Container for flying gear?

[KeithG]

I use an old fiberglass aerospace shipping container I salvaged from work many years ago. We used them to ship pay per view vcr tapes for the cable company I worked for. When vcr tapes became ancient history they just threw out the couple cases we still had laying around. It is o ring sealed to be air and water tight, has locking wing nut clamps, steel handles, aluminum reinforced, come with or without rollers, is nearly indestructable and even has a pressure release fitting on it. These things are available in all shapes and sizes. If you really need something heavy duty this is the way to go.
I'm a big fan of Pelican cases but these are in a whole different league.
View attachment 388861

How much do these puppies weigh?

Over the years we have slowly downsized our luggage. We have traveled a lot on business and pleasure and have witnessed the tightening of the size & weight screws by the airlines (we have a nice pile of obsolete carry on that is now 1 inch too big).

The lighter your bag, the more junk you can drag. A pound or two makes a big difference. Well 3.3 lbs maybe. On a recent trip we were just able to squeeze a bottle of scotch into one of our checked bags for the trip home from Scotland.

Anything less than 8lbs is my current target for luggage.

P.S. we did once try a few soft mesh duffles. No wheels. Killed me carrying both of them.

 

[mmmbelows]

How much do these puppies weigh?

Over the years we have slowly downsized our luggage. We have traveled a lot on business and pleasure and have witnessed the tightening of the size & weight screws by the airlines (we have a nice pile of obsolete carry on that is now 1 inch too big).

The lighter your bag, the more junk you can drag. A pound or two makes a big difference. Well 3.3 lbs maybe. On a recent trip we were just able to squeeze a bottle of scotch into one of our checked bags for the trip home from Scotland.

Anything less than 8lbs is my current target for luggage.

P.S. we did once try a few soft mesh duffles. No wheels. Killed me carrying both of them.

Have to agree, with the more traveling we do and the more restrictive airlines have become and the fact that they will shred and destroy your luggage sooner or later, it comes down to the lightest bags and the lightest smallest amount of cloth/gear you can figure out. The more you travel the more you realize transporting your luggage from car to check in, from bag carousel to place you are staying is a big factor on you.

Regarding everything but camera gear, there really isn't anything I put in a checked bag that needs more protection than can be provided with smart packing, so the winners for smart, easy luggage are back packs, which become the lightest luggage you can buy, the weight savings combined with experience in packing light now means we rarely need to break the 40lb mark on a checked bag anymore. Anything delicate goes in the carry-on, they can throw our checked luggage off the roof if they want without us worrying about anything in it. (Which I'm sure just about happens!)

You'd be surprised what losing 5-8lbs just in the weight of the overly protective luggage does for you. The difference from going from 49.5 lb luggage down to 39lb luggage eliminates the need for rollers and wheels, which combines to save you weight and makes for such a more pleasant easier on the body travel experience. Have recently done two different 30 day plus trips with bags under 40 lbs, of course it took years and years to figure out how to do it, but now I would never go back to any of that hardsided stuff we dragged around for years or even anything with a wheel attached to it.

 

[DiverDownD3]

I travel a lot for work, so I get 2 free bags with Delta. Regs and computer come onboard with me. I put everything in else in a regular suitcase. Granted I've only flown once to go dive, but it worked out fine that time.

 

[CT Sean]

Wife and I just use regular soft sided roller bags. Bcs, fins, boots, wetsuits and masks go in checked, regs and PCs go in carry on. None of our checked gear is fragile enough to worry about being damaged and I figure if stuff is gonna get stolen, the bag it's in won't matter.

 

[boulderjohn]

I own a variety of suitcases of different sizes and weights. I use whatever makes sense for the trip I am about to undertake. If I have to take a lot of gear, the weight is important, and I use one of the super lightweight bags so I can pack the most gear and clothes. With your more sensitive gear surrounded by clothing, it should be safe. TSA is going to inspect it anyway.

When people start threads like this, there is usually someone saying you should not have anything that advertises that you have valuable scuba gear within. I then usually say that should not be a problem. The people who steal from suitcases are usually not looking for scuba gear, which is large and hard to carry away and which does not have a good resale value. They are more likely looking for jewelry that can be stuffed in a pocket. A suitcase that clearly has dive gear in it is not likely to have jewelry. I have never heard of any scuba gear taken from a suitcase, either myself, my friends, or discussions on ScubaBoard.

The only thing I have ever had stolen from a suitcase was some food bars I had thrown in the bag in a ziplock. About half of them were gone when I arrived. I assume the TSA people were hungry when they searched it.

 

[Searcaigh]

I have always used proper suitcases, currently using a Delsey that can hold a fair bit of gear and on my last trip to Australia weighed in at just under 30Kg.

If you are security conscious then avoid zippers, as these can be opened and closed again without anyone being the wiser by using a simple ballpoint pen

Camera gear only as cabin baggage and that usually weighs in at 24 Kg

 

[DMDavid]

I use Pelican almost exclusively for any and all my delicate gear whenever I travel by plane, boat, train or car.

 

[Searcaigh]

I use Pelican almost exclusively for any and all my delicate gear whenever I travel by plane, boat, train or car.

I hope you are hand carrying this case in the cabin, it just says to baggage handlers "steal me"

 

[DMDavid]

I hope you are hand carrying this case in the cabin, it just says to baggage handlers "steal me"

Yes, you can tell by the condition of the decals that it has never been checked.

 

[Searcaigh]

Yes, you can tell by the condition of the decals that it has never been checked.