Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Have you or know of anyone who has traveled to the states in recent days carrying their gear? What was the experience.

I know Brian had no issues via Porter but I've read lot's of conflicting info otherwise.

This Transport Canada <a href="http://www.catsa.gc.ca/file/library/71/english/Exempt%20Items%20-%2008jan10(2)%20-%20EN.pdf">Doc</a> says you can bring on gear in a purpose built case (I have ThinkTank Roller) but the airlines say NO backpacks or roller bags. ugh....

good question.... I just travelled to Whitehorse, not the USA... but they never said anything about my gear, it was all in my backpack. And went through security without any hassle whatsoever. And that was for all three airports -- Toronto, Vancouver and Whitehorse.

I travel back and forth ever week and since xmas it is a super pain in the ass at Pearson, but almost no change on the US side!

At Pearson, you will go through customs and immegration and then before security, there are groups of people who are looking at everyone's 'personal' items that they want to carry on, and are saying what is a go/no-go. I haven't traveled with my camera, but I'm allowed to carry my laptop in my laptop bag, although they have usually been insisting that I empty out all my papers, notes, cables and other stuff to make is "smaller". Once past these guys I haven't had any issues with anyone else about the bag although you will get checked several more times. The first time is at the regular security/xray/walk through the metal detector. They may or may not ask to open the bag and rescan it. Once past these guys, they have physical pat-downs and detailed searches in the hallways to the gates.
Expect at this point to empty completely your bag, have someone inspect each and every piece of equipment, have you power on and show that each piece of gear works. (they made me turn on my laptop and then mount each of the 5 or 6 USB Sticks to show that they worked last week!!??)
You also get a physical search and pat down during all this, so prepared to be fondled!

On the US side flying back into Canada, just walk through normal security and onto the plane!

My recommendation (but don't hold me to this), is bring only the gear you need. Pack anything you can (reasonable) in your checked luggage, and be prepared to be hassled and to take quite a while through security. (and have a contingency to stick some lenses into your checked luggage if need be). If you are calm and reasonable and work with them which keep reiterating that you can't pack $XXXX delicate lens and camera gear into check-in by carrier policy, then you will eventually get through.

Best of luck.

ps. budget 90+ minutes best case to get through customs and the security checks and arrive at your gate + your time to get tickets, baggage tags, boarding time etc...

Oh ya,
I have flown Toronto / Vancouver twice since the 'incident', and there are no additional security issues on those legs. I had my huge camera backpack (which actually weighs in way oversize for carry-on at 35lbs), and they have never blinked an eye at it.

fizbot: that sounds like a huge pain in the butt. Which to me, just means: don't go to the States unless absolutely necessary.

Anyone know if the security is just as strict if you're flying within the US? I assume it should be... after that kerfuffle at Newark. lol.

wow thanks for taking the time to write that!

You know, I was cursing the US for this but I have to blame Canada as we are the only country still doing this. I hope it gets lifted soon. By the 30th would be nice as I leave for SAN for some R&R but if not I can survive with one lens and walk on with the camera.

But it definetly better be done by May as I have a wedding In OGG and have no desire to check all the gear I need for that.

The terrorists don't need to kill anyone, just keep doing this and life wil never be the same for us.

I wonder what the security will be like when I head to Vancouver during the Olympics? hmmmm

oh, just wait until they start to do body cavity search. Then you'll see a pain in the butt.

I was in the states for the holidays. If you are flying from the U.S. to Canada, there is almost no change. You can still bring a carry on in addition to a personal item. I emptied my purse and packed it in my checked luggage. My camera backpack became my purse. I also had a roller bag. Everyone had rollerbags and purses/backpacks/laptops. Not an issue.

I usually print and carry the latest regulations with me in my checked and carry on luggage. They have discretion of course, but it lets them know that I'm aware of the rules.

I'm also bringing my 5 month old son so that adds to the complications. I think I should have booked a flight to Europe instead.

I was flying back from San Fran and Chicago the day after the incident with no troubles. I was carrying a tripod as well in my carry on.

So I just called CATSA and they said I shouldn't have any problems with my ThinkTank roller case because it is desigend specifically for camera gear. I'm still aprehensive but I'm going to take a chance. I'll bring a copy of the form as well as a small bag to dump my gear in just in case.

The issues are related to flying to the US, not flying from the US.

Well my girlfriend and I just flew down to North Carolina on Dec 29 and had no trouble, but we flew out of Buffalo (we only live an hour and a bit away in Burlington). I do not think i will be flying out of Tornoto while living so close to the border.

Cheers,

Brian J.

Sam, I don't believe you'll have an issue - it is a bit longer of a wait but camera gear/bags should be no issue. I was with Brian on Jan 2 when we flew out of Toronto island to Boston.

Brian had his lowepro camera trekker with him and I had my domke on the same flight - granted it was Porter but the people doing the searching/patting down are all Canada Transportation Safety Association officials. So there really should be no concern other than, as I said, the long wait to get patted down and show your goods.

Good luck with the flight.

