carry-on question - what counts as personal?

I'm planning to fly economy EWR => LHR => JNB in March 2010 with return. One the way out, I'm going straight through; on the return, I'll have a 3 day layover in London. Even on outbound, I have a 10 hour layover at LHR, so I'm going to go through security to get to Yotel or an offsite for a day room.

I know the one carry-on under 6 kilo rule. Here's my situation - how strict will Virgin be and what are my options given my needs:

I'm carrying a Canon 40D dSLR with 2-3 lenses, a point & shoot, a handheld Video camera, a 10' netbook, Kindle, iPod, and charging cords. I can get everything into one bag camera/computer bag that is 10 x 12 x 16 inches and weighs about 7-8 kilos when full. Will this work, given small size of bag, or will I be in trouble?

Would Virgin let me pull the netbook and put it in it's own padded bag (which wouldn't be larger than most purses) and count it as a personal item?

Alternatively, I can put the video and a lens stuffed inside shoes inside the suitcase to keep the weight down and get to right about 6 kilos. Obviously the iPod and even the point & shoot could fit into my cargo pants pockets without being very bulky.

I'm happy to follow rules and understand why they are there, but Virgin doesn't list laptops as a person item, unlike other airlines, so I'm wondering what really counts.

Thanks for your help!

it would really depend who you get on check-in. some people are strict and some couldn't give a monkeys!
I'm not sure about the ins and outs at LHR but personally I'd let that go as long as the bag was a reasonable size.

you are allowed cameras as well as your carry on, if it is around your neck... tourist style
take the camera out, wear it over your neck or shoulder, and put the heaviest lens on it. another small lens in your pocket like pros have.

computers are often treated as separate too, specially small light ones like Netbooks. but the camera + lens would do it, I'd imagine.

It is amazing just how much you can get into a fishing jacket!

quote:Originally posted by narikin
you are allowed cameras as well as your carry on, if it is around your neck... tourist style
take the camera out, wear it over your neck or shoulder, and put the heaviest lens on it. another small lens in your pocket like pros have.


I've actually seen people doing this, would have said something but it just makes me laugh [y]

Thanks for the replies. I think I can keep the bag at 6 kilos without too much trouble as I will have cargo pants with a couple of baggy pockets. I would be off about a kilo at worse, so what's a kilo rambling around in a pants or jacket pocket?

The other thing is that the bag I would like to use will literally be 2 centimeters over on one dimension, but well under in height. It's 32cm x 25cm x 41cm or 12' x 10' x 16'. I'd like to think that wouldn't be problematic - but I'd like to be prepared just in case!

Dirk

[Scrooge]

It shouldn't be an issue, they are looking for stuff a lot larger

That's what I was hoping. Thanks!

remember it just need to weight the right amount at check in.
after that you can take the stuff back out of your pockets and back into the bag, if there's room!

quote:Originally posted by narikin
remember it just need to weight the right amount at check in.
after that you can take the stuff back out of your pockets and back into the bag, if there's room!


There's room - the issue is that camera lenses can be heavy because of the glass. The camera with its main lens is 1 kilo by itself. Add in a netbook (1 1/2 kilos), another lens (1/2 kilo), the weight of the bag (2 kilos) and I'm already at 5 kilos. Fortunately, the smaller stuff (cords, the Amazon Kindle, etc.) can fit in pockets of a light jacket so all is good.

Since I plan to freshen up and rest at Yotel for the layover, at least I won't need toiletries in the carry-on, and change of underwear and socks can fit into a jacket pocket.

Whatever happened to the good ol' days when you just had one suit and bathed on Saturdays whether you needed it or not? (Of course, no technology to weigh things down, either!)

Dirk

quote:

Whatever happened to the good ol' days when you just had one suit and bathed on Saturdays whether you needed it or not? (Of course, no technology to weigh things down, either!)

Dirk




Still the way things are here and that is the first Saturday of alternate months by the way.

I am a Pro photographer and sometimes run into the 5kg or 6kg rule. Therefore I use a Rimowa case which holds everything (right on ryanair/vs/ezy limits) spacewise but I have a problem with weight.

So, I have a jacket with lots of pockets (http://www.scottevest.com/) and I can comfortably carry, in the jacket, about 14kg of kit:

Canon Eos1Ds3, 70-200F2.8IS lens, 24-70F2.8, 2 spare batteries, charger, phone, small tripod, Toshiba M500 notebook, charger for tosh, 2xEX580 flashes, notebook, passport, money, USB reader & cables.

I pack basic clothes in teh case - makes it 3-5kg and wear the 'kit' through checking & security. Once on board or even earlier I just move the heavy bits to the case. Since I weigh 80kg, I don't feel guilty wearing 18kg of clothes, and I never saw somebody told to take things out of their pockets.

Cool jackets - thanks for the link. I won't be carrying nearly as much in my pockets - but there may be a kilo or so.

I got a crumpler bag that's perfectly holds everything except the Kindle. Pull a lens out, and it's at weight.

Dirk

When traveling from LHR to SYD via HKG in June/July, my carry on luggage was over weight (although it did fit within the dimensions allowed). At LHR no one checked the bag, but after a stop over in HKG at checkin at HKG airport they weighed by carry on bag and the scales showed it as 12KG! However, once I opened the bag and they saw most of the space in side of it was taken up by a Sony Alpha bag, the lady asked if it had a camera in and when I said yes and then she said it was fine I just needed to move the magazine I'd already moved into my hold luggage and I could take the rest on as carry on. For the return leg from SYD-LHR they weighed my carry on bag again, although this time it only said 8KG even though it had nearly the exact same stuff in it (so I don't know what was going on there). As she was weighing it I told the lady at checkin that my carryon bag had been overweight in HKG but since the weight was due to my camera they'd said it was okay to take it on the plane. The lady just sort of nodded and put the approved for carryon label on the bag. So while I could have just been lucky, I wouldn't worry too much about your carry on being over weight if it's got a camera in it (my Sony Alpha bag did have a camera and lenses in it, but it also had chargers, sunglasses, Nintendo DS etc. in it but they never asked to look inside it!).

I also used to bring a messenger bag with me which I put in my larger carrier on bag for check-in and boarding the plane so that I only visibly had one bag with me, but then once on the plane used to keep stuff in the keep under my feet so I don't have to keep getting up during the flight to get stuff. Since I noticed loads of people go on the plane with more than one carry on bag and no one seems to care, even if their second bags aren't actually handbags, now I just keep the messenger bag outside the main check-in bag and no one has said anything yet.