Hard or Soft carry-on camera case? My last trip experiences.

I want to share my airline experiences with my Storm carry-on hard case during my last trip to the Philippines and Okinawa.

I carried a black Storm Im2500 case which contained my underwater camera equipment and my laptop.

Every airport, with the exception of my initial departure from Maui on Hawaiian Airlines, weighed my carry-on back pack and Storm case. Each airline had different carry-on weight limits. This is the first time I have had my carry-on bags weighed.

My Storm case was overweight at all the airports. I knew that going in to this trip but have never had my carry-on weighed on prior trips.

My Im2500, with wheels, weighs 12.7 pounds empty.

My Im2400, without wheels, weighs 6.5 pounds empty.

I know a lot of the attention my Storm case got was due to its appearance. It stands out like a sore thumb compared to the sea of soft generic looking carry-on bags everyone else carries.

NO MORE HARD CASES FOR ME.
Every kilo counts on the airlines. From now on I will carry my camera gear in a small, lightest I can find, inconspicious looking soft case and pad it with bubble wrap.

If you are flying through a British airport, even in transit, you hand baggage is 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. that is ONE bag only (handbags included), you have a metal bin to try the size, if it doesn't fit it goes in the hold end of story!

This looks like it will be permanent, but they are looking to change restrictions of what you can carry in the bag when they can tell lip gloss from explosives.

if you are going to hand cary the bag, then yu don't need the hard case. The case is for when someone else handles it and puts it in the bottom of a truck with 500 other bags and boxes on top of it. So you are right. I don't see the point of hand carrying a hard case.

I just picked up an Akona back-pack style bag that has a large single compartment with a wide opening. My camera and housing (full sized dSLR with Aquatica housing) with tray and handles sits quite nicely inside. I line the bottom with a towel (that I bring anyway for my camera) and I can put things around the side to pad if I wish. http://www.akona.com/product.php?product_id=117

Warren_L:

I just picked up an Akona back-pack style bag that has a large single compartment with a wide opening. My camera and housing (full sized dSLR with Aquatica housing) with tray and handles sits quite nicely inside. I line the bottom with a towel (that I bring anyway for my camera) and I can put things around the side to pad if I wish. http://www.akona.com/product.php?product_id=117

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Nice looking pack. Do you know what it weighs empty?

Gilligan:

NO MORE HARD CASES FOR ME.
Every kilo counts on the airlines. From now on I will carry my camera gear in a small, lightest I can find, inconspicious looking soft case and pad it with bubble wrap.

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My last trip (to Thailand) was before these new nonsense rules, but bcs of all the gear having with me a lot of thinking before... So I had carry on's: Laptop, DVcam (pd170 so it's no handycam) and a housing for it. All the wires, chargers, tapes etc were inside the housing (looks very suspicious on the security checkup), housing in a Dakine backbag with foam insulation wrapped around. DVcam in smallest possible camera bag hanging "just casually" and laptop in it's case as casually on the other side (All "around" me in a way anyone could see more than two of those at once). Wearing also a flyfishing west (2 dozen pockets) filled with batteries, digicam, housing, dive computer and a lot of other stuff
Divegear were in a check-in bag (soft). Fins and BC most out and the rest (mask, snorkel, regs etc and the handels 'n weights of the housing inside with some cloths in the middle.

Gilligan:

...NO MORE HARD CASES FOR ME.
Every kilo counts on the airlines. From now on I will carry my camera gear in a small, lightest I can find, inconspicious looking soft case and pad it with bubble wrap.

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I don't bother with special bubble wrap or foam. Tee shirts, bathing suits, misc. clothing works fine for padding a carry-on, and if they lose my checked bag, I have clean clothes to last me at least a day.

Gilligan:

Nice looking pack. Do you know what it weighs empty?

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Probably doesn't weigh more than one pound, if that. I got it from my shop for $15 Cdn. It's the only backpack that I have that has an opening big enough to allow my camera to sit upright on the tray.

ronrosa:

I don't bother with special bubble wrap or foam. Tee shirts, bathing suits, misc. clothing works fine for padding a carry-on, and if they lose my checked bag, I have clean clothes to last me at least a day.

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Great idea.
Better still I'll use my dirty laundry. They deserve it for jacking everyone around.

Here is the one I use. I can get housing, domeport, strobes, laptop and all misc items it. Been on a fair amount of airlines domestic and international and never had a problem.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...692&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation