New Wheels

My father in law used to tell me, “Boy you’re hard on stuff!” He was right. I could never pass my camera gear off on the used market as… in excellent condition… B+… hardly used. My stuff is treated like equipment. Gaffer tape is on everything!

Carrying around all of that stuff, in turn is hard on me. The best invention in my eyes would be the rolling camera case. I’ve had a few along the way. I’ve also destroyed a few along the way.

The handle on my last bag, a LowePro, broke about a month ago. So I had to get a new one for next week’s trip to Chicago. My friend, Earl Gibson spoke highly of a Tenba rolling bag that he was using. So I headed first to Google to check it out. NICE. The price was reasonable too. So I headed to Samy’s to take a closer look. It’s a nice bag. Unfortunately for Tenba, their bag was sitting next to a bag from Think Tank.

I had read about the Think Tank on the Sport Shooter site and most pros seemed to be happy with it. This bag, the Airport International, is designed to meet international carry-on specs. I should not have any problems getting it on a domestic flight. What closed the deal on this bag were the valuable built in features that protect me if I have to check the bag. I love that it has two security cables and locks, plus a built in TSA locking zipper.


I actually feel a little safer leaving my bag across the room now on assignments, because I can lock the bag to something solid. I would like to bring the kitchen sink with me on every assignment; but I can’t. The domestic version is a little larger, but I chose the smaller international bag because of changing air standards. I just never know when the domestic carry on rules could change. This bag can hold the following with room to spare.

2 - D300 Bodies
4 - SB 800 Speedlights
80-200 f/2.8
17-55 f/2.8
50 f/1.4
105 Macro f/2.8
12-24 f/4
2 - Lumedyne Minicyclers
3 - PocketWizard Tranceivers
Sekonic L-558R Meter

I have a second rolling bag made by Tamrac that gets checked. This baby is filled with lighting gear [Dynalites], stands, umbrellas and other misc. photo items. The goal with this bag is to bring helpful gear and stay under 50 lbs. I always do better work when this bag lands in the same city with me. But, if the checked stuff doesn't make it, I can get the job done with the gear in the Think Tank. The founders of Think Tank are two dudes who used to work for LowePro. I sure hope that this bag holds up better than my last LowePro. This bag also has a unique serial number, so I’m headed to the Think Tank site now to register. I haven’t used it on a job yet, but I like what I see.