We all know that “driving defensively” means reducing the risks of driving by anticipating dangerous situations on the road. Packing defensively means packing your carry-on(s) to reduce problems at security, and the risks of breakage or lost or stolen luggage by anticipating potential carry-on woes.Security concerns at TSA are on the rise, especially with the recent “panty-bomber” escapade.
While the US national threat level is “yellow,” it was recently raised to “orange,” the next to the highest level, for all domestic and international flights. As a result, security will be tougher, and you may be subject to random gate checks, even for domestic flights, in the days to come.
At airport security, I’ve seen passengers’ belongings confiscated leading to hand searches of their bags, and during those searches, I’ve seen their belongings manhandled and strewn all over a filthy floor.
Most travelers have heard horror stories of lost, stolen, and severely damaged luggage from friends, neighbors and business acquaintances, or have experienced it for themselves.
We’ve read and heard complaints from airline and cruise passengers who found out the hard way, airlines and cruise lines severely limit their liability for passengers’ belongings, especially valuables, electronic gear, and breakables. Even if directly responsible for lost or damaged cameras, iPods, or other valuables, they don’t “pay up.”
Recently, actress Cybill Shepherd’s son was in the news. He was charged with stealing from airplane passengers’ carry-ons during a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I assure you this scenario is repeated all too often.
Here are some of my defensive packing tips.
• Pack in layers and put anything with wires (electronic gear, etc.) in one layer only. This permits x-ray security agents to easily identify your belongings. Stacking such gear makes it impossible for an agent to tell what’s in your bag and will likely result in a hand search.
• Pack all small items in your carry-ons in see-through bags to maintain orderliness and make it easy for security agents to identify your belongings in x-ray, secondary, and gate searches. (I pack everything in my carry-ons and checked luggage in see-through bags, with fragile items in padded bags.) This makes it easy to keep track of my belongings when removed by security from my luggage during a hand search, or by me in my hotel room.
• Never pack items with loose wires in your luggage, whether in bags or not. They often appear in x-ray enough like bombs or detonation devices to engender a hand search of your bags. Bundle and tie the wires.
• Know TSA’s rules for what’s permitted and what’s not, and the liquid/gel rules for carry-ons, and follow them. Don’t try to sneak anything past security. It’s not worth it.
• If one of your packing bags was screened for explosives using a wipe, replace the bag if disposable, or at least thoroughly clean it with detergent before you use it again. Sometimes the wipes leave a chemical residue on your bag, which can give you trouble at the next inspection.
• Lock your carry-ons to prevent in-flight theft but wait until you board the plane. Locked carry-ons slow security and upset security agents, especially at the gate.
• Know the size limitations for carry-ons for the airlines on which you’re traveling. The airlines are finally cracking down on oversized carry-ons. I’ve recently seen this in the US and Europe. In Europe, carry-ons are often weighed. You don’t want to have to check-in your carry-ons containing equipment and valuables for which the airlines refuse liability.
• To prevent travel problems from lost, stolen or damaged checked-in luggage, choose the belongings you pack in your carry-ons carefully, as you only have a small finite space in them (personal bag and carry-on). I pack all my valuables, laptop/computer gear, camera/camera gear, cash and jewelry, if any, all breakables, a complete change of clothes in case of lost, stolen or delayed checked-in luggage, toilet articles, and all medications in my carry-ons. Take anything in your carry-ons you can’t do without, or can’t afford to loose.
• With airlines monitoring the size of carry-ons, and security changing carry-on rules at a moments notice, you may need additional space, and a back-up plan. (After the “panty-bomber” episode, to help fulfill the security requests of the US, some countries like Canada, banned all carry-on bags for travelers flying to the US, some whom were already away from home and depending upon them for several weeks.)
I always have a “third” carry-on with me, which security and the airlines don’t limit; a photographer’s vest. Even if I wasn’t a photographer, I’d wear the vest while traveling. My strong, lightweight, breathable vest can hold a lot of stuff, in a multitude of zippered and snap pockets. It’s extremely convenient on the plane by keeping items I use aloft, “close to my chest.”
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It may turn out that the only effective “defense” against the utterly unpredictable whims of “security” and airline agents is shelling out a few more pennies to FedEx anything you can’t do without. That will avoid much hassle at the airport and make flying that much less unpleasant. The airlines are working as hard as they can to “unbundle” every aspect of flying so they can generate enough ancillary revenue to prosper. The cost of FedExing belongings is just another fee, but one that at least includes insurance and accountability that isn’t included with the airline’s checked baggage fees.
