Traveling to Philippines with UW video gear

[bwanajim]

Great thread on countermeasures! Made me laugh because I've been doing the same thing for years. I do a lot of traveling to do photography, and I learned long ago, that while there are restrictions on your carry on bags, there is no restriction on how much your clothes can weigh.

The carry-on restrictions are ridiculous these days. If I pack a Canon EOS 1Ds, 70-200 2.8L, 16-35 2.8L and 24-105 4L and a 550EX flash in the smallest LowePro backpack, I am over the carry-on limit by 5kg in most of Asia. And you're right, the guys at Aquino airport in Manila are fanatics.

Once I saw them weighing everyone at a PAL gate, so I simply pulled out my 70-200 and 16-35 and put each into a pocket. Then, I simply put the camera on my shoulder with the 24-105. When I walked up to the counter, they weighed my backpack and voila - well within limits. Got onto the plane, packed everything back into the backpack...

It's a forgone conclusion that I will have to check in most of my gear. But I wanted to hear people's experiences with theft. I'm pretty sure that the Peli cases will make it to Manila ok, but I worry about Manila to Cebu - mostly the Manila side as Cebu is generally pretty cool.

--Jim

[The Publisher]

Jim, you ought to get a Philippines Department of Tourism sticker and slap it on your Pelican case. It would put troublemakers on notice.

I agree, the whole carry-on thing is silly when it is ok to weigh 300 lbs. I bought a pro photographers vest and I can put my underwater video dual Li-Ion battery housing with batteries in the rear giant pouch, 2 complete regulators in each of inside front pouches, 3 spare huge Li-Ion video light batteries in my military BDU's, etc. Then once past the people who would weigh anything, it all comes right back out and into my dual backpack.

I haven't been to the Cebu area yet....so can't tell you.....Why not put medical blood donor supplies stickers on your Pelican case? Or a sticker that says "veterinarian animal fecal samples-do not subject to excess temperatures"?

[h2odragon1]

Cebu?
Try to make time for going to Bohol, Panglao Is. spend time diving Balicasag. Youu will not be dissapointed.

[bwanajim]

Thanks h20dragon1. Based on your recommendation, I started checking out options in Bohol. We are staying in Cebu, so Bohol is an easy destination for us. I booked at the Ananyana Resort, which looks just fantastic and has an on-premises dive shop.

http://www.ananyana.com/

[Chone]

Try to visit Malapascua Island in Cebu my friends told me it's a good dive site.