If the discussion is focused on how to have your equippment at the other end then the approach taken for your underwear should suffice for your equipment. Take enough cash to replace whatever you can't live without. If the checked luggage gets there you have your underwear and your stuff if not you will have to replace both. If you are going somewhere you regularly visit there is the possible of pre-arranged caches. This becomes expensive rapidly if you travel alot. Do the airlines really lose your lugage that often? more than once a year? Doug, you travel a bunch - how bad is the checked luggage problem? I have never lost a piece of checked luggage but I don't travel the airlines more than twice in 5 years.