Will be traveling out west later this year, and want to take my camera and bag. I understand we're now allowed 1 carry-on, which I plan to be my camera bag. I certainly don't want to trust checking it, and will be visiting at least one nat'l park, hoping to get some footage, even if only for future use).

Any advice that recent fliers can provide about traveling with equipment under today's air tavel restrictions would be greatly appreciated.

Denis,

I traveled from Austin to San Francisco (actually we flew into San Jose) and back this past week. I called American (the airline I was traveling) and the airport I was traveling from (as a second check) and both told me that as long as I didn't have liquids I was OK. And that I was allowed one carry on bag and one personal item.

I saw a couple of guitars being carried on and I know that these went way beyond the 45 combined inches of a carry on.

I carried a hard shell camera case (for my XL2) and a soft briefcase with chargers, other electronics and a laptop. Both of these items were large.

I had no problems.

Jesse, what hard case did you carry onboard? Bob

Was everything removed from your bag and inspected individually? Another flight I took, even years before 9/11, I had to put battery to camera and let security look through the viewfinder to prove I was indeed carrying a camera. Did you experience anything like that?

THANKS for the input. I'm a little bit of a nervous flier and it adds a level of comfort to taking what I want on this trip. I'll certainly call the airline beforehand.

Bob,

I used an Amvona hard case (ebay).

Denis,

No one ever asked me to turn on anything.

On the way out, the camera case was not opened. But my briefcase (full of electronics) was.

On the way back, the camera case was opened but the briefcase was not.

Go figure.

So is a fluid head considered liquid? (kidding)

It's always a good idea to keep a battery on the camera, many airports will ask you to turn the camera on.

A funny story, a colleague of mine was traveling many years ago with camera and a bag with a shotgun mic. The security people asked what was in the bag and about the only part they understood was 'shotgun'. Needless to say, he was delayed...

It takes more time now...
The TSA really takes you apart. Overseas, Leaving Guatemala City, the security people told me I could only have one battery on the camera and the other three would have to go. I successfully argued on that one: that I was a professional cameraman and these were my working tools. The superviser understood and I got thru.

Confusion is the rule..
But overall I am finding with all the condition orange stuff, that the security is often confused or freaked at any location. Worst contenders on the west coast: San Jose, California, and LA, which is a nightmare. San Francisco and San Diego actually have been pretty good.

Be Nice
If you are polite, it helps a great deal. I usually tell the screeners ahead of time that I am a cameraman with lots of wires and cables. It helps.

Two Bags, but keep 'em on the small side...
I carriy two bags on board: a Tamrac Strongbox, black, 17 x 10 x 9, normally used for still cameras. I use it alternatively for the Z1 and my A1U. And I have Tamrac backback,black also a still camera case, which has a large square zipper bottom and pouches above. I switched bags in the field, and also switched cameras, depending on the day and the conditions.

Low Profile...
Both these bags fit nicely in the overhead and actually are very compact. And they don't look like camera bags, and attract unwanted attention, which is becoming more important, especially in high risk areas.

Compact but heavy; A trolley helps a lot...
They do pack some weight; the Strongbox with the Z1 is about 18-20 pounds, and the backback is about the same. I use a small trolley that I bought at Brookstone a few years back. It is very light, aluminum and strong; it will handle at least 60 pounds. Great for going for the long walk in most terminals.

Keeping operational...
Between the two bags, I was able to carry the Z1, A1U, spare batteries, a Wide Angle for the Z1, a Sennheiser ME64 Shotgun mic and K6 capsule, one short and one long XLR cable, Sennheiser Radio mics, 8 tapes, a cleaning tape and a $30 monopod(a lifesaver as it turned out),a polarizer for the Z1 and two compact wall chargers.

It was enough gear to make me operational when I hit the ground even if my other gaffer bag was delayed. (Which happened twice). And, I was able to keep a low profile while travelling.

So the answer, today anyway, is you can get your camera gear aboard in an Orange situation leaving the Continental US and in Central America, but expect to take more time getting screened. Keep it compact, don't raise your profile.

Jack,
THANKS for the input.

My trip is basically a vacation. We'll be landing in Las Vegas, and have one overnight to Zion Nat'l Park on the itinerary. Will be traveling w/HVX, one shotgun mic, a monopod (which I haven't bought yet), and at least a couple of batteries and charger.

