How do pack your camera for plane travel?

I've recently changed from a compact to a full-frame DSLR.   I've traveled with it on planes twice now and would love to find a better packing system

This is an Ikelite DSLR case, two DS160 strobes, strobe arms, 8" dome,  4.5" flat port, camera body and the usual collection of lenses.  I've put some of the bits into my checked luggage, some into a carry-on and the final pieces into my backpack.

I've been looking at a Pelican (or Pelican like cases) and something large enough to hold everything is going to weigh 20 lbs 'empty', so my hopes of keeping everything under 50 lbs doesn't seem likely.

What do you folks do, just pay for overweight luggage?

Hi John

This is a subject that must be discussed every three months. Definitely worth doing a search and you'll find every combination: Pelican cases, back packs, soft shell cases, hard shells, charm, bluster, switch to Business, pay excess baggage, stuff a fishing jacket.

For years - actually decades - I've gone with a Pelican 1510 plus a backpack or big shoulder bag all in the cabin. That contains pretty much all the camera stuff (housing, a couple of ports, couple of camera bodies, lenses, strobes..... ) minus the arms which are with my dive gear in the checked bag which usually weighs 22-23kgs. I don't think I have ever had to pay excess baggage. 

I travel with all my gear including a 230mm glass dome and video lights in a Pelican Air 1615 case in checked luggage. I have a Thinktank airport backpack for camera body, lenses and batteries. I had no problem keeping the Pelican case under 50lbs. 
 

I'm doing my first trip (to Truk) using a Pelican case.  I got as much stuff into it as I could while still having padding between objects, and I was still under 50 pounds.  Pelican Air 1615.

For the past 7 years I've put my DSLR housing (D810, then D850, now Z9) into a Thinktank roller bag.  It weighed between 35 and 40 pounds depending on what I stuffed into it, but it always included the housing and the 230mm dome port.   I was unable to get a full rig into it, leaving arms, strobes, focus light, macro port, dome extension and the arm clamps to go into my suitcase.

I was able to get my full rig into the Pelican, with both ports, the extension, clamps, arms, two viewfinders - almost everything.  I was only able to put one YS-D1 and one Backscatter Miniflash in, leaving 3 more strobes for the suitcase.  I was also unable to put my STIX floats in, so they are in the suitcase too. 

I got the Pelican with the foam inserts that are cut into 1/4 inch squares.  I used a bread knife to separate out the parts I wanted to remove, and all went pretty well once I decided where to locate everything.   The foam takes up a fair amount of space, but then that it basically how it works.  I might try different ways to separate the parts next time.   I'm sure I could get in all the STIX and probably one or two more strobes.  I think the strobes would put me past 50 pounds though.

Anyway, here is how I used to do it, with carry-on:

https://www.cjcphoto.net/uwcamera/

And here are shots of the new system in the Pelican case.  I have a shot of the lower level, the upper level, and the stuff that didn't fit.

In the bottom layer I have 14 pieces, including 3 clamps inside the 50mm dome extension in one corner.  Four 8-inch strobe arms are tucked in on top of each other in two spots.  Those spots are sort of under the dome.  One of the neoprene bags for a viewfinder is stuck in the hole in the middle for more padding.  There is a Backscatter miniflash and a Backscatter focus light plus the macro port.  And a 180 degree viewfinder.

In the top later there is the housing, rope handle, vacuum pump and some bits in a black bag, the vacuum gage, some clamps, a miniflash 2 muck/tripod stick (under a package of wheel weights in white), a YS-D1 strobe, a 45 degree viewfinder.and some housing bits sitting on top of the macro port.

I think this whole think weighs 45 pounds now.  I put a hooded vest in there too, but it still had more weight to spare.

I think I'll put my Eneloops into the YS-D1 next time, instead of the suitcase.  They are not LiON batteries, so should be safe to pack.

This is what didn't fit.  My other wide angle strobe, plus a spare, and the second miniflash plus a snoot.

I needed two more STIX (maybe), but just got a 4-pack.  I'll figure out what to do in Truk, but I was very close before without the wheel weights I intend to stick on the dome port to trim it a bit.  I was missing two of the STIX inserts that hold the floats tight on the arms, and that is probably all I'll need.  (Just swap four of the old ones for the new ones.)

Really good question(s). 

As expensive as all this equipment is, I bought a Pelican case to carry my gear in.  the last thing I want to to get to a far off destination and have my gear damaged.  The Pelican case is the way to go in my opinion.  You can purchase the padded dividers and create a customized space grid for your equipment.  

