I will be taking an airline flight to the southwest, then renting a small SUV. The last time that I did a month-long trek, I shipped some items, and carried on some. Flights are more restrictive in terms of baggage now, so it may not be wise to try to carry on, or pack in baggage.

I have some very high-end gear (tripod, heads, etc.) and am uncomfortable with any of my options. With that said, do you feel that Fed-Ex is my best alternative? I can have everything shipped ahead to my hotel. Or is there a better place to ship to?

Any tips are welcome!!

Also, any suggestions for finding a less expensive rental vehicle. I've looked a numerous online sites and all cost well over a grand (for 3 weeks).

I've always taken my camera gear as carry-on. It has never been a problem for me flying domestic US flights so far. I've never seen carry-on items weighed, and even the largest of camera backpacks is going to be smaller than a lot of stuff people carry on these days. The only issue is if one of your flights is on a small regional jet with tiny overhead compartments; you may have to gate-check your bag unless it's been specifically designed to fit on such planes (I have one of the smaller ThinkTank backpacks for just this scenario).

The tripods go in the checkked luggage - in separate bags since between my wife and I we take multiple suitcases anyway. Part of my reason for bringing two tripods is that I prefer the smaller/lighter one for long hikes. But I also figure the chances of both of them getting lost or stolen on a single flight are extremely low. So far I've never had any incidents, even though my luggage has sometimes had the TSA notice of inspection in it when we get to our destination. I figure tripods are a pretty low-risk item for theft, because even if someone is savvy enough to know their value, the sheer size and bulk of them makes them much less appealing to a would-be thief, than smaller valuables that could more easily be stuck in a pocket without attracting notice.

If you are spending 4 weeks+ traveling, why not drive to the South West?

Steve

Indeed. I just drove diagonally across the continent twice for a one minute show - a Shuttle launch. It was a great drive.

And, if you don't want to drive, why an SUV? Unless you're doing some serious off-road work, the extra cost seems a waste. Much of the Southwest is accessible by car.

Indeed. I just drove diagonally across the continent twice for a one minute show - a Shuttle launch. It was a great drive.
******
I agree, it's so much easier to pack all of the stuff that you "might" need and not worry about the airlines. I just spent a couple of weeks driving around the West, ie. AR, OK, Texas, NM, AZ CO, UT, WY, ID, NV, CA (North to South on 1), ~7.5k miles. This time of year and later, SUV with 4wd may be useful if planning to travel in snow regions but as you say, most photo areas are car accessible.

Steve

Thanks for all of your comments. They are GREATLY appreciated.

I'm flying since I want to spend as much of my time at the destination as possible. Driving would take 3 days each way .... eating the better part of a week from my schedule. Hopefully I can travel leisurely once I retire!

And the reason that I like to rent an SUV is because I try to make it my "home" as much as possible ..... sleeping in it at night, so that I'm ready to shoot as soon as I wake. All in all, it's cheaper than renting motels along the way. Although I do that every few nights

Let's keep this thread going. Any additional comments/thoughts on the matter are welcome:)

Doubtful that another's flying experience is something to rely upon, but I carry-on the tripod. Last domestic trip it was lashed to the side of the camera backpack and I got away with the protruding size without hassle. I just unstrapped it when using the overhead bin and it could fit in leftover spaces.

I carry on the camera gear in a ThinkTank "airport acceleration" backpack, along with a spare set of clothes, and then another spare set of clothes and my laptop, chargers, etc in a ThinkTank "airport check-in" laptop type bag. Pack goes up top in the plane, bag goes under the seat. My tripod (a big high end Gitzo) and ballhead (RRS BH-55) along with some other clothes get shipped (and insured) to my first hotel via UPS. On the shipping label I'll put something like "motel guest: xxxxxx, arrival date yyyyyy" so they know who it's for and when I'm getting there.

Prior to shipping I notify the hotel that I'm going to ship it and double check that they'll have no problem holding it for a couple of days (I always ship so it arrives a bit early for safe measure) and once my tracking number says it's gotten there, I call the hotel again and confirm it's gotten there and that I'll be picking it up when I arrive. During the trip planning, I figure out where I'll be right before flying back home, locate a UPS store nearby that's open when I need it to be, plug that address in the GPS, and use them to ship the gear (plus any souvenirs!) home, again insured.

This has worked out quite well for me, although hauling a full load of gear through an airport is a PITA at times.

