Flying with a Pelican Case 1520

Hi all!

Havent posted a question in a long while and wasnt sure where to post this one so in General Chat it goes!

Im travelling to Vancouver next month to cover a wedding and was wondering if it was possible to travel with the Pelican Case 1520 as a carry-on. It definitely has the dimensions of a carry-on but not the weight. I have not weighed my Pelican but please feel free to look at my gear list and you'll have an idea of what im bringing.

Please advise wise ones! Thanks in advance!

Have a look here.

Check out the last post by fishphoto - that guy flys a lot and has a wealth of info available.

thanks John. i clicked on fishphoto's link but i think his site is down at the moment.

I have the 1510 which is 'carry on' compatible for many airlines. The principles are the same and some will differ regarding size/weight allowances so you need to check your airline FAQ and make a judgement about risk. It seems to me pretty random at check in what kind of response you get about anything. All will either be happy and not even notice extra weight or some might make a fuss. I just try and make everything easy for the person there: all papers ready, be polite, do not make the case seem heavy or draw any attention to it, focus on dealing with the baggage going in the hold.

Yes I have read that the largest size safe to carry on an airplane is the 1510. I was looking to get the 1514 because it comes with the padded dividers.

I have never been asked about maximum weight (knock on wood) but that is the major problem with pelican cases they are heavy empty and would easily bust the max weight half full of lenses if you were checked. I use a 1520 but with the lowepro briefcase liner so if I get checked I would check the shell. I also wear a photo vest and would start to fill it if there was still a problem but I have never had to do either.

thanks for the responses all! i checked with the united airlines website and no where in the carry-on restrictions lists max weight. so here's to all my fingers crossed!

GOOD LUCK!

The 1520 is smaller then the 1510?

I ask because I remember when I bought my 1510 (Actually 1514 cause of the deviders, same case though) that Pelican advertized it as the largest TSA carry-on you can buy.

NickSimcheck wrote in post #6124394
The 1520 is smaller then the 1510?

I ask because I remember when I bought my 1510 (Actually 1514 cause of the deviders, same case though) that Pelican advertized it as the largest TSA carry-on you can buy.

Yes the 1520 is like a briefcase, it will hold about 12 lenses of the smaller prime size like the TS-E's.

I have the 1510 and it is a VERY nice case. It is the largest size you can carry on.

It has padded dividers and foam on top and bottom. It also has wheels and a pop out handle... so nice because its heavy full.

I now have in there:
Canon 5D
Canon 40D
sigma 50mm macro
85mm 1.2L
24-70 2.8L
70-200 2.8 IS
Tokina 10-17mm fisheye
Canon 420EX flash
Canon 430EX flash
tamron 2X teleconverter
3 77mm filters
16 AA batteries
gary fong light sphere
5 CF cards
lensbaby 2.0
sunscreen, tide pen, and sharpie
giottos large rocket blower
Canon remote
ST-E2
5 canon batteries
Fiji F30 Point and shoot camera
2 energy bars


YES IT IS FULL!!!

My site is back up and running, I was moving web hosts.....sorry.

I have flown from YVR four times this year with a Pelian 1514 (1510 with dividers) while flying intra-North America flight and one flight from YVR to an international destination and never had a problem.

The 1514 conforms to US and Cannuck carry-on standards. Most airlines don't check carry on weight in North America so you'll be OK.


My 1514 has flown on Air Canda countless times , including Air Canada Jazz Dash-8 flights, and I have never been questioned. WestJet has also never looked twice on flghts flown with the 1514 out of YVR and YYZ.

Search www.flyingwithfish.com. For 1514 two detailed posts come up, with another scheduled for sometime in September

Happy Flying!