Travelling tips

MFstooges · Dec 27, 2019

Sorry if this thread doesn't fit here please move it.
I just want to know what travel tips do you have to transport your gear.
I recently almost missed my flight because the X-ray guy decided to hold my bag and gave notification just when I was about to board the plane. I was forced to go back and open my bag and take out my Nikon speedlight. It seems in this age of lithium batteries they don't care much about alkalines.
This is problem for cheap ass traveller like me who fly economy. I can't bring all my gear to the cabin without exceeding carry-on weight limit.

jtk · Dec 27, 2019

Digital.

BAC1967 · Dec 27, 2019

Lithium batteries have caused fires on planes, they have strict rules on them. Even shipping them by air can get you a huge fine if they exceed a certain size and are not packaged and labeled properly.

AgX · Dec 27, 2019

BAC1967 said:
Lithium batteries have caused fires on planes, they have strict rules on them.

The fire hazard applies on Lithium-Ion batteries not on the Lithium-metal cells to replace classic, small batteries.
However airlines seem to include the latter too.

BradS · Dec 27, 2019

I used to fly a lot for work. Always brought a camera. Pretty much always let it go through the x-ray machine with my carry-on. Never had a problem.
The only tip I can offer is to arrive at the airport early...when flying out a major metro airport (SFO, LAX, DFW, etc...) I would arrive as much as three hours (!) prior to my scheduled flight time. Some airports, like OAK and SLC seem to have bursts of activity...in other words, at a certain time of the day, the line a t the TSA check point is pretty short and a half hour later its 30-45 minutes long.

Arrive early. Know and follow the rules. Be happy, smile and just try keep keep it positive and professional....TSA seem happy to give angry assholes the full treatment that they deserve.

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 27, 2019

jtk said:
Digital.

The original post is more about traveling with batteries than traveling with film. Maybe the solution is analogue in this case.

jtk · Dec 27, 2019

David A. Goldfarb said:
The original post is more about traveling with batteries than traveling with film. Maybe the solution is analogue in this case.

Read again...his problem isnt with cameras, it's with flashguns, which are rarely a concern for digital as 1600 is more than acceptable for many applications with modern digital cameras.

AgX · Dec 27, 2019

If this is about Lithium primary cells (non-rechargable), which by now also are available at 1.5V, in classic shapes, then just substitute them for Alkalines.

For Lithium-Ion batteries the only use that comes to my mind are mobile studio flashes.

removed account4 · Dec 27, 2019

BradS said:
Arrive early. Know and follow the rules. Be happy, smile and just try keep keep it positive and professional....TSA seem happy to give angry assholes the full treatment that they deserve.

great advice !

european airports usually don't hand inspect, the scanners don't bother anything iso800 or lower be happy to give a demo if you get a person who has never seen film i had someone a few years ago who had never seen 35mm film.. and a bunch of years before that my graflex slr went through and it looked kind of scary when it scanned so when they too 2 steps back when i opened the camera bag i gave a demo, had them look through the ground glass everyone was happy.

jtk said:
Read again...his problem isnt with cameras, it's with flashguns, which are rarely a concern for digital as 1600 is more than acceptable for many applications with modern digital cameras.

airport security has been keeping tabs on a lot of different things even 30+years ago. should have seen the security person's face when they looked at a mini polaroid spectra tripod in its case, or one of those phone-beeper-to-listen-to-answering-machine devices..

back then just like today brad s's advice reign's supreme !

MFstooges · Dec 27, 2019

Sorry if I wasn't very clear. My questions is how do you allocate the gear between carry-on and checked. I prefer to include as many in my carry-on because checked baggage risks theft and rough handling. But with limited weight for carry-on, I have to put less important gear in the checked baggage. Film or digital I still carry speedlight. Problem is that airport security don't care if it's older type of speedlight with non lithium they just don't want electronics in the checked baggage.

Sirius Glass · Dec 27, 2019

If you are really pressed for space or weight for carry on, put the lenses in the baggage but always carry on the camera, film, film backs and now flash/strobes.

AgX · Dec 27, 2019

Haven't you just given the answer yourself?

MFstooges said:
I have to put less important gear in the checked baggage. ... they just don't want electronics in the checked baggage.

You have thus these 2 criterias to fulfill. Thus all electronics out, and then the most valuabe stuff out too.
Then weigh your stuff and if necessary rearrange for weight.

Wallendo · Dec 27, 2019

I travel with a CPAP machine, so I always have a carry-on bag, even if I have to pay for it. I’ll generally put a dSLR and loaded 35mm camera in this bag and will carry another camera as a personal item. Film of course gets carried on. I will put a backup unloaded 35mm and any specialty equipment in checked baggage.

My experience is that cameras that look like cameras don’t cause screening issues. For flashes and accessories, I would remove the batteries and place in checked luggage.

Sirius Glass · Dec 27, 2019

Wallendo said:
I travel with a CPAP machine, so I always have a carry-on bag, even if I have to pay for it. I’ll generally put a dSLR and loaded 35mm camera in this bag and will carry another camera as a personal item. Film of course gets carried on. I will put a backup unloaded 35mm and any specialty equipment in checked baggage.

My experience is that cameras that look like cameras don’t cause screening issues. For flashes and accessories, I would remove the batteries and place in checked luggage.

The CPAP is a medical device and its size, weight and volume are not included in the carry-on restrictions nor is it counted as carry-on.

Alan Edward Klein · Dec 27, 2019

Can you put the battery in your checked baggage?

MFstooges · Dec 27, 2019

Wallendo said:
I travel with a CPAP machine, so I always have a carry-on bag, even if I have to pay for it. I’ll generally put a dSLR and loaded 35mm camera in this bag and will carry another camera as a personal item. Film of course gets carried on. I will put a backup unloaded 35mm and any specialty equipment in checked baggage.

