Thinktank Airport Acceleration & Urban Disguise 6

My primary carry-on is a Sears suitcase. It's 45 linear inches. It has no bulky space consuming dividers. The individual items that need protecting are inside bubble wrap envelopes.

Mine's from Costco

Same idea, though. I lined the case with large bubble wrap. All items are wrapped in small bubble wrap. I agree that the padded dividers or foam takes up a lot of room. The case easily fits my:

• Subal C20 housing with large viewfinder
  
• Subal 8" dome port
  
• Subal macro port
  
• two Inon Z220 strobes
  
• one Inon Z240 strobe
  
• two Canon 20D bodies
  
• Tokina 10-17 fisheye lens
  
• Canon 60 mm macro lens
  
• Sigma 18-200 OS lens (for topside use)
  
• dive computer
  
• Fisheye Fix Light HG20DX
  
• o-rings
  
• sync cord
  

I think this puts me at about 26 lbs. There is still some room left in the case. I put soft foam on top of everything to take up the remaining space and prevent things from shifting around. I could fit strobe arms, but don't want to push my luck on the weight. I am still counting on my luggage to make it. But, at least I have all the expensive and fragile items in my carry-on.

I'm using a Lowepro Computrekker Plus for the following gear:

- UK-Germany Housing for Canon 20D

- UK-Germany Domeport + Extensions for Canon 10-22mm and Tokina Fisheye

- UK-Germany Macroport + Extensions for Sigma Macros 50/2,8 & 150/2,8 + Tamron Macro 90/2,8

- 2x Inon Z-220 with cables

- Fix Light

- divecomputer

- Tokina fisheye

- Canon 70-200/2,8 for topside

- teleconverter + close up lense

- strobe arms and clamps for 1 strobe only (you never know ), the other one in the diving bag

- small tool set

- all O-rings

- filters

- accus for camera & strobes

- chargers for accus (camera and strobe)

- an old Dell notebook (much too heavy )

The whole thing weights about 17 kg .

I have an additional Lowepro camera hip bag for my 20D + mounted 10-22mm, the Sigma 50/2,8 Macro and the Tamron 90/2,8 Macro.

The Sigma Macro 150/2,8 has an extra lensbag for itself which is carried by my dive buddy as well as my Hartenberger Maxi Compact.

This is my 'worst situation baggage configuration', means when I go on a liveaboard which leaves right after arriving I have at least a setup with one strobe + arm.

For non safari trips I put the port extensions and strobe arms into my diving bag

Attached you'll find some 'not up-to-date' pictures that I've already posted in a German UW-Forum (sorry for the German explanations ).

The Sea&Sea strobe is already replaced with two Inons, the lenses are in the hip bag and I use different strobe arms now but at least it gives you an impression of the Computrekker which fits the int. standard handluggage size.

Cheers

Wahrmut

What is wrong with checking housing and strobes in the hold baggage?

They are designed to withstand pressure and so reasonably tough. Mine have been checked in soft bags numerous times on long haul flights over the past 3 years without problems so far.

With computer, camera, flash and lenses etc in my carry on, I never have room for the housing or strobes.

Does anyone have any nightmare experiences to share, except lost baggage that might make me change my mind?

They're designed to withstand positive pressure differentials from the outside (relative vacuum inside). Not the opposite*. The holds aren't always pressurized up to sea level or equal pressure with where you left from.

As long as the housing and strobe battery compartments are left loose, so they can at least equalize (can't do much for the strobe electronics compartment), I'd think you'd be okay. Then it's just the issue of possibly having your checked bag lost or stolen from.

I think I'll try and get as much as I can carried, but leave things like arms and handles in the checked. At the least I could shoot sans strobes if my luggage was delayed...

*I say that, but then thinking about it, although a relative internal vacuum is the expected 'working' environment Ike et al have to know scuba divers fly to their destinations. So on second thought I'm not convinced they wouldn't have been designed to also withstand around a 10-15 psi negative pressure differential as well.

What is wrong with checking housing and strobes in the hold baggage?

 

They are designed to withstand pressure and so reasonably tough. Mine have been checked in soft bags numerous times on long haul flights over the past 3 years without problems so far.

 

With computer, camera, flash and lenses etc in my carry on, I never have room for the housing or strobes.

 

Does anyone have any nightmare experiences to share, except lost baggage that might make me change my mind?

