Taking my gear on an international trip, what tips would you offer?

Hi all,

I'm a college student taking a trip out of the country and I'm wanting to take my camera gear and laptop with me. I managed to find myself a decent camera backpack that will fit my gear as well as my 15" laptop and I plan on taking that with me as carry-on luggage in the plane with locks on the zippers. But what I don't know is what I ought to expect or plan for in the flight over. What do I need to know about carrying my gear through TSA and customs? How should I pack my tripod with me? Will my laptop and gear be safe when its get scanned by security or will the hard drive get damaged?

Finally, I've read that carrying gear internationally is best done in a big hardened case. Is there an inexpensive way of doing so?

I plan on taking:
*Laptop and accessories
*Camera body
*a 28-104L and two primes
*a flash
*3 batteries and a charger

I'm not taking a whole lot. So what I should do to prepare?

A hard case is only needed if you're planning on putting your gearin the hold. If you're taking it as carry-on then a backpack is the best option. Oh, and my tripod always goes in the check-in bag, cushioned by clothing.

TSA are used to people bringing camera bags through. They will ask you to remove your laptop from the bag and send it through the scanner separately. Your gear should be perfectly safe during the process.

I went with a decent amount of gear recently and it all came on as carry on with me, laptop and ipad included. No issues and it weighed 14kg when my "limit" was 7kg

Tripod in the suitcase though as checked luggage.

It depends on your photo mission, and what part of the world you are traveling. First off, don't get a backpack that screams expensive camera gear inside. Carry the gear in someone plain, and inconspicuous. I find a DSLR, and associated gear is a PITA for international travel. I also learned over time I never used all the lens and such that I dragged along. I'd say go as light as possible, camera body, one lens, and laptop. I now travel with a SonyRX1, and Sony RX100.

You've got some good advice here already. No problem with scans of your gear, pack tripod in your checked luggage, etc. One thing I've noticed recently is that some airlines are really cracking down on the weight of your carry on bag. On a recent trip I got around it by brining my 100-400 in it's own case and carrying it in my hand till I got on the plane. Most airlines stipulate that you are allowed your carry on and a 'personal item' which in my case was my lens.

The only thing I question in your packing list is the 2 primes. Unless you expect to use them heavily and serve some special purpose I'd stick with only one in the case of a failure on the part of your zoom. Despite having brought all kinds of lenses with me while travelling I've done 90%+ of my shooting with my standard zoom.

If you really, really want to save space and weight just leave the laptop at home. You'll find much better things to do while travelling than editing photos or messing about on the Internet just like you do at home. You can keep in touch and write emails on your wifi connected phone.

Oh yeah...bring a plug adapter for the region you're travelling to. If you are going somewhere fairly remote bring a couple. They usually aren't the most robust of devices.

You will be fine. I never saw any reason to put locks on my backpack, even with the body and 5 lenses, plus a 17" laptop, because it was never out my reach. The x-ray doesn't harm hard drives or memory cards. The only real problem I ever had was with the weight.... just a pain to schlep through airports. Only once did a security inspection ever pull me out and unpack the whole backpack. My backpack was not a camera backpack - it didn't advertise what was inside.

Traveling with photo gear is a PITA typically. My last 3 trips were for weddings and I carried more photo gear bags than regular luggage. Its not fun.

Your laptop and camera gear should be your carry-on. Quadruple check that the bag will fit in the overhead compartment because you don't want the Check-in crew at the gate to look at your bag and say, "Sorry, but thats too big and has to be checked." Try to go as small/light as possible. For regular vacation travel, I find my 5D3 with a 24-105L is the perfect all around set up.

Unless you have a specific reason bring more gear than necessary, try not too.

People suggest a big, hard case to ensure nothing gets banged up if it gets checked. If your bag isn't too big, then it's no issue. I usually have to carry all my gear in a F-Stop Tilopa BC and have only been questioned once about the fit over many flights. I just pulled out the ICU (WAY smaller) and let them check the backpack itself. Crisis avoided. I also carry my laptop and corresponding accessories in a dedicated laptop bag, which goes under the seat in front of me. It keeps my camera bag smaller, thus less likely to be questioned.

As everyone has mentioned above, your tripod goes with your checked luggage.

Just as an addition to my post above: We went to Africa last October. I took 2 lenses (70-200 f4 IS w/1.4 tc II and 17-55 f2.8 IS) and my Asus Transformer pad instead of the laptop. We did a lot of travel in smallish buses and Cessna Grand Caravan bush planes and I had no problem with any of it. I used a fairly basic Swiss Gear backpack for my gear and had it at hand all of the time. It was what I took out on the safari cars, and carried on for all air travel and bus rides. It doesn't have any padding, so I used Lowe Pro padded lens cases. Had no damaged gear for the entire 17 days and 4 safari camps, plus 2 days in Victoria Falls.

I'd start off with checking which weight/size(s) the airlines you fly with allow for carry-ons. Some are getting very fussy with weight limits these days. Within Europe some airlines already throw a tantrum if you mount a heavier lens (I don't even mean a 500mm!) on a DSLR and wish to take it onboard as a personal item. Getting a jacket with ample pockets can be a way to get around this. When boarding the plane you do not have to wear the jacket if the weather is very warm. Once on board you can put everything back into your bag. I use a superlight Flight Max bag as a carry-on.

Everyone's solution for travelling with gear will differ depending on need (and sometimes disregarding need). Here is my solution.

