I'm gonna post this in two forums, just in case someone with an answer doesn't read the "latest news" forum.

So, what can I expect in airports when traveling with my digital system? Is there anything I need to be cautious of, like Xray machines, etc? Will any of that stuff screw up my external hard drives, microdrives or camera equip? Do you world travelers usually carry on your main equip or pack it away? Any advice you can give me will be MUCH appreciated!

Josh.

You're gonna have a blast on your trip and definitely carryon your gear. The Xray machines will not harm anything, but chances are they'll search your bag if you have tons of glass in there...although the better machines can deal with it and they haven't searched mine lately so that's been cool. They will probably require Todd to send his video cameras through separately and they might even make him turn'em on and do all sorts of craziness so be sure to go through first so you can go get a latte while they're strapping on their rubber gloves to do the fun work on him.

What airline are you flying?

Alaska - $100 upgrade - great service and experience - Christian Organization!!!

Spirit - cheap as dirt - above average service - not very glamorous.

United - average :/

Southwest - internet checkin at midnight the night before so you can get in the first batch of 30 and pick your seat.

America West - flight may never leave the ground so be sure to buy another ticket on a real airline or have a fast rental car ready in the wings.

Hmmm, not sure about the airline. Someone else made the reservations, so I'm waaaaaaaay outta the loop on this one. I'm mostly concerned about the possibility of having to unpack all my gear - so your tips were good.

Also, do I need to put "extra" protective padding around my lenses, etc. for travel? I've got a great Tamarac pack, fully padded, but it's for hiking, not turbulence at 50,000 ft.

Oh, and my cards, microdrives and external hard drives: no worries with xray equip??

With all the help you've passed down, DJ, I'm beginning to feel obligated to name my first child after you (or did you already claim that in another forum?). Hmm.

Josh.

One more thing: I'm thinking of taking my MF Pentax with film for exquisite poster images. Should I worry about the film I'm carrying?

Yes...the first born is already claimed! As long as you have a strapping young man, which I'm sure you will.

I don't think you'll need any extra padding but it's tough to say without seeing your bag. Never hurts to stuff those lenses in some socks or something...then you have extra socks too!

I haven't ever experienced turbulence bad enough where I was concerned about my gear...but if I did...I would probably be more scared for my life than my gear. I'm already scared of flying that once I'm on the plane I don't think much about anything other than how this HUGE chunk of metal is gonna get off the ground...and stay off the ground.

Be sure to carry on your film...and the machines won't hurt it unless it's 800+ iso

Ciao ciao!
DJ