My 800mm is great in the think tank international - it is my preferred airport transport - love wheels. I have used the Kiboko 30L, but it gets heavy quickly - if you use it I would suggest a small collapsable rolling cart - I tend to not use this bag too much. I recently got rid of my Lowepro 600 Lens Trekker because it was kind of a tight fit for the 800mm, but it does fit and one of the more comfortable bags to walk around with it on your back. I tried the tenba 600 bag on safari last year but I found the 800mm was a little wider do didn't slide out comfortably so gave that away. I just got the kinesis 611 - incredibly lightweight - 2 lbs. I am using it next week - packing it inside the duffle to travel with - you can put a backpack harness on it. It is very long and fits the 800 with a tele and camera very comfortably. I wouldn't recommend this for everyday travel but next week I am traveling up to Churchill, Canada on Calm Air which is very restrictive about luggage weight so I am carrying the 800mm in a 25L Pacsafe backpack and my cameras in a tote. If they nail me on carry-on weight I will take the lens out and carry it over my shoulder. The wonderful Chris Prestegard http://www.wildliferhythms.com has lots of good tips for traveling with a 800mm in her blog and she is a total rock star.
Lars Johnsson wrote:
It's too small for those lenses
I use the 1510 for the 800mm and the 300mm with padded dividers and they both fit, tight but they fit. There is no foam on the top just a pocket holder which I put battery's on he 300mm side. The lens hood on the 800mm is very very snug but it does fit. The lens without the hood fits great. The down side is there is no room for a body. I also like the Gura gear but a little risky it it has to be checked. It has been gate checked with no issues. I usually have the 800mm, 300mm, and 2 1d body's in the Gura gear and some smaller things too. It is heavy but the bag handles it great.
I also use the Lowepro flipside 500 for the 800mm also. This is a little tight to but it works for me. Nice bag
The only way I can get my 800 to fit in my 1510 (1514) with padded dividers, is to remove both the padded dividers and the foam. If keeping either of those I have to press down the top (cap) on the hood. We are all different but I don't travel or treat my expensive lenses like that.
Yes without a hood it will fit. But then you have to have one extra bag with the large hood.
Lars maybe my bottom pad it thinner. Trust me I do not abuse my equipment look at my feedback for things I sold. I may have to push down maybe a 1/8" if that. Nothing at all. My other bags have been hit harder in a overhead bin, not by me, then that little tiny bit of pressure in the pelican case I have.
I am not disagreeing with you at all. I wonder if there is any difference in size of the case or padding during manufacturing? Honestly mine is not that tight at all.
Nov 05, 2012 at 06:40 AM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
I bought mine used, so maybe that could be it too. Well with Lars and my case it should be noted that the 1510 could work or it could be a issue. Lars should my hood be round on the 800mm just kidding
RobAmy wrote:
I use the 1510 for the 800mm and the 300mm with padded dividers and they both fit, tight but they fit. There is no foam on the top just a pocket holder which I put battery's on he 300mm side. The lens hood on the 800mm is very very snug but it does fit. The lens without the hood fits great. The down side is there is no room for a body. I also like the Gura gear but a little risky it it has to be checked. It has been gate checked with no issues. I usually have the 800mm, 300mm, and 2 1d body's in the Gura gear and some smaller things too. It is heavy but the bag handles it great.
I also use the Lowepro flipside 500 for the 800mm also. This is a little tight to but it works for me. Nice bag ...Show more →
The 1510 with dividers is fine with the hood (at least with the 600 IS v.1), just the lid needs to be pressed down a bit the first couple times to close it while the lid foam is still stiff... I think Lars travels with the front lens cover on the lens, which with the 1510 will be a problem, as it adds additional girth to the lens.
So far for domestic US travel it's fit pretty much every plane I've been on down to the Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop (won't fit earlier versions of the plane), including the CRJs with 2+2 seating, though the crews of those flights might try to discourage you from bringing it on and gate checking instead. This is one advantage of the 1510, that gate checking isn't really an issue, compared to a soft sided bag option.
The 1510 is a great option if you plan to travel mostly in paved locations. The wheels don't have much clearance and therefore have a difficult time with rough surfaces. But airports, paved streets, sidewalks in good repair, etc. are no problem. I love it for traveling to sports events, but might have second thoughts about it if I was doing wildlife type work away from paved surfaces. It would be fine as a storage unit in a vehicle, but I wouldn't want to lug it around the woods.
Weight restriction is THE issue not bag size. I traveled to New Zealand recently and carried a LowePro Fastpack loaded with a D800 body and grip, 4 batteries, 17-35 lens and 28-300 lens. I was overweight for carry-on luggage (9kgs - limit of 7 kgs on Air New Zealand) and had to redistribute equipment between my wife and me. OR, I could have checked my backpack - not bloody likely!! GuraGear makes the Bataflae series which hold tons of gear but one reviewer said when fully loaded, his 26L Bataflae weight in a 18 kgs! No airline will allow that in the cabin let alone in the overhead bin! So Lars' suggestion of a pelican case CHECKED and placed in the HOLD of the aircraft will be THE ONLY ALLOWABLE METHOD to carry lots of photographic gear. A royal pain in the ass!
The one that's on sale is NOT suitable for a 600 or 800. The big one is (the 30XL or the newer one). I have both and I flew both with an 800 and a 600 in that bag.
angel manguel wrote:
Weight restriction is THE issue not bag size. I traveled to New Zealand recently and carried a LowePro Fastpack loaded with a D800 body and grip, 4 batteries, 17-35 lens and 28-300 lens. I was overweight for carry-on luggage (9kgs - limit of 7 kgs on Air New Zealand) and had to redistribute equipment between my wife and me. OR, I could have checked my backpack - not bloody likely!! GuraGear makes the Bataflae series which hold tons of gear but one reviewer said when fully loaded, his 26L Bataflae weight in a 18 kgs! No airline will allow that in the cabin let alone in the overhead bin! So Lars' suggestion of a pelican case CHECKED and placed in the HOLD of the aircraft will be THE ONLY ALLOWABLE METHOD to carry lots of photographic gear. A royal pain in the ass!
I agree in spirit with your general statement, but to say that no airline will allow that in the cabin let alone in the overhead bin is a false generalization. All US domestic flights will allow that, and I have flown to Europe on a variety of US and European carriers to experience all sorts of rules, but I never got issues with my photo bag. I actually flew from LAX to SYD on Air New Zealand with a full LowePro SuperTrekker (which in itself isn't carryon-legal, let alone the weight) and got it on board just fine. The way back was a whole different story...
dolina wrote:
Thank you all for your suggestion. Ideally I would go with the roller bag but the airlines I fly with all have a restriction of 15lb/7kg.
How much else other than the 800 can you then bring with you?
just kidding