I travel as light as possible considering needs. For trips that include birding, I take my 7D2 + 100-400mm lens as well as the SL1 (as a backup) and a couple of additional lenses. I also take my laptop and a monopod. All this together with my clothing, etc goes into a standard-sized rollaboard plus a laptop case. These items qualify as a carry-on and personal item. I don't check any luggage.

For business travel or family visits, I take the very small but capable Canon SL1 and two lenses plus the point-and-shoot, or just the point and shoot. Again no checked baggage.

The weights of my items are a concern. I'm almost always way over. So I make sure I get my boarding pass beforehand. That way I don't have to report to the airline's counter and have no contact with the airline personnel until I arrive at the gate. They almost never weigh stuff at the gate.

In case they DO catch me with excessive weight, I'm prepared to pull some critical fragile items out of the overweight bag and take those items by hand, checking the rest. Hasn't been necessary so far.

Sometimes the plane is one of those small ones and my rollaboard has to go in the belly. I try to make sure no fragile stuff is in that bag because sometimes they drop those bags from quite a height when getting them into the plane.

On arrival, I unfurl and distribute possessions in colored plastic bags. When I go out shooting, the photo gear goes into a drab-looking old canvas bag.

That's how I travel with my gear. Works for me.

Bring extra memory cards. Don't rely on one, even if it's really big. You should have backups in case the one you have fails.

Oh - My favorite thing to have is my sling strap (mine is a BlackRapid Yeti, single camera conversion when traveling). If you don't have one, see if you could borrow one if you can't afford a decent one. While traveling, it's just really nice being able utilize both hands and not worry about the camera swinging around on your neck. I've boarded planes with the camera at my side - they don't seem to count it as a carry-on.

nqjudo wrote in post #17410018
If you really, really want to save space and weight just leave the laptop at home. You'll find much better things to do while travelling than editing photos or messing about on the Internet just like you do at home.

I agree with this. I never bring a laptop while traveling anymore, since our phones can do so much.

Great Suggestions, my biggest concern is weight and gear getting stolen, so a tablet or phone with wifi suffices, and this little guy - http://www.ravpower.co​m …b-3000mah-power-bank.html for back-ups of my daily shots; you'll need a thumbdrive too. Its not the perfect tool but it gets the job done for making a copy of all my photos. Plus if you shoot raw+jpg or use a raw editing app you can email/share photos with a phone tablet. Best part you can find it for under 40-50$

So along with those items i'll have one body, 2 lenses, a flash, and a point and shoot for the times I could be doing an activity where carrying a DSLR just doesnt make sense.

I do appreciate the ability to check my day's work in the evenings when on trips. To do that properly, Lightroom is a big help. And for that, I need a laptop. The laptop is big and heavy, but the major lugging essentially only happens on the flight down and the flight back. Once at the destination I'm never far from the car, so the weight is no longer an issue.

For me the effort is worth it, and I take the laptop.

good stuff here. Forget the locks, those tiny locks are as good as no lock. If concerned, pack a couple zip ties (like they use for cables etc) and use those. You'll have to cut them, but they work great in a pinch. But thieves are crafty, they'll just cut your bag with a razor and catch what falls out if they want to. Just being aware of surroundings is usually enough.

Last time I flew to Germany a gate agent walked around, lifted people's carry on and marked some as heavy with a yellow paper tape thing. i don't know if they had to gate check those, as I avoided him by walking around, getting in line at the ticket counter and taking the escalator one level up. My bag way way over limit, at some 30+lb. Also had it on one of those collapsible luggage rollers.

TSA is no problem, sometimes they make me fire off a shot with the camera and ipad or laptop always has to go through in it's own box. But no dangers there. Once I had to pack stuff out of my carry on at check in, they wanted to weigh it. Now I hide the bag behind the counter or of somebody takes me to the airport I have them take my bag and wait elsewhere.

Also cargo pants and a jacket with big pockets can help, if in doubt just put some things from your bag into your pockets for the time being. You're not bringing all that much, I don't see that being a problem at all. I brought two bodies, two flashes, 4 or 5 lenses, chargers, batteries, etc. I also ended up using one body, two lenses so since then I rather err on the side "wish I had my 14mm for this one single shot" and live with the limitations. Usually no problem. Depends a bit on where you're going and what you want to shoot of course.

If you're going somewhere sketchy, maybe get insurance. Pick pockets (often pretty girls in Europe) look for easy targets. Don't be one. Wallet in front pocket, camera out of sight if not in use, etc. But don't get all paranoid either and let it ruin your vacation.

In Paris I had my camera on a sling and carried a simple shoulder bag on the same side. I put my camera underneath (out of easy sight) or inside the bag and sometimes had one extra lens in there, rolled into a tshirt. I also prefer the kind of bag that opens from the back so in crowds nobody can open it and get at my gear. If I sit in a caffee I put a leg of the chair through one of the shoulder straps of my bag on the floor, no grab and run that way. Phones are hot ticket items to steal, know where it is.

Oh, if you have one, bring a small p&s too. I got pretty tired of dragging my heavy camera around Paris on hot humid days and just took the small G12. And many museums and other places don't let you in with a backpack, you have to put it in a locker or leave it at the coat check. If there is one.

The lighter you can go, the more fun and less stress you'll have.

Have a great trip!

phantelope wrote in post #17447686
But thieves are crafty, they'll just cut your bag with a razor and catch what falls out if they want to.

If they think there is something of value in the bag, they will just take the whole bag. That includes baggage handlers (so I have heard), so if the x-ray shows a 600mm lens in your checked bag, that bag might be in peril.