Lighting bag recommendation

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Archive 2009 · Lighting bag recommendation

Mark Booth
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p.1 #1 · Lighting bag recommendation

I picked up a third Elinchrom D-Lite 4 and I would like to move all three into a padded bag for transport. Ideally, the bag would have compartments for up to four heads and maybe a couple of exterior pockets for carrying the power cables, extension cords, etc. If there was a little bit more room to hold 2 or 3 speed rings it would be helpful too.

Not looking to spend a fortune. I was perfectly happy with the Elinchrom bag that came with my D-Lite 4 (2 strobes) kit. But, rather than carry that bag plus another small bag for the third light, I'd rather find one bag to carry all three (plus a fourth if I ever get one).

I've searched B&H, Adorama, Amazon and Google and I've seen some possibilities but, unfortunately, none of the sites do a very good job with photos of the product. (As a side note, I find it idiotic that manufacturers and retailers don't provide better photos of products designed to carry photo gear!

)

Basically, I'm thinking of something along the lines of this, but with only 4 pockets:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

That one is 19x12x12 and I think I'd be fine with one that was 14x12x12 or so.

Anyone have a recommendation?

Oh... the light stands, soft boxes and other items will be carried in a separate bag, which I already have.

Mark

Edited on Nov 16, 2009 at 04:27 AM · View previous versions

Nov 15, 2009 at 02:51 AM

Michael White
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p.1 #2 · Lighting bag recommendation

I have my Speedotron pack and two lights in a padded shipping case and my lightstands in a tuffpak from nalpak. I been looking at several bags that would fit your needs. Some even will carry the lightstands and umbrellas/softboxes(broken down). Photoflex had one on sale last month that looked promising. Pelican and Tamrac both make cases that would work. for my speedlight kit I just got a LowePro Road Runner AW it might hold 4 heads and the liner with dividers is removable as a unit if you need to carry something else in it. While it isn't a Think Tank Airport Security It should work well for me. I have 4 speedlights battery packs, grip gear honl attachments etc in it. I use the rotation 360 for my Camera bag that way I can use just the belt or both the belt and pack as needed. I also have a Modulus Setup with a belt from Think Tank that I really like alot. I also use the lightning fast pouches for my Speedlite cases for storage and carry one the 360 or belt setup. I also have their lens cases of various sizes for storing my lenses and transporting them. They do not have a kit for carrying studio lights or I would probably have it also. I think all their cases/pouches come with a rain cover as do the AW cases from LowePro. With Tamrac I had to buy a rain cover for my cyberpak 8 and none were available for their pouches and I do not think the LowePro lens cases have rain covers either.

I think the Photoflex one is a great buy and I like their have great products.

Nov 16, 2009 at 01:48 AM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #3 · Lighting bag recommendation

Thanks Michael! I checked out the Photoflex Transpac cases. Very nice! Their Single Kit case has interior dimensions of 34x10.5x10.5. It so happens that my D-Lites are exactly 10.5" tall when put on end. So, I could configure the dividers to easily hold 4 D-Lites and still have room in that row for reflectors and speed rings. And, of course, there would be room on the other side for 4 light stands. My light stands (collapsed) are 32" long. Perfect fit. Plus the built-in quiver would hold a couple of umbrellas and soft boxes.

It's much larger than I was originally thinking but it would eliminate the need to carry my big tripod bag that I normally use for light stands.

Hmmm... I sometimes carry my lighting gear in the trunk of a small sports car. I wonder if this Transpac Single Kit Case would fit. Time to go measure!

Thank you for the recommendation!!

Mark

Nov 16, 2009 at 04:00 AM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #4 · Lighting bag recommendation

Whoops... Hold on a sec. Photoflex's site says the Transpac Single Kit case's interior dimensions are 34x10.5x10.5. Yet, it lists the exterior dimensions as being 36x12x10! Does anyone else see anything wrong with those figures?

I guess I'll have to call them to find out exactly which dimension is incorrect.

Mark

Nov 16, 2009 at 04:09 AM

Michael White
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p.1 #5 · Lighting bag recommendation

I think the correct dimensions are 36x12x12. But that is a guess based on the what the first two figures are.

