Carry on Bag for FS7 and A7R

cjwolff

cjwolff

Well-known member
I'm going to be traveling soon and need to stuff a disassembled stock fs7 and a7rii body with a MacBook Pro in a carry on bag. I will be checking in batteries and miller carbon tripod. I will likely use one lens for the entire shoot. Does anyone have any suggestions for possibly a portabrace backpack or other bag that wouldn't set off the gate folks? I'm having a tough time figuring this out.

Thank you,
christopher.
 
Traveling where and by what means? Those little commuter jets don't have any overhead space and international travel can pose similar issues. If those aren't risks then use a carry-on size bag (22x14x8) and make sure you get on early enough to have access to bin space. Flight with multiple legs pose a risk because you can be late for a connecting flight and get on just in time to have to have your bag stowed by an airline that sends it to the baggage carousel. I don't recall what happened to Petrol but they always had some nice lightweight gear. Porta-Brace makes some hard shell cases that are much lighter than most and you could slap a lock on it if you had to hand it over to be gate checked. A solution for commuter jets is a small backpack that will fit under the seat - not the ones with all the padding, just wrap the equipment.
 
In the past I was able to get a FS-100, rail components, and a small DSLR in a Pelican 1510 case to travel with. It was super snug, but it worked and never gave me a problem on any airline. In fact I would often carry on two of these and never had a problem on any flights. A few dirty looks maybe, but I'm sorry camera gear gets a pass vs another passengers dirty undies in a giant rolling bag.
 
Last edited:
I like both of these ideas. Robmneilson, Did you just pick and pluck foam or wrap the components like J Michael suggested? I will be traveling to China.

Thanks,
Christopher
 
It seems like the Pelican overnight 1510 case with the laptop sleeve plus the 1515 divider set might just do the trick!?
 
If your sure you can get your bag onboard consider Think Tank's "International" rolling case. My FS7, 4x batteries, 2x chargers, EF-16-35mm, EF 24-105mm, & lens adapters, live inside the roller, but it's a tight fit. A pair of GH4(s), & other lenses, go into a medium-sized backpack. A MacBook Pro typically goes into the backpack, but there is a un-padded slot on the front of the ThinkTank for a laptop too.

Depending on your package it might all fit in the roller. My International case had been used for other cameras before being repurposed for the FS7 & I have extra dividers from other ThinkTanks, so I don't know how well the stock dividers will work for you, or not.

IMO ThinkTank makes the very best rolling camera cases & my International has been all around the globe, but it does not provide enough protection if it get's checked. On a couple of occasions I've had to send the cameras home as luggage & put the roller inside a larger Pelican, but wouldn't work that way normally.

Don't put your camera batteries in your luggage! It's dangerous & illegal.

https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/more_info/?hazmat=7

Also note there are weight limits as well as size limits, & these vary by carrier. You'll almost certainly be overweight, but less so with a Think Tank then a Pelican.

http://www.newsshooter.com/2015/08/19/dont-fly-anywhere-with-kit-until-youve-read-this/
 
There is a product called a lens wrap that I've used for my large format lenses. If you need something larger a scuba shop can custom make just about anything you need in neoprene.
 
J Michael said:
There is a product called a lens wrap that I've used for my large format lenses. If you need something larger a scuba shop can custom make just about anything you need in neoprene.
Click to expand...

AWESOME thought! I just bought a neoprene sleeve for my new macbook pro. I think we're close to a solution! Thanks!
 
For the backpack route the fstop stuff is great I have been using a satori BC for about 4 years now, flown many flights as carry on, and if you get hassled at check in for some reason you can just pull the ICU out of the backpack and still carry all your camera gear and just check the bag. I think the backpack solution seems to get by the eyes of the airlines for spot checks on weight easier than a rolling bag as well. For rolling bags I agree on the think tank international as mentioned above. it's a great set up as well.

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top