Did You Know You Can't Check Your Batteries?
Monday January 21, 2008
Many of us use cameras that run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Keeping spare batteries with us is more of a habit than on our to-do list. When traveling, most of us will try to keep our cameras with us in carry-on luggage. However, with current strict limits on carry-on luggage many photographers have been forced to pack some of the less-expensive pieces of equipment in checked baggage to save space of our camera bodies and lenses.
The 2008 Department of Transportation battery rules put a snag in this practice. Did you know that when traveling you cannot pack spare batteries in your checked luggage? Due to the flammable/explosive nature of lithium, the Department of Transportation has issued limits on how much lithium content a person can bring on board a plane and forbidden the packing of such batteries in checked luggage.
As regulations continue to tighten on electronic devices and their power sources photographers are continually pushed to find new ways to pack and ship their equipment. How do you travel with your photography equipment?
The 2008 Department of Transportation battery rules put a snag in this practice. Did you know that when traveling you cannot pack spare batteries in your checked luggage? Due to the flammable/explosive nature of lithium, the Department of Transportation has issued limits on how much lithium content a person can bring on board a plane and forbidden the packing of such batteries in checked luggage.
As regulations continue to tighten on electronic devices and their power sources photographers are continually pushed to find new ways to pack and ship their equipment. How do you travel with your photography equipment?
Comments
It just keeps getting “better” doesn’t it? It is my understanding that the ban on loose batteries only affects non-rechargeables. I have stopped using these batteries almost all together. By the time I have filled my camera, flash, meter, etc. (plus spares) I have to carry at least 12-15 batteries everywhere I go. I also use battery caddies to keep them organized. Still, I am sure that some day I will find myself in violation of this directive. I can’t check my camera/lenses, or my laptop, so it is always going to be a problem. Best of luck to all of you with these newest restrictions.
Under the new rules the limits apply even to the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Those are no longer allowed in checked baggage either.
With my Nikon D200, I carry my camera in a bag made for it with two batteries in the camera and two in the camera bag. It works for me.
I wouldn’t ever put my batteries in checked luggage anyways. If my bags were lost and my battery ran dead I might miss a shot. My batteries and chargers always go in my carry-on camera bag.
Thanks for the clarification w/respect to the lithium ion re-chargeables being banned in “checked” baggage. I knew that they can no longer be shipped via passenger planes so I guess it makes sense that they can’t be checked either. Off topic, but I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the suggestion that I obtain a copy of Mr. Krages book, Legal Handbook For Photographers. It is an excellent addtion to my Photography library.
Thanks for the heads-up. I plan on travelling soon and would not have thought about this.
I would never check anything of my photo gear unless it might be my tripod. But do check your tooth paste. One other thing I took 20 rolls of B/W film on a recent trip and security took each box apart and ran their sniffing paper over each roll to check for explosives I guess…but at least they didn’t open the protective plastic membrane around each roll…
My 1959 Contaflex doesn’t need any batteries, so I’m not worries
On a flight from SFO to Reno they not only confiscated the NiMH AA batteries but the charger, too! They didn’t question the ones in the camera we carred on board.