Transporting via air super telephoto lenses....

I recently acquired a Canon 600mm lens. I was looking advice regarding transporting during air travel both domestically or internationally with these larger lens. I do have a Think Tank international, but this lens will not fit in this bag. I've looked at a few options that would allow me to transport the lens itself but not the rest of my gear etc. Any ideas, solutions (sending ahead of time etc) would be greatly appreciated.

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svizzerams wrote in post #18839027
I recently acquired a Canon 600mm lens. I was looking advice regarding transporting during air travel both domestically or internationally with these larger lens. I do have a Think Tank international, but this lens will not fit in this bag. I've looked at a few options that would allow me to transport the lens itself but not the rest of my gear etc. Any ideas, solutions (sending ahead of time etc) would be greatly appreciated.

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I see you're in Chelan .... howdy, neighbor!

My main lens is larger and heavier than yours, and yet I was able to fit it into a carry-on last June when I flew. . My lens is the Sigma 300-800mm, 22 inches long and 13 pounds.

Not only did this big lens fit into my carry-on bag, but into that same bag I also was able to fit my tripod, Wimberley head, Canon 1D Mark 4, Canon 6D, Canon 100-400mm, Canon 24-105mm, lens hoods, 16' remote release, two pairs of gloves, knit hat, two pairs of sunglasses, Allen wrenches, two camera battery chargers, 5 spare batteries, and assorted small miscellany that I can't recall now.

The big Sigma JUST fit into the bag, lengthwise. . But there was so much room to the sides of the lens that I was able to fit all of my other photography gear in the bag.

My bag was an inch or two under Alaska Airlines' carry-on limit, but no one checks the carry-on bags to see if they are too big or not. . So, even if my bag had been a few inches longer, and thus in violation, nobody would have known or cared.

There were a LOT of other passengers with carry-on bags that were clearly over the limits and nobody did or said anything to them. . I think Alaska Airlines is pretty easy going with their rule enforcement, so I recommend them. . And of course they fly everywhere, not just Alaska.

Remember that you not only get to bring a carry-on bag onto the plane with you, but you also get to bring what they call a "personal item". My personal item was a messenger bag that held a big old bunch of stuff .... lots of snacks, travel mug, 40 ounce Stanley thermos, etc. . The only rule is that the personal item has to be able to fit under the seat in front of you. . No matter how big it is, or how jammed full of stuff it is, don't worry - somehow you'll be able to manage to get it jammed into that space under the seat .... and if for some reason you can't, then just take a few things out and put them in your pockets.

Here is a link to the bag I used as my carry-on:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ails&Q=&sku=687​219&is=REG

To see the dimensions, just click on where it says "SPECS", and both the outer and inner dimensions will come up. . Please realize that these bags are soft, not rigid, and therefore you can fit something in it that is longer than the stated length, because the material will give a little in one direction, but take away a little in the other directions when it does so.

Both of the friends who went on the trip with me have a Canon 600mm, like you have, and they both fit the lens into their carry-on bags without any problems or concerns whatsoever. . We are all from Washington, as you are, so likely flying out of the same airports that you will use - Spokane or Sea/Tac.

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My Nikon 800mm f5.6 E fits in the Pelican 1535 AIR case. It has rollers, extending handle and fits in USA domestic overhead bin. The hood has to go in checked baggage or be replaced with a soft folding lens hood.

I have a Think Tank Airport V2 and it holds the Canon 600 F4 with the hood reversed. Quite a bit of room to put other gear in.( I have had it almost to 50 lbs but do tell the agent at the gate). I have used this on US domestic and several international trips to the UK and Europe. The problem traveling with this today is if you are towards the end in boarding, all the bin space may be used up by the time you are ready to board....the gate agent will tell you that your bag needs to be checked, and you either select another flight or comply..they are not responsible for damage. My solution is purchase priority boarding so you board early! Also choose you aircraft carefully. The Think tank will fit the Airbus A319,320 321 aircraft, B737 700 and 800 series. Larger aircraft, B747, B777, no problems. No puddle jumpers...small jets the ERJ's and CRJ's and all small props...you will need to check a bag this size.I have learned to do this over time....and can do the 600mm as well as a 300f2.8, all on carry on. Hope this helps, all the best.

