On a recent trip I decided to wear a photography vest to the airport as a precaution against carry-on limitations. And honestly, I couldn't be happier with how it worked out. All too often I check in for a flight without being asked to weigh my carry-on case which is usually filled with sensible items. But then when I arrive at the gate I get raised eyebrows from the flight attendants and next thing I know I am being directed to a scale to weigh my bag.
If this has ever happened to you I am sure you share and understand my frustration. And if it hasn't, you've either been lucky or travel light! I don't know about you but I'm not very keen to put these sensitive and valuable items into my checked luggage. I've heard too many stories from people who've had their laptops and cameras stolen from the most reputable countries (like Singapore) to the not so trustworthy countries (I'll let you use your imagination with this one).
It's bad enough having my dive gear so vulnerable to theft, I really couldn't bear it if I lost my camera equipment. Hence, the vest! The travel vest is not a recent invention yet I very rarely see anyone taking advantage of it. The only conclusions I can come up with are that either people don't pack a lot or they don't like the way it looks.
The travel/photography vest is brilliant in that you can remove some weight from your carry-on case and simply wear it onto the plane if the need arises. It's amazing how much you can fit into the vest. Before I left home, I rolled up a cloth bag and put it in one of the twenty-one pockets. This way, once I board I can take the vest off and put in the bag for safekeeping. With all of the items I had in the pockets, I didn't want to take the chance of anything slipping out and into the overhead compartment during the eleven hour flight.
At this point, you have already bypassed all of the checks and with all of the chaos of people trying to find their seats and get sorted no one bothers to notice you've just added another bag to the mix. The vest trick is also quite handy for budget airlines whom are very strict with the one bag rule. It might be a good idea to throw on a thin, lightweight jacket (of the same colour as the vest) so that it isn't so blatantly obvious what you are doing (especially if you are carrying a lot in the vest!).
In case you are wondering, I got my extra small, black Humvee Campco Safari photo vest with 21 pockets from B&H's website. The extra-small size is still a little big but I think it's a good thing as it doesn't feel so restrictive as it may if it were the correct size. After this last trip, my husband intends to get one of his own as well. Oddly, he usually wears an XL but the XS vest fits him nicely! Something to keep in mind when purchasing. I think most people wear the vest over a jacket but for this purpose I'd say the vest under a jacket is your best bet.
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