No way I'd trust my tripod/ballhead as checked baggage.

-m

Hi,

I'd just add some recent experience...

I was flying from Sweden to Idaho, route Sweden-Paris-Salt lake City-Idaho Falls, with Delta. I had a tripod in checked luggage and had a Gura Gear Kiboko bag with:

1 Sony Alpha 900
1 Sony Alpha 700
Sigma 12-24/4.5-4.6
24-70/2.8
16-80/3.5-4.5 (which plays nice with the Alpha 700)
70-300/4.5-5.6
400/4.5
1.4X and 2X extenders
100 mm macro
Batteries, RRS pano head, Arctic Butterfly and other small stuff

I addition I had a notebook in a small "Swiss" case and two 3.5 SCSI drives in the Kiboko. The drives were needed for the business part of my trip.

Delta partner KLM actually weighted my Gura Gear Kiboko but ignored the Notebook case. Although I was booked on a Delta flight KLM applied their wight limit of 12 Kg and I was over that, probably because of the extra harddrives. I removed my Alpha 900 and the 24-70/2.8 from the Kiboko and put them into my west. That was OK, but I was told that I was not allowed to put them back into the bag.

The last part of the flight was from Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls on a Canadair regional jet (CRJ 700?). I removed everything from the pockets of the Kiboko and it would easily fit to the overhead bin.

This was strictly a business trip but with photo opportunities during week ends in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs and the Craters of The Moon park.

Best regards
Erik

Mike, I agree with you on transporting a tripod/head. I have a Gitzo tripod and Really Right Stuff ballhead. And I just wouldn't trust it going through the baggage systems -- I've seen how they handle baggage.

I always carry on my Lowepro backpack, loaded with my camera gear, and have often wondered whether I could teather my tripod to the backpack as a carry-on. I figured that airport security would view the tripod as a weapon. The idea of having to do something with it, on the spot, if they objected is really troublesome.

My Lowepro bag is about three years old. It doesn't have a provision to carry my laptop. Do the new Lowepro bags do a nice job of protecting laptops?

Thanks for the info. Hopefully it helps others, as well as me.

I switched from Lowepro to Thinktank about 3 years ago, so I'm not up on what Lowepro is doing at the moment, but from what I remember the last time I saw the Lowepro backpacks, I think you'd be okay with their new stuff in terms of laptop protection. It almost seems that within the past few years there's been somewhat of a mini explosion of photo backpacks and lots of good stuff floating about out there. Might want to take a look at the other choices as well if you're looking to replace your current gear. I personally prefer Thinktank because their stuff "fits" into airliners better than anyone elses, they hold a bloody ton of gear, are solidly made, and their customer support is first rate and then some. But Kata (and others) make nice gear as well.

-m

An excellent idea. I always sleep "on location" in my van. My Shuttle Launch Road Trip took 3 weeks, zero hotel costs. Truck stops have showers.

You might look in to a domestic minivan instead of an SUV. Bigger, cheaper.

Las Vegas has the cheapest car rentals around.

I just checked rates at a few online booking companies (Travelocity, Hotwire, etc). What's killing me is that I'm picking up the vehicle in Las Vegas, and returning it in San Francisco. A small SUV (like a Jeep Liberty) goes for $190/week if I return it to the same location (Las Vegas). But, the surcharges are KILLING me to return it to San Fran. The rates jumps to $430/week -- more than double! Why should car rental companies care where their cars go?

From my snooping around, vans and minvans cost more than SUVs.

In the end, I'm going to try my luck at Priceline ..... naming my price. From what I've read online, the car companies want their vehicles on the road. They don't make money with them sitting around. But I'm going to look around before making my offer, since I have weeks to decide.

Have you asked if they have any rental relocations to do? This is how I get around at times, just cost of fuel, job done. They even do it on camper vans at times like end of season when vehicles are laying all over the country and they want them back at the main ports of call.

For that price you could return the Jeep to Las Vegas and hop a one-way flight to San Francisco.

Do I contact the rental companies directly? Do I need to talk to a supervisor?

I thought of that. But I loose an entire day .... driving from the coast, back to Vegas. Heck, if I were going to do that, I would have flown home from Vegas, since that's where I'm flying into. It costs more to fly into one area, and fly home from another. I guess that the world is just set up for the "normal" day to day way of doing things.