JFleming Loc: Belchertown, Ma

In all my travels, in and out of the country, the only thing I've had to take out of my bag was my laptop. I use a Think Tank backpack for all my stuff and that has never been a problem, it just goes through the X-ray machine and that's that...

John

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I carry my camera's in a Tamrac green bag. I just set the bag on the scanner and they shoot it through, they can easily see what is inside. You memory cards are safe.

SMGD546

I don't have the most expensive gear, have never been asked to take camera out of bag BUT my concern is that the bag stays on the conveyor belt while i am standing on line for screening. Worries me a little about theft. Any solutions from frequent travelers?

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

You won’t have a problem with any of it.

JDG3

I agree with many of the other posts, it should be no issue. I usually travel with at least one camera and lens and have had no issues. Some may ask you to take it out of the bag, some may not. X-ray does NOT harm memory cards so there is no issue there. Since memory cards are so inexpensive, I just take extras and do not download while on the trip. Work out a logging system so you know what is on each card you fill. I usually only travel with an ipad to check emails or maps.

Like others, I have had no problems with TSA and my wife and I travel a good bit. Just follow the rules and their directions and it seems to work out. However, I have noticed that different airports may operate slightly different so be flexible and do not argue with or confront the inspectors. I have seen that people that want to bend the rules and argue with the TSA people seem to attract extra attention in the process and wind up getting really stressed out. This is one situation that one needs to be compliant and remain as invisible as possible. Remember this is a job for the TSA agents and they have their whole shift to work. You have only a hour or so to get through this inspection and get to your flight. Who is going to get stressed out the most?

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I have never had to take my camera gear out of its bag. I did have it looked at once, but that was because the TSA guy was a camera guy! I did have to take my flip phone out once! The fellow apologized to me for that because another agent had flagged me for "electronics" and that was all I had. My memory cards go into a ziplock baggie, as do my extra batteries. I normally take the lens off the camera for travel, but that's just my personal packing preference.

Fotoserj Loc: St calixte Qc Ca

I went from Orlando to Vegas and back, then flew out off Fort Lauderdale to Havana where they mist a wave Leatherman multi tool that was in the bottom of my camera bag but found a cowboy toothpick knife with a 1 1/4 inch blade in my photo vests wich they confiscated

ggab Loc: ?

I travel a lot in the US, 3 weeks a month, and have TSA pre-check.
In my computer bag I have a laptop and tablet. I always tell the TSA agent I have both, do I need to remove one. On some days I do and others I don't.
When I take camera gear, I put the bag on the conveyor and run it through. If they pull the bag for inspection, fine. If they don't, fine.
I find the rules change on a daily basis, even at the same airport.
Regarding having the lens on or off, I have done both and don't see any difference regarding screening.
Since the bag, in my case, is a carry on batteries do not matter. I keep batteries in the camera, incase they need to turn it on. I also keep spares in the camera bag. I also keep a memory card in the camera without any ill effects as well as spares in the camera bag.

Don't sweat TSA. Get to the airport 2 hrs before boarding. Do what they say without arguing and enjoy your trip.

CaptainBobBrown

Your experience with TSA can vary biggly. I usually travel with 3 Nikon bodies and 3 or 4 lenses all tightly packed in a carry on backpack padded with clothes. I have gone through major and minor domestic and international airports with no problems but my last trip to/from Costa Rica at LAX I was stopped and they made a big deal out of removing end caps from the lenses and looking through the lenses toward a light. I'd already removed lenses from camera bodies for tighter packing.

I was 75 at the time and certainly didn't fit any threat profile. I hovered over the whole procedure, answered a lot of questions seemingly to assure them I knew what I was carrying and how to use it, and they were polite but insistent on inspecting every lens by hand. Added an extra 15 minutes to my transit time.

After that I'd never pack with lenses attached to bodies because I'd worry about dirt getting into bodies or lenses during inspection and I'd certainly never willing consent to their removal from my sight during inspection.

Dannj

My TSA experiences have been mostly positive but there have been exceptions:
In Seattle my backpack was subjected to an item by item search because the screener saw “something”. The search found nothing...but they did offer to help me re-pack😊
In Atlanta, I had precheck but still had to remove the same “light jacket” they let me keep on in Newark.
At a museum screening in another country they found a Swiss Army knife in my backpack that took me totally by surprise. It was definitely mine...not a plant as some cynics may think...but I thought I’d lost it. That same backpack had been thru at least a dozen US airports.
TSA rules seem to vary a lot, even at the same airport. Check the rules before you go, leave early, accede to the agents’ requests, smile and say thank you...even when you know they’re wrong. You don’t want to be “the guy” who held the line up for everyone else.

mjmgka

I travel quite frequently, never asked to remove my camera nor my Lense. I have not been asked to cover the batteries, but have heard this to be an issue and try to put one in the camera and the rest of them in checked baggage. In fact other than camera and lenses I put everything else in my checked bag. I Remove my iPad and/or laptop ( whichever one I am traveling with at the time). Remember, these they are just doing there job, and may not be finished with their training. If you ever get the opportunity to travel to China, Japan, Israel and a few others, their version of TSA is SO MUCH more efficient and faster than ours as their all of people actually work. Here as with it’s like a road crew in the US, you have one or two annoyed (that they have to actually work) employees doing their job.

wireloose

Internationally I usually ask if they want the camera and lenses out. The lens glass looks like a block of metal on the X-ray so depending on the country and where you are going some want to confirm what it is. They rarely care about the camera, it’s the 24-105 or 70-200 zoom where they take the caps off to look through it. Israel will always check, Europe sometimes, rarely anywhere else in Asia or the US. I carry a 7rii Sony or Canon 5D4, so it’s fairly big gear, and I usually have at least one zoom and a wide prime. If only one lens it’s rare they bother.

Siemienczuk

Thanks everyone. I was mainly concerned about memory card erasure and it sounds like that’s not a real concern.

Bike guy Loc: Atlanta

Last week at Atlanta International they told me didn’t need to remove my DSLR, just the IPad.
Return trip from San Jose, was told to remove the camera.
Go figure.
Anticipating removal of such items, I did get a new camera bag that made it easier to remove the items.

Chris Hayes

The inconsistencies of requirements from the TSA is appalling. Equipment in the bag or out, in a separate bin or not, shoes on or off, belts on or off. At least within the US you would think one agency would have one set of requirements. How long do we have to listen to the poor guy at the beginning of the loading belt repeating the same thing over and over, put up a sign for goodness sake.
People are naturally concerned about putting potentially sensitive things through the scanners, again put up a sign so people know.
Luckily our camera equipment is safe.

Chris