Carry on restrictions on South African Airways

[Chisox2335]

SAA's carry on restrictions are 18lbs per bag. I have a LowePro fast pack 350(4lbs) and pelican 1510 (14 lbs)

I plan to bring:
Gripped 6D
Gripped 70D
Gripped 60D
Each right about 2.5 lbs

Canon 100-400 3.0 lbs
Tamron 70-200f2.8 3.2 lbs
Canon 24-70 f4 1.3 lbs
Canon 15-85 1.3 lbs
Rokinon 14mm f2.8 1.2 lbs

430ex .7 lbs
Other various accessories (excluding my tripod and mono pod) but including batteries hard drives, chargers my fiancé's bridge camera totaling about 8 lbs

Laptop ~5 lbs

Anyone have real issues with SAA? I was think of of loading a bit into a third small carryon to reduce individual weights then redistributing once they weigh everything. Worst case I put the laptop, 6d bridge camera, tamron lens, chargers and 24-70 in my lowepro bag and carry that on lock the pelican and check it.

I'd always planned to check my tripod and monopod (tripod and head are worth about $200 monopod about $60) as well as three smaller holster cases to use on the actual trucks during game drives. I'd also get tsa locks for that bag.

Obviously I'd rather carryon my Lowe pro and pelican. Anyone have any advice? Thanks!

Please don't say bring less I've already considered that. I intend on using the 100-400 on the 70d, the 70-200 on the 6d and the 15-85 on the 60d incase we end up with animals extremely close. The 24-70 will be for landscapes on the 6d and the rokinon for astro photography.

 

[Chisox2335]

Currently building a spreadsheet with all my gear and weights. Called South African airways, I can have a laptop case too. Likely going to get an ultra laptop case for my laptop, that will take 5 lbs out, then look at have two light weight camera bags. One my fiancé will claim and one I will claim. I will also throw all my accessories into my laptop case and flash to get all that non easily breakable stuff out of my camera bags.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

You might be forced to check a overweight bag. Be sure that you have good insurance. it should cover all your gear and any expenses due to delayed/cancelled flights, or illness.

 

[Chisox2335]

You might be forced to check a overweight bag. Be sure that you have good insurance. it should cover all your gear and any expenses due to delayed/cancelled flights, or illness.

Thanks Mt. Spokane. I should really call my insurance company to have all my camera gear insured regardless of travel, although I think its already covered by my personal items portion of my homeowners, will be a smart thing to check anyways.

So after some research, math, weighing, and picking out new light weigh back, I have managed to get everything into an 18lb carry on, 15 lb, carry on and 16 lb laptop case with accessories (turns out my laptop and charger weight 7 lbs alone!)

Going to get this, so it really does look more like a laptop case than a camera bag.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/552255-REG/Tenba_638_237_Laptop_Messenger_Bag_Large.html

 

[JumboShrimp]

Having done a fair amount of international air travel, I can sympathize with your situation. I, too, wish I could bring everything I won, but ...

One practical suggestion is to wear a vest with several large (and empty) pockets. If your bag is overweight, slip a lens or two into the vest. Airlines do not care how much YOU weigh.

A not-so-practical alternative is to travel business class. That class of service usually allows for heavier carry-ons, as well as other perks, of course.

Best of luck in SA.

 

[Stu_bert]

One practical suggestion is to wear a vest with several large (and empty) pockets. If your bag is overweight, slip a lens or two into the vest. Airlines do not care how much YOU weigh.

I've used the same technique with Air Namibia and SAA, and indeed other airlines, but to be honest I've never needed them, even with a LowePro Photo Trekker. If you're comfortable, even wearing the slr till you get on the plane and then placing it back in the bag... I've put batteries in pockets or coats, hand held the coat or indeed used a photographers vest. To date, the only issue I ever had was an internal Zambia flight in a tiny 20 seater plane. The bag would not fit in an overhead nor under the seat, so it went in captains luggage

 

[lion rock]

Chris,
One trick I used is to remove my camera mounted with my 70-200 f/2.8 II and BR sling from my bag and carry it on myself separately and let them weigh my gear bag.
Flying from the US is not so straight with weight, but flying in a foreign country is. In 2011, I encountered my first flight weight restrictions when I flew from New Zealand to HongKong, but it was with some other passengers. It was similar in HongKong as well with weight restrictions, though not as rigorous. You may also want to make an impression that the bag is relatively light, just in case it is a random weight inspection.
YMMV.
Good luck and have a safe and memorable trip.
-r

 

[Jim Saunders]

I'd make sure they're cool with that many lithium batteries, too.

