Transporting Epic Within Europe

[Jonathan Petts]

Hello,

I have a shoot in Austria this year(UK > Austria), I have never really transported my own gear country to country. This would be my first experience with it.

We were going to try to take all the Epic kit in hand luggage but it was way to heavy!

So we have two Peli caes a 1610 and 1550. With the body and add-on's we need. My question is what kind of padlock or saftey method do you use to secure you Peli cases ? I dont want to cheap out and get some £5 lock as the Peli TSA lock looks a bit flimsy for something that has to protect some expensive kit.

Also any advise on transporting kit on planes would be really handy!

Thanks!

Jonny

 

[Anthony Vitale]

I carry my brain and lenses on to the plane in a back pack. I put all of my accessories in a pelican that fits in a roller bag and then check it in.

I think your batteries will be your biggest challenge. You should check to see what the rules are in Europe for batteries. On my last trip through Vancouver international I got denied at security for having 4 red bricks.

 

[Adrian Weinbrecht]

Hi Jonathan

Are you travelling business or economy?

I would strongly recommend the Think Tank Airport international bags for carrying your camera as part of hand luggage. If you are flying business I would recommend getting a Think Tank Urban Disguise to fit on top of the airport international.

On the UK side you should be ok with one of these bags as they just look like normal bags, ours are often super heavy.

Forget about heavy duty padlocks, instead just pick up some black zip ties, if customs want to check out your kit they will cut the locks off.

Try to carry-on your essential Camera kit, what do you really need to shoot? What can you rent/buy at the location? Try also to split things up across your check in luggage so if a bag goes missing you're still able to get on with things.

It is illegal to fly with LI-ion batteries larger then 100WH. That's why Anthony above got stopped in Vancouver.

Also have a look at driving to Austria, we've done this many times, nice drive, take loads of kit.

Good luck

Adrian

 

[Frank Glencairn]

Never (like in NEVER EVER!) check in glass or camera - it's sheer asking for trouble.
I always have those items with me in the cabin.

Batteries are a problem - if you don't have small ones (under 100WH) you can always rent some v-mounts in Austria.

And yeah, especially Vancouver seems to be extra picky on batteries - last time we shot in BC, we had some serious trouble with that.

 

[Jordan Buck]

I was in Austria earlier this year for a job, drove from London, did it overnight with no traffic, its a hard drive I wont lie, but if you can take your time it can be really enjoyable the scenery is stunning.

I do the same job in Kaunertal every year and found the easiest way is to just drive with the kit.

If you want any advice, drop me a message be happy to help!

I also echo the never ever check the body or glass in thing, its just not worth it!

 

[Chris McKechnie]

I second the think tank security V2. I have and love it!!! Never had any issues. Though it will not fit on smaller/connection planes, just because there isn't standard overhead bin space.

Reminder to get a Carnet. It's a passport for your gear. Don't want to be hit with a huge tax fee if you run into a mean customs agent.

 

[Peter Stelzhammer]

As echoed before -> ALWAYS keep the camera in personal distance, even on plane!
Make sure you have a working "emergency set" at least even if your other luggage (the checked in I mean) gets lost or takes another route.
If you strip your setup down you can usually safely wrap it in a fitting jacket or cloth for pretty secure & protected overhead-storage (means no metal zip or knobs, no noga-arms or such left mounted on camera -> you don't want scratches and dings on your body). Remember to unplug cables as they are prone to be bent, same goes especially for anything that could accidentally power up (which you don't ever want to happen for various reasons).

And just to mention: If you need anything over here - be it directions, personnel, rental-options, on-site help, translation, or just infos for prepping - feel free to ask or drop me a message!

 

[Uros Zuraj]

No Carnet needed for UK to Austria.
otherwise it all depends on the airline you are flying with. Bigger companies understand camera gear, low fares usually make problem.
where is your shoot located? Getting local batteries shouldnt be a problem at all

 

[Brian Merlen]

dont put your batteries below the plane or the fine costs more then ur red did... paglink or redvolts are plane safe fyi and get insurance/make sure it covers you internationally

 

[Jonathan Petts]

We have a Tamrac 9X, which is quite large.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamrac-Expe...UTF8&qid=1403082264&sr=8-2&keywords=tamrac+9x

We will now certainly carry the brain of the epic and the lenses on with us.

