Iceland in 2010

I am organising a trip to Iceland for a group of photographers from the UK Large Format Photography Group (UKLFPG) in June/July 2010. Having been fortunate enough to visit Iceland twice before (thanks to Carrie & Blossom) I have equipment lists that some may find useful?

Airline luggage allowances vary; Icelandair allows 20kgs of checked luggage (in the hold) per person plus carry-on hand luggage of 1 item no larger than 55x35x25cms (with a max weight of 6kgs) plus a "handbag" (this is the clever bit... more later!). The cost for excess luggage is £8.00 per kilo and this is for hold luggage - they don't allow excess hand luggage*

The secret to flying (cheaply) with Large Format camera equipment is as follows:

• wear as many clothes as you can on the flight! Sounds daft but Iceland in June/July has similar weather conditions to the UK in March/April as far as temperature and rainfall is concerned so walking boots, fleece jacket should be worn on the plane thus increasing available weight in checked luggage.
• stuff all available pockets with film! Never pack it in checked-luggage or it will get zapped by X-rays!
• be realistic in what camera equipment you pack.

From previous experiences this is how I plan on travelling to Iceland next year:

On the flight I wear-

• Pair of cargo pants (big pockets for film!)
• T-shirt
• Fleece Jacket
• Walking boots
• Photo vest* (yeah I know it looks geeky and I do feel a complete idiot BUT the amount of film you can get in those big pockets is awesome and it keeps the weight of your hand-luggage down too! If I find I need more room for film than I have in my hand luggage then on comes the Photo Vest)
• small document wallet on lanyard around my neck for passport, credit cards, healthcare card, phone, cash, travel docs.
  

My checked luggage is carried in a Jansport Cargo Hold wheeled holdall - it's massive! This contains the following:

• 5 x T-shirts
• 5 x undies!
• 4 pairs thick socks
• Ron Hill Trackster leggings
• Buff Head scarf - protect the bald "nogging" from the sun!
• Karrimor Lightweight waterproof jacket
• Crocs
• First Aid kit
• micro towel - super quick drying and packs small
  
• phone charger for car
  
• pacsafe for camera bag
• maps
• Gitzo CF 3541XLS tripod - dismantled to reduce chance of damage
• Arca Swiss B2 monoball head
  
• Peli 1400 case - holds sheet film holders, cable releases, light meter and other photographic bits and pieces that need protecting like filters etc!
• camera cleaning kit (Iceland is wet and dusty and a basic kit of cleaning fluid, lenspens, microfibre cloths and blowers is essential)
• darkcloth - a 10x8 Blackjacket.
• Harrison Changing Tent
  

My hand luggage contains all my photo gear as I don't trust baggage handlers! I pack everything in a Tamrac Adventure 10 rucksack* - within carry-on size (just) and although the entire pack and contents is over the 6kg limit I've never had it checked so fingers crossed! It will hold:

• Walker 5x7 camera
• Canham 6x17 film back
• Schneider 110mm XL in Photobackpacker lens case
• Schneider 150mm f5.6 in Pb case
• Fuji 250mm f6.3 in Pb case
• boxes of 120 roll film are used to fill any available gaps!

That's it! All the sheet film will be carried in the Photo Vest and sheet film holders in checked holdall. I will probably sneek a couple of 5x7 sheet film holders in the handluggage as insurance!

Ladies and Gents can also employ the additional "handbag" option if you need to carry more kit! Icelandair don't specify what is meant by a "handbag" and as long as it's not much bigger than a laptop bag then all seems well. If you need to carry boxes of sheet film then the "laptop bag" is a good bet as they can be picked up cheaply for a few quid and will hold a surprising amount of film.
Happy Days!