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.

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.)

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.

Of course, the best “defensive” solution is to choose a destination that doesn’t require flying. But that’s usually not a feasible option.