Storage for storage and travel

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

It depends on how much gear you end up with. I have to split my camera gear into a rolling backpack + a waist bag + some bits in a suitcase.

With what you have there I'd just fit it in my waist bag (Think Tank Speed Racer). If you get more gear and can't fit it into a waist bag anymore, I'd go for a backpack or roller bag.

You tend to want to keep all that gear together in a single bag if you can. WIth a waist bag you have some advantages:

1. Puts the weight on your hips instead of shoulder and back

2. Limits the weight you carry to what fits in a waist bag

3. Keeps both hands free

4. Can be rotated to the front to work out of standing up, and also allows you to sit with the bag.

Alternatively, a roller bag for bigger, heavier gear. Again, get the weight off your back.

Any gear you take on a plane needs to be able to fit under a seat in a pinch. Think Tank makes a number of bags that meet that criteria.

Splitting up your gear is a good way to leave some of it at home by mistake. I use a checklist when I go diving because there are so many different parts and bits to bring along.

What bags do you check in?  Do you have a problem with carry-on excess weight?  Do you have a problem with excess baggage fees?

Do you carry a second backup camera and/or housing?

Do you carry a laptop?

I just got back from a long trip with Philippine Airlines, economy class: a 44 lb duffle filled with some dive gear and two housings (checked), a 35 lb roller bag filled with lenses and strobes (checked), and a carry-on backpack filled with laptop and two camera bodies.  There was no room for wetsuit and BCD, so I rented those at the destination.

In economy class, for flights to Manila on a large plane, PAL allows you to check two, 50 lb bags and to carry on 15 lbs.  For their smaller domestic flights (important if you're going on to a smaller island), they allow 15 lbs for carry-on and one checked 44 lb bag.  For their domestic flights, you can get an allowance for a second 44 lb bag for $15 if you purchase it before arriving at the airport.  At the airport, that charge is $150.

On my next trip to the Philippines, I plan to check two large duffles, adding a wetsuit and BCD.

Any suggestions?