Pelican Cases (Carry On & Check in)

[Michael Frymus]

So, I want to get some Pelican cases for my camera gear.
I am hoping on getting a Large case for checked in luggage and a smaller one for carry on.

Although I don't currently have a lot of gear, I want to future proof myself and get a case that I can add more to than buying a new case all together. Gear such as: DSLR/RED Camera, Lenses, Matte Box, Follow Focus, Filters, Shoulder Rig, etc.

For a checked in luggage, Id want to go with the biggest one I can without it being oversized and the biggest I can for carry on. Any recommendations on which Pelican case? ...I believe that these may work for most airlines, but I am not sure;
Small Carry On: 1550
Large Checked In: 1650

But, I am wondering about those who travel with their own equipment how you guys deal with it all?
- How many cases of equipment do you have?
- What goes in your checked in luggage, & how big is this case?
- What goes in your carry on, & how big is this case?
- Normally how many checked in/carry on items are you allowed? - What about clothing?

[Nick Gardner]

The 1510 is a good case. I fly with two, body and a few AKS in one, and glass in a second one that my AC takes. The Data guy usually has one as well with drives and a laptop. Small regional jets make you gate check them and I feel much better about that in a pelican case than I do in a soft case. If I have special or extra expensive glass I usually pull it and put it in a soft bag that will fit under my seat.

Different airlines have different rates, but on average, to fly with one camera, and a sound package with a 3 person crew, it costs between $180-$500 each way in XS baggage. I usualy travel with

Lenses, body, and drives carry on

Tripod 1 case
Camera AKS 1 case
Batteries 1 case
Depending on trip duration, 1 personal bag per crew member
AC tools case (because you can't carry on any good tools)
Then one case for sound
And finally a case for a location LED package if we are on a little doc shoot.

That's for a low impact small shoot where we are hiring G&E and additional crew locally.

If we are all going on an adventure, then it's like 6 guys and 25-30 cases or so ;-)

Nick

[Milan Spasic]

[Jake Wilganowski]

That pic gives me a migraine. I HATE checking gear...

[Nick Gardner]

Then try loading all that on tho camels........

[Mark Phelan]

Notice too that several of those cases in the photo are actually Storm cases, not Pelican. I'm a fan of the Storm over the Pelican. Both are great cases, but the Storm latches win hands down in my book. No knuckle busters or lost fingernails like with the Pelicans.

[Mark Pavy]

Great pic Milan- that's getting to the point where I'm sure you've priced private charters/jets!

[Michael Frymus]

LOL! @the picture

What if you were flying for personal reasons, non-hired gigs.
Such as going away to Europe for a month or so on vacation and you wanted to bring some gear around if you wanted to do some quick guerilla style one-man shoots?
- I don't have a lot of gear, so it not like i'm going to put everything separately in a case and just pay the extra fees. If I'm travelling, and need to bring only a case or two, (this type of scenario) how could I do it?

Since if you are travelling because you got hired, and have to bring your own gear, the client should pay for the extra luggage fees (I guess).

[Trevor Meeks]

If you're flying with gear for personal reasons, you should be able to keep it down to two Pelican 1510s. The Pelican 1510 with Padded Dividers is my go-to, and I will almost always travel with at least one with the camera body and a few core accessories. I will not check the camera and media if I can help it. I have not tried yet, but I believe I will be able to carry two 1510s on... guess it'll depend on the airline. If you fly Southwest, they give you free additional checked bags if you're "media" - which, as a filmmaker, you qualify for. Pretty sweet.

[Mike Van Laanen]

How do you all handle the battery check-in issue? Nick do you check that battery case?