Airlines I am going with: Jet Blue/ Royal Air Maroc
Leaving from: Sacramento California
Destination: Bamako, Mali
Length of stay: 31 days


I just received the pelican 1630 which is a fairly large case which I will pack 2 small bogen tripods, monopod, audio mics, 80 tapes, cables, food, and 1 Canon XH-A1. I was planning on checking the 2nd XH-A1 in a back pack with a charger, battery and a box of tapes, in case there are delays/issues with the pelican case. I will also have a larger Bogen 475 tripod with a Bogen 503 head to check in as well as a micro dolly and micro dolly jib which I am renting from Pro HD in Burbank. Those are about 33" and 12lbs each. I will most likely have to pay extra for the amount I will check for the hold but I am ok with that.

Question:

Would it be wise to carry on both cameras in a soft Lowell tracker that fits on my back, or should I just check in one camera in a small back pack (bubble wrapped for my Kelty 3100 back pack) and leave the other in the Pelican? By the way, I plan on putting zip ties to lock the pelican to show for any tampering (if they do).

Airlines I am going with: Jet Blue/ Royal Air Maroc
Leaving from: Sacramento California
Destination: Bamako, Mali
Length of stay: 31 days


I just received the pelican 1630 which is a fairly large case which I will pack 2 small bogen tripods, monopod, audio mics, 80 tapes, cables, food, and 1 Canon XH-A1. I was planning on checking the 2nd XH-A1 in a back pack with a charger, battery and a box of tapes, in case there are delays/issues with the pelican case. I will also have a larger Bogen 475 tripod with a Bogen 503 head to check in as well as a micro dolly and micro dolly jib which I am renting from Pro HD in Burbank. Those are about 33" and 12lbs each. I will most likely have to pay extra for the amount I will check for the hold but I am ok with that.

Question:

Would it be wise to carry on both cameras in a soft Lowell tracker that fits on my back, or should I just check in one camera in a small back pack (bubble wrapped for my Kelty 3100 back pack) and leave the other in the Pelican? By the way, I plan on putting zip ties to lock the pelican to show for any tampering (if they do).

Hi Larry:

I would always opt to carry both cameras. Think about it, if they lose your luggage, you have lost at least one camera and the airline will not buy you a new one. I would much rather lose the less expensive gear. Flying these days, you stand a distinct chance of having some airline somewhere along the line lose or mis-route your luggage, I think the international numbers are now somewhere around 3-4% average are lost or mis-routed.

You will need TSA locks instead of zip ties. They may or may not tamper with the Pelican but they will undoubtedly need access to let TSA inspect the contents. If you have zip ties, they will cut them and not replace them. At least with TSA locks, they unlock them, then usually lock them back up.

Another option would be to simply FedEx or UPS all of the gear to your final destination. Not cheap but better chance of it making it's way to your final destination. Although even that's not perfect, UPS just lost my Arri kit coming back from Philadephia to LA. It took them 3 weeks to locate it and get it back to me.

Traveling with gear is just getting worse and worse.

Dan

Thanks for the quick reply Dan.

Where do I get TSA locks? Are they world-wide standard locks? Fed Ex/UPS is not an option for me, so I must carry all of these items with me. Anyone else out there opt to carry on both cameras instead of one? I do have a 20k insurance policy through all-state just in case.

Thanks for the quick reply Dan.

Where do I get TSA locks? Are they world-wide standard locks?.
http://tinyurl.com/yoq3gd

Dan

Thanks Dan. I'll get 2. I've decided to pack both A1's in my LowePro Photo Trekker AV I bought back in 1994 (still a good bag!). I had to remove the mic mounts on both cams, but that's no biggie-I'll put them back on when I get to Mali. I want to post pics of how I am packing but I don't know how to post pics. Any help here on that?

The Pelican Case with the velcro inserts is the way to go for me. It has two layers (the top layer is in the upper left of the picture and is also supporting a shoulder mount, mic blimp, porta brace rain slickers etc.) The bottom layer has the Nebtek 70HD monitor, small tripods, monopod, heads, audio lav systems, tapes etc. I am carrying on the bag with the cameras with big batteries inside them and 1 charger and a box of tapes(bottom of pic). Any suggestions or feedback is welcome. I am packing really well in my opinion. In the lid organizer of the pelican case, I am sorting pockets by categories, i.e. "charging" pouch for charging batteries and "cleaning" pouch for cleaning wipes, cloths and dust brushes etc. Then there are cable pouches. I still have a lot of work to do, but I want to be fully prepared. Any more ideas are definitely welcome!

Larry I agree with Dan always carry the cameras with you and what you need to just get by doing the job. I send my Storm case by UPS fully insured to most jobs if I have to fly. Fill all excess volume and don't leave room for anything to move.

Looks like you have a nice setup.

I also put funky color wire ties on my checked bag with TSA locks. That way if it was opened I know. Some times they leave a note staying it was inspected but not always.

Thanks Paul. I ordered the TSA locks with the link Dan sent. Where did you buy the funky colored wire ties? I want to use a stencil and spray paint my name on the case as well. Maybe a white color or florescent green.

