Lowepro - Cabin Baggage

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I need to fly out to Portugal shortly and need to take a couple of cameras and my 17" Laptop as cabin baggage.

have a Lowepro Vertex 300 which i believe is cabin friendly (the lowepro website suggests it is). But i just wondered if anybody had any experience with this bag meeting the guidelines?

thanks
 
Depends on which airline you are flying with

I used to have a Vertex 300 and I would honestly have to say you would be sailing very close to the wind as far as cabin baggage is concerned

I use a fastpack 350 these days when taking my gear and laptop on a plane
 
I can't see how Lowepro can claim any bag to be cabin friendly given the huge variation in the dimensions and weights different airlines allow.

Having previously fallen foul of Flybe's grasping rules by the amount the wheels protruded from the bottom of our carry-ons (our fault but just a very few mm and £360 to put them in the hold!!!) I suggest that you go to the airline's website and get a definitive answer on weight and dimensions.
 
The Vertex 300 certainly doesn't meet Flybe regulations. I know I tried it in the wireframe in the check in area as a test prior to flying last year. Apparently the Vertex 200 just about fits, and I went back to an old Tamrac backpack for that trip rather than risk having the gear shoved in the hold.

That said Flybe operate relatively small aircraft, and the bins in the prop driven planes are shallow and incomparable to those in a 737/747/757 for example.

Definitely worth a check on the actual restrictions on the website and when you measure give yourself at least 1-2 cms of leeway.

IMHO Think Tank airport and streetwalker range are much more suited to aircraft usage.
 
Tamrac expedition 8x goes on easyjet everytime. Can fit shed loads in that
 
id be more worried about the 5kg limit usually applied to hand luggage.
 
But that's the problem. There's nothing 'usual' about 5kg (and we've never seen 5kg). In the last year we've had limits of 7kg on Emirates, Qatar and Spice Jet, 8kg on Air India, LAN and SAS, 10kg on Jet2 and TACA, 12kg on Air France and KLM and 'as much as you can lift by yourself' on BA! And not only did we have to keep an eye on the weight for each airline, they varied the acceptable dimensions too.

Hence my suggestion above that the OP cannot rely on Lowepro's (ridiculous) claim that their bag is 'cabin friendly' and that a check on the airline's website is a good idea.
 
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definitely check the airlines own regulations. i recently purchase a thinktank essential bag from their airport range. it was the only one of the 3 in the range that met ryanairs requirements.
 
I think I remember reading somewhere that the lowepro airline rated ones are for US domestic flights.... I think lol
 
Thanks for all the feedback. It pretty much sums up the uncertainty i found elsewhere on the internet :lol: :thumbs: Its almost like the airlines use this uncertainty as a way of making more money at check-in hmmmm ;)

Anyway, having checked easyjets dimensions on their website it would seem the depth of the bag is 1cm over (26cm instead of 25cm), but within the 115cm overall that they require. Worth noting that easyjet have no max weight on hand baggage!! which is useful as bag will weight 12-13kg

HOWEVER i've just been to Stansted and put the bag into the easyjet specific metal baggage check frames and its fits, its tight and required a decent push but it fits. The question mark now is whether the check in staff want to be awkward on the day

It also fits into the standard (generic) BAA frame also
 
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Wayne Els said:
A word of caution. My daughter recently flew to Berlin with Easyjet from Bristol. One of her friends bags was ok going out but coming back the german staff said it was too big and she had to pay to put it in the hold.
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Thanks for the info, was there more items in the bag on the return journey ( a common issue i would assume) or were they just being awkward? Must admit i have heard some shocking stories about easyjet.

I do have a slight trump card in the my media vest could hold the lens and body from the bag which will allow me to reduce the overall bulk slightly. but as i say, if their want to be awkward there is little i can do.

Either way there is no way my camera equipment goes in the hold. Just wont risk it :)

The easyjet option is turning out to be about £120 cheaper than the equivalent BA flight, just not sure it is worth the risk really. Of course there is nothing saying BA won't be awkward about it also :lol: its feeling a bit like buying a lottery ticket
 
i have a tamrac 6x, i've not tried it as carry on baggage but it's within the dimensions... always worth checking online. My d800e is not going in the hold !
 
Keith W said:
Depends on which airline you are flying with
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digital said:
I suggest that you go to the airline's website and get a definitive answer on weight and dimensions.
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rob-nikon said:
definitely check the airlines own regulations
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Absolutely top advice. There is HUGE variation between airlines.

There's a photographer-friendly UK-centric list of different airlines' allowances here. It's maintained, but it's not guaranteed to be 100% up to date everywhere, so it's best used as a planning tool. Always double-check with the specific airline.

Gr8Shot said:
or you could stop flying on cheap airlines :lol:
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Ha ha. Actually EasyJet are one of the best for carry-on allowances. (Yes, they make money from checked bags, but not as much as they save through being able to operate very tight turn-round times.) And posh airlines like Virgin and Cathay are amongst the worst for carry-on allowances.
 
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