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Traveling with Red Epic

Christoffer Glans

Christoffer Glans

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I'm preliminary about to go away on a job within EU (Swe-France) and I'm a little curious about how to manage the transport of my gear.
Anyone with more experience of traveling with a Red who could share some tips?

For starters, I have three Red Bricks 153w. If I pack them in my pelican camara case and have the camera as hand luggage, I believe that would solve transporting bricks?
 
Christoffer Glans said:
I'm preliminary about to go away on a job within EU (Swe-France) and I'm a little curious about how to manage the transport of my gear.
Anyone with more experience of traveling with a Red who could share some tips?

For starters, I have three Red Bricks 153w. If I pack them in my pelican camara case and have the camera as hand luggage, I believe that would solve transporting bricks?
Click to expand...

In general batteries like Redbricks are not allowed to be transported anywhere except your carry on luggage. One should be connected to the camera and you're allowed to carry two more, but contacts should be covered with some kind of tape.

I always take camera body, monitor, small lens and one redvolt with me as a carry on, because I don't like to put the camera even in a pelican case if it's general luggage (after Delta airlines left left some heavy scratches marks on my perfectly new Ronin case). You also may need a monitor and a lens cause they may ask you to turn on the camera in order to prove that it's not a bomb or something
 
Demetri Zuev said:
In general batteries like Redbricks are not allowed to be transported anywhere except your carry on luggage. One should be connected to the camera and you're allowed to carry two more, but contacts should be covered with some kind of tape.

I always take camera body, monitor, small lens and one redvolt with me as a carry on, because I don't like to put the camera even in a pelican case if it's general luggage (after Delta airlines left left some heavy scratches marks on my perfectly new Ronin case). You also may need a monitor and a lens cause they may ask you to turn on the camera in order to prove that it's not a bomb or something
Click to expand...

So I'm allowed to take my Epic with 1 Red Brick connected and 2 extra Red Bricks with gaffa tape over the connections? Isn't all that gear breaking the 11 pound limit for carry on? What about the 140w limit that some airlines have? The bricks are 153w.
I've heard of people putting the bricks in the checked in luggage, why isn't this allowed if it's in a pressure safe pelican case?
 
Chris Henze said:
Don't fly with those bricks, they're too big.
Click to expand...

No they are not.

You can transport 2 of them per person flying with you. Or unlimited number if they are under 90wh.
Don't put anything in cargo you couldn't film without it as sometimes luggages dissapear. I use 1550 pelican cases as onboard luggages.

Pat
 
Chris Henze said:
Don't fly with those bricks, they're too big.
Click to expand...

So how do I get to location with the batteries needed? :P

Demetri Zuev said:
In general batteries like Redbricks are not allowed to be transported anywhere except your carry on luggage. One should be connected to the camera and you're allowed to carry two more, but contacts should be covered with some kind of tape.

I always take camera body, monitor, small lens and one redvolt with me as a carry on, because I don't like to put the camera even in a pelican case if it's general luggage (after Delta airlines left left some heavy scratches marks on my perfectly new Ronin case). You also may need a monitor and a lens cause they may ask you to turn on the camera in order to prove that it's not a bomb or something
Click to expand...

So I'm allowed to take my Epic with 1 Red Brick connected and two extra Red Bricks with gaffa tape over the connections? Isn't all that gear breaking the 11 pound limit for carry on? What about the 140w limit that some airlines have? The bricks are 153w.
I've heard of people putting the bricks in the checked in luggage, why isn't this allowed if it's in a pressure safe pelican case?
 
Ive never had any company asking for the 140wh limit. You can ask your company what rool they follow. But IATA rools are <160wh up to 2 batteries (if one is on camera there is another one authorized) and as many you want if they are <90wh. I've flown to Brasil, Switzerland, France, Germany (they are the most strickt with compliance), Portugal, England, Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique, Perou, Hungary, Romania, Greece, ... with those rools and they where in compliance.

You MUST take them in cabin as a if a fire starts they can do something (the most logic explanation of what I heard).

Pat


(my litepannels batteries where allways flying in the kit in the checked luggages and the german security staff was the only one who asked to take them off the checked luggages).
 
Christoffer Glans said:
So I'm allowed to take my Epic with 1 Red Brick connected and 2 extra Red Bricks with gaffa tape over the connections? Isn't all that gear breaking the 11 pound limit for carry on?
Click to expand...