The main reason is the bag not arriving on time and you not being able to shoot for an entire trip. That would suck if it was the one trip a year kind of thing. Especially some of the expensive remote ones.

These carry-on ideas are great but what happens if you make it the counter and they require you check those soft-sided bags, are you okay with that? They will certainly provide a good amount of protection but I prefer that if I am required to check it, that it is a gate-check and not required at the time of checking the other bags. But if that worst-case scenario aoccurs, then its dumped in with the rest at the whim of the handlers. Are you prepared for this possibily occurance?

Currently, I have my Subal housing/handles, flat port, two strobes, arms/clamps, cords, macro lens, essentially everything needed for a macro shoot all contained in a storm 2500 (roller carry-on) with padded dividers. If that case absolutely needs to go into the belly of the plane or be gate-checked, I feel it just couldn't be protected any better. Its only the smaller puddle-jumper planes that this case most certainly wont fit into those tiny racks nor nowhere under the seat and requires gate-checking. But for 90% of the other flights I've experienced no problems and the smaller planes usually only make up one leg of the flights.

In my backpack, I carry the camera body (never attempted to travel with it in the housing), walk-around lens, regulator, two dive computers, and laptop along with misc overnight clothes, etc. My dome is in the backpack if I shoot wide and macro on the same trip and can be swamped into the storm case if needed. I only check one bag when traveling that contains clothes and bcd, fins, etc.

These soft-sided ideas are extremely compelling to me as far as weight, but my concern is running into the stickler agent (ie French Polynesia) who simply wont take "please and valuable" as an excuse and says your bag is going into the belly of the plane and hand it over? Is it just a gamble you take?

I'll accept that I am a complete freak because I feel that if I make it to the destination and cannot shoot pictures underwater, at least I have a land camera to capture the topside fun. And most importantly to me, I get to dive and capture underwater memories - if not on paper.

Now that I don't enjoy the wonderful baggage allowances that flights originating in the US get, I've had to rethink how I pack my rig as well. For a recent trip to Fiji on Air New Zealand (7kg carry on limit w/ an additional "personal" item i.e. slimline laptop case/sleeve), I figured there was no way I'm getting on a plane in Auckland carrying a Pelican/Storm case as a carry on. Airport personnel weigh all suspiciously heavy looking bags before you go through security.

The Pelican 1550 stays at home now. In its place, I've got a LowePro Orion Trekker AW. In the bottom divider compartment go the 15mm FE, 18-55mm zoom, 1 strobe, AA and Canon battery chargers, topside shoe mount flash, 1 handle, 1 set of arms and clamsp, and a sync chord. In the top compartment, I load up the assembled Aquatica housing, extension port and marco port. Inside is the 20D and 50mm macro lens. Yes its over 7kg, but I do my best to make it look light. The Orion Trekker is still a big bag, but it doesn't look as big as the Computrekkers or a rolling carry on. It looks a little like a slightly oversized day pack.

I check the other arm, cable, handle, dome port, extra batteries, etc. This set up gets me a full macro set up should other bags go missing. I carry my laptop, portable HDs, cables, etc in a slimline laptop case so that doesn't count against the 7kg. Next time, I'll try to squeeze more into the laptop case (chords, chargers, etc.) without making it look too bulky. So far its worked, but I need to find even more ways to cut the load!

These soft-sided ideas are extremely compelling to me as far as weight, but my concern is running into the stickler agent (ie French Polynesia) who simply wont take "please and valuable" as an excuse and says your bag is going into the belly of the plane and hand it over?

That's what all of us dread. And the only sure solutions I know of are:

1. Have a jacket or photo vest with numerous and massive pockets (I'm a big fan of ScotteVest products) into which you can move much of your stuff;

2. Always carry a nylon fold-up bag. I ALWAYS make room in my carry-ons for a nylon bag that folds up into itself to the size of a fist, but can be opened to hold most of the most valuable/important stuff in my carry-ons. Something like this - doesn't need to be expensive or fancy, but I've had several instances where I was told I had to gate check a carry-on, and I just calmly stepped aside, opened the carryon, transferred all of the important stuff (laptop, cameras, etc.) into my nylon bag, and gate-checked the empty (or nearly empty) carry-on.

What is wrong with checking housing and strobes in the hold baggage?

Miami, San Juan, TSA, AA baggage handlers.

Sometimes bags are innocently lost, too.