Jim

 

[Chisox2335]

Thanks for the replies all. I do have a vest that's in one of them just incase. With my current allocation I should be 2-3 pounds under on 2 of the 3 bags and maybe a half pound over on one. Easily adjusted if they push. I pity those who have a big white in a hard case not sure how'd you'd get it there with everything else.

 

[dslrdummy]

Matter for you but it sounds like a lot of gear to me. Having three bodies might allow you to cover more possibilities but handling them all in the car/jeep/landrover on safari is another matter. Depends how many people you will have with you and the type of vehicle but I found two bodies with lenses quite a handful.
Also, regardless of weight you may be pushing your luck with three carry on bags. Virtually all airlines have a limit of two. I wore a vest and had no problems (apart from comfort when it was full of lenses).
Hope it goes well.

 

[eml58]

SAA's carry on restrictions are 18lbs per bag. I have a LowePro fast pack 350(4lbs) and pelican 1510 (14 lbs)

This is what happened to me last year on a SAA flight, flying Business Class, Niarobi to JoBurg.

2 of us Flying BC, 2 Carry on Bags, a Battaflea weighing around 8Kgs, and a Carry On Wheeled Pelican, also around 8 Kgs.

At the door the Cabin Staff were taking bags indiscriminately from Passengers, tagging them and sending them to the Hold, they made no allowance for Business class or Commercial Class, they simply didn't care, and arguments to the value of the equipment fell on completely deaf ears, again, they didn't care, they were rude and quite honestly some of the worse Cabin Staff I've encountered.

In particular in my case they targeted the Pelican Case, which was tagged and disappeared, they said to the Hold.

And of course from the entire flight my Pelican Case, with around $20k in Camera gear, was one of 3 bags missing, all Pelican Cases, all containing Camera gear.

In my case I had some very good friends that were able to go to top management in SAA to complain, my Bag eventually surfaced in Nairobi, it had been tagged at the door, then removed from the flight, make your own conclusions.

I sat in JoBurg for 3 days waiting for the Bag to get to me.

My situation I've since found is not unusual, In Africa some Cabin Staff do target Camera gear, some ground staff do target camera gear, the only advice is if your inside the carry on allowance, refuse to board if they want to take your gear off you (this can make them re think as they would have to remove your bags from the hold & that will delay the flight), and ensure full Insurance Cover.

I've travelled in Africa for the past 10 Years and this is the only time I have had this sort of issue, but it has put me off SAA, of course there's not a lot of reliable airlines in Africa to choose from.

One thing to remember, if they quote your over weight by 3 or 4 Kgs, open your bag, remove a Camera & Lens, hang it around your neck, or shove lenses in your pockets to get you under, then they generally give way.

 

[Jim Saunders]

This is what happened to me last year on a SAA flight, flying Business Class, Niarobi to JoBurg.

Apparently it is where white lenses go to die as well. :-\

Jim

 

[Chisox2335]

Matter for you but it sounds like a lot of gear to me. Having three bodies might allow you to cover more possibilities but handling them all in the car/jeep/landrover on safari is another matter. Depends how many people you will have with you and the type of vehicle but I found two bodies with lenses quite a handful.
Also, regardless of weight you may be pushing your luck with three carry on bags. Virtually all airlines have a limit of two. I wore a vest and had no problems (apart from comfort when it was full of lenses).
Hope it goes well.

