Flying with your gear sucks. In addition to schlepping heavy bags and worrying about careless聽baggage handlers, it can be expensive. So I called a few pros to get their聽useful tricks.聽Here鈥檚 what they said.
Caroline Gleich:聽Pro聽Skier
Last year,聽Gleich brought nine bags鈥攄uffels, ski carriers, and other odds and ends鈥攐n a three-week trip to Peru. Her first suggestion:聽pack all your small聽but heavy聽gear鈥攖hink Goal Zero batteries and聽Clif Bars鈥攊n聽a carry-on so you don鈥檛 get charged extra for an overweight checked bag. 鈥淪ometimes I will have a 50-to-60-pound carry-on,鈥 Gleich says. She also likes being able to roll everything without a cart鈥攋ust in case there aren鈥檛 any at the airport鈥攕o she鈥檚 devised a system where all her duffels fit on top of her wheeled ski bags.聽Finally, Gleich always聽brings a handful of 聽to聽strap her skis to a rental car, even if it doesn鈥檛 have a rack. 鈥淏ut聽don鈥檛 let the rental company see it, because they will freak out,鈥 she聽says.
Eric Porter:聽Pro聽Mountain Biker
Bikes are even more unwieldy聽than skis, so Porter likes to enlist help when he travels. Instead of parking at the airport, where he has to haul his own stuff, he parks at an off-site lot where attendants help him haul his bike, or bikes, from the truck to the airport curbside check-in counter. He聽also isn鈥檛 afraid to use a cardboard box (instead of a hard case) to pack聽his bikes. He goes to the local bike shop and asks for the biggest 29er or fat bike box聽so he doesn鈥檛 have to disassemble much of his bike, and he adds padding, such as foam and bubble wrap, to protect against the chaos of the baggage system.
Darin McQuoid:聽Pro聽Kayak Photographer
Kayaks might win for most awkward gear to travel with. McQuoid suggests researching your airline鈥檚 kayak policy before buying a ticket because each one is different.聽Virgin Atlantic allows kayaks at no extra charge,聽Southwest charges $75 each way, and聽United doesn't allow kayaks to be checked.聽With rental cars, McQuoid likes to have at least a basic rack so he can tie the kayaks down.
Ken Hoeve:聽Pro聽Stand-Up Paddleboarder
It鈥檚 fairly easy to travel with an inflatable SUP because it packs down to the size of a tent. Hoeve聽suggests bringing two pumps,聽just in case,聽and testing them before you leave.聽If your SUP is rigid, you'll have to call the airline and ask whether they have a SUP policy.聽For his carry-on, Hoeve uses a because it鈥檚 big enough for his computer and other essentials and holds cold beer and food when he鈥檚 on the water.
Anson Fogel:聽Pro聽Videographer and Camp 4 Collective Partner
When Fogel and Camp 4 are shooting, they have hundreds of pounds of聽of camera gear. Most amateurs will travel a lot lighter聽but face similar travel problems. He suggests carrying your camera gear on the plane because you don鈥檛 want it banged up in the baggage area. If you have to check it, go for a bomber聽. 鈥淵ou have to assume that everything you check is going to be thrown out of the plane,鈥 he says. Fogel also suggests contacting the airline about its lithium battery rule, which聽will specify where those batteries need to be stored (usually in your carry-on). Finally, he suggests checking whether your homeowners insurance will cover your camera gear on the road. This can be pricey, but it gives you peace of mind if something gets lost, stolen, or broken on the tarmac.