Carry on bag for tech camera

[bomzi]

I recently took a flight from Delhi to Dhaka on assignment and had to argue with the ground staff over both the weight and size of my carry on bag. I had a Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 with the following:
- Arca Swiss RM3DI
- SK 35 and 72
- 4 batteries
- viewfinder, cables etc
- laser range finder
- Phase One P45+
- Canon 6D
- 24 TS-E
- 24-100 F4
- SSD hard drive
- filters

and a messenger bag with
- 13" laptop
- ipad
- noise cancelling headphones
- water bottle
- passport etc

The Think Tank bag alone weighs about 6kg and the airline limit for hand carry is 7kg. Also, the bag looks like it's too big even though it matches the airline's max allowable dimensions.

I got lucky this time but I think it would be a mistake to think that I'll get away with it everytime.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm sure people are flying with lots of heavy gear which can't be checked in.

Thanks!
Randhir

 

[dchew]

This is one of the main reasons why I prefer a removable protective soft case like the f-stop ICUs. You can remove them, check the bag/backpack and carry on just the valuable stuff.

Think Tank is now making some sizes, as are other companies.

Dave

 

[drunkenspyder]

I recently took a flight from Delhi to Dhaka on assignment and had to argue with the ground staff over both the weight and size of my carry on bag. I had a Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 with the following:
- Arca Swiss RM3DI
- SK 35 and 72
- 4 batteries
- viewfinder, cables etc
- laser range finder
- Phase One P45+
- Canon 6D
- 24 TS-E
- 24-100 F4
- SSD hard drive
- filters

and a messenger bag with
- 13" laptop
- ipad
- noise cancelling headphones
- water bottle
- passport etc

The Think Tank bag alone weighs about 6kg and the airline limit for hand carry is 7kg. Also, the bag looks like it's too big even though it matches the airline's max allowable dimensions.

I got lucky this time but I think it would be a mistake to think that I'll get away with it everytime.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm sure people are flying with lots of heavy gear which can't be checked in.

Thanks!
Randhir

Randhir, this is a never-ending battle. I do my best to plan for biz class, but even so, some connections into remote areas don't have room, and some airlines are notorious for enforcing strict weight limits. For example, Air New Zealand between mainland US and NZ was fine with my nuclear orange Pelican roll aboard that easily weighs 15kg full [heck, it weighs 3kg empty!], but domestic ANZ wouldn't even listen to me. They sent me back outside the secure zone, made me check it and sign a waiver that they weren't responsible if they destroyed it. SwissAir will weigh it, even here in the States at SFO and then give it an exemption tag so I can roll it on board. Delta, United, and American are no problem. Neither was British Airways, and I have been able to roll aboard a small regional jet in Africa. Just depends. If I need to be less noticeable, I use the Shimoda roll aboard, which looks much more like regular carry-on luggage. But I generally like the fact that the Orange/Lime Pelican is more noticeable; because it is more easily seen on video cameras, it is less likely to be pilfered behind the scenes. it also has stickers all over it, including this one:

​

Depending on the trip, I've set myself up similarly to Dave. Normally, I carry a Peak Designs Everyday 20L or 30L, because they don't scream "expensive photo gear inside," and they are very comfortable. Sometimes my Shimoda 40L unless it is flattened in my checked luggage. My backpack has my extra change of clothes and small top kit in case I get stranded, and room for the IQ4.150 and/or whatever the essential gear I am traveling with is. My Pelican has locks on both latches and a wrap-around buckle strap, so that even if it gets dropped and latches fail, what's inside stays inside. The idea is that, if airline personnel force me to check the Pelican, I can transfer whatever is indispensable to my backpack and be "okay." And, of course, insurance.

P.S. The Phase guys once said: "Just check it. We ship our stuff all over the world in Pelican-type cases. How do you think it gets to your dealer?" They had a good point, but it doesn't address the use/need case of requiring that equipment at your destination. All the insurance in the world can't necessarily get your equipment replaced in remote locations in time. But their point is still a valid one. Since December of 2018, I have checked bodies and lenses, mostly on return trips over a dozen times, and have not had one bit of damage. Knock on wood. But never my Phase DB.

 

[Shashin]

I use an Osprey Farpoint 40 with inserts and pouches. This has a Pentax 645D and four lenses from 35mm to 300mm plus odds and ends.

Naturally, the size thing is easier than the weight thing. So far, I have never been checked for weight.

 

[paulgrundy]

everytime[/I].

Does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm sure people are flying with lots of heavy gear which can't be checked in.

Thanks!
Randhir

British Airways are no longer the great airline they once were but they do still allow 23kg of hand luggage. So worth considering if they fly your route.

