In this instructional vlog, the creator demonstrates how to pack a large amount of professional camera equipment for air travel without checking any bags. She walks through the specific gear she will take to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone—including multiple Sony bodies (A9 III, A1, A7 IV), an Olympus OM‑1 Mark II, a range of lenses (24‑105, 70‑200 f/4, 300 mm f/2.8, 14 mm f/1.8, Sigma 60‑600 mm, 150‑600 mm), teleconverters, batteries, SD cards, audio gear, Insta360, laptop, iPad, and hard drives. She explains the packing system: using F‑Stop camera inserts inside a Think Tank International bag that fits in the overhead bin, a roller bag that goes under the seat, and how to rearrange items for “puddle‑jumper” planes with limited seat width. The video also includes anecdotes about a past airline conflict with American Airlines that forced a checked‑bag situation, contrasted with a smooth experience on Southwest, and mentions how a B&H representative sent her an Olympus camera for the trip and how she sourced a hard‑to‑find 14 mm f/1.8 lens from Wyoming Camera Outfitters in Jackson Hole. The overall message is a confident, enthusiastic guide to traveling with extensive camera gear while staying within carry‑on limits.
Chapters
Have you ever wondered how to get all your camera gear on the plane without having to check one speck of your cameras or your glass or your batteries? Have you ever been denied boarding because they asked you to check a bag because it won't fit? Today I'm going to show you how to pack so you can keep all your gear with you. So today I'm going to show you how I pack before a trip And I have 4 bodies, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 lenses, 2 teleconverters, batteries, SD cards, audio, Insta360, and my seat belt cheaters. So let's unpack this bag and I'll show you how I fit it all in here. So first off, what I do is I start with camera inserts. These bags here This particular one is the F-Stop right here, F-Stop bag. And this bag will either go inside of one of their backpacks, and it also fits inside my Think Tank International, which fits in the overhead of all of your large commercial flights. Now, the roller bag does not fit in the overhead on the— I call them puddle jumper planes, the little ones that have 2x2 or 2x1 seats, and that's when I pull this bag out and I put it in the overhead, because this bag without the roller fits in the overhead. And this bag here, this roller bag, has an F-Stop in it as well. This is a large, and this one pulls out, and this one goes underneath the seat in front of me. And inside, let's just go ahead and start with this bag. This bag will have— it'll have my laptop in here, right here, my laptop, my iPad, all my office stuff. Right there, my hard drives. And then I've got my, my video lens, my 28-135. I got my— this is actually my most favorite landscape lens. It's the Sony 70-200 f/4, but it's also a macro lens that might come in handy for some wildflowers. Oh, did I mention I'm heading to the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone? And while I'm there, I'm going to be doing a lot of videoing. I'm gonna do a travel guide and some wildlife stuff, and who knows what else I'll come home with. So here's my mic system for videoing, and I've got my— let me mention this real quick. So I have never shot on a 4/3 camera. I had mentioned that to my B&H rep, and he said, well, let me send you one and you can take it to the Tetons with you. So I'll be doing a video on the OM-2— no, OM-1 Mark II, and I have the Olympus 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens, and I also have the— let's see— the 150-600mm. So on this camera, that makes this lens 300mm to 1200mm. That might make all the difference in the world if I have a wolf encounter. So anyways, that's one of the cameras that's in that bag, the OM. I'm still learning how to set it up. There's really not a lot online about setting it up. If I get it ever— if I get it figured out, I might have to share that with y'all. And I've got my Sigma 60-600mm in here. And that's about it inside this bag. Let's pack this up real quick. Put it all back in its spots. And we'll slide it over and we'll do this bag. So I got my 2 teleconverters. My 1.4x and my 2x. I got my, my A9 III. My A1. The Insta360. The Insta360 disappearing selfie stick. The A1. I lied, that's the A7 IV. And my OM lens, 150-600mm, which becomes 300-1200mm. Got all my batteries. My SD cards. My Sony 300mm f/2.8, which I will be using the teleconverters on. I love the teleconverters on that lens. It makes packing a lot easier, especially for trips like this where I've got to take a lot of gear. And I've got my 24-105 Sony. This is an underrated lens, really. It's quite amazing for landscapes. And then I've got my grand wide-angle 14mm f/1.8. Best night lens on the market right now, at least in my opinion. And I did buy that at Wyoming Camera Outfitters In Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was actually looking for that lens. I looked everywhere online. Nobody had it. I walk into their store and there it is. So I just had to buy it from them. So that's how I get all of my gear on a plane without having to check it. We actually were kicked off of a flight once because we were actually coming back from Africa. And the flight attendant, or the lady at the counter checking everybody in, she would not let us on the plane with our bags. She said that they were too big, but yet people in front of us had went on the plane with similar size bags. So we asked to speak to the supervisor, and the supervisor came up and he said— he didn't even ask us what was in the bag or anything, or even hear our side of the story. He just said, if you don't check that bag, you're not getting on my plane. So naturally we had to leave. I hate naming names, but that was American Airlines. And just earlier that day when we left Africa— oh no, wait, we had a layover in England. They left our luggage on the tarmac in London, and they tried to convince me that they weren't going to leave my camera gear on the tarmac in Dallas, Texas. So I didn't fall for it. We left the airport, got an Uber, went over to an airport, got on a good old Southwest airplane, and came home because Southwest never gives us any hassle. They're the best airport or airline. They love their passengers. I really think they do. I hope you enjoyed my video. That's how I pack under the seat, overhead, and Jeff does the same thing for his camera gear except he has just a little bit less than me because he doesn't do as much videoing as I do, and he also is not taking a sample camera for B&H to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and ring my bell, and you'll get notified the next time I post a video. Have a great day. See you after the Tetons.
