Jrtaylorphoto@aol.com
Date: 09/11/03-08:55:20 AM Z
I flew out of Seattle last month and had to insist on no-xraying of the few
(six) rolls I had along; they did the sniff test.
On previous trips (in country), especially when I have anticipated using more
than 20 rolls of film, I have had it shipped via FedEx (ordered directly from
B&H in NY, but I expect any merchant would ship it or you can pack and ship
it yourself) to the hotel; I called the hotel to let them know a package of
film would be arriving for me and to hold it for my arrival; so far the timing
has worked well, with the film arriving the same day I did. The expense was
about the same in the case of a direct order; the greater expense of 2nd day
shipment when I package the film myself is offset by a reduced-hassle flight.
I too now pack my tripod and Arca-Swiss ballhead (darned heavy) in checked
luggage; I resurrected a 35-year-old fiberglass suitcase just for that purpose;
however I was a bit concerned that the hard suitcase still might provide
enough protection because this particular piece of luggage (just the right size)
had several patches from previous flight accidents, including having been
skewered by a ski pole. I also packed a small camera body in the suitcase for the
return trip and all arrived safely.
Since this trip, I have decided to prepare foam houses for items I intend on
putting in checked luggage as I anticipate the necessity for checking all
camera equipment in the near future. And my reason for this long email is to pass
on a tip about making these for do-it-yourself persons who have never worked
with blocks of foam: It is available from retail fabric stores in various
thicknesses and compressabilities (I'm not sure what the correct term for that
attribute is!) and can be purchased by the yard or foot (or meter); the easiest
way to cut the stuff is with an electric carving knife! I bought one just for
that purpose...and only that purpose since I am a vegetarian. I have made
similar nests for transporting my long lenses during road trips in rough back
country; they have worked well; I seal the lens, or whatever, in a piece of
cloth or plastic before putting it in the foam nest to keep any minute bits of
foam from the cuts off the equipment (especially when the foam house is first
used).
Regards, Judy
J. Rowe Taylor
jrtaylorphoto@aol.com
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