I purchased the wire ties at a hardware store. I am sure you can find them at the big chains.

Sounds like a great trip have fun and get great shots.

Thanks Paul! Will do!

Larry..

Looks good!

Glenn

Thanks Glenn,
I have a question for you regarding the Sound Devices 302 you have. I just bought a used Nuemann RSM 190 stereo shotgun for 1k but I want to use a good preamp/mixer with a built in limiter.
Are you available to chat over the phone today?

I will be around most of the day. You have the number?

Don't forget that you're not supposed to pack your lithium-ion batteries in checked anymore!

Really Bill? Do I carry on all of my lithium batteries? Thanks for the heads up!

Well, you're supposed to. Check out the thread in this section for some exhaustive info but basically:

1. No lithium-ion batteries in checked luggage, unless they are installed in the device they power. It's recommended you take action to prevent accidental power-ups for those devices.

2. There is a 100-watt hour apiece limit for the batteries you bring on board..that's about the size of an 80S or 10S IDX brick. Some of the bigger bricks like the monster AB bricks may be too large. If you stay under the limit, you can pack as many of those in carry-on as you want, but they must be wrapped individually, or have their contacts covered.

3. If you have larger bricks, you can bring up to 2 of them in addition to the smaller batteries. There's a total limit of grams of lithium allowed in these larger batteries, but I'm too lazy to go look it up.

If you're using the type of batteries that normally snap into your Canon...you should be just fine carrying them on.

Most of us haven't had much of a problem with the TSA folks over this yet, but it would truly suck to arrive in Africa and find that the TSA X-ray machine guy pulled all your batteries out of the Pelican case in Sacramento!!

Wow thanks Bill! I am only using the regular Canon batteries- 3 BP-945 Sized and 3 smaller sized Canon. I am going to protect each individually and pack them in my photo trekker that I will carry on. They all have the plastic cover with a rubber band around each one to hold it on. 2 of those batteries will be in the cameras, so I will have 4 extras in the case. I think that is the best scenario, so thanks for the heads up!

Bill, what about taking a big pack of Duracell 9 volts and AA's in original unopened packages? Can I check those you think?

Don't see why not, as long as they're regular, non-lithium batteries!

It's always a good idea to keep the 9V batteries from metal contact, but I don't believe they go as incendiary as the L-ion batteries can.

How are you recharging in the field?

Yes I am. Why do you ask?

Larry, I imagine you are taking two voltage adapters for you chargers. I strongly suggest you also pack a car charger and, a small, cheap electric appliance like a small hair drier to test your current BEFORE you plug your charger in. Thank God I did this in africa. The hotel I stayed in (one of the best in Nirobi) fried the hair drier, even with a regulator. Good thing it was NOT my charger. Also, cut the leg off an old pair of pants (or take a pillow case) and use this to stuff your cam into while on the road, it really helps prevent dust from getting into your equipment. Another great item is a small bean bag to rest the cam on while videoing from a vehical. Bob

Bob,
I am taking the voltage adapters (not the converters) as the canon/lenmar charging bricks can handle 240v. I've tried this when I went to South America and that method worked good. For the cameras, I will have Porta Brace rain slickers on both for added protection against dust. Your idea of the pillow case was a great idea. I will consider the bean bag for traveling shots on a car. Another great idea Bob, thanks.

seems like you prepared well. I second the bean bag, I use them all the time.

The one thing that may fail you is Air Morocco, as they are the worst for canceling flights! I never fail to see half the flight cancelled on the boards. Was in gabon, so may be different.

For anyone travelling to Africa, it is worth it to pay extra to have a direct luggage check through, and to fly with the Majors. There are several really good African carriers like South Africa, Ethiopian, and despite having a crash recently Kenyan Airways (not because they sponsor my series either) They fly regular routes and have modern fleets that have fewer problems. I have to fly Air Canada to get the check through, and I hate them!! I always enjoy my K.A. flights. Air France, BA, Virgin and KLM all have routes to Africa.

Good luck!!

Michael

When traveling abroad I always bring a 12v power inverter (cigarette lighter end) with for charging. You can't count on the grid staying up everywhere we go but drivers will ALWAYS it seems keep the cigarette lighter functioning. A great back up for charging cells.

Hi Larry,

Maybe you are back by now, but what was the gig you were packing for? I travel a lot - just got back from Indonesia and Cambodia, and I am always interested what other people do.

Incidentally, I have carry three NP970's in a STRUT bag for a Z1 with a mattebox. Bag fits in the overhead perfectly. Also carry two shot guns, radio mics, a two small Litepanels digital lights, small beanbag and tools. French Flag small reflector and one extra mic cable and one small square digital flashlight that won't roll downhill. And I always, always take the camera manual. It all seems to fit. I carry a second camera in a Tarmac backpack; this trip it was a Sony A1 which came in very handy tight spaces. I pack a charger that services both cameras and a WA lens. Tripod goes in the baggage hold with one big duffle. If I get separated, I am still in business.

Regards,


Jack