Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Help with Traveling Bags and Customs.

Rodrigo Violante

Rodrigo Violante

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
338
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Miami
I'm doing some international flights and in some countries if they see a pelican bag they asume in 2 seconds you have big equipment and its guarantee you will go for inspection and even in some cases through customs. So I have 2 questions.

1.- What carry on bag do you recommend that doesn't look like a camera bag, like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...oto_563_airport_international_v3_0_carry.html

2.- How can I travel with a red to other parts of the world without paying customs, is there some international card to cross the countries with cameras? I mean I'm not importing into the country.

Best

Rodrigo
 
You should have an" ATA Carnet " . First check to see if the countries you are visiting are "carnet" countries. You pay for the Carnet and register all your equipment and technically import and export your gear from country to country as you go. Yes it takes time and yes you go through customs up on arrival and departure of every country but its a seamless process as long as your paperwork is in order.
 
What if I'm going to foreign country as a tourist and I shot my 'travel around the world' videos on RED for my personal Vimeo or Youtube channel project (that I monetize)? Does work visa, customs paying, or carnet still needed? Just like the vlogger Jon Olsson do when he and his team are traveling around the world with his Epic-W, drones, mirrorless and all the lenses.. Or Devin Graham with his RED + Signature Glidecam.. (Maybe I should ask them).

For safety and practicality reason I still have the option to go low profile, more 'regular guy in a holiday' mode, strolling around the foreign cities and nature with a 4K mirrorless A7SII camera (and a small handheld 3-axis stabilizer), crafting videos with local content for my personal projects. But it'll be a shame to leave the RED at home and not capturing all that beauty of the world in raw R3D...

I think we should be able to bring our REDs without any hassle just like any other small camera across borders. I mean that's the advantage of DSMC modular system, only the clean bare essentials it's not looking big like the Varicam or Alexa :)

Please share your story with the customs!
Cheers.
 
For most places / countries if they see you entering with "Professional " gear they are going to give you grief . I recommend you do it properly and avoid the hassles.
 
carnet aka import/export part doesnt apply on what your are doing in the country. its just a list of gear you are not importing into a country but just bringing in for a time of your visit and then taking them out. its kinda short term import. it happens the same when you send gear for repairs to another country but just that your shipping company does it.
work visa is important if your are working or not in the country. even if you are doing your own stuff the migration officer could say you are working. it depends on the officer. we went to film a race in US (am from Europe) and the doco we were shooting for was for european market, but we needed to get "media visa" for that. as we didnt, we had problems at the border.
i flew few times to Turkey, Indonesia, Albania,... and never a problem but all at risk that some officer might be too much by the book. I usually say im visiting a friend and thats it.

bags wise its better if you can fit your tripod into a travel bag, use Fstop roller or backpack bags,... so you dont look too professional.
 
I have the thinktank bag and I love it. Fits my basic Epic-W kit plus another still camera with lenses. I would not trust if for checking in the camera, but as a carry on is perfect.

The carnet is the proper way to go, but it is expensive and a great PIA to go through. You need to to go earlier to the airport to deal with custom and tons of paperwork.
It depends on the job and travels. I stopped using Carnets a while ago because it added to much airport time.
 
Yep long story short if you bring professional gear into a country you require a work visa to work in, you are going to get pulled up on it and so either do it properly or be an expert top level bullshitter.

The Cinebags backpack is great.
 
Jon Olsson said he just bring the RED and all his equipments "like any normal bag. No problem at all!"
Either he's always lucky, or the customs officers were just happy to see him and let them go through.. :laugh:

k4a7bp.png
 
Last edited:
I am carrying my gear in a F-stop Tilopa backpack. http://shop.fstopgear.com/us/tilopa.html
Fantastic bag: carry-on for essentials (camera, bricks, monitor, lens or two, etc.) All the rest is checked luggage in serval Peli-cases. Never had problems. Recently I was advised by customs to bring a list of items that I am carrying in-out the country. I guess a ATA Carnet does the same thing.

While working in the field I use a riffle-sling for my tripod (s).
 
I second the f-stop tilopa backpack mainly because it makes you look like a hippy traveling around the world and it will fit under the seat on the plane and these days overhead space seems to be dwindling.

Get the customs form 4457, https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CBP Form 4457_0.pdf and fill it out with the names and serial numbers of all the gear you are taking. You have to bring this form and your gear to a customs agency in the US and they will verify the fact you actually have the gear (it is free service provided by US customs).