Do you think it would be okay to put such things as the Red Pro 5' and Side handle in the hold? We are renting batteries out in Austria, could you suggest any hire companies that you have used before, we are currently doing research but any suggestions would be awesome.

Thanks for your reply as well


Jonny

 

[Jonathan Petts]

Based on what everyone has said so far I think we shall transport the Epic body and Lenses with us in the hold.

We have a Tamrac 9X
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamrac-Expe...UTF8&qid=1403082538&sr=8-2&keywords=tamrac+9x

Which we shall put the kit into.

Also from what a few people have told me Austria does not require Carnet. We are currently in contact with the airline thanks to some contacts and sorting out what we can take in the told.


Thanks for your reply!

Jonny

 

[Simon Knight]

I thought the limit on Li-on content made it 160wH but I may be wrong. But you must either carry-on your batteries or declare them as otherwise as said here it's seen as concealing a dangerous good and "could" be dealt with under the Terrorism Act 2002.
i consult for easyJet here in UK on security and Dangerous Goods, and have seen some very-interesting scenarios play out. Bottom line, don't play dumb, declare and they will help. Call the airline before you travel etc.

 

[Peter Stelzhammer]

A good place to get started (especially in Vienna) is this site here; http://www.viennafilmcommission.at/en/Production-Guide/Company-Search
Just take a look at entries like "camera rental" and similar. They have the bigger rental companies listed usually (all registered business).
There also should be a few DP/owners around (even here on Reduser) who might be able to help you out - maybe they'll chime in later on.

 

[Ben Scott]

I have 2 x Peli 1510 cases which myself and a colleague will use as carry on and will have the disassembled brain and lenses.

My 'working' bag will be checked in and used to transport my clothes and non smashable production items and then on the other side I'll build and swap the camera into the regular bag. Simply do not ever check your camera in.

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

I carry on:

Body, Batteries, Monitor, SSDs, Reader and at least 1 lens. I've gotten about a half dozen calls over the years from people who arrived in Seattle without a card reader desperate for a reader ASAP. I would make sure you have the tools on you to manage a very basic package if you have less than a day for prep time. I also have rented out my 5" monitor because someone checked it and it didn't make it in time for a shoot. Everything is so small that you can easily carry on a full Epic Kit. I recommend doing so.

 

[Freya]

Also from what a few people have told me Austria does not require Carnet. We are currently in contact with the airline thanks to some contacts and sorting out what we can take in the told.

The UK is still a part of the EU, as is Austria so there are no customs charges on goods. It's supposed to be a single market.

Freya

 

[Peter Stelzhammer]

UK/Ireland is part of the EU - but they opted out of the Schengener Abkommen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area),
instead they are CTA; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area
Anyways - basically Freya should still be right with her statement

That doesn't safe you from the possibility to go through a possible C4/particle-check with your gear (esp. camera body and batteries) - should not be a problem tho, just take a few more minutes of check-in procedure into consideration (took about 10 Minutes for us in Frankfurt once). Are you taking a direct flight to Vienna or do you have a "hop" or stop-over anywhere? The more hops or stop-overs the higher the chance that your checked in luggage gets on the wrong plane - just as a warning (had this happening before, not with a camera but with the lead-guitar of a band on tour - which was also not a nice thing [from London to Vienna with a stop-over in Munich -> guitar was sent to Moscow somehow, he got it back like 1.5 weeks later in Germany - he had to borrow/play a guitar from the support-band for alike half of the tour because of this])...

 

[Jonathan Petts]

We are going straight there which is nice!

I think we are going to put the Epic, Monitor and some lenses in a carry on backpack and all the extra bit like rails, matte box in a Peli 1550. We are certainly going to leave plenty of time to check on. Luckily we have a contact at the airline so she is going to help us through the process, so fingers cross it goes smoothly!

Im more worried about getting there and not having any kit