So, as you mention, the downside is the weight.  I was on a trip to Indonesia a few years back and I had no "issue" with my camera gear going over there.  However, as I was coming back home, the counter agent in the Singapore airport said my case was overweight and I was going to be charged $200 to check it back home.  I argued that I had no issue coming over but to no avail.  I had no choice but to pay the $200.  When I got home, I bought a smaller Pelican case that just barely held most of my gear so I could stay under the weight limits.  So, now I primarily use the smaller case and I put other things in my dive bag.  

Good luck 

Here is a bit of feedback on my recent travel with the Pelican case for the first time.

In the past I didn't trust checked baggage to hold either the camera or the dome port.  I still won't check my camera.  That still goes in the waist bag I travel with.  However, when I was first traveling with my D810 rig, I used to carry the camera inside the housing which was inside my roller bag.   Nauticam says not to do this, so I don't anymore, but with a carryon I don't really see this as much of a problem.

OK - my recent trip (in March) to Truk.   No roller carryon, which was fairly limiting.  But one of my goals was to reduce a bag as when I got to the airport I would have three rolling bags (two suitcases) and only two arms to pull them.    So this time I only had my waist bag (camera, two lenses, book, odds & ends) and a small backpack (headphones, laptop, misc.)   My suitcase was an issue as initially it was over 50 pounds.  I ended up pulling 3-4 pounds out and leaving some stuff, putting a bit more in the backpack and waist bag. 

I have to say that it's getting annoying having to carry all the batteries as carryon.

OK, so I ended up getting there with more gear than I used.  (I never shot macro in Truk), and I would have liked to have a few more clothes.   Turns out I could have had all that because I flew first class, and you are allowed 70 pound bags in United first/business class.   I did indeed take those 3-4 pounds back out of carryon and put them back in the suitcase for the trip home.

So - two suitcases, two arms, and a backpack and waist bag.  It worked fine, but I did wish for a little more carryon capacity.  Perhaps a bigger backpack next time.

One thing I did for the first time which I really liked was putting Android Smarttags+ in my luggage.   One in the Pelican, one in the suitcase.  And one more in my camera bag even though I carried it with me.   I don't know these things did anything more than give me some piece of mind, but they sure work in airports.  I even used them to find my bags in Hawaii when for some reason they splits bags onto two carousels.  On one flight I must have been sitting right over the Pelican, because I could 'see' it while in the air.   And as soon as we landed, I had very quick confirmation that bags had landed too.   Besides tracking luggage, I constantly use one of the tags to find my phone when I misplace it.  At home that's a huge feature for me.

The Pelican case survived the trip completely fine, not even scratched.  I did put two TSA-compliant locks on it, but I did not have a TSA inspection paper left inside on this trip.  In previous trips I packed my laptop in a suitcase, and that suitcase got TSA'd every single flight.

Overall, I only had to eliminate one big item I normally pack, and that is a 36 quart plastic cooler I used since 2015 to carry my rig onto the boat.  I also used it a number of times in a shower as a rinse tank.   But I was over 50 pounds with it, so it stayed.  I did miss it a bit.

7 hours ago, phxazcraig said:

Here is a bit of feedback on my recent travel with the Pelican case for the first time.

In the past I didn't trust checked baggage to hold either the camera or the dome port.  I still won't check my camera.  That still goes in the waist bag I travel with.  However, when I was first traveling with my D810 rig, I used to carry the camera inside the housing which was inside my roller bag.   Nauticam says not to do this, so I don't anymore, but with a carryon I don't really see this as much of a problem.

OK - my recent trip (in March) to Truk.   No roller carryon, which was fairly limiting.  But one of my goals was to reduce a bag as when I got to the airport I would have three rolling bags (two suitcases) and only two arms to pull them.    So this time I only had my waist bag (camera, two lenses, book, odds & ends) and a small backpack (headphones, laptop, misc.)   My suitcase was an issue as initially it was over 50 pounds.  I ended up pulling 3-4 pounds out and leaving some stuff, putting a bit more in the backpack and waist bag. 

I have to say that it's getting annoying having to carry all the batteries as carryon.

OK, so I ended up getting there with more gear than I used.  (I never shot macro in Truk), and I would have liked to have a few more clothes.   Turns out I could have had all that because I flew first class, and you are allowed 70 pound bags in United first/business class.   I did indeed take those 3-4 pounds back out of carryon and put them back in the suitcase for the trip home.

So - two suitcases, two arms, and a backpack and waist bag.  It worked fine, but I did wish for a little more carryon capacity.  Perhaps a bigger backpack next time.

One thing I did for the first time which I really liked was putting Android Smarttags+ in my luggage.   One in the Pelican, one in the suitcase.  And one more in my camera bag even though I carried it with me.   I don't know these things did anything more than give me some piece of mind, but they sure work in airports.  I even used them to find my bags in Hawaii when for some reason they splits bags onto two carousels.  On one flight I must have been sitting right over the Pelican, because I could 'see' it while in the air.   And as soon as we landed, I had very quick confirmation that bags had landed too.   Besides tracking luggage, I constantly use one of the tags to find my phone when I misplace it.  At home that's a huge feature for me.