My experience is that cameras that look like cameras don’t cause screening issues. For flashes and accessories, I would remove the batteries and place in checked luggage.

Does the X-ray guy care if the batteries are removed? I mean can they actually see it on their machine?
Thought weightwise it still doesn't help to reduce carry-on weight if I include the alkalines in my carry-on bag.

BradS · Dec 27, 2019

MFstooges said:
Sorry if I wasn't very clear. My questions is how do you allocate the gear between carry-on and checked. I prefer to include as many in my carry-on because checked baggage risks theft and rough handling. But with limited weight for carry-on, I have to put less important gear in the checked baggage. Film or digital I still carry speedlight. Problem is that airport security don't care if it's older type of speedlight with non lithium they just don't want electronics in the checked baggage.

Where are you that they’re checking and enforcing the weight of your carryon bag?

And.... jeeeez, how much gear are you carrying? I’ve seen people wheelie luggage bags that must weigh 30-40 pounds easy. Non issue as long as it fits in the little cube thingy at the gate.

if you really feel you must bring a shit ton of gear with you , maybe it’s time to invest in a large pelican case and put most of that gear in checked baggage.

MFstooges · Dec 28, 2019

BradS said:
Where are you that they’re checking and enforcing the weight of your carryon bag?

And.... jeeeez, how much gear are you carrying? I’ve seen people wheelie luggage bags that must weigh 30-40 pounds easy. Non issue as long as it fits in the little cube thingy at the gate.

if you really feel you must bring a shit ton of gear with you , maybe it’s time to invest in a large pelican case and put most of that gear in checked baggage.

I brought one a6000 + kit lens, one spare battery and charger, one micro 55 + adapter, couple smartphones plus charger + 10 AH power bank, netbook plus charger, light jacket and personal hygiene stuff in my carry-on. Not much in my opinion. With flash and batteries it can exceed 7kg of the budget airline limit. My film camera+lens is even heavier.

You'd think they never enforce the weight? Come here to SE Asia, you'll know

guangong · Dec 28, 2019

As for international travel, jtk has the answer: digital.
You haven’t experience hassle until you go through security with an all mechanical 16mm movie camera. They are too young to know about such things. More than once supervisor had to be called. Solutiin...arrive a little earlier.

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 28, 2019

I usually carry the camera, lenses and film on. If I’m shooting large format, I check the unloaded filmholders and accessories that don’t fit in the carryon.

If you’re the kind of photographer who always uses a strobe, then leaving it at home and using natural light doesn’t seem like a viable option, whether shooting digital or film. In that case, use a strobe that takes AA batteries that can be purchased anywhere in the world.

MFstooges · Dec 28, 2019

guangong said:
As for international travel, jtk has the answer: digital.
You haven’t experience hassle until you go through security with an all mechanical 16mm movie camera. They are too young to know about such things. More than once supervisor had to be called. Solutiin...arrive a little earlier.

My A6000 is a digital camera

wiltw · Dec 28, 2019

BradS said:
Where are you that they’re checking and enforcing the weight of your carryon bag?

And.... jeeeez, how much gear are you carrying? I’ve seen people wheelie luggage bags that must weigh 30-40 pounds easy. Non issue as long as it fits in the little cube thingy at the gate.

if you really feel you must bring a shit ton of gear with you , maybe it’s time to invest in a large pelican case and put most of that gear in checked baggage.

Those who only fly within the continental US are accustomed to the very generous (I think 'too generous') allowances for carry-on by US carriers.
But fly outside the US and a carry-on weight limit of 7.5Kg is often commonly enforced. On a flight from SFO to New Zealand, I had to transfer some of the weight (camera gear) to my checked luggage, while at the check in counter...until my carry-on was within 0.5Kg of the carry-on wieght limit!

Wallendo · Dec 28, 2019

MFstooges said:
Does the X-ray guy care if the batteries are removed? I mean can they actually see it on their machine?
Thought weightwise it still doesn't help to reduce carry-on weight if I include the alkalines in my carry-on bag.

I worry that the battery may be suspected to be Lithium and increase the chances of my luggage being opened and inspected. I don't have any proof of that though.

mooseontheloose · Dec 28, 2019

I travel with film all the time and, like you, am limited not so much by size, but by weight, for carry-on. In my carry-on I usually carry my Rolleiflex, Nikon FE + 2 primes, and film needed for the trip, which is often 50-100 rolls, depending on how long I am travelling for. If I am only allowed one bag then my phone, iPad mini, noise-cancelling headphones, any and all batteries, and important documents/wallet also have to go in there too. I am almost always at 7-10kg with this basic set-up. I also now travel with a photographer's vest in case I need to off-load some gear (especially film, which is surprisingly heavy when you have a lot of it!), since many airlines are so strict with carry-on luggage weight. Since I can't fit anything else in my carry-on, I always have to travel with a checked bag, which will have my tripod, all other photo accessories (cable release, filters, etc), my Holga and/or pinhole camera, and very rarely a flash (without batteries). No batteries whatsoever in checked luggage, it doesn't matter what kind.

TheRook · Dec 30, 2019

MFstooges said:
Sorry if I wasn't very clear. My questions is how do you allocate the gear between carry-on and checked. I prefer to include as many in my carry-on because checked baggage risks theft and rough handling. But with limited weight for carry-on, I have to put less important gear in the checked baggage. Film or digital I still carry speedlight. Problem is that airport security don't care if it's older type of speedlight with non lithium they just don't want electronics in the checked baggage.

Get an inexpensive speed light for the trip and put it in the checked luggage. Make sure to wrap clothing around it so that it will likely survive rough handling off the luggage. Leave your good speed light at home.

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