BTW, is it hard to have a monopod double as a mic boom? Seems like something seasoned traveling shooters would know or want to have. I can hand-hold the cam when I need to move the mic away from the cam, but something that would serve "double-duty" seems preferable.

I've been on airplanes a lot recently. In my hometown of Portland security was typical and pretty quick.

One place I visited, Maui, was also typical - pretty slow through security (yes, it was work that took me there!)

Be aware that the tools you might have in your camera bag have become somewhat of a gray area, screwdrivers will sometimes be confiscated. I recently had to add more tools to accomodate some new equipment, they will go in a baggie in my checked-in luggage along with the bottle of lens cleaning solution. A small screwdriver or pair of pliers might or might not get taken out at security.

BTW, the restrictions also apply to gels & pastes, no tooth-paste in carry on luggage either.

YES, you can take liquids in your checked-in luggage.

One thing I'm concerned about for the next trip is wireless mics. I think they will go in the checked luggage, I'd hate to lose them at security.

Regarding use of a monopod as a mic boom, sure, it will make a decent short boom. Booms of that length are mostly used by news photogs to get the mic through the crowd, usually with the mic under the subject. But if a short boom will do something for your shoots, by all means do it. You'll need a 1/4"-20 to 3/8" or 5/8" adapter for your mic clip, which is very small, get two!

If you have someone to hold it and a tight shot it should work just fine.

I guess all those guys who like to home brew their equipment might be pulled over more often eh. I saw plans for a wireless flash recently that when assembled looks like Osama made it.

One thing I'm concerned about for the next trip is wireless mics. I think they will go in the checked luggage, I'd hate to lose them at security.




What makes you concerned about the wireless? Last year I checked my wireless receiver it was trashed by TSA. So, I plan to carry it on. I will be traveling to LA, San Diego and Ontario multple times in the next two months. Great thread. Thanks for the info.

Went and came back - yes, wireless traveled in the checked bags.

Weren't the London would-be liquid bombers using radios for their devices?

Maybe it isn't an issue at all.

I really do need to get a shorter tripod though - to get it into a suitcase I had to fall back to the nasty backup tripod...

Hi guys, been away for a bit. Seth, I use a Gitzo and take the head off. I wrap it in the tripod bag and the legs fit neatly into a hardbottom duffle. Never used the tripod as a boom, but sounds like it would be a good altnerative in a pinch.

Jack

I recently flew from Atlanta to Vancouver, caught a ship to Alaska and flew back to Atlanta from Anchorage. I put video and still camera in a Kata Panda along with a matte box, filters, flags, tapes, snake, etc. The only thing that happened at the security checkpoints is that they wanted the video camera out to x-ray separately. I could have taken another carry-on, but didn't need to with the Panda since it holds a lot.

It's always a good idea to keep a battery on the camera, many airports will ask you to turn the camera on.

A funny story, a colleague of mine was traveling many years ago with camera and a bag with a shotgun mic. The security people asked what was in the bag and about the only part they understood was 'shotgun'. Needless to say, he was delayed...

Good thing he didn't bring his boom.

It takes more time now...
The TSA really takes you apart. Overseas, Leaving Guatemala City, the security people told me I could only have one battery on the camera and the other three would have to go. I successfully argued on that one: that I was a professional cameraman and these were my working tools. The superviser understood and I got thru.

Confusion is the rule..
But overall I am finding with all the condition orange stuff, that the security is often confused or freaked at any location. Worst contenders on the west coast: San Jose, California, and LA, which is a nightmare. San Francisco and San Diego actually have been pretty good.

Be Nice
If you are polite, it helps a great deal. I usually tell the screeners ahead of time that I am a cameraman with lots of wires and cables. It helps.

Two Bags, but keep 'em on the small side...
I carriy two bags on board: a Tamrac Strongbox, black, 17 x 10 x 9, normally used for still cameras. I use it alternatively for the Z1 and my A1U. And I have Tamrac backback,black also a still camera case, which has a large square zipper bottom and pouches above. I switched bags in the field, and also switched cameras, depending on the day and the conditions.

