As a wedding photographer in the Byron Bay area, obviously most of the weddings I shoot are from people from out of the local area who are looking for a Byron Bay wedding photographer – but I also shoot a number of weddings outside the area. I’ll soon be jetting off for a Dunk Island wedding and another in Sydney. Last time I went to Sydney for a shoot I was told that the airlines are clamping down on carry-on baggage and so I have problems.
I currently use a Crumpler backpack to carry on and keep my gear safely at my feet. Although when I pack it full of gear it doesn’t really fit in the little bag check thing and can top 20kg. I have been managing to get it on board for a couple of year with no problems – until now. Now my gear will need to be checked through.
I’m not very happy with doing this and need a safe way to send my gear.
I know other photographers who pack their camera gear into an old Esky by just placing their normal camera bag inside it and then checking that through. I’ve bought a Pelican 1610 case, it has rollers, a retractable handle, a huge amount of room and I got the version with padded dividers. I already have a smaller Pelican case and that will still come on board with me loaded with a camera body, a lens, flash cards and batteries – so even in a worst case scenario I can still shoot the wedding (and maybe even use it as a float while I wait for rescue).