When Avid Golfer Magazine debuted, there was a free sleeve of golf balls deal for new subsciptions. They sent them out my mail. Around 75% never made it to their destination. Somewhere, postal workers never had to buy golf balls.

A thirty-year commercial pilot who is also a long-time photographer once mentioned on a dpreview.com forum the measurements he felt were the maximum that would be acceptable for carry-on bag on most any commercial airplane, namely the small puddle jumpers. I can't find the thread off-hand, but I purchased the Tamrac Adventure 9 after reading that thread as it most closely approximated the measurements he gave, http://tamrac.com/frame_adv.htm. I believe this bag was about one-inch deeper than he suggested as a maximum depth.

A while back I concluded I can't carry on all my photography equipment in a carry-on, especially on the small puddle jumpers, so I prepare for the smallest puddle jumpers and pack my camera(s), all lenses, laptop, and some accessories in the bottom of the Adventure bag with some non-photography stuff in the top compartment. At most I've had to pull the laptop out of the back compartment to fit the bag in the smallest overheads I've encountered, including the ones we usually fly out on from the local airport. I carry couple of magazines or reading material in a small plastic bag like the one you get when buying a couple of magazines at a book stand. When required, I slide the laptop in this bag. Other than this removing of the laptop, Ive never had a problem fitting the bag in an overhead.

I haven't had a problem with weight yet, but removing the camera with the heaviest lens attached and strapping around my neck would be a next move which would subsequently get the bag at a very acceptable weight. I accept being required to check in a housing and strobes, but don't accept being required to hand over camera and lenses to the monkeys at the gate...

I use a small ThinkTank and hand carry the housing, sometimes with strobes and arms folded and attached. Works well.

What seems to puzzle me is where are all these high-powered certifying agencies and government tourism bureaus?

Airlines seem to not even blink at making concessions for golfers, but when it comes to accommodating divers, we're on our own. I guess airline CEOs don't dive. We are constantly solicitied by resorts, dive agencies and tourism authorities to come and vist and snorkel and dive at their exotic and normally expensive locales but I see no lobbying on our behalf so we can bring the toys we need to enjoy our holidays.

If they want the financial benefits, then the need to start getting down in the trenches and do some lobbying on our behalf.

This thread shows we sneak around like a bunch of smugglers trying to outsmart a private enterprise that we pay money to for their flight service.

PADI, Cayman tourism and all the similar cert agencies and all the tourism bureaus should be lobbying the airlines since they say they want us to visit so badly. And the airlines should be trying to work with Homeland secuity and all similar government agencies to come up with reasonable and functional weight and carry-on guidelines accepatble to those who do this sport.

We pay PADI for certifivcation, resorts for room, board and diving, airlines for tickets, etc. and we still bear the burden of enjoying this sport. Who are the customers? Where is the customer service? Its about time these businesses earned their inflated prices and did something for their clients.

The next PADI specialty should be Cloak and Dagger Travelling. That's what things have come to in the last 7 years.

This is a great thread but the plane will fly with a few divers carrying an extra 20K. Where's the beef from the corporate and government powerhouses that drive this sport?

Timbo

Meister: Glad to see you mention the Adventure 9. I was also looking at that as a cheaper alternative to the Think Tank stuff. I just can't see spending $260+ for a piece of luggage. Although I'm sure I'll get what I paid for, it's just too much pain on top of everything else I'm trying to buy before the next trip in 2 months!

From the measurement it looks like the Adventure will hold the housing in the top compartment (sans tray and handles). Not sure what to do about the dome though. Still working this around in my head, obviously.

p.s. As I'll be flying American and American Eagle thru San Juan PR I'm obviously doing my best to avoid any checked camera gear per the ubiquitous Pelican threads. My scuba gear isn't anything special and is probably fine - been thru there 3 times already without loss. I find it amusing that American allows more weight for a carry-on (40#) while the AE flight checked baggage allowance is only 70 # for both bags. Ah well, as a big guy (6'2", 245#) I can't play the personal weight card either.

...The next PADI specialty should be Cloak and Dagger Travelling....

Think they'd require two dives for that certification?

Hi all!

I use a Tamrac rolling bag http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2210...g_Backpack.html in which I insert a lot of material and I always get into the planes with it. At the checking, I pull out the laptop.