I agree that on trucks it may be too much. I will only use the 70d and 6d if were full and no extra seats. For anything closer than 70mm I'm bring my rx100. Fits nicely inside my camera vest, camera batteries and charger only add 1 pound to my total. I am doing 2 morning in under ground photography hides which is where I will utilize the three bodies most or god forbid I have a body die on me I'll have an extra.

I did speak with South African airlines. We are allowed a carryon plus a laptop case each. My very new wife has been nice enough to agree to take the lighter carryon. She'll have a 15 pound bag. I'll have an 18 lb carry on plus a 16 lb laptop case. I'll have my vest with me just incase I need to throw some things into pockets quick.

 

[Chisox2335]

SAA's carry on restrictions are 18lbs per bag. I have a LowePro fast pack 350(4lbs) and pelican 1510 (14 lbs)

This is what happened to me last year on a SAA flight, flying Business Class, Niarobi to JoBurg.

2 of us Flying BC, 2 Carry on Bags, a Battaflea weighing around 8Kgs, and a Carry On Wheeled Pelican, also around 8 Kgs.

At the door the Cabin Staff were taking bags indiscriminately from Passengers, tagging them and sending them to the Hold, they made no allowance for Business class or Commercial Class, they simply didn't care, and arguments to the value of the equipment fell on completely deaf ears, again, they didn't care, they were rude and quite honestly some of the worse Cabin Staff I've encountered.

In particular in my case they targeted the Pelican Case, which was tagged and disappeared, they said to the Hold.

And of course from the entire flight my Pelican Case, with around $20k in Camera gear, was one of 3 bags missing, all Pelican Cases, all containing Camera gear.

In my case I had some very good friends that were able to go to top management in SAA to complain, my Bag eventually surfaced in Nairobi, it had been tagged at the door, then removed from the flight, make your own conclusions.

I sat in JoBurg for 3 days waiting for the Bag to get to me.

My situation I've since found is not unusual, In Africa some Cabin Staff do target Camera gear, some ground staff do target camera gear, the only advice is if your inside the carry on allowance, refuse to board if they want to take your gear off you (this can make them re think as they would have to remove your bags from the hold & that will delay the flight), and ensure full Insurance Cover.

I've travelled in Africa for the past 10 Years and this is the only time I have had this sort of issue, but it has put me off SAA, of course there's not a lot of reliable airlines in Africa to choose from.

One thing to remember, if they quote your over weight by 3 or 4 Kgs, open your bag, remove a Camera & Lens, hang it around your neck, or shove lenses in your pockets to get you under, then they generally give way.

Eek scary story. I've ruled out my pelican as it would only allow 4 lbs of camera gear to fit. None of my bags scream camera they could very well be full of clothes with how they look. My pelican does stand out when I pull my underwater setup in it and wheel it around though.

 

[canon1dxman]

Anyone has real issues with SAA?

Yes I have. Coming back from Kruger airport to Jo'burg. Big heavy bag with all my Canon kit and a Sony Z5, not to mention several week's images and video.

They refused to let me carry it on board as the plane was full and insisted it went on their rack next to the aircraft to be hand loaded into the hold. "Don't worry sir, you can watch it being loaded from your seat....." I did.

When we arrived at Jo'burg, I waited by the plane to collect it from the rack. No sign of it. "Don't worry sir, it will be on the next plane...." Yeah right.

I kicked off big time. Supervisor checked the hold, no sign of it. Several staff involved, all saying to will follow. The pilot get's involved. Still can't find it. Eventually, as others get in on the act, it miraculously appears. Some budding thieving oik had carefully hidden it in the compartment for pets.......

Speaking to locals later, it seems that it is not unusual for things to go missing at Jo'burg in this way so be very careful.

 

[Analogphoto]

I fully realize the problems with valuable equipment, as I travel a lot. Perhaps 100 days per year, give or take a few.

As a fellow passenger I'm rather p-off by the luggage haulers that try to stuff all of their carryons in the over head compartments. By all means carry as much as you like, but stow all but one under the seat in front of you. This as a courtesy to your fellow passengers!

Kind of interesting to see that most commentators tried to find ways to cheat on the allowed carryon regs. Is that the way you all act in your daily business? Just asking...