Of course, the best “defensive” solution is to choose a destination that doesn’t require flying. But that’s usually not a feasible option.
Any recommendations for photographer’s vest (i.e. brands)?
It’s certainly an option Hapgood, and during the short time the liquids and gels were completely banned, it’s one that I took for specific items. Even now, if I have a particular photo shoot I’m traveling to do, which requires a significant amount of equipment, which can’t be taken as carry-on, I ship the equipment either FedEx or UPS in Pelican boxes, locked with numbered seals (if shipped internationally, or locked with a padlock if shipped domestically, wrapped in commercial shipping wrap, and fully insured. Of course, since I’m going on business, to hopefully derive an income from the trip, that’s different than shipping when the trip is only for pleasure.
In general, while I could ship my checked-in luggage, I’m not inclined to do the same with my carry-on luggage. I normally carry in that, items which I use all the time, or are important enough that I want to hand carry them, myself. I never let anyone handle (carry) my personal bag (camera/computer), or my roller carry-on (other items mentioned in article). That has made many porters and bellmen unhappy all over, but that’s the way it goes. They will have to settle for my checked-in baggage which I usually have as I’m a heavy packer who dislikes having to buy items when away or do laundry.
I’ve looked at shipping before, and it’s more than a few pennies to do it for a 50# suitcase. For example, if I sent a 50# suitcase from the east coast to the west coast, valued at $1,500 via UPS, it would cost about $80 for ground (4 days shipping), $160 for select (3 days shipping), $240 for 2nd day air, or $270 for overnight saver. (If the value drops to $500, the savings is only about $10 per class (speed) of shipment. International shipments are more pricey.
While shipping would make it a bit easier at the airport with no luggage to check-in, it doesn’t help me get through security, which is really the major hassle. So for now, it’s status quo and packing defensively for me.
Thanks very much for your comment and your readership. I very much appreciate both.
I can only tell you the brands I’ve used with which I’m most happy with their performance. I actually have two photographer’s vests; one for cold weather (black) and one for warm weather (khaki). The cold weather one is heavier fabric and gives me a little chest and back warmth, while the summer weather one has somewhat lighter weight cloth and more venting.
Both brands are of excellent quality, in my opinion, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either brand. One caveat is that when choosing each, I took into account their usefulness for me as a photographer, not just a traveler, so it’s possible other brands would work for non-travelers.
My cold weather vest is a Tamrac World Correspondent’s Vest, and my warm weather vest is a Domke PhoTOGS Vest. Both the vests come in multiple sizes. I sized the Tamrac for cold weather a bit on the large size so it can fit over my outerwear. Before purchasing one for yourself, you have to think about what you might wear under it. My dad has one, after he saw me use it on a non-photographic trip, though I’m always taking photos but it wasn’t my prime purpose for this trip. His will fit over or under a sports coat. He always travels in a sports coat, but that’s his generation.
I hope this helps ARW. As always, I appreciate your comments, and your readership. I also look forward to your next excellent post in our CT forums. (While I may not always agree with your posts, they are always well thought out and appreciated.)
I wanted to take the time to respond to the suggestion of using cargo pants in a similar way to my suggestion of a photographer’s vest to carry belongings while traveling, including through the airport. While on the surface it sounds like a great idea, and outside the airport I even use this type of pants, for airports, cargo pants aren’t great.
When you go through security you can easily take off a photographer’s vest, place it in a tray after ensuring all your pockets are zipped or snapped, and have it x-rayed. Then at the end of the x-ray line put it on again, no muss, no fuss.
On the other hand, if you’ve filled the pockets of your cargo pants, you’ve got to empty those pockets and place all of its contents in a tray(s), and they reload after your tray comes out. That puts those belongings, now loose in the trays, at risk for theft, or even being left behind (It’s hard to believe, but TSA personnel have confirmed to me, and I’ve seen the stockpile at a couple of airports, that passengers actually leave many belongings behind by accident or forgetfulness, including cameras, mp3 players, and cellphones.) Moreover, using cargo pants at security, in my opinion, is a pain in the neck.
In the airport, I’m sticking to my vest. Beyond the above, a photographer’s vest has much more capacity.
Ned, this is an extremely informative piece and I think you’ve given some excellent tips on how to pack carry-ons. I especially like the point about size limitations for carry-ons. Many a time I see obstinate passengers struggling to fit their even more obstinate carry-on bags in the overhead compartment to the chagrin of fellow passengers.