Flying do's and don'ts ?

twocik23

twocik23

Veteran
Possibly flying to China, Taiwan, & Korea soon and was curious to know the grey areas on what's not allowed on the plane as a carry on ? Reason I ask instead of searching is because I know the list of rules frequently changes... Calling tomorrow, but thought I'd get a jump start on it tonight... Wanting to travel with the following in one carry on, think I'm ok ?



Canon 7D + 3 lenses
Macbook Pro
Zoom H4n
Shoulder Rig
and the normal wires, filters, etc..



As for my MBP HD, Canon 7D compact flash drives & my Zoom h4n SD/SDHC Cards are these ok thru the Xray machines/whatever other devices they make us walk through ?





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I stopped by korea on the way year last May and changing aircraft we went thru another inspection and I didnt have problems carrying those. I had my camera backpack as carry on and it had 2 DSLRs, a mattebox, several lenses, batteries, chargers etc. no problem getting thru.
 
Those places they'll now pull you off the queues to jam a thermometer behind your ear and if it registers high, you get to go in another room for flu checks.

Recommend you limit the sauce if it blows you up too much.

Cheers.
 
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You should be fine with the gear. I never check my camera or laptop; they're always carry-on. Just make sure that lens cleaner is in your checked baggage.
 
- Check how many lithium batteries you can carry-on or check (with TSA and the airlines).

- Be sure the carry-on bag doesn't exceed total measured dimensions (airlines).

- Have a great trip!
 
I went home from Germany earlier this year and was in a hurry to catch the flight with a backpack stuffed to the teeth with cameras, lenses, cables, microphones, wireless transmitters and God know what. Ofcourse they wanted me to open the bag and checked everything with explosive detectors and pulled all the lenses out and took a peek through. Luckily I passed and the flight was delayed so I didn't miss it. I'm always expecting them to look. Usually when going through security check point I have to take camera and sometimes lenses out of the bag but so far no one has stopped me. Just keep sharp things out of the hand luggage and you're good.
 
If you're like me, you bring hardware and tools along with your shoulder rig to make modifications in the field. Make sure all your multi-tools, screwdrivers, and anything else sharp are not in your bag. Also, the tip about lens cleaner is true, but you can get away with it if its under 3 ounces and in a separate ziplock bag.
 
I have a complete shoulder rig which needs to be taken apart and of course it looks dangerous to anyone that isn't in our field. I'm curious should I just keep the rig together to show them what it does or take it apart ? I'm afraid to put it in with my luggage at the belly of the plane due to the trolls that like to steal from our suitcases or just my luck they'll lose my bag.

My fiancee thinks I'm asking for trouble and wanted to know how some of you are traveling with this type of gear and have you ever been held back from flying ?
 
If I were you, I would check the shoulder rig. Pipes and wires are going to raise alarms, even though they're benign, whether disassembled or not. You can try contacting the TSA directly and tell them exactly what you would want to bring in your carry-on, but even if the person on the phone says yes, the agents at the checkpoint make the ultimate call. What might sound like a harmless 15mm rod on the phone can be construed as a weapon to an agent at the station.

There's always a certain risk you take putting your gear down under the wing. The more connections, throughs, or transfers you make, the more chances there are for that bag to get lost, too. But if you're flying direct, it's an incredibly minimal chance that it could get lost. Also, if possible, use a solid flight case like a pelican.

Check with your airline and see if you can secure a special service for your bag, like a fragile sticker, which you have to pay for but can hold the airline more accountable for damages or loss.
 
It would be nice if I could get one of them on the phone... I think I'm going to the airport today just to check.
 
I suspect that you're much more likely to run into trouble pointing the camera at things of which the authorities don't approve, than you will for bringing the equipment along...
 
I have never had a problem carrying on a full rig. I fly thru LAX and JFK... so-called terrorism "target cities". No one has ever batted an eyelash at my gear.

Jordan Scott Price said:
If I were you, I would check the shoulder rig. Pipes and wires are going to raise alarms, even though they're benign, whether disassembled or not. You can try contacting the TSA directly and tell them exactly what you would want to bring in your carry-on, but even if the person on the phone says yes, the agents at the checkpoint make the ultimate call. What might sound like a harmless 15mm rod on the phone can be construed as a weapon to an agent at the station.

There's always a certain risk you take putting your gear down under the wing. The more connections, throughs, or transfers you make, the more chances there are for that bag to get lost, too. But if you're flying direct, it's an incredibly minimal chance that it could get lost. Also, if possible, use a solid flight case like a pelican.

Check with your airline and see if you can secure a special service for your bag, like a fragile sticker, which you have to pay for but can hold the airline more accountable for damages or loss.
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It's my first time traveling light and not driving a 10 ton grip truck of crap. I was losing sleep over this lol You guys are awesome, thank you !!
 
AlexMacP said:
I have never had a problem carrying on a full rig. I fly thru LAX and JFK... so-called terrorism "target cities". No one has ever batted an eyelash at my gear.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear!

Although, you have to remember, it is always the TSA agents who make the decisions. They do allow you to make arrangements, though, in the case what you are carrying on is considered unsafe. You can jump out of line and mail your stuff to yourself for usually a decent price.
 
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