Nov 17, 2009 at 01:28 AM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #6 · Lighting bag recommendation

I contacted Photoflex today and, frankly, they weren't all that much help. It took me three calls to finally get a real person (the automated phone system kept putting me right into someone's voice mail) and then that guy, frankly, just didn't have a clue. At first, he said that the numbers were simply transposed, that the interior dimensions should be 34x10.5x10. But when I asked why the depth only lost .5 inches when the other dimensions lost 1.5-2 inches, the guy was at a loss. He put me on hold for a bit and when he came back the answer was that the interior dimensions must have been updated for the new model they are shipping soon (but the exterior dimensions were not changed). He said the new model will be 2 inches wider, making it 36x12x12 (exterior), which is consistent with the width and depth of their other models. So then I asked about buying the new model. He put me on hold again and came back to say they can't sell the new model until all of the old ones are sold out. Then he mentioned the sale last month on this model (Single Kit) and said because they still had lots of the old narrower ones, they would run the sale again next month. Sale price: $140 Exactly the same price you can get one from B&H today. So, no need to wait for that sale direct from Photoflex.

Later in the day, I went by a couple of the local camera stores. To my surprise, one of them carried the Dual Kit Case but not the Single Kit. However, it did give me a chance to fully check out the construction and interior arrangement. I measured the interior width and depth of the Dual Kit model and it was exactly 10.5x10.5. The Dual one was too long for my needs at 47" but I determined a 36" model would be pretty much perfect (resigning myself to the fact that I would carry the light stands in there too, thus eliminating one other bag).

When I got home, I called B&H's lighting department and asked if they had one on the sales floor. I asked if they wouldn't mind measuring the interior and the guy came back with a width of 12 inches and a depth of 10 inches. I don't know how carefully he measured but I decided to just go ahead and order the darn thing. It should be here by the end of the week. When I receive it, I'll be sure to measure it to and post the figures in case anyone else is looking for this information. Whatever it ends up being, expect the new models to eventually be released with about 2 more inches of room in one direction or another.

Michael, Thanks again for bringing these Photoflex Transpac bags to my attention! Similar lighting bags from Tenba or Tamrac are 2-3x more expensive. I think the Single Lighting Kit is going to fit my needs just fine without breaking the bank.

Mark

Nov 17, 2009 at 02:25 AM

Michael White
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p.1 #7 · Lighting bag recommendation

Mark, Please post your impressions of the build quality also. I may break down and get one also and retire my Tenba Shipping case.

Nov 17, 2009 at 02:52 AM

kenyee
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p.1 #8 · Lighting bag recommendation

hmm...photoflex has more detailed views of the dual kit:
http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/How_Products_Work/Transpac_Dual_Kit_Case/index.html
The dual kit looks long enough to stuff C stands in.

and it doesn't look bad. Any idea what they're changing w/ the new version of the single kit?

Nov 17, 2009 at 01:44 PM

bobbyz
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p.1 #9 · Lighting bag recommendation

Mark Booth wrote:
Hmmm... I sometimes carry my lighting gear in the trunk of a small sports car. I wonder if this Transpac Single Kit Case would fit. Time to go measure!

mark,

A friend of mine was carrying the bigger photoflex case in her Mini without any problems. I won't fit in my Z though. Nice case but gets quite heavy with everything in there.

Nov 17, 2009 at 02:41 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #10 · Lighting bag recommendation

kenyee wrote:
hmm...photoflex has more detailed views of the dual kit:
http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/How_Products_Work/Transpac_Dual_Kit_Case/index.html
The dual kit looks long enough to stuff C stands in.

and it doesn't look bad. Any idea what they're changing w/ the new version of the single kit?

According to the guy at Photoflex, the new Single Kit will be exactly two inches wider, bringing the exterior dimensions to (without wheels) 36x12x12. The current one is 36x12x10. He said they are doing this because the Dual and Multi Kits are also 12x12 (D&W).

