stehsegler said..
If you can always try and take your gear on the plane with you. Second option would be unaccompanied baggage through the airline. It's generally a fraction of what international carriers charge for excess.
Using a company like Pack and Send make sure your gear is properly packed. I would go as far as packing everything into a proper gear bag then wrap that bag into bubble wrap and finally pack it into thick card board. Having seen how this stuff is handled I'd be worried of damage.
Actually it turns out it's the same price. I ended up using Pack & Send, very convenient. Didn't need to overdo the wrapping, even managed to send it in a canvas/cloth bag with some internal padding of individual items. It was plastic wrapped. I'm told it made the journey safe and sound in just 3 days!
The reason I couldn't take it with me, is that I'm visiting a number of other countries where I wouldn't use the gear and it's not practical to take with me. I'll meet up with in later :-)