Cheers,
Dave

I've been wondering about all of this too, as I'll be flying into Vegas over March Break, and had intended to bring my DSLR with 2 lenses and a few filters, etc. as well as my netbook. From what I had read, you can bring a purse OR a laptop in a briefcase-like laptop bag, OR a camera bag. I had originally thought about putting my camera, netbook, wallet, etc. all into my Lowepro camera backpack, before all of these restrictions came down. I don't really want to put any of this stuff into checked luggage as I don't believe that they won't dropkick it onto the plane if they feel like it, and I don't have any hard-cased luggage.

I hope that the restrictions are lifted before March!

There is no way I'm going to check my gear, you might as well kiss it good bye if you do!

i just came back from the usa, and was in exactly the same situation you (samobeid) were in before leaving.

i left early in the new year, and prior to leaving i had called either tsa or pearson to try and get a more direct answer than the vague one written in their press releases stating that cameras are allowed on but carry on bags are not. i finally spoke with (i think it was) pearson, who said that you can try to bring your camera bag on, it should be fine, provided that it only carries your camera gear. the lady then went on to say that ultimately it will be the security personnel at the security checkpoint who will have the final call on what follows you onto the airplane and what doesn't. to play it safe i checked my camera bag in (rid of camera gear, packed with clothes) as a second piece of luggage to my main luggage, so that i would have a camera bag as a carry on luggage at least on my way back (allowed from usa to canada), and took my camera around my neck (heavy lens and flash mounted), and a polarizer in my pocket. went through security with no problems, and even after the security checkpoint where you go through the metal detector and your items get scanned, they had a secondary station setup 100m or so downstream of the main security checkpoint. here they did a thorough check (inside women's purses, peoples' shoes, clothing, pat-downs, etc). no problems with my camera around my neck though. the camera-around-the-neck solution may not be the best one if you plan to bring more than one heavy lens (it was a little uncomfortable for me with just everything in one piece, let alone bringing multiple lenses, etc).

i think that if i was to travel again, or at least try to carry on my camera bag with all my gear the first time, i would just take my camera bag and avoid all the worry, provided i would have only put my camera gear into the bag. i think if you do that, show them that you only have camera gear in the bag, explain to them that camera gear is not insured/damage-protected in checked luggage (although i may be wrong) hence you are taking it as a carry-on, and if all else failed begged with them that the equipment is too expensive and opened every zipper in my bag, that they would have let me on without a problem.

sorry for the long post but i hope this answers some concerns you may have. this was just my experience doing it.

With extra 90minutes wait/search time, flying out of Buffalo is getting even more attractive.

Just on price alone Buffalo is an attractive option. Some hotels have deals where you stay over one night, free breakfast, leave the car at the hotel and they offer a shuttle bus to the airport.

A friend of mine recently booked a taxi from buffalo to pick him up in Toronto, drive him to the airport and he flew out from there. Coming back, the same taxi company took him back to Toronto. All together he says he still saved on driving down there himself and parking the car for the two week trip he did to new orleans. I don't remember what the company's name was, but can inquire if anyone's interested.

I'd be interested in how much the cab fare was. I took a cab home from Glen Abbey once after a function and the tab was $175. Lucky the cab was paid for by the hosts.

Here's the one he used: http://canamlimo.com, but there are others apparently.

He said: "It's important to choose a company that is officially registered with buffalo airport. Otherwise, the cab will not be allowed to wait there and you risk getting stranded"

Price depends on pickup/dropoff location. $200 one way from his place at don mills/lawrence to buffalo airport, and so it was $400 round trip. He says he saved $750 by flying out of buffalo and so there was still a small savings.

Correction to my previous comment about it being cheaper than park'n fly. He was simply too lazy to drive down, and so park'n fly may be cheaper still (i have no clue), and he didn't feel like risking having to drive through a blizzard on the way home after a tiring flight. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. Something worth looking into for sure. especially if there are 3 or even 2 people taking the cab and splitting the fare. Combined with what you save in air fare from flying out of Buffalo. Hummmm

Flights within the US or from the US to Canada are unchanged. ie. No issues, carry on whatever you want (no liquids or gels).

the issue you will have in Toronto is that security pre-screening will see the 'roller' case and WILL hassle you as 'roller cases' are not allowed, only personal items and soft cases. If it was backpack or could be worn as a back-pack, then no issues.

Coming back, no issues at all either way.

Paul. (typing from Philidelphia International airport)

This is partially incorrect.

Please refer to and take the following PDF that was issued by CATSA as of January 8, 2010 and show it to the security folk:
http://www.catsa.gc.ca/file/library/71/ ... 008jan10(2)%20-%20EN.pdf

You will note the following within said PDF:


Security staff MAY "hassle" Sam but roller cases are actually allowed by this current directive.

If anyone's concerned, always check back with the CATSA website and always print the PDF/directives and carry them on person because the low level security staff may not follow them to the letter.

Cheers,
Dave

My point was that as roller cases (implicitly for laptops) are explicitly called out as NOT allowed: http://www.catsa.gc.ca/file/library/71/ ... an10EN.pdf page 2,
That the minimum wage pre-screen checkers are going to, by default. question the bag automatically and you WILL have the hassle of a) identifying that it is for camera equipment and not a laptop or other prohibited use and b) trying to explain that it should be allowed under the "purpose designed cases" for camera equipment which does not differentiate between roller designed cases or non-roller cases.

+1