all users of Peli 1510 cases

[747sp]

Hello - thinking of one of these for a longhaul trip to New Zealand coming up. my question is whether my gear will go in it. Im taking:
Ebony 45SW
Really Rightstuff BH55 Ball head
Really Rightstuff Pano kit
4 Lenses on Boards (65/110/180mm all copal 1's and a monster 240mm copal 3)
Folder of Assorted Lee Filters
Filter Holder
A few extra Filters that wont fit
Nikon Dx3
24mm / 35mm / 50mm lenses for nikon.
Usual extras (cable releases / Cards / Cloths / Brush / Lupe / Linhoff viewfinder)
5 Fidelity Holders
Spare Cards
Note book
15 inch Mac Power book
Cables
Headphones


I also have to fit in some boxes of Velvia and the changing tent and the tripod - but im thinking these can go in the clothes bag in the hold.

I have various sources of this rolling case here in London, but none that has one that I can get hands on. Opinions greatfully received. thanks

One last question - are the internal devides padded enough for this lot to go in the hold. I'm only planning for the eventuality that i get gate "checked"on an internal flight down there - the Long Haul stuff i plan to have case in the overhead bin...

[Frank Petronio]

I also have to fit in some boxes of Velvia and the changing tent and the tripod - but im thinking these can go in the clothes bag in the hold.

You really do not want to check your film.

I had the 1510 and I doubt that all will fit into two of them. Also the latch broke on mine, I find them strong yet "brittle".

You can fit more with dividers removed and individual items wrapped in something like Domke Lenswraps and neoprene cases. But not that entire list....

You're running into the conundrum of air travel and large format photography. You really have to go ultralight and minimalistic to fit large format, notebook, and digital gear into a legal carry-on. And once you're there, shooting out a jumbled mess of a 1510 is not pleasant.

When I would travel with a professional kit for architectural photography, etc. I invested in a $500 Lightware View Camera Case that could hold everything and I paid the extra for checking it. Then I carried film, laptop, small format gear in my convenient, modest carry-on. It is not cheap but it makes life a lot easier and you can bring everything you need.

My final caution is that since your checked bags are still subject to search and theft, you want to be insured and to pack your gear with padding inside the already padded case, since security personal may not be as careful as you are at repacking your stuff after inspections.

[jp]

You could put your film, filmholders, laptop, dslr gear in a 1510 for carryon. That's about it.

This sounds like a job for a 1610 more than a 1510, but that's definitely checked bag.

Film goes carryon, or mail it ahead.

I'd send a big box of gear and tripod ahead by mail and travel light without checked bags. I ziptied through the padlock holes to protect from accidental/needless opening as I figured a padlock would advertise the value of it's contents. I've had excellent experience sending things ahead.

There's always a fair chance your checked tripod or other gear won't make it to your destination at the same time as you. That happened with my tripod last month; it didn't make it to my plane at a quick airport hop, and showed up at my hotel after my class was over.

Used non-pristine Pelican cases are something that holds their value well; you can buy them on ebay and sell them when you don't need them.

[jeroldharter]

You need to keep in mind that cramming as much as you can into a Pelican case for travel can have two negative consequence: it can weigh over 50 pounds which can cost you more than you think; and you are reducing the internal padding that separates the items on the inside. So when the case gets slammed around it like your brain experiencing a closed head injury when it slams the windshield - not too bad on the outside but scrambled eggs on the inside. Frank gives good advice.

[anglophone1]

+1 with Frank
I check a Technika, 5 lenses, holders, meter, dark cloth etc. Etc. in a locked ( in Europe) lightware case, ( my assistant/son's checked bag) film and Razzle go with me in a Billingham shoulder bag, tripod in my checked bag with both our clothes and stuff.

[Joshua Dunn]

Frank is right; you do not want to check your film. The X-Rays they use to scan your checked baggage are much stronger than the ones you use to scan your carryon bags. I recently traveled by air to Santa Fe from Washington D.C. We requested our film be searched by hand on the way there and we shipped it Fed-Ex at the end of our trip on the way to the airport. Apparently Fed-Ex does not X-Ray there packages they are shipping.

As far as Pelican Cases I would check the largest size that you can travel with internationally. Typically with travel within the 48 states your bag (or Pelican case) cannot exceed something like 82 inches if you add the length, width and height. Keep in mind your weight, you will probably have to pay an additional weight penalty for anything over 50 lbs. But most large cases can weight 30 lbs. or more, throw in your gear and your over 50 lbs. easy. But most airlines will not let you go over 100 lbs. without shipping it as air freight. Meaning it would not arrive with you.

Do not take these numbers as hard fact, check the airlines each time you travel as they can change whenever the airlines want to. The last time I travelled I checked a very large Pelican case, a 1660, with all of my gear (but no film) in it. It’s huge, probably the biggest you can check without being considered oversized. But it allows me to over pack the interior case with padded cases and protective wraps to ensure that everything is safe no matter what happens. The case weighed in at 99.5 lbs, was searched by TSA (they consequently lost my TSA approved lock) and even arrived upside down. But all the gear was fine.

Hope this helps,

-Joshua

[747sp]

Thankyou for your advice. All heeded. Think i'm going to either ship the 4x5, the lenses and the tripod to my hotel in Wanaka and take the rest with me in my lowepro dryzone 200 (which also has to go as it's as good as waterproof), or i get a bigger Peli and just put the large format stuff (well packed) in the hold. My issue really is the internal flights as i am on three of them doing visits for my Day job before i get a few days off having fun. Rocking up with a bag of clothes, a significant pelican case for the hold and a decent sized rucksac to go in the overhead bin might work longhaul but on the internals it may cause issues.

Thankyou again

777 this time...