Helicopter tours - Carry On not allowed??

[2nutz4travel]

This may sound like a stupid question, but I see this on the TEMSCO website "Due to security, no carry-on bags will be allowed on the helicopters. A secure location will be provided at the office for storing personal items."

 

What do they consider to be a carry-on? My camera bag is a small knapsack - am I going to be able to take it or will I have to stuff the lenses etc in my pockets?

[mortimerM]

This may sound like a stupid question, but I see this on the TEMSCO website "Due to security, no carry-on bags will be allowed on the helicopters. A secure location will be provided at the office for storing personal items."

 

What do they consider to be a carry-on? My camera bag is a small knapsack - am I going to be able to take it or will I have to stuff the lenses etc in my pockets?

 

i WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING....SURELY THEY WILL LET US BRING A CAMERA BAG SO WE CAN TAKE PICS.....

DOEE ANYONE KNOW????

[Iggipolka]

I don't think this is a stupid question at all! I was wondering the same thing. I have a small purse/camera bag that I was planning on bringing. I wonder if that's allowed.

[mosimon]

I went on a helicopter in Hawaii with the same rules. I just had a small digital camera with a small bag. The bag fit the camera and extra batteries, that's it! and I could not bring it on. I had to just carry my camera on.

 

NO BAG what-so-ever. NO camera bag, no purse - NOTHING! If you need to bring more stuff with you, wear a vest/jackets with lots of extra pockets.

 

The reason is because you are not going thru a security check point like you would in an airport. They say no bags so they can go around this.

[CruisinJul]

My husband and I did the helicopter tour in Juneau last year. The OP is correct. No bags, no exceptions. Just camera and binocular bodies. There really is no extra room for bags in the helicopter anyway. They will check your bags for you at the company desk. I can't remember if there were lockers.

[whale-watcher]

You will want to have your camera out and ready to use anyways...

[2nutz4travel]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

I've sent them an email anyhow, I'll report back on what their answer is.

 

I can't imagine not being able to take my lenses, and I'm not really crazy about the idea of stuffing them in my pockets.

[PennyAgain]

I have a Scottevest brand jacket with all sorts of pockets that works just fine for this situation but you don't want to over stuff the pockets.

 

Ask the pilot what lens to put on your camera and use that one. They know what is what.

[kenish]

I fly a Cessna and have also been on a few helo flightseeing trips (not in AK).

 

The biggest issue is safety. Small aircraft can get suddenly bounced around in turbulence. Loose items in the cabin become a real hazard. Depending on how seating on Temsco's helos is configured, if one passenger sits next to the pilot they don't want loose straps and bulky bags interfering with the controls and switches (for obvious reasons).

 

The helos are usually pretty cramped inside and there won't be much extra room for bulky bags...and switching lenses will be pretty difficult anyway and possibly annoying to other passengers.

 

Last comment is stuff goes by really quickly and you will miss a lot if your eyes aren't out the window. Don't let the equiment get in the way of experiencing the sights with your own two eyes!

 

I'm really into photography and used to carry around a SLR with all the accessories. So I'm not looking askance at avid photographers!

[2nutz4travel]

Well, it is just as we thought. This is the response I received from TEMSCO: "

Thank you for your email.

Yes this does mean that you can’t bring any bags. You are welcome to bring your camera.

If you can fit your lenses in your pocket you are welcome to bring them.

If you have any other questions please contact us."

I guess I'm glad I asked the question! This may require some thought/planning....

[CruisinJul]

I brought my digital SRL with just the short lens and I didn't miss the longer lens. As the OP stated there is no time to changes switch lenses anyway unless you have a glacier landing.

[2nutz4travel]

We're actually doing the heli/dog sledding, I want the wide angle lens for the flight but I'd love to able to get more close up with the dogs. I may just take my 'middle' lens...

[DJD-Houston]

We're actually doing the heli/dog sledding, I want the wide angle lens for the flight but I'd love to able to get more close up with the dogs. I may just take my 'middle' lens...

 

I'm thinking the same thing for my helicoptor glacier landing excursion. I'll just take the 24-105 rather than the 16-35 and/or 70-200 . . . that way I should have a range that works well enough without having to try to change the lens under less than optimal conditions.

 

Deborah

[gambit57]

Glad I have a 18-200. Not a big fan of changing lenses anyways.

[travelbuds]

I went on a helicopter in Hawaii with the same rules. I just had a small digital camera with a small bag. The bag fit the camera and extra batteries, that's it! and I could not bring it on. I had to just carry my camera on.

 

NO BAG what-so-ever. NO camera bag, no purse - NOTHING! If you need to bring more stuff with you, wear a vest/jackets with lots of extra pockets.

 

The reason is because you are not going thru a security check point like you would in an airport. They say no bags so they can go around this.

 

So does this mean no fanny packs? We've flown helicopters 8-9 times in Grand Canyon and have taken small backpacks and camera bags onboard.

[puddypaws]

We took a small camera bag onboard with Coastal last year. The bag was just big enough to hold the SLR style body, short lens, wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens. If I had to guess, I would say that the bag was 9" x 6" x 6". (Yes, it was a tight fit for all those items!) Maybe we were just lucky and no one noticed the bag?