 

[Chisox2335]

I fully realize the problems with valuable equipment, as I travel a lot. Perhaps 100 days per year, give or take a few.

As a fellow passenger I'm rather p-off by the luggage haulers that try to stuff all of their carryons in the over head compartments. By all means carry as much as you like, but stow all but one under the seat in front of you. This as a courtesy to your fellow passengers!

Kind of interesting to see that most commentators tried to find ways to cheat on the allowed carryon regs. Is that the way you all act in your daily business? Just asking...

Not sure who you are calling out in this post, I'm trying to follow their strict guidelines. My issue is they allow me to check up to 4 bags (for the two of us) at 50 lbs each plus have 2 carry ons and 2 personal items up to 18 lbs each. That's a total of 372 lbs of luggage. We are using 2 of the 4 checked bags and I only wanted to use 2 carry ons and 1 personal item (her purse). My total luggage would weigh about 155 lbs assuming we actually fully stuffed our checked bags. I only want to use less than half of my available luggage allowance. My pelican case which provide more protection to my equipment but takes up no more room than a backpack.

Additionally SAA assumes ZERO liability for checked electronics whether broken or stolen by their own employees. They are the biggest carrier to a country that caters to people traveling on safari where you take pictures with expensive camera equipment and their do have fairly restrictive weight limits in comparison to many US carriers.

So again I am trying to fall within their restrictions and have come up with a way to. It's going to cause me to have to buy another bag and leave my hard case at home but so be it. I'd rather buy another bag and have my gear.

 

[Analogphoto]

Sir, not you! As I followed your questions and reasoning you made it clear you wonted to follow the airlines regs.

The ones with all the other suggestions and ideas! As far as I can see nobody questioned the consequences for any other passenger due to their suggestions and ideas.

I still claim, if you have to much carryon, stow your stuff under the seat in front of you. I seriously want to be able to stow my single carryon in the overhead compartment.

 

[Stu_bert]

Sir, not you! As I followed your questions and reasoning you made it clear you wonted to follow the airlines regs.

The ones with all the other suggestions and ideas! As far as I can see nobody questioned the consequences for any other passenger due to their suggestions and ideas.

I still claim, if you have to much carryon, stow your stuff under the seat in front of you. I seriously want to be able to stow my single carryon in the overhead compartment.

I would be happy to pay a sensible excess for bringing on my camera equipment as hand luggage but the reality is that the airlines do not offer any viable solution. Putting expensive kit into the hold is not a solution as discussed. Where possible I fly BA, AA and those airlines who have a sensible hand luggage policy (1 bag, if you can lift it and it meets the size limits, we're fine). Alas those airlines don't fly everywhere so I use alternatives.

In terms of overhead locker use - I've clearly flown on different flights to you where people shove suitcases in the overhead lockers along with coats, duty free goods etc. my laptop sits with me during flights and I put my camera bag in the overhead. It complies with size regulation. I would happily put it under the seat except the standard seat dimensions cannot accommodate such hand luggage...

 

[TrabimanUK]

I'm flying SA in September and yes, 8Kg is a bit on the light side.

My plan is:
- Use my wife's handbag for some bits and a small lens (women get a handbag as well as hand luggage).
- Use the pockets in my combat trousers for some other bits and a small lens (just zip the legs off and put those through the scanners to save time emptying packets).
- Ship non-essentials in the hold luggage as I get 2x 23Kg and I've got a Peli-like case that's going to have a Parrot drone, batteries, camera batteries, spare phone, filters, trail cam and batteries, etc.

I suppose a camera vest would work well too, but I just can't bring myself to buy one.

Just pack what you NEED to pack in your hand luggage.

I did a trip a few years ago and the all-up weight (hand and hold luggage) was only 15Kg. Now that took some planning to pack and strip stuff down to essentials - battery grips removed, minimal spare batteries, minimal clothes and I "wore" a lot of stuff onto the plane in pockets

Don't forget to enjoy the trip and look atthe wildlife through your eyes