All Comments☝️ SearchDmitri Apr 21, ‘25 editFlying with film? A new travel pouch by Sissi Lu may be the solution—just remember to NOT X-RAY it. Sissi Lu, a photographer based in New York, has introduced her DO NOT X-RAY Film Pouch, which can be found in most camera shops across the US and Canada, as well as on her website, sissilu.com. These pouches are designed to help organize your film rolls and communicate your request for hand-checking to airport security agents in 27 different languages. ☝️ Find out more about X-rays and flying with film at: analog.cafe/r/air-travel-w… I spoke with Sissi prior to the launch to ask her a few questions about her invention. She shared a success story about a product that has been well-received by photographers traveling with film. My first question was regarding her motivation behind it, to which she responded: “It arose from a personal necessity. I had a long international trip planned for late 2023, marking my first time traveling solely with film cameras—110, 135, 120, and Polaroid. I was genuinely worried about X-ray and CT scanners damaging my exposed and unexposed film. To safeguard them and overcome potential language barriers at airport security, I printed a simple label in various languages requesting a hand check and attached it to a clear pouch.” “When I posted a photo of it on my Instagram story, my DMs were inundated with inquiries about its origin.” Continues… 🧵 #editorial🔥 Dmitri Apr 21, ‘25“If you’re familiar with me, you know I appreciate items that are both functional and visually appealing. Drawing inspiration from an old Kodak label and advice from Tim Ryugo, I crafted my own version. I didn’t have high expectations, but it has unexpectedly evolved into a little side venture!” Traveling with film can be challenging since it requires asking busy and often intimidating security agents to do additional work. Many people remain unaware of film and how X-rays can harm it. Sissi’s approach was to create an attractive label that clearly communicates in the local language what the pouch contains and why it shouldn’t go through the scanner: “Requesting a hand check at airport security can be daunting—for both travelers and agents—so I wanted to simplify the process.” To my astonishment, security agents were quite respectful toward the pouch and its concept. It provided a more ‘official’ feel to traveling with film and alleviated the need to explain my situation at every checkpoint.” Continues… 🧵 Dmitri Apr 21, ‘25The only way to prevent film from being exposed to X-rays is to make a request. Luggage undergoes X-ray checks (sometimes said to be more intense), and the lead-lined pouches you might have seen for sale could complicate matters. Sissi’s design incorporates multiple languages, which might not always be essential since many agents globally do speak English, but it can be beneficial nonetheless. I’ve experienced several misunderstandings due to language that resulted in unwanted X-ray scans of my film. “The initial design of the pouch featured only the language of the destination city. However, when I aimed to market it more broadly, I consulted friends and the online film community about the countries they frequented with film—and I received translations for over 30 languages and dialects. To keep the design clean and legible, I needed to limit it to the seven most popular destinations. Yet, I wanted to include more languages, so I created a bonus travel card that accompanies each pouch, offering translations in 21 additional languages!” Continues… 🧵 Dmitri Apr 21, ‘25Due to the positive feedback she received, Sissi’s thoughtfully designed pouch has gained popularity among her supporters. Eventually, however, she became overwhelmed with the volume of orders and enlisted the help of Roberts Distribution. “I used to produce small batches of pouches in various sizes, and I would love to do that again. But as this project expanded, I had to be realistic about what was feasible for a broader launch.” “Since this pouch originated from a personal need and has greatly assisted my journey, I genuinely hope it becomes readily available wherever people may need it, and I am certainly open to expanding the locations based on community feedback and demand.” — Sissi Lu.
Sissi Lu, a photographer based in New York, has recently introduced her DO NOT X-RAY Film Pouch product, which can be found at various camera stores across the US and Canada, as well as on Sissi’s website: https://www.sissilu.com. #editorial.