The Pelican case survived the trip completely fine, not even scratched.  I did put two TSA-compliant locks on it, but I did not have a TSA inspection paper left inside on this trip.  In previous trips I packed my laptop in a suitcase, and that suitcase got TSA'd every single flight.

Overall, I only had to eliminate one big item I normally pack, and that is a 36 quart plastic cooler I used since 2015 to carry my rig onto the boat.  I also used it a number of times in a shower as a rinse tank.   But I was over 50 pounds with it, so it stayed.  I did miss it a bit.

I have pretty much the same setup as you (Pelican Air 1650, see above pic) except I have a travel dive bag instead of a suitcase. I pack a Cinebag CB80 Square Grouper XL (folded up) into my dive bag which I use to carry my assembled rig and as a rinse tank. The Cinebag takes up a lot of space but is worth it. Needless to say, I have little room left for clothes in the dive bag but for most trips, I only wear shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops anyway. I carry a luggage scale in my backpack because the airline's scales are always a pound or two off. 

I also had a smaller backpack that just didn't have enough space, so I bought the Think Tank Airport Commuter Backpack and it is the perfect size (highly recommended). I put my camera body, lenses, batteries, and essentials in it and it can fit under the seat on most flights (depending on the aircraft). I am always allowed to bring the backpack on the flight, even on the little single-engine island hoppers. I can walk wearing the backpack and pulling the Pelican Air case and dive bag behind me but prefer to rent a cart when they are available. One annoying issue with the Pelican cases (both my old 1650 and the new Air 1615) is they are sent to the "oversized luggage" carousel at MIA for international connections. I have stickers all over the Pelican Air case and can't miss it even in a busy airport like MIA. My Pelican Air case is pretty beaten up and can't imagine having my precious gear in anything else! 

I also have an Apple AirTag in all my items and use the TSA lock on the Pelican case. On one of last year's trips, I had 2 locks and TSA did not replace one of the locks so now I only use one lock. 

I think we have a great setup for travel! No issues so far... 

I suggest that it depends on where you live and where you are flying to.  I see you are in the US and carry on baggage there is a bit of a free for all and if you don't want it gate checked you ideally need to be in one of the early boarding groups.  Other parts of the world you will have the airline weighing carry on items.  Obviously if there's a good chance you are going to gate check the bag You would want to be sure it's in something like a pelican case to protect your gear. 

AIrlines also differ quite a bit on baggage policies I know in Australia the budget airlines are hard on carry-on items as they use that as a revenue stream forcing people to pay at the airport to check bags if carry-ons don't meet regulations.  So it pays to research both excess baggage cahrges and fare combined when deciding on your airline.  Getting status with airlines can also help to offset baggage cahrges, but obviously not everyone can do that.

3 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

AIrlines also differ quite a bit on baggage policies

And local guidelines too.

The last two times I was in the Red Sea with low cost airlines i had no problem getting there but on the return, at the Marsa Alam  airport there were guys walking around in airport uniforms (in some countries it is difficult to distinguish between roles) armed with scales and receipt booklets. In short time they carefully scanned all the rows of people who were checking in by weighing the carry-on bags one by one and applying the extra weight fees with a pickiness never seen before. There were so many protests and even the police intervened, who naturally agreed with the port operators.
After half an hour they had collected a bunch of bills. 
A real planned operation to the detriment of tourists that was impossible to escape. 

2 hours ago, Davide DB said:

And local guidelines too.

The last two times I was in the Red Sea with low cost airlines i had no problem getting there but on the return, at the Marsa Alam  airport there were guys walking around in airport uniforms (in some countries it is difficult to distinguish between roles) armed with scales and receipt booklets. In short time they carefully scanned all the rows of people who were checking in by weighing the carry-on bags one by one and applying the extra weight fees with a pickiness never seen before. There were so many protests and even the police intervened, who naturally agreed with the port operators.
After half an hour they had collected a bunch of bills. 
A real planned operation to the detriment of tourists that was impossible to escape. 

Sounds crazy, luckily I've not encountered anything like that flying over this side of the world.

Thinktank Shapeshifter for a good portion of cameras and lenses. Then depending on the place I'm flying, either a full size carry on or a small hard side carry on that can fit on small planes. Depending on how strict airlines are regarding weight, will either use just my carry on or if strict. Will divide gear between my carry on and wife's (she loves this). Haven't had my Thinktank weighed yet, just carry ons. So, will bulk up backpack with weighty things if needed.