UK flights and camera bags

Hello Folks,

At the moment there are size restrictions on hand baggage on flights from the UK. The size can be a maximum of 45 x 35 x 16 cm (length, width, depth). I currently have a Tamrac adventure 7 bag, which is great but if I put the camera in the right part it is too at 23 cm deep.

I am off to China at the end of the month and can see two options - I plan to take D50, 18-70, Tokina 12-24, Nikon 50 1.8 (I am not going to risk putting the gear in the hold):

1) Place the camera and lenses in the top part of the bag, where there is no padding whilst checking-in and through security and try to hoodwink the check-in staff by squashing the padde part so it fits the size guage. Then place back in the padded part once in the departure lounge.

OR

2) Buy a bag that complies with the size restrictions.

Anyone recently flew from the UK and managed to get away with a bag larger than the size restrictions?

If I get another bag I was thinking of a crumpler Bens Pizza XXL. Anyone think I'll happily get my gear in one of these? I've searched the cambags site and am still unsure? Anyone know of stockists of these bags in London so I can go and test one? Sometime in the future I'm planning on getting either a used Nikon 80-200 2.8 or Sigma 70-200 2.8....anyone know if these will fit? Would I get much else in?

Cheers and sorry for so many questions !

Graham

Can't you carry the camera around your neck? Think you can have a carry-on bag and a camera around you neck.

Frank

Frank,

What a good point ! I feel very stupid now !!

That way I could carry the camera and put the other lens easily in the small part of my bag that will then easily pass the size test.

Cheers

Graham

If you like crumplers, look at the 'stunner'. Aboutthe same size as the bigger bens pizzas but much more protective of your gear. I get the d70, 18/70, 70-300, 60micro in it plus lots more room for accessories.
LesK

Les

Thanks for that.

I think I really need to get myself to a shop somewhere that stocks the bags so I can test them out.

Cheers

Graham

I've used a laptop bag - works well with all the components disassembled and a little bubble wrap. The empty camera bag can go inside the case in the hold.

I didn't fly recently, but I was in Heathrow 2 this sunday. My friend was leaving and she was allowed a bag with laptop which was just a bit wider then required measurement, so I believe the adventure 7 should be fine, at least I hope so as I'll be flying at the end of this month and I have the same bag.

My major concern is that what options I have if I need to take camera and laptop with me.
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Hi,

I went out of Gatwick last week to Geneva on BA. Although often I have taken a D70, 18-70DX and a 70-210AFD in a small Tamrac 5698 (all just fits), this time I just put the D70/18-70 in my briefcase. The dimensions are as stated on the BA website and they have a wood box into which they can insert hand luggage; if it fits, it goes in the cabin, if not it goes to the hold. In fact, they didn't ask to put my briefcase into the box (briefcases seem okay – Tamrac and others do briefcase style camera bags; great for the voyage, but not for lugging gear around once there), but other passengers had their hand luggage measured. Weight did not seem to be an issue.

Hope that helps; have a great rip.

--
Jon

http://jules7.smugmug.com/

Look at your airline's website for the rules. I think you can only have one item of hand luggage. A camera round your neck and a camera bag would count as two items.

I have a Crumpler Budgie Smuggler that takes my D70 + 18/70, 70/300G & 1.8D. I don't think they still sell it.

Jeff

I've thought of that as well, but then I've got another thing to carry around. I tend to travel light with as few things as possible thrown into my rucksack.

Cheers

Graham

Hi Graham,

Im off to New York on Saturday and have the same problem... but I have a crumpler Shrinkler rucksack (which is much bigger than the carry on dimensions). What I plan to do is take an empty suitcase with the empty rucksack inside since you can have 2 pieces of checked-in luggage per person. The camera will go around my neck and the lenses bubble wrapped in a small laptop bag (without the laptop)...

I'lll let you know how I get on

Todd.
--

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--

I believe that under the 'pre alert' baggage rules you could take a number of items in addition to the "single piece of hand luggage" - they included things like an umbrella, camera and even a handbag I think! This didn't vary by airline but was some kind of formal regulatory allowance so you always had it in small print of ticket.

Obviously the new rules may render the above irrelevant. They were relaxed a few days before I last flew out of the UK (so you could take iPods etc in the cabin) but I relied on one of my kids carrying the camera gear! I'm not sure what the current situation is but it's possible you can take a camera round your neck in addition to normal hand baggage. Before the current alert photographers were always stuffing lenses into their pockets to circumvent weight restrictions!

