Any airlines that allow you to carry all your camera gear as a carry on?

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jonneymendoza

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As the title says. What airlines allow you to carry your camera gear along inside the plane?

Most airlines seem to only allow you carry 5-7kg only! That is barely enough for one light lens and a smallish DSLR nevermind bringing a couple other lenses or using semi pro DSLR's.

What are you experiences in this matter?

I am planning to go vietnam next month with literally just a medium sized backpack(the fstop loka) And it will have a 5d3 none gripped, 16-35L f2.8, 24-70 f2.8L and a 70-200 f2.8 L.

It will also contain a few spare clothes, bits and bobs(creames. asthma pump etc), ipad 10inch and my carbon fibre 2x series Gitzo tripod.

I do not want to check this in the baggage at all!

i could transfer some of my clothes to another small bag but the purpose of this whole trip is to just have a backpack and me mobile. i do not wanna lug around extra bags!

Thoughts?

i would liek to fly with these lot http://www.csair.com/en/faq/static/ssxdxlxz.shtml as they seem cheapest for plane tickets
 
Not sure theres that big an issue. I seem to mangoes taking my bag which has 2 x DSLRs, 4 Lenses, a MBP and lots of bits a couple of times a year. Just don't make it look heavy ;)
 
Diddnt they weigh it? Maybe they will allow me seeing as i wont check in any luggage
 
No weight limit on easyjet and a few others for carryon. You might have problems at security with a tripod, but probs ok with a small cf travel one. Throw tripod in the hold ideally.

Rare for airlines to actually weigh hand luggage, though apparently it does sometimes happen.


Carryon space is usually limited so don't be at the very back of the queue to board or they might need to put your bag in the hold if there's on cabin space left.
 
I wouldn't chance being too much overweight with your cabin bag not worth the risk
Ive only had mine weighed once tho
Just take the camera and lenses in a bag as carry on and the rest check in and combine again into one bag when you are off the plane
 
You could always do what I did when I went on a package ski holiday to Lapland this year with a 5kg hand baggage allowance, and I had my gear because I wanted to photograph the Northern Lights. I wore my ski jacket with big pockets in case my hand luggage was weighed, which is was for what, I believe, is only the second time for me. I was over the limit and was told to put some stuff in my hold luggage, but not wanting to do that, I took the lens off the camera and put a lens and the camera body plus my tablet in my pockets and was fine. Once checked in, I repacked my bag!
 
I am currently in Melbourne, flew with Etihad. They weighed my hand luggage which had my camera gear in it. The limit was around 7kg iirc.
Had to shift a bit of gear around into my wife's hand luggage until we got through check in then I repacked it.
Not sure if you have that option though.
I must say that I was surprised they weighed it, I was always of the opinion that they wouldn't bother if it didn't 'look' heavy :lol:
 
I've had my hand baggage weighed several times over the past few years and have had to play the "shove a few lenses in fleece pockets" game a few times! These have all been shortish haul package type flights rather than scheduled and have been with a small assortment of airlines. Heavier and non fragile things go in the hold baggage (tripod, postcard printer, chargers etc..) Won't be long before Easyjet and the like start charging for coats...
 
Easyjet are one of the very best for european carryon rules. Some airlines have as ridiculous a limit as 6kg.

ryanair are generally too busy rushing to load passengers on in their 45min turnaround to pay too much attention, though if your bag's huge they'll delight in liberating you £60 of your hard earned to throw it in the hold.

My carryon-compliant thinktank bag with full kit weighs over 23kg! So unfortunately, unloading a few batteries wouldn't help me

I've had a couple of jobs recently where easyjet or another 'no weight limit' airline wasn't an option, so for that I normally resort to packing kit into a pretty anonymous thinktank retrospective shoulder bag, and just making it look lightweight! Never had my carryon weighed, but not really a risk to take either - though if they tried to make me check my full camera bag, asking them to accept liability for it is meant to be an ok beg.
 
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I can't speak for airlines in your area but I fly a lot to Asia from the u.s. and have only had my carry on bags weighed once on a small propjet plane going to a remote island in the Philippines. Of course I was over weight but all I did was pay for the extra weight and all was good. I will make a suggestion. I have a carry on piece of luggage that my backpack and tripod fit into. It's a tight fit but they generally don't give that luggage a second look. The airlines I deal with generally let you have a carry on luggage and a personal item (backpack, purse, etc). Between those two pieces I can carry my whole kit. If I was you I would find out if there was a charge for going over weight and what that charge would be. If you have the means just pay it and don't stress. Good luck and have fun.
 
