Question on the Think Tank Shape Shifter

For those that have travelled on an airplane with the Think Tank Shape Shifter...with moderate gear (1 proDSLR body, 70-200 2.8, 300 f4, 135 f2, 15" Macbook Pro) does it fit underneath the seat?

I would hate to have to stow it above out of my hands and safety

Darn, no one has taken the Shape Shifter on a plane?

Well ... I don't have a Shape Shifter, but maybe I can help you out anyway...

The TT web site says the SS expanded external dimensions are 20 x 12.5 x 7"

The last plane I flew on had a 22 x 14 x 9" limit for carry-ons ... your bag meets that dimensionally OK.

I normally fly with a roller bag that is 9" thick, and it easily goes under the seat in front of me and is 17.5 x 13" in the other dimensions. I would think your only problem with putting it under the seat is the 20" height ... it might stick out too far and attract attention of the flight attendants. If your seat-mate didn't have a bag as well, you could probably rotate the bag sideways and slide it under, but it would take up more than your share of the space.

Thus, you will probably have no issues getting on the plane with the bag, and you might be able to travel with it under the seat in front of you, but if you get an over-zelous attendant, you may be asked to put it into the overhead bin on some flights.

Hope that helps...

-howard

I found a note that CRJ-200 regional jets have dimensions of:
Overhead Bin 18 x 14 x 7
Under Seat 19 x 15 x 11

That does help. Thnx for that...airtran has a restriction tha t negates the use of this bag

I guess that saves me $250 though. The search continues...

hfgarris wrote in post #10325222
Well ... I don't have a Shape Shifter, but maybe I can help you out anyway...

The TT web site says the SS expanded external dimensions are 20 x 12.5 x 7"

The last plane I flew on had a 22 x 14 x 9" limit for carry-ons ... your bag meets that dimensionally OK.

I normally fly with a roller bag that is 9" thick, and it easily goes under the seat in front of me and is 17.5 x 13" in the other dimensions. I would think your only problem with putting it under the seat is the 22" height ... it might stick out too far and attract attention of the flight attendants. If your seat-mate didn't have a bag as well, you could probably rotate the bag sideways and slide it under, but it would take up more than your share of the space.

Thus, you will probably have no issues getting on the plane with the bag, and you might be able to travel with it under the seat in front of you, but if you get an over-zelous attendant, you may be asked to put it into the overhead bin on some flights.

Hope that helps...

-howard

I found a note that CRJ-200 regional jets have dimensions of:
Overhead Bin 18 x 14 x 7
Under Seat 19 x 15 x 11

What is the airtran restriction?

My under seat roller bag is a modified "Skooba Checkthrough" which holds a 15" computer in a "TSA Checkthrough" section so I don't have to remove it at security, and I removed the divider in the other "clothing" section of the bag and it is then big enough to hold my shoulder bag full of gear (usually a TT UD-40 or smaller) plus cables, chargers, GPS, etc. This has worked well for me so far, easy to deal with security and computers, roll-around convenience, and my walk-around camera bag at my destination.

-howard

hfgarris wrote in post #10325302
What is the airtran restriction?

My under seat roller bag is a modified "Skooba Checkthrough" which holds a 15" computer in a "TSA Checkthrough" section so I don't have to remove it at security, and I removed the divider in the other "clothing" section of the bag and it is then big enough to hold my shoulder bag full of gear (usually a TT UD-40 or smaller) plus cables, chargers, GPS, etc. This has worked well for me so far, easy to deal with security and computers, roll-around convenience, and my walk-around camera bag at my destination.

-howard

According to Airtran's personal carry-on restrictions:
- For a personal item, such as a briefcase, laptop, purse, or camera to fit under the seat in front of the customer, it must not exceed 17” long + 12” wide + 8.5” tall.

The Shape Shifter measures 22" long so it would definitely stick out from under the seat

Gee ... 3" isn't much!
You might be able to "scrunch" the bag down that much to get by with it, if that is the bag you want to get. There might also be more room under the seat than they spec. Even if you had to put your bag in a "compliance test frame", I would just give it a good push to squash it down a bit if they complain.

You might also look at the "Streetwalker HD" backpack, it is a bit shorter.

-howard

hfgarris wrote in post #10326171
Gee ... 3" isn't much!
You might be able to "scrunch" the bag down that much to get by with it, if that is the bag you want to get. There might also be more room under the seat than they spec. Even if you had to put your bag in a "compliance test frame", I would just give it a good push to squash it down a bit if they complain.

You might also look at the "Streetwalker HD" backpack, it is a bit shorter.

-howard

5" actually