You just booked a video production job out of town and are wondering how to travel with your video production equipment? Travelling can be unsettling and comes along with its fair share of issues. Video shooting excursions may require you to carry most of your shooting gear, if not all. Depending on your client’s needs, you may want to really think about what items are necessary to get the video produced. In this article, we got insights to offer how best you should pack your bags if you got film shooting equipment to carry around.

1. Figure out what you need to Carry

To avoid unnecessary luggage, you only want to carry along equipment that you 100% need for the job. Of course, the fear most shooters have is missing out on their profit while out there because of missing gear. To get started on the right foot, you may want to check with your potential client what the video shooting project will entail.

With such information at hand, you will avoid over-packing or carrying extra stuff that could make your travel a pain in the butt. You are better off carrying shooting gear that is only useful to you. Carrying equipment that you only need for the job saves you the trouble of having to worry about losing your valuable shooting gear. Also, you will cut the cost of added fees due to extra weight on your luggage. The type of filming equipment you are going to carry is also worth checking; for instance, taking LED lights is advisable for the simple reason that they don’t break easily and are lightweight. Can you imagine carrying with several big incandescent light bulbs!

2. Stay Punctual

Traveling with production equipment can give you butterflies if you run short of time. Making mad dashes out of your house or to the airport is never the best situation. To have a stress-free journey, especially if carrying your equipment around, start your day as early as possible; I need not mention this, especially if you are rushing to the airport. You will need to give yourself no less than two hours because of the typical procedures; check in lines, checkpoint lines with overflowing security. It will be hard rushing through this while carrying heavy shooting equipment around. Always start packing your bags two days before your travel so you can figure out things.

3. Make use of Hard Shell Cases

Have you heard of pelican cases? If not, you better find out about them because they are what you need for your expensive camera equipment when traveling. What you want to avoid is a busted camera that will make you appear unprepared for your job. Pelican cases are small and portable, allowing you to carry your audio gear and accessories with fewer worries. When packing your equipment in hardshell cases, pay attention to your grip, lighting, and sound gear. Proper packing with padding will insure everything arrives in one piece.

4. Pack your camera bag as a carry-on item

Our next tip when learning how to travel with video production equipment is to bring your valuables on board with you. No one wants to incur the cost of damaging their video production equipment. For that matter, you are better off having your camera bag around as a carry-on item. No broken lenses with a carry-on-size camera bag to store your miscellaneous accessories. You never know how the baggage crew is handling your luggage so do your due diligence to make sure it’s all loaded properly!

5. You need to get Insured

Risks sometimes do turn into accidents even as much as we try to mitigate them. Anything could happen on the road. For example, while at the airport, multiple airline staff who are not conversant with your gear could mishandle them. It would be safe to say that risks are not unavoidable when in transit. Should your accessories or equipment get damaged without insurance, you will have no one to blame but you. You want to get all your gear insured just before you travel. Check your current insurance policy to ensure it fully covers the damages on your equipment should they get damaged.

6. Pack Lithium Batteries in a Carry-on bag

There is no way you will travel without spare batteries, especially if your video shooting project will take you much time. You may want to pack these lithium-ion batteries in the same case with the other luggage. However, we don’t advise this since you run the risk of your batteries shorting out in mid-flight. You also risk paying a fine since it’s illegal to store lithium-ion batteries with other cargo. Your best way out is to pack these lithium-ion batteries in a carry-on bag to avoid any trouble on the road. This is a big tip for how to travel with video production equipment

7. Get Cleared with Customs

Cross-border travels will require that you get cleared with customs. For example, if leaving the U.S. for a shoot-out in Europe, pre-clearance with the Customs department is vital to ensure that you are not falling short of the law. If you are a filmmaker and a resident of the U.S. traveling, you will pass through customs on both exits a return journey. Depending on which country you are traveling to, there is a good chance you’ll need to get a carnet to avoid exorbitant taxes. That means they will check your equipment to determine whether you purchased them in the U.S. or overseas. If you have bought your equipment overseas, a tax will apply upon entry into your country. To make sure you are not falling into trouble with the law, it would be best to reach out to Customs or the border clearance teams with details about your travel and what equipment you will need to carry for the journey. Different country’s handle this differently, and getting the right information before you travel is of the essence.

8. Have TSA Locks for your Equipment Cases

It’s highly unlikely that someone will break into your case while traveling, but you are also better off not taking any chances. Cases of traveler’s luggage being damaged have happened in the past, and you don’t want to be next in line. Get yourself TSA locks for your equipment. You will not prevent a crook from carting your case away, but you can secure your valuable items inside the case.

Wrap up

Traveling with video production equipment is pretty easy if you follow the tips mentioned above. Save yourself the cost and stress of daunting travels by beginning your preparation early. Know what to carry so that you don’t overpack. Check into the airport as early as possible. You also want to get the right casing and carry-on bags for your equipment. Enjoy your travel next time.

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