Paul

 

[John_McMaster]

EasyJet also do not limit hand-luggage weight - travelled with +20kg more than once..

john

 

[MrSmith]

I have the same bag but also a Thinktank airport accelerator, I put all the expensive stuff in that (Actus/3 digitars/ A7R’s/MacBook/batteries etc) I even have space for elinchrom ranger pack and batteries. The tripod with head off, cables/ chargers etc in the roller case for the hold. If I fly BA my club card means it’s not an issue to take the roller case in the cabin.

I find the backpack gets less attention and on busy flights where roller bags are getting tagged for the hold I just go up to the gate desk without showing the bag on my back and smile when handing over boarding pass and passport, never had a problem. The backpack weighs a ton! but looks smaller than all the carry on cases.
That said I always carry a canvas tote bag in case I need the fill my pockets with lenses and have a smaller bag with the other gear chucked in, this has never happened though.
Also the Li-ion batteries cannot go in the hold so if they ever tag my bag for the hold I will inform them this is against their airlines policy and that of IATA, pull out the pdf guideline for my batteries and airworthiness certificate for them, again never had to do this but if I do I expect them to wave me on through.

 

[Pelorus]

I'm with Dave on this - use ICUs. A strict implementation of the rules will see almost anything that you are carrying sent to the hold. My friend visited on Friday - he was on an epic trip which included London-Toronto-Sydney-Melbourne-Hobart-Melbourne then points onward. His cabin baggage consisted of a roll on bag, bigger than I'd use for a fortnight and nearly un-liftable, a 15 litre backpack which was chocka, and a tote bag with 10kg of books. His hold luggage was un-liftable - literally. He'd never been challenged.

However at near every airport I've ever been there's the dreaded IATA cabin baggage gauge thingy. If staff used it and a pair of scales religiously the cabin would be remarkably empty. So you have to plan for someone having a bad day. That's where ICUs come in. Have the important stuff in them and if you get nailed, remove the ICUs and carry them.

There are two other situations where you will get nailed: Aircraft like a Saab 340 have overheads that are simply too small for the stuff people try to carry on and there's nowhere else for it to go. More importantly are high density altitude or constrained take off distance available. I have seen whole aircraft loads where every passenger and every item of hand carry was weighed and lots and lots of stuff was left "for the next flight". One example was a Regional Express Flight at Merimbula NSW - hardly the boonies. Having flown into and out of similar locales I have every sympathy for the pilots who often personally supervise this activity.

Finally I've always found leaving stuff at home makes any travel - business or pleasure - easier and happier. Do you really need x or y?

 

[Mexecutioner]

I have been able to board the plane with all my gear every time. There was only one time I was challenged when flying Quantas from LAX to Sydney. I had read that the allowance for carry-on weight was 8kg and many of the reviews said it was strictly enforced. My camera bag was 20kg. I have a little scale at home to weigh suitcases and bags and there was simply no way I could bring the way down. I had 2 bodies, T/S lenses and some other primes, filters, my 15" laptop and some hard drives, batteries, etc.

So what I ended up doing was wearing my Domke photo vest and cargo pants and headed to the airport. At the gate they asked me to put my backpack on the scale and they told me it was too heavy and I had to check it in. I then proceeded to stuff the Domke vest with the camera bodies and a couple lenses and put batteries and other things in my pants until I got the backpack down to 7kg. They certainly didn't find it amusing but I was then in compliance. Once I got to my seat I put the stuff back into the backpack, put it into the overhead bin and enjoyed my flight.

I may resort to that strategy in the future, however now with the ICU's the situation is a bit different and even while they don't offer a lot of padding I think the gear would be safe. They look small enough to not be questioned that much.

 

[rsinclair]

I recently took a flight from Delhi to Dhaka on assignment and had to argue with the ground staff over both the weight and size of my carry on bag. I had a Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 with the following:

and a messenger bag with

Does anyone have suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm sure people are flying with lots of heavy gear which can't be checked in.

Thanks!
Randhir

Hello Randhir,

Earlier this year I had no problem traveling from US to Argentina carrying on the Think Tank First Light 40L backpack w/ the kit full and similar to yours (P1 back, Arca Rm3, some lenses, X1D and Canon 1Dsr bodies) + a messenger bag w/ more stuff, BUT intra-country from BA to San Martin de los Andes was a different matter. The desk checked the weight of everything and said No Way. Thankfully some mates with me took some in their carry ons. Of course the silly part is, the in-cabin weight didn't change.

I appreciate your post b/c I have a month-long shoot in a very distant and remote place early next year and have already been working with the ground people there on what they have so I can minimize my load (like they have Pelicans for our in-country travel).