I've never had my camera gear weighed, not even when I flew Air Botswana, where the limit was 7kg and my bag weighed 13kg. The guy two in front of us in the queue had his bag weighed - 5kg.

The key is to persuade the check-in clerk that they really don't want to weigh your bag. Be friendly when you approach the desk, smile and make eye contact. Hand over all the paperwork so they can process you quickly. Get your hold baggage processed. If they ask about cabin baggage then I swing my rucksack off my back with one thumb and say 'Just this', then swing it back onto my back.

If ever I do get weighed then I always wear a vest of many pockets - so I could slip most of my gear into that until I got through check-in. I've often wondered if the check-in clerk notices this and uses that fact as part of the decision-making process that results in them deciding not to bother weighing my bags.
 
everytime i go to the Philippines be it cathay pacific or emirates they always weigh my hand luggage
 
I fly regularly with Aer Arann - and their cabin weights are very low :(

I'm slightly disabled so always have a walking stick [ nice patterned one ;) ] with me. Sometimes I have a bag in the hold - sometimes it's a cabin case [ maximum possible size for that ] and I always have a small camera bag [ Lowepro Event Messenger 150 ] with me, across body . I've never yet been stopped with that and I'm only supposed to have 1 cabin bag . It's surprising what I can pack into the camera bag ;) I don't take a handbag with me . Yes a couple of times the K-30 [ or its predecessor ] has been swabbed but that's all.
 
I was well over the carry on weight limit with my gear on an Air Asia flight recently, they said I would have to remove some things, soon as I started taking stuff out, they said "oh it's camera gear, that's fine"
 
Fly BA if you can find a good deal in their sale which was just started. It also includes up to two suitcases (depending on flight length and class) so your tripod would be sorted there too.

This year the most have carried with them purely as carry on is:

7D + 5DII bodies
500mm f4 (bigger and heavier than all of your lenses put together)
70-200mm 2.8
10-20mm
50mm
Flash gun
Ipad
Hard drive

+ various accessories such as cards batteries etc.

One change of clothes.

Weight was huge but there is no limit providing you can get it into the overhead locker.

This was split between the two carry on bags you get as a BA passenger.

Tripods and monopod were in the hold though, this is more likely to be an airport than airline issue.
 
LCPete said:
I wouldn't chance being too much overweight with your cabin bag not worth the risk
Ive only had mine weighed once tho
Just take the camera and lenses in a bag as carry on and the rest check in and combine again into one bag when you are off the plane
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That's a good idea as long as you've got just a couple of tiny little lenses and one body. The last time I went to Africa I took 2 bodies, 300 f2.8, 70-200, 24-105, 10-22 and 8.5x42 binoculars. Their cabin baggage allowance is 7kg - what would you check in for the baggage handlers at Jo'burg?
 
Travelling with Emirates from London - their website states that the limit is 7kg - my carry on (only expensive camera kit) was 15kg. The web states that exceptions can be made for valuable or delicate items. I called to ask them to clarify if camera equipment would be classed as these, and they told me that it would be up to the airport to decide on the day. I then wrote by email, so that I had a written response confirming the same answer. I have a photo jacket with many pockets, and was happy that if they refused, I'd put it all in my pockets. However I checked in very early, and told them that I'd called, and emailed, and that I knew it was their decision whether to allow it. They called a supervisor, who inspected the camera kit, and asked me to move some to another bag (that they provided for me free of charge) and said that it was fine to carry on as long as both bags were around 7-8kg when I boarded, as it was a safety issue to keep individual bags at around this weight when in overhead lockers, in case any of their crew had to move things about - no nasty shocks. Very professionally handled, and all was fine. But it pays to do your research before hand, and get something in writing, so it looks like you've attempted to make sure it's ok to bring it, and not just turn up and assume.
 
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hollis_f said:
That's a good idea as long as you've got just a couple of tiny little lenses and one body. The last time I went to Africa I took 2 bodies, 300 f2.8, 70-200, 24-105, 10-22 and 8.5x42 binoculars. Their cabin baggage allowance is 7kg - what would you check in for the baggage handlers at Jo'burg?
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just meant that I would take the important stuff (camera and lenses) as carry on and put the stuff like clothes in the hold, the OP wants to just have one bag for everything and not put anything in hold I don't think that's feasible
I'm going to Zambia next year with all my gear similar to yours 300 2.8, 100-400 some smaller lenses and two bodies
I've not yet worked out how I'm going to manage it but the missus will probably be taking some of my gear as part of her allowance
 
In all my travels with work I've never had any issues with this and at times I carried a backpack containing my camera and other things plus a laptop shoulder bag.