Low Profile...
Both these bags fit nicely in the overhead and actually are very compact. And they don't look like camera bags, and attract unwanted attention, which is becoming more important, especially in high risk areas.

Compact but heavy; A trolley helps a lot...
They do pack some weight; the Strongbox with the Z1 is about 18-20 pounds, and the backback is about the same. I use a small trolley that I bought at Brookstone a few years back. It is very light, aluminum and strong; it will handle at least 60 pounds. Great for going for the long walk in most terminals.

Keeping operational...
Between the two bags, I was able to carry the Z1, A1U, spare batteries, a Wide Angle for the Z1, a Sennheiser ME64 Shotgun mic and K6 capsule, one short and one long XLR cable, Sennheiser Radio mics, 8 tapes, a cleaning tape and a $30 monopod(a lifesaver as it turned out),a polarizer for the Z1 and two compact wall chargers.

It was enough gear to make me operational when I hit the ground even if my other gaffer bag was delayed. (Which happened twice). And, I was able to keep a low profile while travelling.

So the answer, today anyway, is you can get your camera gear aboard in an Orange situation leaving the Continental US and in Central America, but expect to take more time getting screened. Keep it compact, don't raise your profile.

I'm actually a little bit worried. See, I built one of the "build-it-yourself" stabilizers out of pipes. I plan to ship it dissassembled so anyone can see that they're ordinary pipes. But it still looks weird.

I'm thinking of writing with a silver sharpie marker: "Camera Stabilizer Part 1A" "Camera Stabilizer Part 1B..." etc... I'm also going to leave my lighting equipment, tripod, "crash camera" (a Canon ZR80) and a copy of "Filmmaking on a budget" in the check-in luggage.

Probably should also put a copy of "filmmaker magazine" in there too...

Oh, and I'm getting to the airport 4 hours early.

One thing I'm concerned about for the next trip is wireless mics. I think they will go in the checked luggage, I'd hate to lose them at security.


Oh god, I forgot about that.

I don't want to put them in checked luggage because they're easily the second most expensive equipment I have - and I'm worried about them getting stolen.

Aaargh. Airport security theatre! It's madness!

I have flown in and out of many airports over the last few years and have never had any problem. I check the tripod in a golf hard case (doesn't usually count against me as a checked article). And carry on the camera case and a case with my audio package. Very rarely is any of the equipment questioned. I have only been asked on two occasions to take anything out and power it up, but carry hot batteries for everything just in case. I do have a very small bogen photo tripod that fits into my audio case with a change of clothes in case of baggage loss.

Check it and make your life easier.

The regulations officially now state that you must remove laptops and video cameras from your bags and have them scanned separately.

Pipes, booms, etc., would fall into the category of large blunt objects "such as baseball bats and golf clubs".

Declaring yourself is a good idea, but it's not like "I'm a filmmaker, so I can take bomb components on" should really be an excuse.

The actual requirements are completely stupid, and very pointless. Regulations are precise, limiting things that aren't harmful (ie juice containers) and allowing things that are (ie 10" knitting needles) because they are or are not specifically noted as such in the rules.

As such, it might be an advantage in that you can get through with something that really could be a danger (ie a pile of wires), when it isn't specifically noted as a violation. But that says nothing about the safety :p

Security lines are slow and annoying. I certainly wouldn't want to get more stuck when they found something in my bag (whatever it happens to be... who knows these days). It might simply get confiscated. Wouldn't recommend trying to slip it by if you're unsure.

i almost lost my monopod (tiny 561B) to confiscation in LA because they wanted to classify it as a club....ludicrous. i managed to talk them out of it, but it was a pretty close call. so anything that can be perceived as a club should be checked, otherwise it is at risk...

Please don't check your camera - have you seen the way they handle baggage? I have a friend who works for Southwest Airlines and he tells me the horror stories of baggage handling. I have had wireless mics stolen out of my personal suitcase because I thought they would be safe in there. Yes security lines are a hassle, but so is having your rig broken or stolen! I was actually allowed to fly around the country (about 30 round trips post 9/11) in and out of major cites (Atlanta, Houston, LA, Vegas, NY, DC and more)with a leatherman tool in my camera bag - it was finally confiscated in Lubbock Texas on the return leg of a round trip from Houston to Lubbock. It had wedged itself down in the foam of my pelican case and I never found it until they dug it out in Lubbock.