The most important to know, the equipment for which I have no place in the bag, I put it in a photo vest with large pockets and there could be a lot of material! Camera body, a couple of lenses, even a port and more. Last time I've checked my vest weight, it weighted about 10 kgs/22 Lbs! Of course I looked a bit like coming from another planet with my vest, but it worked!

Michel

What seems to puzzle me is where are all these high-powered certifying agencies and government tourism bureaus?

 

Airlines seem to not even blink at making concessions for golfers,

 

 

This thread shows we sneak around like a bunch of smugglers trying to outsmart a private enterprise that we pay money to for their flight service.

 

PADI, Cayman tourism and all the similar cert agencies and all the tourism bureaus should be lobbying the airlines since they say they want us to visit so badly

 

We pay PADI for certifivcation, resorts for room, board and diving, airlines for tickets, etc. and we still bear the burden of enjoying this sport. Who are the customers? Where is the customer service?

Timbo

Until we've had a chance to make some changes Tim has given me an idea. How many housings can I get in my golf bag? I wonder if the baggage handlers in San Juan play golf.

Steve

Amen brother Tim, Finally some sanity in this whole silly mess. Instead of bitching about it and sneeking around why don't we do something? Who do you want to gang up on first? I like the tourism bureaus idea.

 

Until we've had a chance to make some changes Tim has given me an idea. How many housings can I get in my golf bag? I wonder if the baggage handlers in San Juan play golf.

The real question is - will they care? Some places rely on divers more than other parts tourism, but many of them may not as much. People going to the beaches, people golfing, the all inclusives, lots of money there and divers sort of have the rep of being cheap except for their dive gear. If 10 people walk off a cruise ship and go into a store, probably alot more business there. Of course some areas are more dive-centric and certain places will seem to have more of the people with the cool toys, but I often find myself being the only one with any camera whatsoever on dive boats (other than my wife ).

(That being said, show them what divers bring in in hard dollars as part of the argument. I thought I had seen some figures at one point for various places, going to see if I have them somewhere. Dunno.)

Even taking into account the divers and what they bring to the economy, add to that we come from the group of people who carry around more stuff than most divers. In general I will see people without cameras or perfectly fine with small rigs that are not even on the radar of weight/size and are very happy. (Not that I can understand either of those things, small camera or no camera? I get the chills just thinking about it ) So it is a couple of barriers

Until we've had a chance to make some changes Tim has given me an idea. How many housings can I get in my golf bag? I wonder if the baggage handlers in San Juan play golf.

LOL. You have to come up with something that looks like clubs if they open it up. On the subterfuge level, a false top with "clubs" that are actually arms for strobes and the rest with the little covers thhey put on the clubs. Two birds with one stone.

All this leads me back to my dream, a digital Nikonos

Um, to get back to talking about luggage instead of revolutions, the Lowepro Vertex 300 AW looks pretty comparable to the ThinkTank Airport Accel (although without a separate laptop carrier/sleeve, just a padded pocket) and is $200 via ebay retailers. Seems to get reasonable reviews and have appropriate dimensions as well (6.5" internal depth needed for an Ike housing). Anyone here have one of those and have any comments to make about it?

I really like the look of the Think Tank stuff with one exception - the straps and harness don't look very well padded, and I plan to be hiking in Dominica with the gear (hike the camera and housing up to a river with a swimthru to a waterfall in a cave and the like, if possible). The Lowepro harness looks more long-term comfortable, and the 'AW' ('all weather' supposedly) cover is light in color vs. black in the sun.

Eric, what were your thoughts on comfort with the TT bag?

Surely the fine tune part of the operation would be dealing with suitable straps and such. and having them sorted well before you travel. My2C

I really like the look of the Think Tank stuff with one exception - the straps and harness don't look very well padded, and I plan to be hiking in Dominica with the gear (hike the camera and housing up to a river with a swimthru to a waterfall in a cave and the like, if possible). The Lowepro harness looks more long-term comfortable, and the 'AW' ('all weather' supposedly) cover is light in color vs. black in the sun.

 

Eric, what were your thoughts on comfort with the TT bag?

My TT Airport Addiction has very comfortable backpack straps . . .

Thanks, Mike. It is very hard to tell how comfortable and adjustable something like backpack straps are from just web pictures. I don't know if there's anywhere I'll get to go 'see' each bag before making a choice. May have to pull the restock fee penalty trick and just buy and try both. (And I wonder why my wife thinks I've gone totally nuts!!)