I had a carry on backpack once that was stuffed to the max with - Epic body with a mount and side ssd, 5 inch touch lcd, 3 Red bricks, Canon 24-70, 2 samyang cine primes (24 and 35mm), Macbook Air, Red baclpack quickplate, adapter module, top and outrigger handles, DSMC battery belt, Tokina 11-16 + some more accessories. I was flying Delta and they did not give an f about weight. You calculate how heavy was that but from my subjective point of view it was very heavy.
 
Demetri Zuev said:
I had a carry on backpack once that was stuffed to the max with - Epic body with a mount and side ssd, 5 inch touch lcd, 3 Red bricks, Canon 24-70, 2 samyang cine primes (24 and 35mm), Macbook Air, Red baclpack quickplate, adapter module, top and outrigger handles, DSMC battery belt, Tokina 11-16 + some more accessories. I was flying Delta and they did not give an f about weight. You calculate how heavy was that but from my subjective point of view it was very heavy.
Click to expand...

Some companies impose a max weight (usually 8kg) other just want that the size complies the carry on limit and that you must be able to carry and lift the wallet to the locker alone...
Usually my Pelicase 1550 are about 15 to 17kg, I need 2 of them for all my basic Epic kit (batts, lens, charger, body and acces., shoulder access...)

Pat
 
I've been traveling a lot with my Epic.
And usually it is no issues at all.

Usually have to go through whatever I have, carry batteries in hand-luggage and just smile politely and be very understanding and it all works fine.

I always keep a minimal operating kit in my peli 1510, in case my in-board luggage gets lost.
 
I usually bring my cinebag stuffed with all my accessories weight around 60lbs, and my epic with gear in my 1510 pelican weight around 30lbs. Only had a problem once, but a carnet will shut them up.
 
Jon Carr said:
I usually bring my cinebag stuffed with all my accessories weight around 60lbs, and my epic with gear in my 1510 pelican weight around 30lbs. Only had a problem once, but a carnet will shut them up.
Click to expand...

Yes ATA carnet is a must have if you cross borders that don't have the same rools (switzerland for ex.). But usually there are a few custom agents who knows how it really works. You have to make the stamp before your equipment is checked in and before leaving or entering the country. It can take up to 2 weeks to get it.

Pat
 
Patrick Tresch said:
Give me the name of one company that wouln't accept <160wh bricks.

Pat
Click to expand...


"Might" run into issues. I wasn't referring to any particular company. The concern is going through airport security. I got stopped a couple of times because my bag got flagged on the scanner. The first was a routine swab check but on the second time (in Japan) security did a thorough checkup on all my bricks. Possibly checking for leaks, defects, exposed contacts, wH limits... who knows. I should note that I didn't have a carnet.

Your mileage may vary but my advice for the batteries.... Check with specific airline policies and make a print out of what's allowed.
 
So if going abroad, might it be better to just stack my checked in luggage with a shitload of side handle batteries? :laugh:

I think that for my camera it's manageable if I check with the airline before traveling and look up any rules they have for batteries. But what about other gear? For this job (job is cancelled now, but for future work), how do I get lightning and a tripod through without damage? I mean, those need to be checked in, I cannot bring such gear with me (I'm thinking about a pack of Redheads 800w) and a tripod with carbon fiber legs which will break if put under a lot of weight.

For a basic kit of lightning, tripod and camera that "could" be carried by 1-2 people, what would be the drill, what should you have in mind in order not to be blocked in check-in or security?
 
Gunleik, can you share more about your traveling setup? Do you wear it around your neck with a strap or hand hold it as you go through airport security? I'd love to start doing this too but I always thought holding the camera would draw too much attention.
 
Christoffer Glans said:
So if going abroad, might it be better to just stack my checked in luggage with a shitload of side handle batteries?
Click to expand...

No. Batteries are forbidden in the checked in luggages. They could pull your bag out of the line and call you to take them with you in cabin.
When travelling with batteries, camera, computer, cables.... you'll allways have to show your stuff to the security check.
Best method for me is to put all Harddrives, batteries, computer, and sometimes even the camera in the security boxes. So they see it and don't ask for the manual check after the x-ray tunnel wich takes more time as they usually also perform the explosive test.

I can put my legs (miller arrow 3 stage) and head (Panther 10X) in my checked in luggage, I put some jeans around it and it's all well protected.

Pat
 
I never travel with batteries other than the little red volts. Batts are cheap to rent. Just set yourself up with a flexible power solution. If you run v-lock normally get a v-lock > AB conversion plate so you have more options wherever you go. Also, you can get a power distro box that can input power from XLR sources and block batteries.

My entire kit travels all the time and fits in two 1510 pelican cases. The one that contains the camera flies in the overhead.
 
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