 jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | Where do we go from here, now that ... Today's events in London suggest that people like me are shortly going to be faced with another set of difficult decisions.
Several years ago, I asked for recommendations for carry-on bags (backpacks, etc.) for international travel. The airline that I normally use has fairly restrictive requirements for carry-on (me not being filthy rich and all that so that I can fly first class). Thanks to suggestions from many of the regulars here, I finally selected a LowePro Rover II AW backpack, which has served me admirably in the interim.
I've always felt much more comfortable having the gear under my personal control as opposed to going through tens of unknown baggage handlers. However, I rather suspect that carry-on luggage/baggage is about to become a thing of the past.
So, guys and gals, what are some recommendations for safe, secure methods of transporting gear if we can't carry it with us? I'm sure some of you carry enough equipment that what I've been doing simply doesn't work for you in the first place.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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| Perhaps Pelican cases with locks would suffice? |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | Last time I heard, lockable carriers (if locked) were likely to have the locks forcibly removed. Perhaps there is a procedure to avoid that and keep the gear secure?
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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 NezmoThe name's Bond. James Bond.Premium,MVM
join:2004-11-10
Coppell, TX | reply to no__1__here
said by no__1__here:Perhaps Pelican cases with locks would suffice? The cases may survive. I suspect the contents won't due to the way the cases are thrown around.
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My Gallery
Formerly Nezmo  |
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1 edit | reply to jvmorris
Pelican cases would suffice for protecting the gear physically. Mine has gone through everything. It's torn up, dented and scratched but still waterproof and structurally sound.
I'd be more worried about the airlines loosing my luggage. They still haven't paid me out for $1800 of my gear they lost two full months ago. And to top that, they are total a**es to talk to on the phone. I've never been treated worse than by the kind folks at Alaskan Air.
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My gallery ~ http://winchester.smugmug.com/ |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | Yeah, well, we've had problems down here (at Dulles) with baggage handlers rifling normal checked luggage, looking for valuables. It's not supposed to be locked (in the event the TSA types want to examine the contents, highly likely with today's camera gear) and if you do lock it, you are forewarned that they will force the locks if they get inquisitive about its contents.
At the moment, I'm at a total loss as to what to do.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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| At this point I'm confused also.
My guess is that things will calm down in a month or two, the airlines may allow like one carry-on to start.
Until then, I'd seriously consider shipping the camera, heavily insured to wherever your destination is. I have zero trust in the baggage process.
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My gallery ~ http://winchester.smugmug.com/ |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | Yes, I'm already considering shipping. But, damn, that's going to be expensive, both ways.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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 MaccawolfPremium
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ
kudos:6 | reply to jvmorris
TSA has special locks (if you believe they're any more secure) that are available at Target. They're fairly cheap from what I recall but when I got mine (two or so years ago) they weren't available at Target on line. Only B&M so I had to drive like 40 mins to find them. NOWHERE else at the time carried them.
SUPPOSEDLY, only the security people from TSA have access to the key to unlock them.
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"The most affectionate creature in the world is a WET dog"---- Ambrose Bierce |
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 manfmmdPremium
join:2003-01-14
Earth, TX
 ·AT&T Southwest
 ·CMA Access
2 edits | reply to jvmorris
You can use TSA approved locks:
»www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwa···lert.htm
edit: Beat me to it Maccawolf  . |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | Thanks to both you and maccawolf, I'll look into those.
It just seems to me that if I can buy such a lock (at Target no less), so can anyone else (baggage handlers, anyone?), so I'd like to do some research to ensure that they really are worth anything.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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NezmoThe name's Bond. James Bond.Premium,MVM
join:2004-11-10
Coppell, TX | said by jvmorris:Thanks to both you and maccawolf, I'll look into those. It just seems to me that if I can buy such a lock (at Target no less), so can anyone else (baggage handlers, anyone?), so I'd like to do some research to ensure that they really are worth anything. Locks only stop the opportunist thief. They are hardly secure.
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Formerly Nezmo |
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MaccawolfPremium
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ
kudos:6 | reply to jvmorris
they are combo locks (user settable) with a special key access at the bottom for TSA agents.
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"The most affectionate creature in the world is a WET dog"---- Ambrose Bierce |
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| reply to Nezmo
said by Nezmo:said by jvmorris:Thanks to both you and maccawolf, I'll look into those. It just seems to me that if I can buy such a lock (at Target no less), so can anyone else (baggage handlers, anyone?), so I'd like to do some research to ensure that they really are worth anything. Locks only stop the opportunist thief. They are hardly secure. Very true. Locks can be cut in seconds. Bags are lost all the time! I travel with at least $7k worth of gear on my person. I simply will not fly to places that ban carry on.
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My gallery ~ http://winchester.smugmug.com/ |
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 B52GUNRKM 7D love and D3 NirvanaPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-06
Vallejo, CA
1 edit | reply to jvmorris
Take a boat  . |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | IN all honesty, I've always thought about sailing to Europe, . . . but I don't think we're now at the right time of year to do that  -- and I've got to leave shortly.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | reply to Maccawolf
said by Maccawolf:they are combo locks (user settable) with a special key access at the bottom for TSA agents. Okay, that's a bit more reassuring. I'll take a look and do some research.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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B52GUNRKM 7D love and D3 NirvanaPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-06
Vallejo, CA | reply to jvmorris
OK, serious answer. I put my 7D in a Pelican Case and I throw that thing around like mad. No damage, no problems. |
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MaccawolfPremium
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ
kudos:6 | reply to jvmorris
yes, I've lost luggage too, which is why I always carry my cameras and what I REALLY need for my trip with me on the plane. "once burned, twice shy" and all that.
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"The most affectionate creature in the world is a WET dog"---- Ambrose Bierce |
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jvmorrisI Am The Man Who Was Not There.Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-03
Reston, VA | reply to B52GUNR
Well, yes, but . . . are you an illegal immigrant that got hired for subminimum wages yet (somehow) became a baggage handler on international flights? (I forget the number that ICE last scarfed up at Dulles, but I think it was on the order of 40 people.)
I suspect these people's idea of 'throwing around' luggage may be somewhat different from yours.
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Regards, Joseph V. Morris |
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