[LargeFormat] Hand Luggage UK Airports - Suggestions?

[Brock Nanson]

I've found that domestic travel regulations are generally less 
restrictive that international regs.  Traveling internationally with 
camera gear, I've found that you hit the weight restriction before you 
exceed the dimensions.  Now all that *must* travel in the cabin with me 
is the film.  Almost everything else goes into the hold, but I do have a 
rider on my home insurance to cover the gear!  I used to carry a LowePro 
Photo Trekker AW on board.  It would meet the dimensions if you squeezed 
it some.  Never had a problem until a ticket agent at the Air New 
Zealand counter in Sydney or Auckland or Brisbane (don't recall exactly) 
saw my wife trying to lift the bag while I put the passports away.  He 
decided it should be weighed, and guess what... it was a tad high.  The 
solution?  He gave me one of those red, white and blue coarse nylon duty 
free bags with the primitive zipper on the top - and had me load my 
80-200 2.8 nikkor and a couple of other chunks of Nikon glass into the 
bag loose.  Then I had two bags that met the weight requirement. ;-)

The Lowe bag fit the overhead tightly.  You had to know how to do it, 
and it didn't fall out if the bin opened up, especially with that 
netting above.  The agent's explanation for the weight limit was 
'safety'.  If the bag is too heavy and flys around the cabin during 
turbulence, someone could be injured.  I didn't ask what would happen if 
someone go beaned by the 80-200 without padding in that silly nylon bag 
(which would have easily come out of the overhead compartment!)...

Needless to say, I thanked the agent, collected out boarding passes, 
then went around the corner and repacked my bag.

My suggestion is to find a bag system that meets your requirements, not 
the airline's.  Make sure the equipment is insured, then pack it as best 
you can for the hold.  Last year I packed my 35mm gear into a pelican 
case, then squeezed that into a LowePro Super Trekker.  Used real 
padlocks and everything arrived intact.  Film went with me, as did my 
Super Graphic with a GG protector.  Had it been necessary, I could have 
taken the SG apart and carried just the GG back.

Brock


Clive Warren wrote:
> I am looking for a good bag to carry LF kit for air travel.
>