Camera gear as hand baggage on transatlantic flight?

Valentia

Rumus could probably andwer this as he is of galavanting at the moment.

Can I bring my camera gear as hand luggage to New York? Smallish rucksack with SLR and a few lenses.

Alun

Had no problems at all with my Slingshot 200 on a total of 6 separate flights last week -- dSLR plus 3 lenses, batteries, charger etc. about 4.2 kg in all. Might be best to check on the maximum dimensions and weight on the airline's website though .. it seems that pretty much every airline has subtly different criteria these days, so you'll have to conform to the lowest common denominator if you're using more than one airline. The only place I had a slight problem was in Stockholm where my 3 spare batteries apparently looked a bit 'funny' on the X-ray machine

tallaghtoutlaws

Valentia wrote:

Rumus could probably andwer this as he is of galavanting at the moment.

Can I bring my camera gear as hand luggage to New York? Smallish rucksack with SLR and a few lenses.

Yes I would say. I have always and with no problems.

Valentia

Alun wrote:

a total of 6 separate flights last week

Jazus you must be knackered

Thanks for that. Great news. It's Aer Lingus both ways, if they are not on strike. I plan for the bag to be fuller on the way back!;)

FreeAnd..

What about Computrekker + 5d (5 or 6 lenses and flash + accessories) + laptop. Any chance of getting that stuff through as one piece? Not sure how the latest changes will afftect it. Rymus, you reccommended the Computrekker, did you go on many flights with it fully loaded? Suppose I can always separate things out to get through security...

Alun

FreeAnd.. wrote:

What about Computrekker + 5d (5 or 6 lenses and flash + accessories) + laptop. Any chance of getting that stuff through as one piece? Not sure how the latest changes will afftect it. Rymus, you reccommended the Computrekker, did you go on many flights with it fully loaded? Suppose I can always separate things out to get through security...

Note that on some of the routes through Heathrow, and I suspect other major UK airports too, they're rigidly enforcing the "one piece of hand baggage" rule these days. The missus travelled to Denver the other day via Chicago and back to Heathrow with overnight bag + laptop + handbag with no problems at all, but had to check in both her overnight bag and her laptop to get back to Dublin as her handbag was classed as one piece of hand baggage (this was through the Transit security route). When she got on the plane, other passengers who had just gone through 'normal' security were coming on board with the usual oversized overnight bag plus laptop .. go figure!

There's also the weight limit to deal with, I guess a 5D + 5 lenses and a laptop would tip the scales at well over the usual 5kg limit.

mikeanywhere

I took all my camera gear & lenses with me as hand luggage. It was not an issue at all and wasnt questioned once.

Have fun!!

Ruu_Old

You should be fine, enjoy New York. Wrap up and keep warm.

JMcL

You should be fine. If you're pushing the 6kg limit, and are worried about getting some checkin attendant on a bad hair day, wear a coat with a nice deep pocket and put something in that until you get through checkin. You can always put it back in your back immediately afterwards (so long as it doesn't make the bag too big and thus send some anal security droid on a bad hair day off on a power trip).

Slightly off-topic, or at least off direction. If anybody's ever flying to France with Air France/****ty Jet, don't try to push the limits on hand baggage. Because they use tiny, pokey planes that Ryanair would've been ashamed of in the early '90s, they take an awful lot of "cabin baggage" from you at the foot of the steps and put it in the hold, cue a field day for any thieving scumbag in bagage handling. They could tell you about this at checkin and give you time to be prepared for it, but of course they don't - you're put on the spot at the bottom of the plane steps with a queue of people behind you. My wife has had money stolen from her bag because of this, so a nice shiny DSLR, and a few L lenses would make for happy times! Soft bags seem better, I've got a Lowepro minitrekker past them, but hard sided standard cabin baggage will be taken. Always.

rymus

you'll be grand.. just watch the weight limit. I brought my computrekker plus which was right on the weight limit on a european and then a transatlantic flight. Gonna be bringing it on an internal flight (boston to Montreal) tomorrow with no worries... even though it's now got the extra weight of a laptop in it. I woudlnt worry about it... unless your bag is bigger than a computrekker

magicbastarder

if you're carrying film, take it out before putting your bag through, and only place it in the xray machine till your camera bag has passed through.

Valentia

Thanks everyone for your replies.

magicbastarder wrote:

if you're carrying film, take it out before putting your bag through, and only place it in the xray machine till your camera bag has passed through.

1. It's digital.

2. The second bit has me totally confused. Are you recommending that film is put through the x-ray machine seperate from the camera?? Why? X-rays dont generally have any effect on film unless it is a high ISO (800 0r above)

magicbastarder

because if you leave it in the camera bag, there's usually enough gubbins in the camera bag for the x-ray operator to pause the belt with the bag in the machine (as has happened me - they ended up opening my bag to see what the cable release was once) and try to figure out everything that's in the bag. if the film is in the bag too, and you've got fast film in there, it can cause problems.

but if you separate the film, and let the camera bag go through first, there's less chance the film will end up sitting stationary inside the machine being studied.

it was a travel photographer who originally gave me this tip.

FreeAnd..

Originally posted by Rymus

you'll be grand.. just watch the weight limit. I brought my computrekker plus which was right on the weight limit on a european and then a transatlantic flight. Gonna be bringing it on an internal flight (boston to Montreal) tomorrow with no worries... even though it's now got the extra weight of a laptop in it. I woudlnt worry about it... unless your bag is bigger than a computrekker

Nice one, havent got the bag yet but planning to over the next few months before we head off. Teid out the computrekker in gunns and it seems ideal so ill more than likely go for that. Not sure what the weight will be but i can always hang the camera around the neck with the heaviest lens until i get through security I suppose. Thanks,

Dave

Dara Robinson

My camera is always hand luggage when I fly. They dont call them throwers for nothing

rymus

spotted a few guys with pelican 1510 cases in the airport in Boston last night actually... set the ol' mind pondering. Either that for max protection, or a rolling computrekker to take the strain of the back. Must be getting old...