European Carry On Bag Size Restrictions

[GrandDad48]

Hello all, I'm looking for some advice from those of you who live in the EU or have recently traveled there. I'm a USA photographer and taking a vacation to Europe in the fall. I'll be flying on Icelandair from Amsterdam to Reykjavik.
The carry-on size for bags is shown as 55cm x 40cm x 20 cm. However, when I try to purchase new luggage, just about all the major manufacturers of quality luggage (Tumi, Briggs and Riley, Delsey Paris, Beis, etc.) have standardized on 55cm x 40cm x 23cm-25cm sizes for carry-ons, i.e., over the limit.
Does that mean that my carry-on bag must now be considered checked luggage at an additional fee? And my Canon R5, pro lenses, Air 3S, laptop, etc. and anything else that contains small lithium batteries, must be hand carried aboard the aircraft? Those items cannot be put in checked baggage.
This just seems crazy to have flight regulations for carry-on bags that you cannot buy. SMH
I know I cannot be the only one with this issue.
Thanks for any insight or suggestions for protecting my expensive gear while traveling.

 

[SkyMaus]

Hello - I will be traveling in late May to Germany and am currently researching any unique preparations. I travel nationwide for work, but I know internationally things are very different. If I come across anything I will be sure to post. Today, I am working on updating my drone insurance. I use www.Helden.de because its German and a reasonable price for insurance coverage for my DJI Mini for the year. I will update on that as well once I complete that. I am also working on my drone yearly update and checklist.

Welcome Spring Cleaning!

 

[mavic3usa]

You can start here: best airline to take a drone on?

 

[WShade]

Stick to the European size restriction if at all possible. We recently took a vacation to Italy and had no issues going. Coming back, we were told that our carry on bags were slightly too large and must be checked. To add insult to injury our bags were delayed in Frankfurt for 7 days. All of them I remind you and they were not handled with care. Lesson learned.

 

[CadrePilot]

I'm watching this, as I'm traveling to UK from USA this summer/fall.

 

[Richard R]

Of course each airline may have different restrictions. I fly to the UK often and carry a lot of camera equipment.
My bag of choice is the Thinktank Airport International™ V3.0. It is designed to protect fragile photo gear and is a little smaller than the standard US size
Exterior Dimensions:
14” W x 21” H x 8” D (35.6 x 53.3 x 20.3 cm)
I usually fly British Airways or American trans Atlantic and have never had an issue with having to check the bag. It fits in the overhead bins easily. These bags are heavy when loaded so you have to be able to lift it easily.
Now once you're in Europe and flying around there and elsewhere, all bets are off. Sizes and weights are often less. For this is use Peak Design. They have many different options for photo gear.

 

[GrandDad48]

Well, after reviewing all my options, I bought a Pelican hard case that meets the EU regulations and the Air 3S and all my accessories, including my iPad Mini, fit well. I got the pick-n-pluck foam as I didn't like the precut options for the other available cases. I'll just have to be better at packing the big suitcase since I'll have the drone case and my camera bag full of gear to carry onboard.

 

[Richard R]

Well, after reviewing all my options, I bought a Pelican hard case that meets the EU regulations and the Air 3S and all my accessories, including my iPad Mini, fit well. I got the pick-n-pluck foam as I didn't like the precut options for the other available cases. I'll just have to be better at packing the big suitcase since I'll have the drone case and my camera bag full of gear to carry onboard.

Looks great. My only issue of having the valuable stuff checked is loss either through theft or damage. I don't think it's a big issue generally; but in many parts of the world it is. Stuff goes missing or is opened in transit. I would get specific insurance to cover unexpected loss.

 

[GrandDad48]

Looks great. My only issue of having the valuable stuff checked is loss either through theft or damage. I don't think it's a big issue generally; but in many parts of the world it is. Stuff goes missing or is opened in transit. I would get specific insurance to cover unexpected loss.

I will not check this, Richard. I specifically got a case that meets the EU Carry-On regulations. So, it will go in the overhead storage at my seat while my camera bag will squeeze under the seat in front of me. No way am I letting the airline toss my stuff around in the cargo hold. LOL

 

[Richard R]

I will not check this, Richard. I specifically got a case that meets the EU Carry-On regulations. So, it will go in the overhead storage at my seat while my camera bag will squeeze under the seat in front of me. No way am I letting the airline toss my stuff around in the cargo hold. LOL

Yes ok I read your post too fast. Sorry I see that now. Can you tell me where you bought the Pelican and model?

 

[GrandDad48]

Yes ok I read your post too fast. Sorry I see that now. Can you tell me where you bought the Pelican and model?

Sure, Richard. I bought it on Amazon and it was delivered the next day. It is a Pelican Air 1485. Pelican cases seem to have the same price everywhere, I never saw any discounting. I was going to buy it at B&H to get it tax free with the PayBoo card, but they are closed for a week. There are Pelican authorized dealers here in San Diego. Nelson Photo supposedly has some of this model, Larson Packaging Co. and Nalpak are both located in El Cajon. They were closed when I called, so I don't know their inventory status.

Since you're local, any chance you might be interested in meeting up sometime to fly?

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