It would be nice to have the extra couple of inches for the space but, frankly, the current model would fit in the trunk of my Miata a little better. As it is, it's pretty much going to fill up 90% of the trunk.

BTW: My Miata isn't my only car. I also have a car with a hatchback that can take a ton of gear. But I will be hauling the lighting gear in the Miata from time to time so I needed a bag that would fit, if only just barely!

Mark

Edited on Nov 17, 2009 at 03:23 PM · View previous versions

Nov 17, 2009 at 03:08 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #11 · Lighting bag recommendation

bobbyz wrote:
mark,

A friend of mine was carrying the bigger photoflex case in her Mini without any problems. I won't fit in my Z though. Nice case but gets quite heavy with everything in there.

Yeah, I wouldn't have remotely considered this bag if it didn't have wheels and a handle. But I don't think it will be too heavy for my particular kit. I'll have three Ellinchrom D-Lite 4s in there, three 10' light stands, one boom arm, three speed rings, 3 soft boxes, 2 umbrellas, a couple of reflectors and 3 power cords. I'll carry a separate duffle for extension cords, sync cords, gaffers tape and the like.

I'll be sure to not only take measurements, but photos once I get the bag packed. Heck, I might even weigh it all to give everyone an idea on weight.

I sure wish manufacturer's would do a better job of posting photos of their products! Particularly the interiors of bags! You can go to Lowepro's site and find 10 photos of a bag and only 1 or 2 of them show the inside of the bag and the photos are so small you can't really get a good idea of how it all fits in there. They should show nice large photos of the inside without any gear and then maybe put one or two pieces of gear in there and take another photo. That would better show the scale they shoving ALL of the gear in there and posting a 3" picture online.

Mark

Nov 17, 2009 at 03:20 PM

supergimp
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p.1 #12 · Lighting bag recommendation

Mark Booth wrote:
Basically, I'm thinking of something along the lines of this, but with only 4 pockets:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

That one is 19x12x12 and I think I'd be fine with one that was 14x12x12 or so.

Mark,

Where did you find that bag? I've been looking for something to carry 4 AlienBees (which 2x2 with room for dividers is 12w x 16l x 9.5h. That bag looks perfect with a little room for cables and accessories.

Edit: I found it at http://www.gatorcases.com/Custom/Pages/PrintSpecSheet.aspx?CategoryID=4490&CatalogID=9294

It is actually 14.5 x 12.5 x 12.5 according to that web site. Sounds perfect for you, Mark.

Nov 17, 2009 at 09:26 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #13 · Lighting bag recommendation

Yeah, I definitely considered that bag (got the dimensions wrong the first time but figured it out later). But once Michael turned me on to the Transpac bags, I got more interested in a "one bag for everything" type of of approach. The idea that virtually all of my lighting gear (minus sandbags and extension cables) could be in just one bag is appealing. And I like the idea of wheels too!

I should be able to carry everything to and from the car in a single trip (not counting my backdrop setup, which is in its own rather large bag).

B&H shipped my bag this morning. Expected delivery isn't until Monday! I sure wish we had a place like B&H closer to Southern California!

Mark

Nov 17, 2009 at 10:13 PM

supergimp
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p.1 #14 · Lighting bag recommendation

Yea, I've been looking for a wheeled bag, too. I really liked this bag:

But missed the auction on eBay. I have found similar bags at B&H for a lot more money (this was about 60 bucks). Am hoping another closeout shows up on eBay or something.

Nov 17, 2009 at 10:18 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #15 · Lighting bag recommendation

supergimp, That's an interesting bag. Couldn't find it in completely auctions on eBay. Do you have a link?

Mark

Nov 17, 2009 at 11:30 PM

supergimp
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p.1 #16 · Lighting bag recommendation

Don't know how long this link will last: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200370038481&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2036wt_1071

I had saved it in Watched Items, intending to measure my AB's and see if they would fit. The interior dimensions were listed as 26x13x11. I found a very similar bag which I believe is the same manufacturer and verified that inside was 13 Wide and 11 Tall (two AB's side by side need 11 inches - with padding 13 wide would be perfect). By the time that I figured out that this bag would work, the auction was over. I asked the seller if he had, or expected anymore but he said it was a close out and that was it.