I have been doing this for years with lots of gear and never had a problem.

My projects originate in the US so I travel as a tourist in foreign countries.
 
I haven't taken it on a plane yet, but I've been using a Peak Design 30 liter pack for my Red. I'm hoping that before my next flight I'll have been able to save up for another lens mount and some Sigma Art lenses or similarly compact zooms for travel.

For trips when I'm expecting to do a LOT of trekking especially if I'm going to be carrying a lot of gear though, I go back to my trusty load hauler, my custom McHale. I got mine made with the bayonet feature that essentially consists of split stays, so you can roll the top down to about th sie of a day pack. I used that to carry my large format gear to Italy a couple of years ago, with my clothing in a duffle that I checked and the collapsed McHale in an overhead bin.
 
We love our thinktank international roller bags. They are sized to fit the smaller dimensions for international carry on rules and they are still tough and look like hand luggage. We have gone to 40 countries with no problem. This is a big advantage of RED'S modularity. We will take Nikon lenses, and forgoe bringing lights (We'll rent them locally if needed). When customs opens the bags (they do about 30% of the time)m they see Nikon and just think tourist and photographs, and off we go. We break down a tripod into our checked luggage (Miller Arrow 55), and we slide right through. We avoid pelican cases as getting to customs with a stack of 10, is a harder sell. We've even gotten in and through some tougher countries like Belarus and Transinetria (a breakaway soviet state in Moldova) with minimal fuss.

Now on a big job with full crew (6+ people), and big budgets where we have to bring everything with us, then we have gone the Carnet route, but it's a pain in time and paperwork.
 
I've traveled abroad many times with equipment in pelican cases. My go to camera kit fits in two or three 1510's which I carry on. Two or Three 1560's and my tripod case gets checked in, plus luggage. The only way to be 100% sure that you'll slip through customs with no issues is to have an "ATA Carnet" with you. I've been in various situations...One agent looked at my gear and carnet and didn't know what to do. I've also been stopped by multiple agents who must have been looking for travelers trying to import illegal goods. Knowing the rules and having the proper documentation is part of our routine. The last thing I'd want to tell my client is that we can't shoot because our gear is being held by customs.
 
ATA Carnet is a must on a professional job with paying clients abroad, especially when we bring a lot of equipments in Pelicans that's for sure. But, I think for just traveling solo occasionally as hobbyist video maker with low profile minimal setup in a small carry-on backpack (just the brain, small battery and a DSLR lens) the carnet will be a huge pain and cost...
 
I use a Lowepro carry on case that is as big as any other cary on case and I been smuggling since epic M days on atleast a monthly basis and so far they never caught me even though I been stopped in random routine checks where they search my bags and such.


It's good for a few reasons:
it's not a pelli, it does not look like a camera case but more like a borring business carry on case, so it does not drag any attention.
Its well padded and fits a lot, also has room for my big laptop.
It has wheels which is important. Normally I have it so heavily packed so it far passed over weight even if it would have been a checkin, but that goes un noticed as I just wheel it around. At times its been so heavy so it´s been seriously difficult to lift up into the overhead compartment while keeping a straight face, lol.
This Lowe bag also has a liner that can be pulled out of the case wheel shell and be worn as a back pack which is nice when you go places where there is no roads or pavement or such, then you can just leave the shell at the hotel.

Strongly recommend it: http://store.lowepro.com/rolling-cases/pro-roller-x300-aw
 
First, I agree about the carnet - it cost me $600 and the time to get it stamped, but it gave me a huge piece of mind navigating customs in a country where I didn't speak the language.

Second, when I went overseas with my RED I bought a hard shell rolling case that I knew fit the airline's carry on standards. I then added layers of foam and cut it to fit my camera and accessories. I figured it would never leave my side so I didn't need too robust of case that would run close to the carry on weight limit. At the time, 2014, Air France's carry on limit was 40 pounds, and I think mine stacked up at 38.

Also be mindful of your battery's watt hour rating And how many you have. The regulations changed fairly recently.
 
I have a Extra Large Waterproof Camera Backpack Rucksack Case Bag which is good. I always keep that in my travel time. Think Tank Photo Airport International V3.0 Carry On (Black) bag is a pro bag and good for your gears.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top