Never - ever - put anything of obvious value in checked luggage. Carrying the equipment on the plane is a PITA, but it's less of a nuisance than arriving at the destination and finding that the camera etc was stolen. -----Original Message----- From: owner-photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Robert Read Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 4:53 PM To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students Subject: airports and cameras Hi, I'm tired of carrying on all my gear when I fly, and I'm considering buying a modest Pelican case (or similar) so I can pack my gear safely and check it. But, I'm concerned about how secure it is, since they don't allow you to lock checked bags these days, at least in the US. A co-worker of mine just lost two laptops he checked on a flight last week. (Both his and his wife's bags arrived, but the laptops were gone, and the airline accepted no liability of course.) Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, with checking their gear? Any tips? Sorry if this is off-topic, but we can't take pictures if we don't have the gear, and I'm probably not the only one here boarding a plane in the near future. thanks, robert