When flying, my backs always stay with me as close as my passport. The most important (expensive) lenses stay w/ me and sometimes some bodies get checked. I always carry on a complete combination (back/body/lens) to shoot with in case checked bags get delayed (or lost) in transit, and this generally includes having a light tripod and head carried on as well.

I guess prioritizing the value of the gear and the need to have something to work with, and then go from there, is my method. I will compliment the Think Tank First Light (I don't have any connection to the company other than being a customer) for its sturdiness as a backpack for tech cams, and its nice to carry on the back. There may be some truth to the idea that backpacks don't get the same level of scrutiny by the airline agents, but in BA they don't discriminate and weigh everything!

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/collections/firstlight-series/products/firstlight-40l

Cheers,
Robert

 

[Eric Mansour]

Thanks for making this timely thread, this very evening I was looking for tech cam backpacks for a trip to SEA. Short answer - there’s nothing specifically made for tech cam users. The form factor isn’t something they design for. Especially if you’re trying to keep one built while you’re hiking or whatever.

I’ve posted before about my experiences (read: issues) flying all over the world and having a carry-on that is 20kg+

Assume you will get popped by security every time and have a backup plan. Like Mexecutioner said - Pockets, a jacket, an extra tote bag hidden in your kit - anything. I’ve had a reusable grocery bag with 100k worth of gear in it on an Aer Lingus connection with a particularly ruthless gate agent.

She was muttering “how rude” at me as I was scrambling to decide what of my hard to replace gear could get checked and what I’d carry. Getting caught out like that is an awful experience, and enough to make you rethink your airline choices.

Many domestic flights in the US aren’t a problem, regional flights really can be - but not for weight, simply for physical size of the bins. International/Non-US originating flights, or non-major hubs are almost always going to scrutinize. Or rather, I act like they will. The things to think about before you book and while at the gate are - what size is the airline, what type of plane are you flying, what boarding group are you, do you have status on the airline, is anyone flying with you, does your bag look heavy, does your bag scream equipment, do you have anything protruding or hanging off (tripod), is there someone watching/weighing, is there someone with bigger stuff around you (they don’t often pop multiple people at once)

Anyhow, I’ve flown around the world with the Think Tank Airport International V2.0 and loved it as a roller. If you can just use a roller and pack a backpack in your checked luggage, life can be easy. Think tank makes excellent everything, can highly recommend.


As for their backpacks, I’m testing the Airport Essentials, Photocross 15, and the Backlight 26l for different applications. The ICUs that other manufacturers make are great for anything but a tech cam, let alone a built tech cam for you to use in the field. I’ve found for my Rm3di, that very few have the depth to handle it vertically, and laying it down flat leaves a lot of unused space in the vertical plane. Also depends on what lens you have sitting on it. I still haven’t found a backpack solution to a fully built tech cam with an IQ on back and a 23mm Rodie on front. I’ve emailed manufacturers for custom solutions to no avail. We’re a really small market. There used to be a guy who made/modified backpacks under the name Renaissance Photo Tech. But he went out of biz some years ago.

The decision is ultimately predicated on your uses for the gear. The manufacturers to look at are Think Tank, F-Stop, Peak Design, NYA-EVO(partnered with phase but only catered to the XF, may change with the XT.

To a lesser extent - Tenba, Lowepro, Shimoda, PacSafe(cube)

My solution at the moment is a roller as carry on for domestic, and a daypack packed in my checked luggage. International, small pack for carryon with the essentials at 7-8kg, and larger daypack I’m checked luggage.

Good luck, hope you share what you find

 

[Pelorus]

Great post Eric,

I use an Alpa STC, with stitch/tripod mounts on the bottom and one side and a wooden grip on the other side, together with a Credo 50 and an Apo Helvetar 48. That all goes into an F-Stop Pro Small ICU!! That in turn goes into an Ortlieb Atrack - the 25 litre one, with room to spare for chargers, cables, jacket, book etc. The Atrack is 100% waterproof to IP67, it has a single back opening zip and is infinitely easier to use than the F-Stop Ajna it has replaced. And as I also just found out a GFX 50R and the two zooms also goes in a small pro ICU.

Fits within a strict interpretation of the carry on sizes and rules.

When you get to your destination the Atrack has a great attachment system (accessory) which attaches a tripod or whatever.

