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Frequent Fliers

wjlapier

Member
I'm sure some of you fly often and carry on baggage. I have a question. My daughter and I are flying to Tucson this month for a softball camp. Checking her bat bag, but we want to carry on some bags. Typically, how many bags can you carry on? We each have a small bag for change of clothes. She has a small satchel type purse for her camera, itouch and a few other things. I'd like to bring my Domke F 803 so I can bring iPad and two cameras. Can I bring the F 803 and put it under my feet? Sorry about the noob question, but I haven't flown since 1999!

Thanx. Bill
 
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BCMielke

Guest
The other option is to especially in the winter months is to add a coat and carry items in it as well. I do that with camera gear quite often.
 

BANKER1

Member
For some time I was worried about flying with MFD equipment thinking that a surly flight attendant might insist on placing my camera bag in the luggage compartment. Since then I have flown several times. I have found that if the camera bag will fit under the seat in front of you, it will be no problem. So you can carry on one bag if it will fit in the overhead compartment and another bag that will fit under the seat in front of you. My camera case is a backpack that makes it comfortable when hiking through airports (or National parks, for that matter).

My backup plan would have been to take the camera and lens and carry it around my neck. Then I would have held one lens in my hand and let my wife put another lens in her purse. At that point I could give them the bag and let them do whatever they wanted with the miscellaneous remaining equipment. None of the remaining equipment in the bag would be subject to damage from cold or jostling. Thankfully I never had to revert to this plan.

Greg
 
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ItsReallyDarren

Guest
It might be difficult to find but airlines list the carry on limits for passengers. I usually fly with one carrier who allows (1) carry on bag and (1) personal carry on bag. My carry on bag is a medium sized duffel bag, and my personal bag is my Domke F-803. I have always been allowed to place my F-803 under my seat.

Even with a duffel bag and an F-803 its usually less than what most passengers carryon!
 

BANKER1

Member
It might be difficult to find but airlines list the carry on limits for passengers. I usually fly with one carrier who allows (1) carry on bag and (1) personal carry on bag. My carry on bag is a medium sized duffel bag, and my personal bag is my Domke F-803. I have always been allowed to place my F-803 under my seat.

Even with a duffel bag and an F-803 its usually less than what most passengers carryon!
Yes, I should have said to check each airline. Their websites usually give the maximum size and number of bags allowed to be carried onto the aircraft. At times the flight is so full that they start requiring carry on bags to be checked and put into the baggage compartment. The trick is to make sure that the bag they ask you to check is NOT the camera case. Most times the camera case is the smaller of the two, and they will ask you to stow the larger one.

Greg
 

Lars

Active member
Related to this subject, everybody keep in mind that regulations in Europe and Australia are stricter and often strictly enforced.

I find that an overweight rollaboard is much less suspicicous WRT weight limit than something you actually carry in your hand or over your shoulder. I've gotten away with a 20 kg carry-on on a European flight where the limit is 10 kgs. Though some airlines, notably Ryanair, now see checked luggage as a revenue stream and require all carry-on bags to be weighed.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Air Asia, a leading low cost carrier in Asia with a carry-on limit of 7kg (plus one laptop computer) is very lenient with regards to the weight of camera bags. On my last trip, I witnessed a photographer who was refused to check in his bag, apparently because the airline won't have the hassle that arises if (when) the bag is stolen. Checked-in camera gear is mostly not covered by travel insurance.

I often use a Think Tank Airport Addicted when traveling. It rooms four compact studio strobes, two or three camera bodies and a few lenses and it fits exactly within most airline's size requirement. Filled up, it's rather heavy though, at up to 25kg, but I just keep in on my back, trying desperately to look relaxed :D
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
The other thing to consider with respect to carry on is what type of plane you'll be flying on. In many cases when you fly in to a regional airport or at certain times of the day you may have to travel on a regional jet which has a lot less storage capacity for your bags. These typically have very restricted overhead space that has limited height and so it is important that your primary camera bag either guarantee to fit overhead or under the seat in front. For larger aircraft it isn't a problem so long as you're on the plane early enough.
 
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