I dont think the check the hand baggage weight, but more check to see
if it is the corect size, i.e. not a suitcase! One trick you may like
to consider is to leave your camera around your neck with a lens on and
your laptop in its bag. As soon as you clear customs, put the camera in
the bag.
Antonio
On 16 May 2004, at 11:02, TMP wrote:
I am a little worried about bringing my kit overseas....
When I fly within Australia, I generally don't have any problems as I
take
my Lowepro Nova 5 as carry-on luggage, and my laptop in my Targus
Laptop
backpack, also as carry-on luggage. Then I usually take one suitcase
with
my makeup kit, tripod, clothes etc in it. My suitcase usually weighs
in at
around the 27kg mark, my camera bag around 8kgs and my backpack around
7kgs.
However...
Just reading the international allowances for Qantas, and I am only
allowed
to take ONE piece of carry-on luggage and it can't exceed 7kg in
weight! I
am also allowed TWO checked in luggage pieces which may weigh up to
32kg
(70lb) each.
So, NOW I have a problem! My suitcase will be fine. I'm not taking my
makeup kit, so that will bring the weight down and it will easily be
within
the 32kg mark. And I had planned to bring my camera bag in another
suitcase, so that it was "disguised" and hopefully would be safe on the
conveyor belt. Then I was just going to take my laptop/backpack on
board
with me as carry-on, and also just put my *istD in the backpack "just
in
case". So, it all should have been ok. BUT, my hubby's friend is a
baggage
handler for Qantas and he showed me today how he literally picks the
suitcases up from the truck thingy, and THROWS them over his shoulder
onto
the next trucky thingy to transport them. They then get THROWN onto
the
conveyor belt, sometimes from as far away as 2 metres! He kind of
swings it
around to give it momentum and then just throws it on there! OMG, I
was so
stunned! The thought of all of my babies being thrown around like
that,
despite the fact that they will be packed within TWO padded bags,
well, it
scares me to death!
SO, I've been looking at TAMRAC and Lowepro backpacks that fit both a
camera
kit and a laptop in them, and that fit within the carry-on size
requirements, BUT with a 7kg limit, that would be impossible. My
entire
kit, in a backpack, with a 3.3kg laptop, would probably weigh in at
almost
double that!
The only other thing that I can think of is to actually dispense with
my
camera bag completely, and bubble wrap my kit and stow it in individual
pieces amongst my clothes etc in the suitcases, just taking my laptop
backpack on board as carry-on (with the *istD as well), and hope for
the
best.
All of the bags that I have been looking at area US auctions and it
would be
impossible for them to get here in time now anyways, and the bags that
I am
looking at are around the US$130 mark, but the same models sell for
well
over AUD$350 here!
I was thinking that maybe, I could stow my stuff away in my suitcase
on the
way over, and buy a case via Ebay and have it delivered to tv, so that
at
least I will have a bag to carry everything in together whilst I am at
GFM,
and then just try my luck out for the journey home?
I was wondering what you will be doing Cotty, Jostein etc? And also
what
those who have done international travel in the past have done?
It is kinda hard as I actually have to bring over 2 weeks worth of
clothes
etc with me, as well as extra jackets etc for warmth at GFM, so I do
need to
take quite a bit of stuff.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...
TIA,
tan.
