TSA and Ikelite batteries

[MaxBottomtime]

I was just considering a large pelican case and checking my camera gear rather than placing it in my carry-on luggage. I am getting tired of fighting for the overhead bin space and then lugging the equipment through the airports while waiting on connections.

I keep mine in a Pelican Strom case with wheels. It's too big for carry-on but I keep it just under 50# so I don't have to pay extra. I carry my camera and a lens inside the housing plus strobes, batteries, another lens, ports and all cables and plugs. I've never had a problem traveling with it.

 

[Darnold9999]

I keep about half of my photo gear in a pelican that gets packed in a duffle bag with dive gear. Strobe, ports, lights etc. the balance goes in my carry on. Batteries, housing, 60mm port and regs essentially. Just able to keep the duffle to 50 lb and the carry on is about 30 lb - carried as if it weighs 15 lb.

 

[Stoo]

Ikelite went to lithium batteries for a while, then back to NiCads... I assume for this very reason.

I got "hassled" now and again and ended up having some red labels printed that say "TSA Air Approved", stuck them on each battery and that was the end of the issue.

I think the labels cost me $20 or so from Mabels Labels. I think I have about 100 of them. Maybe I should start selling them.

 

[AZTinman]

Ikelite told me the reason they stopped doing lithium batteries was due to inconsistent lithium component supply issues. The company actually exchanged my lithium battery packs for NiCad packs.

Other than getting battery packs wiped-down with drug detection wipes by TSA, I've never had a problem with getting my strobe batteries on an airplane. I don't attach battery packs to strobes when traveling.

When I travel via airline, I use a soft Pelican roller case (no longer made by Pelican) that my entire system almost fits into. Think Tank makes a similar bag. My dome port goes into my under seat bag (it zips onto the Pelican roller case) with my computer.

Hardside Pelican cases are great, but they tend to be heavy. I've got a couple I use for film camera gear when I'm traveling by truck.

-AZTinman

 

[AggieDiver]

I have one NiMH and one Lithium Ike battery. We put them both in a Pelican carryon with the plastic Ikelite caps locked in place to prevent the batteries from shorting on anything else. One thing to consider when deciding to check camera gear isn't just the risk of having stuff stolen, but if TSA xrays it and decides to open and search your bag, there is very little chance they are going to get it all repacked properly. We used to put our housing and some of the other stuff we considered more durable in a checked bag, until TSA reshuffled our stuff once and then repacked it poorly. Luckily it was on the trip home, but they managed to bend one of the handles on our tray about 15 degrees in toward the housing. Just enough that you can't operate the levers to open the housing with it attached.