Taking camera gear to the States… advice please?

Alrighty, a couple more then…

When I have the lot processed I’ll stick them in their own post and add them to my website of course.

Hi Skyraider.

Please show your pics!

Thanks

Martin

Chris, thanks for the link. As it turned out my home insurance covered my stuff already, so I could make do with a rather basic travel insurance.

Lynn, the trip was a blast, I really enjoyed myself! Almost one full week of aircraft and more aircraft! 😀

I stayed over with a friend of mine there, and he took me around the various places. Originally it was the plan to start with watching A-10s in action on a shooting range, but weather cancelled that. Instead we spent two days in the USAF Museum, which is great. On Friday we attended the Mustang show and on Saturday we went to a big fly-in in Indiana in a Yak-52. Sunday on and over his local airfield, and I got aerobatic rides in the Yak as well as a Christen Eagle II. Especially the latter is an amazing plane! So small and responsive and a fantastic view through the all-clear canopy. Doing hammerheads in that thing beats any roller coaster ride hands down! 😎

Of course I made countless photos, and the system of taking a few big CF cards and burning DVDs in the evening worked really well. It was a good thing too that I took all camera gear in my hand luggage cause on the return trip my suitcase was missing (only to be delivered next day).

I have yet to go through all the thousands of photos I took, but here’s one teaser:

PS. Good thing burgers don’t taste nearly as good in the UK – I gained 5 pounds in those few days! :p

Skyraider 3D, how did your trip turn out? Well I hope….

Lynn

Bit of a quandry for anyone with lots of gear. Here is a link to this precise issue. Travel insurance, rider to homeowners policy, commercial coverage…all that stuff

http://photo.net/learn/insurance

Good luck, and let us know if you find a good deal. Hoping you never need to actually use the insurance!

Also, make doubly sure any gear is fully covered by adequate insurance – I suspect most “standard” travel insurance policies would not cover any photographic gear beyond a small snappy-digicam and a small memory card. DigiSLRs and lenses may well be beyond what many high-street travel policy providers would consider to be “typical” camera equipment 🙁

You are right Paul. I am having great trouble finding a travel insurance (either single trip or annual) that covers equipment for more than a few hundred quid.

Any recommendations?

Herman, I looked into these image tanks but am very reluctant to stick all my photos on a single device. Plus it’s additional weight. I found a couple of affordable and fast 8 GB cards, which will nicely complimant the 12 gigs I already have! 😀 In the evenings I’ll burn everything to DVD, and have my cards ready again for the next day, without worrying about charging batteries, etc, etc…

That was my first thought as well, but now I don’t want it other wise. Went to the states for 4 weeks end used it extensively. It did not fail me.

Chris, USAF Museum is on the menu, as well as this wonderful place: http://www.leebottom.com/

Pixman, I indeed have a good bag for that.

Herman, I looked into these image tanks but am very reluctant to stick all my photos on a single device. Plus it’s additional weight. I found a couple of affordable and fast 8 GB cards, which will nicely complimant the 12 gigs I already have! 😀 In the evenings I’ll burn everything to DVD, and have my cards ready again for the next day, without worrying about charging batteries, etc, etc…

Thanks for the tips, guys!

Who else is going, by the way?

I travelled back home from Gatwick to South Africa in July – had three bags with camera kit (pro photographer for a magazine) – the security guys nearly had a heart attack!!!! Got some leeway from them – had to pack kit into two bags in the end!!! My advice, take one bag, everything must fit in there! Have fun.

If you have a spare day to slip away from the Gathering and a rentacar, might pop down to the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, (near Dayton OH) as they have a wonderful collection. Being that you will be soooo close.

Here is a link to the museum

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Thanks very much for the encouraging replies, folks! Indeed checking in a telelens into the main baggage didn’t seem very appealing! I got a nice camerabag which should fit all within dimensions and weight-wise I should be fine as well (no laptops or anything).

Thanks! 🙂

Take all your camera gear on as hand luggage.
you are allowed 15-20kgs in weight . so you should have no problems ,
allways good to have the camera at hand for those out of the window shots while up in the air to pass some of the boredom of the flight .

Does anybody have tips for taking a bulk of camera gear to the USA?

I’m going to the Mustangs and Legends airshow and plan to take my SLR plus two lenses including the big 100-400mm Canon lens. I am a bit hesitant to put the big lens into my suitcase and have it thrown about by the luggage handlers. But at the same time I am worried I might get trouble taking it onboard. With all the terrorist fears of recent years and all I don’t know if they’ll let me carry three pounds of steel in my hand luggage. I don’t want to be facing a “lose your lens or lose your flight” dilemma at the hand luggage check… :confused:

Any advice?

NB. I’ll be travelling with a Canadian airline. Not sure if they’re less “paranoid” than their US counterparts?

You should have no problems at all, I’m just back from the US flying GLA-PHL-DCA and return and absolutely no hassles.
Before I went I purchased a Lowepro CompuDayPack which allowed me to take my Laptop – Canon30D -100-400 Lens – 75-300 Lens – 28-55 Lens and a small HD Digital Camcorder as well as all the other bits and pieces that’s required.
When I went in May I reluctantly had to put my Laptop in my case due the UK’s rediculous ‘one cabin bag rule’ which prompted me to buy the new bag which allows you to take all the gear I mentioned in the bag above, and It’s dimensions are within most if not all airline’s hand baggage size allowance.

Skyraider3D

For what it’s worth I took a Digi SLR Body, a 35mm SLR body, and three lenses, plus a Fuji S5600, laptop PC, camcorder, assorted leads/chargers, battery cells etc in my hand luggage when flying LGW to Orlando at Easter, plus magazines, a paperback, personal CD-player (not yet gone MP3 😉 and all the usual long-haul “necessities”.

No problem checking in at LGW (MYT), and my hand luggage was not weighed, though I might have been in trouble if it had been, as I know it exceeded the hand-luggage weight limit, even if it did fit well within the sizing guage. I just tried not to break into a sweat when the check-in assistant asked to see my carry-on bag and I had to lift it single handly to chest height.

The x-ray team didn’t bat an eyelid at the contents of my bag, even though a mass of gear remained after I’d taken the laptop out for seperate checking.

Likewise, returning from States I had no problem, even though I’d added a fair stack of CD’s full of trip photos to the hand luggage – all very unlike a similar trip in 2005 when the US baggage check inspectors made me unpack a similar level of equipment into open trays for x-ray and then asked why I hadn’t packed “so much of this stuff” into my alreday checked-in luggage.

I’d plan on carrying it all on, so as to avoid it being lost or stolen – don’t forget that on the return flight US officials will always randomly open (forcibly if necessary) a number of checked-in bags for detailled inspection – after which point any obvious high-value goods may become easy pickings for the any dishonest baggage handlers further downstream etc.

As suggested by TEEJ, I’d check with the airline, at the airport in question before hand, and make sure I get their advice in writing in case you meet a “jobsworth” type at the check in.

Also, make doubly sure any gear is fully covered by adequate insurance – I suspect most “standard” travel insurance policies would not cover any photographic gear beyond a small snappy-digicam and a small memory card. DigiSLRs and lenses may well be beyond what many high-street travel policy providers would consider to be “typical” camera equipment 🙁 .

Paul F

Flew from the states to Norway and back in Jan. Several in our party had lage camera kit and we had no problems taking it on the plane. DO NOT CHECK CAMERA GEAR IN BAGGAGE. Lost a telephoto that was in checked baggage several years ago..busted lock…lens gone…learned that lesson. Carry the kit. All of it! might get travelers insurance though.

Flew from the states to Norway and back in Jan. Several in our party had lage camera kit and we had no problems taking it on the plane. DO NOT CHECK CAMERA GEAR IN BAGGAGE. Lost a telephoto that was in checked baggage several years ago..busted lock…lens gone…learned that lesson. Carry the kit. All of it!

I’ve lived in the States for 10 years, often travelling domestically and internationally. I’ve never had any issue at all taking my 100-400mm and other gear as cabin baggage (had that lens the last 5 years, had an even bigger 150-500mm manual focus lens before that).

Richard.

Does anybody have tips for taking a bulk of camera gear to the USA?

I’m going to the Mustangs and Legends airshow and plan to take my SLR plus two lenses including the big 100-400mm Canon lens. I am a bit hesitant to put the big lens into my suitcase and have it thrown about by the luggage handlers. But at the same time I am worried I might get trouble taking it onboard. With all the terrorist fears of recent years and all I don’t know if they’ll let me carry three pounds of steel in my hand luggage. I don’t want to be facing a “lose your lens or lose your flight” dilemma at the hand luggage check… :confused:

Any advice?

NB. I’ll be travelling with a Canadian airline. Not sure if they’re less “paranoid” than their US counterparts?

I think the best bet would be to contact the airline directly. Contact them at the airports you will be travelling to/from and get the info first hand. Surely they have a website with frequently asked questions as to hand luggage?

Does anybody have tips for taking a bulk of camera gear to the USA?

I’m going to the Mustangs and Legends airshow and plan to take my SLR plus two lenses including the big 100-400mm Canon lens. I am a bit hesitant to put the big lens into my suitcase and have it thrown about by the luggage handlers. But at the same time I am worried I might get trouble taking it onboard. With all the terrorist fears of recent years and all I don’t know if they’ll let me carry three pounds of steel in my hand luggage. I don’t want to be facing a “lose your lens or lose your flight” dilemma at the hand luggage check… :confused:

Any advice?

NB. I’ll be travelling with a Canadian airline. Not sure if they’re less “paranoid” than their US counterparts?

Did go to the states e few months back, took all my camera gear onboard with me. No problem with securiti what so ever.
What are packing for memory? Don’t hope you cary a lot of memory cards? Did buy a an imagetank. 120gig it will set you back for about 100 ponds, sounds a lot but is a lot cheaper than memory cards. Its the size of a pda, so you don’t have to carry a laptop with you.

Herman