Packing A Portable V-Cave For Air Travel

The picture to the right shows the entire two-walled V-Cave, computers projectors, screens and all, packed into travel bags. It can be carried as standard airline luggage, with 50 lbs. (about 23 kg) and several cubic feet of extra capacity in the bags for personal items. Everything fits into the standard dimensions of check-through and carry-on luggage for airline flights in the continental United States, without incurring an extra fee for oversize or overweight luggage. Roughly, the four pieces are:

Green Bag

This bag contains everything for the portable screens: the screen materials, the PVC pipes, the joiners, the clamps, the carpet seam binders, and the rope. Altogether it weighs about 65 lbs. (about 30 kg). On the last occasion the V-Cave was transported this way, in April of 2002, all of the U.S. air carriers had a 70 lb. (about 32 kg) weight limit for check-through bags and a 62" (about 157 cm) limit for total bag dimensions (height, width and length of the check-through bag could add up to no more than 62"/about 157 cm).

Black Bag

This bag contains the tripods, network hub and cables, power cables and strips, tape, glue, plastic hammer, and personal effects not related to the V-Cave. It weighs in at 50 lbs. (about 23 kg). Clothes make excellent packing material, especially for the tripods.

Green Suitcase

This bag contains the two projectors and their laptops, and, because of the delicacy of this equipment, was a carry-on bag.

Because the laptops were large ones, the case was just barely within the limits for a carry-on bag for the air carrier being used (those limits, in April 2002, being 10"x13"x22" or about 25 cm x 33 cm x 56 cm) and a 50 lb. (about 23 kg) limit.

Unfortunately, the rules for carry-on baggage vary from one air carrier to the next. Check with the air carrier you intend to use before transporting a V-Cave this way. It's also possible to select your components in order to minimize the likelihood of problems: Buy smaller laptops, compact projectors, and so on.

Black Shoulder Bag

This bag contains the third laptop and some reading materials. It's small enough to constitute a "personal item" rather than a "carry-on bag" as defined by most U.S. air carriers, which is useful, as many air carriers permit a total of one carry-on and one personal item.

Important Note

It's useful to remember that you should choose luggage that is rated for the weight of the gear you'll be carrying. Low-cost luggage, especially soft-side luggage, is far more likely to split when being used to haul heavy loads across long distances. We've had good luck with hockey bags, lately.