Hi,

We are traveling to London in June/July to try to photograph some Atlantic puffins off the west coast of England. This is my first trip to Europe (from California) with a bunch of heavy photo gear. We will be travelling with 600 f/4 and 200-400 f/4 as well as other gear.

I want to avoid being separated from my backpack with expensive camera equipment. The backpack is heavy, and is a few inches above the size specified by AA/Delta/United/Air Canada. I have already got some good advices under the AA subforum:
carry-on bags size & weight

We also would like to hear your recommendations for who has the least restrictive carry-on rules. Obviously, I would like to carry on all my gear (two bags total). The tripod and head will be checked. We are currently looking at several American Airlines, Delta Air, Air Canada, British Air and Virgin Atlantic options.

Please let me know if you've had any good or bad experiences in your past travels to London regarding carry-on bags regarding size or weight issues and what airlines you have experience with.

Thank you for your help!