Airports / Carry on luggage: Photovests & cargo pants - whats the success rate?

[hunz]

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Any experiences with a photo vest &/or cargo pants to horde gear onboard with? Does it work. Did you get away with it? TIA

[Marquinius]

If it works is up to your imagination. If you get away with it ... these checkpoint arches go off beeping even if you leave a few coins in your pocket. So my suggestion is to only take stuff in your carry on luggage (or in your jacket if you like that) that's allowed.

 

I've seen people having to rethink their travel strategies AFTER check in (suitcases are gone ...) and trying to find a way out of this miserable position.

 

One tourist was a bit to strong in objecting ... and was hauled away for further questions. Eventually he got on board, but was VERY quiet.

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[spylaw4]

I think you would be very lucky - you have to empty everything metallic out of your pockets, take your jacket off, and your belt and put them into a tray for X-ray. The walk-through machines are getting more sensitive, but it does vary. Singapore last week was the only machine so far that has beeped at my metal knee joint!

[rob_x2004]

Where you going to store it when you get on board? Relying on putting your cargo pants and photographers vest in the overheads?

[batmobile]

I have not probs boarding a plane after going thru security with things in my cargo pants. I have had lenses and also carried an SLR with zoom separately that would not fit in my carry on back. I just slung it round my neck. They get X-rayed all the same so I cannot see the problem. A few lenses or even Leica M bodies in pockets is not a biggie really. As I say, I have done this a few times and no problems. I think it comes down to whether you appears to be taking the p1ss or not. A few lenses and perhaps a leica M in a jacket pocket is not a major big deal. Why should you not. Even a camera round your neck seems kinda reasponable. Walking like John Wayne with piles because you have so much darned kit squirelled away might be an issue and rightly so!

 

My advice would be to be reasonably sensible so that you can appeal to 'common sense' if asked. Go weighed down and having blatantly tried to take the mickey and you'll likely get hammered.

[cocker]

I wouldn't be seen dead in either cargo pants or a photographers vest!!:p

[bill]

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This thread reminds me of the passage in one of the Terry Pratchett books - "Pyramids", I think, where you get a detailed description, for a page or more, of a young assassin dressing to go out on his first assignment; crossbow here, blowpipe there, poison vials, ropes, grappling hooks, daggers, darts, coshes, all carefully concealed about his person, and his many-pocketed cloak. Once ready he admires his reflection in the mirror...

 

and gradually falls over...

 

Regards,.

 

Bill

[Chuck Albertson]

Vests work fine...they were my totally-unauthorized second carry-on item when Heathrow and the other BAA airports had their silly "one bag only" rule (rescinded this week). Anything metallic goes into the pockets of the vest (or a jacket with a lot of pockets in cold weather) and through the scanner at the security checkpoint. Just make sure the pockets are closed, so that you don't have lenses, etc., bouncing out onto the hard floor. Goes into the overhead bin or underneath the seat in front of you when you're on board. Cargo pants are good for anything non-metallic.

[gravastar]

Vest with zip up pockets has also worked for me at Heathrow when I couldn't get everything in the one carry on bag. Just took the vest off and dropped it in the tray for X-ray and then put it back on afterwards on the other side. Stored in the overhead bin in the aircraft.

 

Bob.