I have flown many times since increased security and I always bring my camera into the cabin. My wireless is still worth $750 on ebay so it also goes with me. The last time I flew with my camera was a couple of months ago so it was after the liquid regulations and the requirement to remove the camera for separate scanning. I had three batteries and wasn't hassled about them but I guess I wouldn't mind if I could only take one in the cabin. Putting my camera and wireless in luggage I would definitely mind and might even prevent me from flying. I'm surprised people don't complain about the loud bumping noises that vibrate the whole plane when people are filing into their seats. Those bumps aren't the plane adjusting itself or mechanics kicking the tires. Those little earthquakes are the luggage being crammed into the cargo area. I'm not saying that baggage handlers don't have an easy job. I'm just saying that my camera will never go near them.

I'm wondering though what happens if something IS trashed by a baggage handler or the TSA. Say, if someone smashes your wireless mics or cracks your camera body or lens because you checked it. Does that mean you're flat out of luck? Have the airlines been helpful or apathetic to something like this occurring?

It bewilders me when I get those lovely little pamphlets stuffed into the hard case stating that the TSA isn't responsible for anything that happens to your stuff when they rummage through it. Somehow, I don't see that reasoning working for me if I were to bust something of theirs...

Baggage handlers.

I have a certain sympathy for the stresses and strains their backs endure. However I also have a certain sympathy for my property.

Some years back at LA, I observed with some concern from the seat window, a John Barry case with my CP in it go "airmail", lofted by the hands of a big guy to fly for about three feet onto the conveyer.

Whatever it landed on wouldn't have been done much good and the lens had come off the camera by the time it got to Dayton.

I'm wondering though what happens if something IS trashed by a baggage handler or the TSA. Say, if someone smashes your wireless mics or cracks your camera body or lens because you checked it. Does that mean you're flat out of luck? Have the airlines been helpful or apathetic to something like this occurring?

It bewilders me when I get those lovely little pamphlets stuffed into the hard case stating that the TSA isn't responsible for anything that happens to your stuff when they rummage through it. Somehow, I don't see that reasoning working for me if I were to bust something of theirs...

Recently (maybe a month ago) my wife had a business trip to DC and on her return flight TSA went through her checked bag. I'm sure the reason was because she had bought a lot of bath products in DC. But when TSA had inspected her bag, they "forgot" to put the caps back on the bottles. As such the rest of her bag was ruined and she lost out on what she had bought.

I was a little more interested in solving the issue than she, so I called the toll free TSA complaint number and found out the process for reimbursement. It's seems to work exactly like filing an insurance claim - write a detailed explanation on their specific form, submit it (via fax if I remember right), wait to be called about it, file another form to dispute the ruling, wait to be called, etc.

The TSA agent I talked to admitted that TSA had actually hired people away from the insurance industry to run this section of their operation. Makes sense, but I'm not sure how successful a complaint would be - my wife decided not to file and as I was not the ticket holder I was not permitted to file on her behalf.

FWIW....

Kevin

Okay, here's my plan:

Carryon: Canon HV20, Laptop, Sennheiser Wireless Microphone reciever and transmitter taken out of the backpack and put onto the conveyor seperately The Sennheiser with clear labels which say "Wireless Microphone". Microphones with long wires wrapped tightly and kept in seperate see-through plastic bags.

Checkin: Tripod steadicam (dissasembled and labeled "camera steadying rig" with stickers) lighting equipment with lightbulb installed to make sure that they know it's lighting (damn keeping the lightbulb intact - if I miss my connection, it's game over) Books: "Filmmaking for Teens" "DV Filmmaker's Guide" and "New Zealand Adopts Proportional Representation" DV Tapes: in see-through plastic bag. Clothing.

Sound good?

Flew a couple times in-country... had 4 bags total (2 checked, 2 carry-on)

Had a lot of camera equipment/computer stuff (laptop, portable DVD player, ipod, batterys, chargers, cables, tapes, filters, whatever)

Zero issues with TSA or security... never had a carryon bag checked...

I had everything camera related except tripod with my camera in the carry-on...

http://www.lousyheros.com/pics/tsa.jpg <--- I found that in my tripod bag... I film paintball and I didn't clean the tripod afterwards... haha...