Has anyone been through security with camera round their neck recently?

Adrian

I have used a photo vest and kept several lens in the vest pockets with the cameral around my neck and a LARGE camera bag checked. Had clothing in the ccamera bag.
Preview China at http://www.alldigital.fotopic.net
--
Art

Cheers Tood ! I'd like to hear how you get on. Good luck with your travels and have fun in New York - I loved it, great city.

Graham

It may even depend on the airport you start your journey in. I flew to Stockholm last week and started my trip at Glasgow airport (then to Arlanda, Stockholm via Heathrow). At Glasgow the only checks were visual by the check-in staff in a "yeah that looks small enough" kind of way. I didn't take my D70 with me because my main camera bag is a Lowepro Computrekker, and well, that's way beyond the limits. I suspect I could've got away with a smaller camera bag if it was a shoulder one though, they didn't seem that bothered (took me 15 minutes from walking through the door to sitting down at the gate, no hassle).

On the way back, however, I had to go through security at Heathrow when I arrived from Arlanda (oh what a bottleneck that is...) and there they were making people put their hand luggage into a box of the allowed dimensions to see if it it fitted. I don't know how they'd react to you having a camera slung around your neck to be honest, they didn't seem overly friendly and you wouldn't get away with having a bigger bag there.

I'm off to Montreal on Sunday and I'd love to take my D70, 18-70 and 80-200 but I think I may just end up leaving them at home again and packing my old Canon G1.

The situation is utterly ridiculous at the moment, I don't feel any safer because the woman in front of me isn't allowed to take moisturiser on and I have to assume their X-Ray machines are useless if they can't make out items in a bag bigger than a laptop case. They're just making it even more stressful and time-consuming to travel by plane. If I lived in the SE of England I'd probably take the Eurostar to Paris or Amsterdam and fly out of Roissy or Schipol.

My 5 Million Dollar Home is smaller than the allowed size will fit the required gear and will have room for your passport, wallet, iPod and mobile phone.

I have a LowePro Orion Trekker II which isn't exactly a top of the range camera bag, but it exactly meets the current UK hand-bagge size limits: 45x35x16cm (measured it last night as I'm going on a trip today!). I can get a D70 and three lenses in the bottom part and a load of accessories in the top part.

I have to say that I used to have a Crumpler bag and although it was bigger, better made (and twice as expensive!) as the LowePro, I can get more in the Lowepro - it makes more efficient use of the space. Definitely try one out for size before you buy it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I heard on the radio today that the restrictions regarding the size of hand luggage on flights departing the UK will be lifted next week....so I'm going to sit tight and see what happens. Hopefully I'll be able to take my present bag after all. Phew.

Graham

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5343018.stm

I have bought a small bag and I plan to return it now.

Meekyman said:

Hello Folks,

At the moment there are size restrictions on hand baggage on
flights from the UK. The size can be a maximum of 45 x 35 x 16 cm
(length, width, depth). I currently have a Tamrac adventure 7 bag,
which is great but if I put the camera in the right part it is too
at 23 cm deep.

I am off to China at the end of the month and can see two options -
I plan to take D50, 18-70, Tokina 12-24, Nikon 50 1.8 (I am not
going to risk putting the gear in the hold):

1) Place the camera and lenses in the top part of the bag, where
there is no padding whilst checking-in and through security and try
to hoodwink the check-in staff by squashing the padde part so it
fits the size guage. Then place back in the padded part once in
the departure lounge.

OR

2) Buy a bag that complies with the size restrictions.

Anyone recently flew from the UK and managed to get away with a bag
larger than the size restrictions?

If I get another bag I was thinking of a crumpler Bens Pizza XXL.
Anyone think I'll happily get my gear in one of these? I've
searched the cambags site and am still unsure? Anyone know of
stockists of these bags in London so I can go and test one?
Sometime in the future I'm planning on getting either a used Nikon
80-200 2.8 or Sigma 70-200 2.8....anyone know if these will fit?
Would I get much else in?

Cheers and sorry for so many questions !

Graham

Click to expand...

--
Lewis
http://chilipalmer.deviantart.com/gallery/

No such luck, sorry. You're only allowed one item of carry on, and when I flew three weeks ago they were enthusiastically enforcing that.

You're not allowed anything in your pockets, nothing around your neck, nothing other than your one teeny bag.