Royce Moss Loc: Irvine, CA

Absolutely not. Any time I travel my camera bag with camera 4 lenses and all my accessories do not leave my hand or sight at any time. If I had to check my gear in, I would not go.

rcarol

Instead of checking it as luggage, would it be safer to ship it?

Hip Coyote

Where a flight comes in from is irrelevant. What is happening is there is a substantial amount of checked in luggage lost-misplaced in-transit, regardless of point of origin or destination. Plus, when workers go on strike, or multiple flights cancelled, as happened recently in Europe, luggage can be lost. We traveled to Morocco recently with friends. We all used Apple AirTags to track our luggage (a worthwhile purchase to track things.) We could see one of their bags never made on to the originating flight from Los Angeles to Montreal. We could see it sitting in LA! Then sitting in Montreal for two weeks. Multiple calls to Air Canada (horrible customer service on this) and the bag was delivered nearly two weeks later in Morocco.

If this were a photo trip, and cameras checked in, all would be lost. I would NEVER check cameras through unless there were no alternative or it was a very small plane and I personally witnessed the bag being placed on the plane. Even that is a bit dicey...one bush pilot in Africa told us he knew of one occasion where the crew did not properly close the luggage bay door and shortly after take off, the plane turned and dropped a bunch of luggage...difficult to go rummaging around looking for you undies when there is dangerous game in the area.

When traveling I always carry a change of clothes and essential toiletries with me. Always. Connecting flights are cancelled, luggage lost, etc...and it is a total pain to get into a foreign city, find a toothbrush and undies. This is yet another reason to use micro 4/3 gear! And I am downsizing even further from that.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I trust E. Palestine drinking water more.
So, no.

gwilliams6

I travel the world with my cameras and lenses and strobes in carry-on only. NEVER checked . That is a prescription for disaster. Be sure to know the size of your plane's overhead bins and use appropriate size camera bags.

And be on time to the gate so you have access to overhead bins. A photographer was late getting to her American Airlines flight and all the overhead bins were full. Despite her protests, she was forced to have them check her carry-on with $12K of camera gear, all the time the airline crews assured her all would be fine. Well the gear was never seen again, and worse she had let her camera insurance premium lapse, so she lost it all. Airline liability for loss luggage is very low.

The only things I may check are long light stands and large tripods and big light modifiers, but never cameras, lenses, strobes, they always are in lockable carry-on bags.

Cheers and best to you.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

NO