Transporting our DSLR Equipment with new restrictions

The Expedition 9 doesn't hold a laptop, and the depth of the 8x limits how many overhead lockers that it will fit in.

Hi to all,

 

Is there anyone who tried the Tamrac Expedition 8 or 9?

I would like to know if I can pack the following:

 

- Aquatica housing D90

- nikon D90

- 8" dome

- macro port

- 2 x Ikelite DS 160

- 2 x Ikelite DS 160 spare battery

- Tokina 10-17mm

- Sigma 17-70mm

- Nikon 60mm

- MacBook Pro 15"

- miscellaneous stuff

 

Any picture of the bag packed would be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your feedback.

 

Damien

An addition to this topic has been given by my wife!

Wear your pocket weight belt thru the airport, and fill the pockets with lenses, chargers, or whatever!

Brilliant!

An addition to this topic has been given by my wife!

 

Wear your pocket weight belt thru the airport, and fill the pockets with lenses, chargers, or whatever!

 

Brilliant!

That is brilliant - I have an Apollo pocket weight belt that weighs a ton and the pockets hold their shape. Could probably fit spare camera batteries, teleconverter, 500D close up lens, and lots of other little bits. The buckle is metal though so I will have to take it off for the walk-thru metal detector.

With my vest, cargo pants and backpack I usually look like a suicide bomber, but add the weightbelt and they will start to think that Rambo has taken up photography!

CJ and I are flying out in a couple of weeks for a Red Sea safari.

The usual carrier from UK to Egypt is Thomsonfly who grant divers an additional 5kg baggage allowance making 25kgs each. Our two soft dive bags (Vango Cargo 90's) and small clothes bag (Vango Cargo 45) just come inside that 50 kg total but our two hard Samsonite camera cases have incurred a 20kg pre-booked surcharge of £100.00 (£25.00 per 5kgs).

Our shoulder bags (Scierra) just comply with carry-on size and weight regulations (5kgs) and my and CJ's cargo pants and Orvis Travel Vests are stuffed! I even strip our regulators and we carry a couple of first stages each in our pockets.

Alex Mustard's tip about putting your tickets and passport in the laptop case so it is not weighed with the carry-on works a treat. Thanks Alex ;-)

CJ and I are flying out in a couple of weeks for a Red Sea safari.

 

The usual carrier from UK to Egypt is Thomsonfly who grant divers an additional 5kg baggage allowance making 25kgs each. Our two soft dive bags (Vango Cargo 90's) and small clothes bag (Vango Cargo 45) just come inside that 50 kg total but our two hard Samsonite camera cases have incurred a 20kg pre-booked surcharge of £100.00 (£25.00 per 5kgs).

 

Our shoulder bags (Scierra) just comply with carry-on size and weight regulations (5kgs) and my and CJ's cargo pants and Orvis Travel Vests are stuffed! I even strip our regulators and we carry a couple of first stages each in our pockets.

 

Alex Mustard's tip about putting your tickets and passport in the laptop case so it is not weighed with the carry-on works a treat. Thanks Alex ;-)

So what do you do, send the vest through x-ray and empty the pockets of the cargo pants and send them through? Sounds like a good idea, but does it work?

Alex Mustard's tip about putting your tickets and passport in the laptop case so it is not weighed with the carry-on works a treat. Thanks Alex ;-)

Is that tip on here somewhere? I can't seem to remember reading about it.

Is that tip on here somewhere? I can't seem to remember reading about it.

The trick is to put your laptop in a neoprene slip and keep your tickets and passport in the slip too. At check-in take the laptop out of your carry-on, put it on the counter top and take out your tickets and passports. When the clerk asks you to put your carry-on on to the scales, its weighed 'sans laptop' ;-) Nice one Alex!

I also have my custom sewn in pocket on the inside of my coat to put the lap top in just in case!

I just got thru check in and customs, in my 20k bag was 21k of all my dive equipment Strobe arms and a couple of vests and shorts. In my 7kg hand luggage was 8kg of housing batteryless strobes and 2 ports. I am wearing My half a kilo coat that went thru at 6 kilos with battery chargers batteries lenses etc and my cargo pants weghing about 3 kg with my camera and another lens round my neck....no problem!! I never wore my weight belt thru customs, looked too much like a suicide bomber! I packed a dry bag in one of my pockets and everything is in that now so I don't feel like a gucci Xmas tree! I never took my laptop I just took my vosonic photo back up drive....time for a beer!