A really good way to save space, is getting a low profile from a third party. I have a Wimberly one on my 400.

Also, getting a foldable hood (Mine is from LensCoat) will also save a ton of space. The hood reversed is a giant space sucker. My foldable is about the size of a piece of paper, and maybe 1/2 thick. I usually just put it over everything and then zip up my bag.

hope that helps a little!

Tom. I may need your help packing, sounds like you have it down to a fine art. Air travel with my cameras/lens always has me on edge, just don't do it often enough to feel comfortable. They seem to change the rules from one minute to the next.
Any airlines you would try to avoid in the US and Canada when taking all your photo gear?
What did the bag and all your gear weigh when loaded, do you recall?
Boarding early is a good thing, my last flight to Fairbanks out of Denver was shared with a Girls college volley ball team, each one of them carried on huge bags and stuffed them in the overhead bins, not a single one should have passed as a carry on.
I'm again looking at flights to Alaska and since I'm blessed to live right in the middle of nowhere USA looks like I may be on 4 or more different airlines.

Grizz1 wrote in post #18901478
Tom. I may need your help packing, sounds like you have it down to a fine art.

Ha! . That struck me funny. . I have only flown a few times in my entire life, and only once with photography gear - last June.
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Grizz1 wrote in post #18901478
They seem to change the rules from one minute to the next.

But based on what my friends say, they seldom change the enforcement. . What the rules say doesn't really matter if they never measure your carry-ons.
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Grizz1 wrote in post #18901478
Any airlines you would try to avoid in the US and Canada when taking all your photo gear?

I really don't know. . I've only flown once in the past decade. . My friend made the arrangements with Alaska Air. . They were great and easy-going and nobody cared what anyone brought with them as a carry-on, nor how big the "personal item" was.

This friend, who flies frequently for photography, always uses Alaska Air. . Before the flight I was concerned about the size of my carry-on. . He thought I was crazy to be concerned about it. . He said they just don't care how big or how heavy your carry-on is ..... that you can pretty much bring anything that will physically fit in the overhead compartment. . He was right - I shouldn't have been concerned at all.
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Grizz1 wrote in post #18901478
What did the bag and all your gear weigh when loaded, do you recall?

It was 50 pounds. . I only know that because the night before the flight we were joking about it being heavier than my big checked bag .... but it wasn't .... they just happened to be exactly the same weight. . But I don't think there is a weight limit for the carry-ons ..... at least not one that anybody enforces. . They didn't weigh it. . They only weighed the checked bag that I had.


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Well Tom you could have fooled me, I had you pictured in my mind as frequent flier.
It's looking like one of my flights will be on United and another on Alaska so I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with Alaska air.
I don't fly often but it seems I've encountered more than my fair share of problems at check-ins. Had carry on weighed , measured, checked bag searched , had to remove an item once and place in the wife's luggage to pass weight rule, all on my return flight. I seem to be able to leave on a trip easily but returning is always difficult.
I would really like to take my 120-300 S and 2x TC to Alaska but it's heavy compared to my 150-500. A 100-400 ll would be nice to have instead but doubt I can sneak one of those into the house, esp since they are white and very noticeable. I'm going to practice packing and weighing my gear to find what works for me. At this time I'm not wanting to leave much gear at home when going to Alaska.

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Grizz1 wrote in post #18902028
Well Tom you could have fooled me, I had you pictured in my mind as frequent flier.

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I do travel, almost constantly. . Last year I spent less than 4 months in my home state; was off firefighting for 2 1/2 months, visiting family in Pennsylvania for 2 1/2 months, and photographing wildlife all around the U.S. for over 3 months. . But I drive everywhere. . Road-tripping is such a better method of travel than flying, if you have unlimited time and no job that you have to return to.

