plain most of the time. This is her only mode of transport, and much more of pain to lose than some piece of camera equipment. It generally works out OK.

 

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In fact, I almost prefer to travel with her, even with the chair being such a hassle, because at least i get to get on the plane first and i don't have to figure out how to get my small briefcase carry-on into the overhead around all the garment bags, bags as big as a chest of drawers, stereo boxes, bags carrying artic expedition gear, golf bags, and long lens bags (kidding!) that are already up there. I don't see how the flight attendents deal with all the crap that people carry on.

[pete_su]

Just to clarify, I always prefer to travel with my wife... I meant that sometimes its easier than going myself from a logistical point of view. Heh.

[mark___1]

I always thought it would be of great benefit if someone compiled a list of the carryon regulations of all the major airlines. If someone has such a list, it would be wonderful if you could post it. Otherwise, I may begin a little research and do it myself...

 

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Being avid nature photographer and a scuba diver... I am very concerned, amongst the rest of you, over the carryon regulations...

 

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Mark

[bobatkins]

I think that so many airlines are revising their carry-on rules right

now that any list would be out of date pretty fast. You should check

with the airline concerned ahead of time, then again a couple of days before you fly.

 

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If airlines start to count photo-vests as carry on luggage, maybe

those "cargo pants" with lots of extra pockets will become the

fashion item of the day for travelling photographers?

 

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If anyone does develop a list of carry-on regulations, I'd be

happy to put it on the main photo.net nature web page so it

doesn't get lost here in the Q&A forum. At least it would be

a place to start from, though calling the airline involved

would still be the only way to know for sure what the current

restrictions are.

 

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See <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/carryon.html">http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/carryon.html</a>

[bobatkins]

See also the photo.net nature article <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/carryon.html">http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/carryon.html</a> and the comments on it.

[karl_fiegenschuh]

What I have done successfully several times on Northwest is to pack my camera gear into one of the carry-on rolling suitcases similar to ones flight attendants use. I holds a stuffed Orion AW, film, shaving kit and extra shoes. And no one has ever hassled me.

[gerry_kruschenske]

I am a pilot with an airline in Canada and I agree wholehartedly about

restricting carry-ons. If you park a 60 lb pack in the overhead bin and you

get a rough landing or turbulence, it could come tumbling down on someones

head and hurt them seriously. These bins are stressed for only so much load

and the allowance varies from aircraft type to aircraft type. An overloaded

bin with a sudden stop or "G" force can make it into a deadly projectile!

When a Flight Attendant asks you to stow it elsewhere...do what she

asks...her job is safety...your safety and everyone elses. Also , their

primary job is to evacuate your butt off an aircraft in an emergency, that

is why they are there....not for your coffee..although that is what the

public thinks and has come to expect. I would ask you to respect them for

what their TRUE purpose is....they are highly trained in this area.

 

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I am also a wildlife photographer so I am also concerned about getting my

stuff there in one piece.

 

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Arthur Morris was the first to bring up weight restriction which was

neglected in your chart. Don't forget to check on weight restrictions for

carry-ons with the Airline you are flying on! Air Canada is 22 lbs, which

when you fill your Lowe Pro will be way beyond that weight especially with

long lenses. Air Canada at Toronto Int'l is very sticky on this rule and

you won't go throught without a let from the manager...but their hands are

also tied somewhat with Transport Canada Regulations (CARS), it seems that

at other airports , they don't check as close (my experience). I use a

Scope Pack for my long lens and camera bodies...but have to be careful of

weight (22lbs)! The rest goes into a rubbermade case with locks and straps

that I have added. I also pad the interior with foam and duct tape the

outside around the lid and locks. I only put small items in here that I

feel can take more pounding and it doesn't look like camera

equipment...mark it fragile and check it in with Special Services for

careful handling. A photo vest is another way just to carry those fragile

camera bodies.

 

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Gerry Kruschenske

Wildlife and Nature Photography

[steve_thompson]

After returning from a resent trip to Florida via North West airlinesI thought it could be helpful to share what I learned from the experience. I purchased my ticket months ahead of time. Between the time I contracted to take this trip and my departure they tightened the carry on rules further. The Lowe Pro Pro Trekker Back pack I own would not qualify for carry on under the new rules. I tried to contact the Air line ahead of time and see if I could get a special permission for my pack. They were less than sympathetic. The night before departure I put most of the items I planned to take in my old camera bag which provided less protection for my gear. I did recall in talking to the air line reps. That one carry one was allowed, not to exceed 9 by 14 inches and 22 inches in length. In addition one brief case was allowed, I put my Ball head and all my film in my brief case and bodies, lenses and other gear in my old bag.

 

I am happy to report all went well with exception of my checked bags containing my tripod arriving home about 24 hours later than I. I did notice on the homeward leg of my trip many violations of the carry on rules. What to do? I suspect we all have to decide this for our self. For me I think my future travel plans will be trips I can do by car and not give the air lines any more of my dollars.

[cowan stark]

I'm headed to Florida shortly too and hope to do my share of photography, but I'm also probably going to ship my equipment in bits and pieces. I have a Tamrac 787, which when loaded will be tough to make the new restrictions. Unfortunately the manufacturers give only internal dimensions for their product which doesn't help us as the size of the bags depends on how stuffed they are. While I agree with Gerry about the safety issues, the airlines have quietly been cramming more seats into the planes to maximize profit (or decrease loss), and this is at the expense of the carry-on allowance. Have you noticed how little elbow room you have lately? I would be happy to check my camera equipment if I was assured of careful handling and the airlines acceptance of responsibility, but that ain't gonna happen. Just so that you're not feeling left out, I'm a guitarist and try getting a fragile $2000 instrument safely on a plane. The same discussions are going through that newsgroup also. One person hung his Stratocaster in a garment bag and did just fine!

 

Cowan

[andres_morya_hinojosa_egum]

What is the problem to travel carry on with Pelican bags on planes under your legs?

Where I live, Chile, when you travel for example to Patagonia you and the LowePro Trekker ( even coverer ) can get wet very soon.That's why I decided to bought a Pelican bag. That's work for me well on South America. Sorry guys, my English is not very good.

[lester_laforce]

In August 1998, Richard Stum, of Kinesis Photo Gear (manufacture of modular photo belt systems) posted an <a href="http://www.kinesisgear.com/survey.html">Airline Baggage Carry-on Survey </a> (airlines at Denver Int'l AP) -- included are links to the airlines in the survey (those w/Web sites).

[stan_farrow2]

Seems to me that everything has changed since September 11. Does anybody have any recent experience of air travel with carry on photo gear? What about experiences with film too - are airlines insisting this is placed in the hold of aircraft where it is subjected to stronger X-ray examination? Although Scotland, my home country, is beautiful I would hate my photography to become limited to the places I can reach by car.

 

Stan Farrow