I just got thru check in and customs, in my 20k bag was 21k of all my dive equipment Strobe arms and a couple of vests and shorts. In my 7kg hand luggage was 8kg of housing batteryless strobes and 2 ports. I am wearing My half a kilo coat that went thru at 6 kilos with battery chargers batteries lenses etc and my cargo pants weghing about 3 kg with my camera and another lens round my neck....no problem!! I never wore my weight belt thru customs, looked too much like a suicide bomber! I packed a dry bag in one of my pockets and everything is in that now so I don't feel like a gucci Xmas tree! I never took my laptop I just took my vosonic photo back up drive....time for a beer!

A quick note on batteries in carry-on luggage, it may not affect any of you but I think it is worth mentioning. I was out in Dubai just before Christmas (sadly shooting above the waterline) and when I came to the hand luggage X-Ray, i got pulled, (as per usual) and my gear was inspected, (again, as per usual). I am fearful that one of these days they will ask me into a private booth.. but that is another story.... I digress.

I had 3 sets of four AA batteries, (in small plastic containers), that I use in my 580ex and was told that I would not be able to take any more batteries through and that 12 was the limit. I must admit that I have not encountered this before as I usually take a at least 4 sets of rechargeable with me on a normal trip. Anyway guys just a heads up.

Next time I will be taking the batteries out of the rucksack and putting them in with my computer and belt etc so that they can go straight into my pockets before my bag gets frisked.

PS good tip Alex re: laptop removal, I have been using that one for a while. The other one I have used many times is to put my girlfriend's hand luggage on the scale twice,keep both rucksacks below the counter, and putt the "light one" on first time back plate up and the second time backplate down, (my GF always seem to have less carry on than me - maybe its the G9 in OEM housing LOL) It has worked so far every time, I have even had a couple of comments from check in staff that is was great that we had packed the same weight in our rucksacks, right on weight limit. I just thank them, smile and walk away quickly

A quick note on batteries in carry-on luggage, it may not affect any of you but I think it is worth mentioning. I was out in Dubai just before Christmas (sadly shooting above the waterline) and when I came to the hand luggage X-Ray, i got pulled, (as per usual) and my gear was inspected, (again, as per usual). I am fearful that one of these days they will ask me into a private booth.. but that is another story.... I digress.

I had 3 sets of four AA batteries, (in small plastic containers that contain them), that I use in my 580ex and was told that I would not be able to take any more batteries through and that 12 was the limit. I must admit that I have not encountered this before as I usually take a at least 4 sets of rechargeable with me on a normal trip. Anyway guys just a heads up.

Next time I will be taking the batteries out of the rucksack and putting them in with my computer and belt etc so that they can go straight into my pockets before my bag gets frisked.

Many thanks for the heads up on this - to get to the Red Sea I normally have to go via Dubai so it is good information to know.

The other one I have used many times is to put my girlfriend's hand luggage on the scale twice,keep both rucksacks below the counter, and putt the "light one" on first time back plate up and the second time backplate down, (my GF always seem to have less carry on than me - maybe its the G9 in OEM housing LOL) It has worked so far every time, I have even had a couple of comments from check in staff that is was great that we had packed the same weight in our rucksacks, right on weight limit. I just thank them, smile and walk away quickly

This is the best one that I have heard yet! Nice one! I'm not sure how we will go with that here as they wrap a "Cabin Baggage OK" sticker around the handle while it is still on the scales, but in the past we have checked in seperately (having already done online check-in to select side by side seats), she checks in and then I transfer a fair bit of my stuff to her bag and then I go up and check in.

I wore my ankle weights when flying between Melbourne and Tasmania. I new low for me. Worked, though.

Alex

I wore my ankle weights when flying between Melbourne and Tasmania. I new low for me. Worked, though.

Priceless-free leg workout at the same time!

Adam

I wore my ankle weights when flying between Melbourne and Tasmania. I new low for me. Worked, though.

 

Alex

LAMO. that is too good Alex. Virgin Blue and Jetstar are not great with weight limits etc..

I was getting worried when Virgin Atlantic said they were considering weighing the passengers and charging accordingly, let's hope that one doesn't come in

What bags are you guys using to check the housings etc.? The old standby Samsonite Flite that the pelican foam would fit in is too big now.