One of the main reasons I prefer to drive is because of the limited gear that you can take with you on a plane. . It's nice to have all the gear with me wherever I go - not only the camera gear, but all of the camping gear, as well as a couple of different styles of photo blinds. . And my nice big 27" desktop computer. . I don't really want to be somewhere if I can't have all of that with me.

The only reason I flew to Barrow, Alaska, is because there aren't any roads that go there - the only viable options are to go by plane or by ferry. . If there were roads going to Barrow, I would have driven there instead.

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Southwest Airlines can be good to fly because their fleet is all Boeing 737–No regional Jets! But make sure you understand their unique boarding system and you have a fairly low number.

On airlines that have regional jets, assuming you aren’t on a transcontinental or international flight, it is always conceivable there will be an equipment change, or that your flight will be cancelled and you will be rebooked on a flight with a regional jet. So you should always have a plan for how you will cope if you want to be safe.

I dealt with a similar situation on my recent trip to Yellowstone. How to fit all my camera gear in a carry-on bag. The good news was that my daughter was going with me so we could both carry bags.

My first purchase was an Evercase backpack from Amazon that could fit my 500 f/4 plus other gear. I liked the bag but decided to check with the airline (American) before purchasing another. I went to the airport (a regional airport) to make sure it was considered "carry-on". It was but this is when I learned that it would be "valet"'d at the gate. They would take the bag, store it in the cargo hold, and return it to me when we landed at our layover. Obviously, this wasn't an option that I would consider. A personal item sized bag would stay with me throughout the trip.

So it was back to Amazon, where I purchased two personal item sized bags. These turned out to be basically oversized laptop bags which wouldn't work. I drove to Walmart to see what they had. I found a 16" "rolling underseater" that looked like it might work. I bought two of them for around $40 each. They ended up working just fine.

I used socks, t-shirts, padding, and bubble wrap to safely and securely pack my gear. Having rollers turned out to be a big plus.

Between the two bags, I was able to pack:

Gripped 5D mk iv
Gripped 80D
Nikon P1000
500 f/4
1.4 tc
2.0 tc
Sigma 150-600
24-105
14 2.8
11-20 2.8

Be careful at security. Last year when I was in Miami they took my Tamron 150-600 out of the case and carelessly put it on the conveyor and it almost fell off.
(Why they didn't put it on a tray is a mystery).

It is definitely worth checking the airline hand baggage policies as there are big differences between them on size and weight limits. I have travelled to the USA and South Africa carrying a Sigma 120-300 f2.8, a 24-105L a 17-40L along with gripped 5d3 and 7d2. I have had no issues at security on or the plane. I was travelling with BA and they have pretty good size limits for the 2 bags you are allowed and a maximum of 23 kg per bag, as long as you can lift it into the overhead locker yourself. Some of the other international carriers have a maximum of 10 kg total weight for all your hand luggage and my gear would weigh at least double that. Having said that, I have never had my hand luggage weighed on any airline, but I have had to put my bag into the size device they have at check in.

Honey Monster wrote in post #18996770
It is definitely worth checking the airline hand baggage policies as there are big differences between them on size and weight limits. I have travelled to the USA and South Africa carrying a Sigma 120-300 f2.8, a 24-105L a 17-40L along with gripped 5d3 and 7d2. I have had no issues at security on or the plane. I was travelling with BA and they have pretty good size limits for the 2 bags you are allowed and a maximum of 23 kg per bag, as long as you can lift it into the overhead locker yourself. Some of the other international carriers have a maximum of 10 kg total weight for all your hand luggage and my gear would weigh at least double that. Having said that, I have never had my hand luggage weighed on any airline, but I have had to put my bag into the size device they have at check in.

This raises an IMPORTANT point, about International travel...most airlines outside the USA have carry-on bag weight limits which are enforced! Most are 10Kg, but some are LESS like Air New Zealand and Saudi Arabian Airlines at 7.0Kg!!!

I am finally going back to Kenya. I have the Sigma 300-800 but wondering how do I travel with this lens? What bags do people suggest for this big lens? Is there a bag that I could put 2-3 DSLRs in as well?