[snip] The ICUs that other manufacturers make are great for anything but a tech cam, let alone a built tech cam for you to use in the field. I’ve found for my Rm3di, that very few have the depth to handle it vertically, and laying it down flat leaves a lot of unused space in the vertical plane. Also depends on what lens you have sitting on it. I still haven’t found a backpack solution to a fully built tech cam with an IQ on back and a 23mm Rodie on front. I’ve emailed manufacturers for custom solutions to no avail. We’re a really small market. There used to be a guy who made/modified backpacks under the name Renaissance Photo Tech. But he went out of biz some years ago.

[snip]

 

[dchew]

Here is an ICU example. The pack is not a photo backpack, but the ICU is the f-stop Small-Pro that Pelorus mentioned above. If necessary, I just pull out the ICU, install the removable foam lid (which doubles as a lens flag), zip it up and I'm ready. All the valuable/necessary stuff is in the ICU. Four lenses, camera, DB, spare batteries, etc.

Dave

 

[dave.gt]

Dave,

Nice organization! I am looking for a couple of small first aid kits... which one is that pictured in your backpack?

 

[dchew]

Dave,

Nice organization! I am looking for a couple of small first aid kits... which one is that pictured in your backpack?

Ha! it's not... It is a repurposed soft cloth bag that came with some "Swiss Army" do-hicky; can't even remember what it was originally. It is a bag with a drawstring like what comes with sunglasses these days. I put the Alpa 17mm adapter in there that is used with my sk90 and sk150. The adapter goes in that bag, then on top of the sk150. Keeps that delicate paint/coating on the inside of the adapter from getting scratched up.

Dave

Edit Off-Topic: Dave, this might be a good place to start your search: REI First Aid Kits.

 

[dave.gt]

Ha! it's not... It is a repurposed soft cloth bag that came with some "Swiss Army" do-hicky; can't even remember what it was originally. It is a bag with a drawstring like what comes with sunglasses these days. I put the Alpa 17mm adapter in there that is used with my sk90 and sk150. The adapter goes in that bag, then on top of the sk150. Keeps that delicate paint/coating on the inside of the adapter from getting scratched up.

Dave

Edit Off-Topic: Dave, this might be a good place to start your search: REI First Aid Kits.

Had me fooled there, Dave!:ROTFL:

I will continue looking for a "customizable" first aid kit that will carry only what specialty items we need, small but efficient. REI has some that may fit the spaces I have in mind. Thanks!

 

[vjbelle]

I tried the F-Stop Ajna and came to the conclusion it was too large. I'm sure it would be challenged on shorter flights. I usually use a ThinkTank Airport Essential but found it a little small so I bought the Airport Commuter which is perfect. It adds extra depth which works out really well for my setup. The entire backpack weights in at less than 18 lbs which is doable for me.

I'm sure an F-Stop large pro ICU would fit but I would lose a little bit of space.

Victor

 

[bomzi]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I think the trick is to start with a bag that looks like it is smaller than the airlines requirements. The Think Tank Security is a great bag (I've been using mine for 8 years or so) but it is 55cm long which looks quite big. A smaller bag may not invite further scrutiny in the first place. Usually, the check in agent looks at the bag and decides visually if it will fit or not and only later do they ask for it to be weighed.

The second line of defence may be ICU's and maybe a messenger type bag that can take valuable gear in a pinch. And I can probably pack a little better.

Generally I try not to put anything too valuable in my suitcase although the tripod and head does go in there. (Airport security around India tend to get worried by tripods. They even made me remove allen wrenches once.) The suitcase is a hideous fluorescent blue which can be spotted from a mile away. Also, its quite beat up with gorilla tape holding some bits together and it has a decent lock. All in all, it doesn't look like its worth stealing. I am looking to switch to one of those hard suitcases at some point soon.

I could really use one of those "I love baggage handlers" stickers!

 

[drunkenspyder]

I could really use one of those "I love baggage handlers" stickers!

Amazon is your friend.

 

[drunkenspyder]

I tried the F-Stop Ajna and came to the conclusion it was too large. I'm sure it would be challenged on shorter flights. I usually use a ThinkTank Airport Essential but found it a little small so I bought the Airport Commuter which is perfect. It adds extra depth which works out really well for my setup. The entire backpack weights in at less than 18 lbs which is doable for me.

I'm sure an F-Stop large pro ICU would fit but I would lose a little bit of space.

Victor

Victor, I was pretty jazzed to see this photo and description. So, I promptly checked it out on the Think Tank site, and then went to Amazon, which politely informed me that I had bought this bag on October 8, 2013! That was when I was shooting a Canon crop DSLR. I also recall that, at least for a couple of trips, I tried it with the folding roller as well [due to some surgeries, I can only backpack for a limited period of time, and for some reason, I really dislike backpacking in airports].I cannot remember why I found it unsatisfactory. But I plan to dig it out of storage and check it out.