Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pappa's got a brand new bag!

I am writing this post today to help out those who are looking for a new roller bag for their camera gear.
Well, its no secret among sports shooters that if you want the best roller bag available, you have to go with ThinkTank! When I took a look at which bag I wanted though, I quickly narrowed my choices down to two. The Airport Security, and the Airport International. From the pictures they looked the same, and after speaking with a thinkTank rep who assured me that my 400 lens would fit in either bag, I decided to go with the International. I have some vague plans to travel in europe in the next few years, so I thought I would cover myself and get the International.
BIG MISTAKE! lol. I love the bag, don't get me wrong, but I didn't realize the International is quite a bit smaller than the Security. And considering I will take 100 domestic trips to every International one, I really wound up screwing myself.
I played and played with the configuration and finally this is what I came up with.

My 400 does fit in the bag, but in order to get all my other gear to fit, I have to leave the hood out. So now I have to carry the hood, and that is a big pain in the butt. When shooting football, I normally carry 3 bodies, my 400 2.8, 70-200 2.8, and either my 24-70 2.8 or 24-105 f/4. Also my 1.4 extender. There is also some room for a flash if I chose. My buddy who has the Security gets his 400 into the bag WITH the hood, plus all the same lenses AND a flash. Oh well, now I know, and you do too!

To be clear, the bag is excellent! VERY well constructed, easy to customize, and rolls like a dream. The best roller on the market. But if you are not doing a lot of international travel, I would go with the Airport Security for sure!

1 comment:

Mike Huffstatler said...

Hey Damon...did you get it from TT directly? I think they have a pretty good return policy. If you purchased elsewhere, there seems to be a strong resale market for TT stuff. Get the bag that will work for you...the the one that makes you work.