Traveling with big lenses

How do you guys with big lenses (400,500,600) pack for air travel with all your other gear?

Scott

Pelican cases.

I don't fly. But still keep all my stuff in Pelican at home and when on road trips. Lockable and great protection.

OK, you can fit about half the stuff in my sig along with a 500/F4 in a Pelican case and fit it in the overhead on a plane?

Scott

Check out www.casesbymasco.com

They have a wide selection and will have all the internal and external dimensions of all the pelican cases.

Pelicans are good if you're gonna check your stuff. If not (I hate checking gear), Thinktank make some EXCELLENT airport bags that should fit all but the hugest gear and you can bring them on as carry on.

Another vote for Pelikan.

My 1514 keeps all my leneses safe and with me.

It fit in the overhead.

Who needs clothes ? Check those in. Keep the pelican in the overhead !

My gear goes into a custom rolly backpack that looks nothing like a camera case.

I'm able to keep everything with me and nothing screams 'HEY, EXPENSIVE CAMERA EQUIPMENT OVER HERE!"

ThinkTank International.

Scott,

It all depends. Are you flying domestic or international? Are you headed out for the day or an extended period?

When I covered the NFL, MLB and NCAA (as well as other sports) for much of my income I'd often travel with a LowePro Stealth with two bodies and three 'basic lenses' then also carry my 400f2.8 & Monopod in a Lightware long lens bag. In the lid of this bag was a 3rd body.

This was all carry-on. I traveled like this recently for a project, no problems.

For longer journeys I pack it in a rolling bag with some other gear and carry it on, along with a backpack. For international travel it goes in a locked Pelican Case.

When I at times times used to travel with a 400f2.8 and 600f4 I'd place the two of them in a rolling-trunk and check it. I never liked checking them, but it worked because they'd be to difficult to carry on. I have also shipped them via FedEx ahead of time.

Happy Flying!

Thanks Fish, that was helpful. I am thinking of a 13 day cruisetour to Alaska someday and would like to take my 500/F4 along with the DS, N, 15, 24-104, 16-35, 70-200, 50, at least 1 580ex and oh yeah, the tripod and gimbal. Not really fond of the idea of checking over $10K worth of gear to the baggage gorillas! Gotta fly to Vancouver and then home from Fairbanks.

Scott

You Americans are very lucky as you don't seem to get hastle with cary ons, most uk airlines restrict you to about 6kg so a 1dmk2 with a 300f2.8 in a lenstreker600 put you over.

Malla,

I am very familiar with dealing with Heathrow, as well as some significantly strict Euro and Asian airports. There are tricks to getting around the weight restrictions. While never ideal, I have used these tricks at Heathrow a dozen times (or more) to get what I needed on the flight with me.

i own a Pelican, a Thinktank airport addicted and a bunch of other bags. hands down my favorite bag for flying is the Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW. this backpack looks like a regular bag which means that i never gets hassled and yet i am able to carry everything i need with me on the plane. i just came back from FL and in the Comutrekker i had:

1DmkIII
40D+ grip
17-40
50 1.4
100-400
500 F4
1.4 tc
2.0 tc
3 pocket wizards
my 15" dell laptop

a bunch of small stuff...

i usually do a pelican 1514 + a lowepro aw bookbag...