For an upcoming trip to Indonesia I just purchased a Samsonite 28" Flite upright, $116 shipped to my door. At David Haas' suggestion I bought the Pelican 1625 foam set that is designed for the 1620 case (~ $150 from B&H) It looks like it will work VERY well. (Thanks, David!) Luggage dimensions are 28" H x 20" W x 11.5" D, and weight is under 11 lbs. With the pelican dividers I can put an Ikelite housing, two Ikelite DS-160 strobes vertically, an 8" Ikelite dome upright (!), with loads of room for lens, ports, cables, flashlights, tray, handles, arms, clamps, and chargers for everything, mask, and a keeper box for o-rings etc., still well under 50 lbs. It rolls well, looks very ordinary (in a good way), and is very stable when upright. I'll post a photo with text indicating what fits where. I bought it from this place, which shipped very quickly (but out of stock as I type this). Really, I can't think of anything significant that I would change on it. Maybe another handle? The great thing is that it is deep enough to put so many things on end, using the full height/depth of the Pelican foam set. There is enough room outside the dividers to put all the really dense tough stuff (tray, handles, arms, flashlight & batteries) at the end that is on the bottom when turned upright, which makes it very stable and easy to roll when upright.

I've got a rolling duffle (5 lbs empty) for fins, wetsuit, booties, BC, regulator and clothes. I'm using a Lowe backpack (CompuDayPack?) for carryon, with laptop, camera & 18-200 lens, and travel essentials. With a photo vest I could make it very light if need be, probably even getting both pieces of luggage to 20kb/44 lbs if I really had to, and of course a second piece of luggage may cost me, but if there another flaw in this scheme, please let me know. It has all the useless perfection of a plan that has never met reality.

Terrific thread! I recently ran into a problem where I was allowed into Dominica with 80 pounds of luggage but was not allowed to exceed 70 flying out. I was a tad bit irate no one told me of this back in Boston when I left but luckily stuffing a few strobe arms down my sleeves and leaving a bottle of rum behind did the trick. I might have to pick up one of those vests as I'm leaving for the Caribbean in a few weeks and need to take both my video and still housings. Not fun. (ok, it's a work trip, but still...)

Screw it all.....I'm buying my own Jet w/ private pilot....I'm taking donations! Fractional ownership for all those interested.

I was recently not allowed to fly from Phoenix to Tampa after a trip to Cabo and the Socorro Islands....TSA a determined I was too intoxicated to fly....I said "DUDE I'm not flying the plane, I'm gonna sit in my seat and go to sleep, the drinking was just preparation for a 4 hour nap and I'm a nice drunk!" Nothing worked....I even offered the little 4' tall TSA dude a $100 bucks to get my ass on the plane....I think he had little man issues! Nothing worked! I was pretty hammered, but not more than usual plus I just got back from Mexico and US AIR had no problem serving me $8 dollar drinks!

Mike

I wore my ankle weights when flying between Melbourne and Tasmania. I new low for me. Worked, though.

 

Alex

ROTFLMAO

Nice...are they not lead shot filled. Be sure not to be carrying a straw they may feel if combined you have a weapon. At minimum you can hit people with shot while they sleep. LOL

I carry the Photog vest in my carryon. No need to pull it out and fill it up yet but I know the day is coming when carrying it will become useful.

Cheers

Todd

Screw it all.....I'm buying my own Jet w/ private pilot....I'm taking donations! Fractional ownership for all those interested.

 

....I even offered the little 4' tall TSA dude a $100 bucks to get my ass on the plane....

I wish I could have seen that conversation. Next time you take your jet to Mexico from Phoenix stop in Tucson and pick me up. It's on the way.

Steve

Been following this discussion as I have a trip in October that will have these restrictions on baggage. I have done some searches for bags and found the following: For the Samsonite Oyster 29" that Cor and David were talking about found prices of $78 to $90. The higher price was on the Samsonite Company store site and this one had the TSA locks. The other sites that were cheaper seemed to have older versions that did not have the TSA locks. For the Samsonite F'Lite 28" I found prices that ran from $115 to $120 and the sites noted that they did have them in stock. Here again the higher price was at the Samsonite Company store and again it looks like they have the TSA approved locks and the other sites did not really say if the locks were TSA approved. The sites I used for this were Luggage Pros, Lugggage Topia, E-Bags and Bergman Luggage.

On Luggage Pros and Bergman Luggage there was also what seemed to be a newer version of the F'Lite called the GT which both sites showed at $127.

Just something I thought I would throw out there based on some of my pricing research.