Northwest Dive Club

How do you guys store your lights and camera? Additionally, how do you protect everything when traveling via airplane?
I have been looking at different carry on cases for photography equipment but they all seem so expensive. I am flying to Indonesia in a couple of months and want to make sure everything is packed well and protected. I also am looking for a general storage system for my equipment between dives.

Thanks!
Taryn

I still use a camera case that came with my Nikonos setup long, long ago. Hard plastic, suitcase-like, but not thick and heavy like a Pelican case- just light plastic with a foam liner. It doesn't have to be bomb-proof since it's a carry on- never check camera gear. It fits perfectly under a seat or overhead. Unfortunately I'm sure ones like mine are no longer available, but there's bound to be something similar that isn't necessarily marketed as a camera case but could be lined with foam and function as one.
I travel with the camera in the housing to save space, keeping the o-ring separate in a ziploc bag.

I use this:
https://www.opticaloceansales.com/nanuk-950-case.html

For air travel I use a rolling carry on photo bag from ThinkTank. These are pretty pricey, but there are similar products for a lot less. I found this on Amazon which looks like a great alternative.

For PNW road trips to BC and such I use a much bigger Pelican case. The pelican style hard cases are a bit concerning for air travel because they are targets for theft. If you can carry on it may be less of an issue, but something a bit more generic looking may be safer.

i put my rig dissasembled in my carry on. It is wrapped with my change of clothes should my bag not make it. Also, I can squeeze my regs in there somehow. Thats all I do. Works for me. Then the other stuff I need for 24 hours is in my back pack.
Kirsten

This is my setup for travel to Indonesia.

The pelican case contains camera housing and lights.

The thinktank packpack contains camera, lenses, chargers, laptop, drone.

The larger spinner case contains dive gear, clothing, more chargers, hygiene kit.

Be sure to weigh everything and know how to "adjust" to get pass airline limitations. For example, I put most of my lenses and camera body in my pant pockets if I expect the airline to weigh the backpack.

Also, for domestic Indonesian flights you have to pay for baggage. It's best to prepay otherwise they will gouge you at the check-in counter and you have to go to a separate area to pay.

Just saw this now, but since you have a TG-6 and a couple lights, you don't need a huge bag for your camera gear. I use this insert in a normal backpack for my carryon when I fly. I shoot an Olympus E-M5mkII so it's a larger setup than yours, so you should be perfectly fine with this.

If you search G-raphy Camera Insert Bag on Amazon, it was about $39.

Plus there's advantages of having a nondescript backpack over something like a pelican case or a branded bag that might attract thieves.