Wouldn't worry about it.
 
LCPete said:
just meant that I would take the important stuff (camera and lenses) as carry on and put the stuff like clothes in the hold, the OP wants to just have one bag for everything and not put anything in hold I don't think that's feasible
I'm going to Zambia next year with all my gear similar to yours 300 2.8, 100-400 some smaller lenses and two bodies
I've not yet worked out how I'm going to manage it but the missus will probably be taking some of my gear as part of her allowance
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i can bring a very light bag that can easily be folded in small to dump inside my backpack when im their.

Basically whilst im their i prefer to just have one backpack with all my gear and some spare clothes as i do not want to lug around a wheelie luggage case thingy.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Most airlines seem to only allow you carry 5-7kg only! That is barely enough for one light lens and a smallish DSLR nevermind bringing a couple other lenses or using semi pro DSLR's.
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I'm intrigued, would that smallish DSLR be filled with lead? I took a backpack with a gripped, magnesium alloy body, 3 lenses and other bits and pieces, including non photographic hand luggage stuff to Greece a few years ago and, including the bag itself, it weighed less than 6 kilos.
 
fabs said:
I'm intrigued, would that smallish DSLR be filled with lead? I took a backpack with a gripped, magnesium alloy body, 3 lenses and other bits and pieces, including non photographic hand luggage stuff to Greece a few years ago and, including the bag itself, it weighed less than 6 kilos.
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Im also intrigued by your kit. was it made out of paper lol :)

the 70-200 alone is over 1.4kg on its own. Thats just one lens. the camera is just shy les then 1kg and the two other lenses are mentioned are easily on the 1kg mark. Minus any weight the bag is and no toiletries or bits and bobs, you could barely get 5kg out of all that!
 
jonneymendoza said:
Im also intrigued by your kit. was it made out of paper lol :)

the 70-200 alone is over 1.4kg on its own. Thats just one lens. the camera is just shy les then 1kg and the two other lenses are mentioned are easily on the 1kg mark. Minus any weight the bag is and no toiletries or bits and bobs, you could barely get 5kg out of all that!
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But that's a hell of a lot more than a smallish DSLR and 1 light lens though. My kit included a couple of primes and a standard zoom and, as I said, a gripped magnesium alloy body.
 
i did state the gear i was taking with me :) although i forgot to mention the body which is a 5d3.

Im already going to leave my macbook pro behind instead of bringing it
 
jonneymendoza said:
i would liek to fly with these lot http://www.csair.com/en/faq/static/ssxdxlxz.shtml as they seem cheapest for plane tickets
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There's in inherent conflict between choosing the cheapest carrier and expecting them to have the best luggage policy. I just bought some tickets on Queasyjet and as I expected a suitcase is going to cost more than I do (presumably because they can’t try to sell food to the suitcase).

Personally, I'd stuff everything that isn't camera gear in the Loka (which weighs quite a bit empty) and sling it in the hold. Put the cameras in a dry bag and stuff them under your seat.

When you arrive, repack. The dry bag will take almost no room in your rucksack and could actually be useful. Or if you'd rather, I've mentioned these before http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/86 - I've trekked a long way with a D3 and 70-200 in one of those.

Oh and get some cargo trousers that take an iPad ;)
 
JonathanRyan said:
Fly business class. Food's better too.
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irritatingly, especially for european travel, that still isn't enough to be home and dry when it comes to heavy carryon on some airlines...

really frustrating. At least in the states you get a personal item as well as carryon (generally)
 
I've been to Poland and Russia, with LOT and Air France. No problems, and all over Europe with Easy jet and BA. Never had problems, and my bag has at time been so heavy, it probably exceeded my entire allowance.
 
Here is my plan. Spare clothes, tripod, bits and bobs like chargers and spare batteries goes inside my fstop loka bag and checked in whilst i will use my small casual CK bag i got free from buying a perfume to put my actual camera gear and ipad with a bit of padding on it for hand luggage.

That should in theory help with the weight a bit better. Saya round 10kg and the bag will be smaller then the fstop loka thust giving the people at the airport the illusion that the bag is light and no need to check it
 
The spare batteries shouldn't go in the hold baggage and may well get picked up by the airport xray machines. The creams should be in the hold (depending on tube size).
 
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