B&H lists this bag with the same model number: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/409948-REG/Impact_HDC999_Pro_Camcorder_Soft_Case.html#specifications

It looks very close, but is discontinued.

This may be similar, but I really don't want to spend that much dough if I don't have to: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/551134-REG/Pearstone_HDC_1010W_Pro_Camcorder_Case_with.html

I'm really mad at myself for not being on the ball. This looks perfect for me to carry my 4 AB's (facing up) and still have room for the standard reflectors stacked and cables and lots of pockets for radio triggers and all the other doodads you end up lugging around.

Nov 18, 2009 at 12:20 AM

Thats Fresh
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p.1 #17 · Lighting bag recommendation

OP, i have both the Photoflex dual light and single light cases posted above. they both fit alot! the size difference between the interior and exterior is a few inches bc the flap has an extra flap where you can store umbrellas, extension cords etc. the cases are built very well.

one note that might be helpful, the dual transpac rolling case will not fit in my car trunk even with the seats down. it is rather large. i use it to mainly store all modifiers and lightstands. when i am on location for travel, i use the smaller single light case.

Nov 18, 2009 at 01:19 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #18 · Lighting bag recommendation

supergimp, Thanks! Something like that bag was what I was originally thinking about. But once I got turned on to the idea of keeping the light stands in the same bag, I really warmed up to the Photoflex Transpacs. In most respects, the Transpacs are similar to the studio lighting bags offered by Tamrac and Tenba. But at a fraction of the prices for those bags (I saw one of the Tamrac models in a local photo store tagged at $499!).

Secondly, there's no way I would order from that particular eBay vendor. For two reasons... First, I ordered some speed rings from him about 8 months ago. Great price but I was disappointed with the quality. And, in fact, the holes for my soft box rods were a tad too small and I had to drill out the holes to get them to fit. Then, more recently, I E-mailed him to ask a few questions about one of his products before placing an order (asking about dimensions and the Elinchrom mount). Admittedly, my E-mail was a couple of paragraphs. But it couldn't have been TOO long because eBay limits the number of characters you can use via their internal "Contact the seller" system. When he replied, his message simply said: "I regret that I don't have the time to write an essay about the product." That easily qualifies as the rudest reply to a customer service question I've ever received. Since I worked as a customer service professional for 35 years before retiring, I'm very sensitive to poor customer service. If the guy can't be bothered to answer questions about his products, then he shouldn't have chosen a business selling stuff to the public.

Mark

Edited on Nov 18, 2009 at 03:23 PM · View previous versions

Nov 18, 2009 at 03:15 PM

Mark Booth
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p.1 #19 · Lighting bag recommendation

Thats Fresh, Thank you for the reinforcement on my decision to go with the Photoflex Transpac. The Dual Kit would have provided me more room to expand my system and would have easily fit in the back of my crossover (mini-SUV). But it was definitely too big to fit in the trunk of my Miata. The Single Kit case will be a tight fit in the trunk of the Miata but I believe it will fit. I'll know for sure next week.

Since I believe the Single Kit will hold all the lighting gear I have now, not having room to expand and add more might be a good thing. For the wallet that is!

Mark

Nov 18, 2009 at 03:20 PM

supergimp
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p.1 #20 · Lighting bag recommendation

Mark,

Funny your opinions about that seller. He answered my question about the bag in a timely fashion, but I have to say, I was a little put off by the terse nature of the response. I've ordered from him before without incident, but that didn't involve any inquiries. I'll make a note of it.

I have yet to buy a speed ring (not made by the softbox manufacturer) that really fit. I bought a Buff ring to mount another brand softbox and the holes are too loose. I guess that comes with the territory - no standard softbox poles. But that's getting OT.

The transpac looks cool and I'll consider it. Although I've moved to the Buff Folding softboxes and primarily use the compact (reverse folding) stands from Manfrotto or LumoPro so I don't really want the length. Curious to hear how you do with the Miata (I drive a MINI).

Incidentally, I was at a Joe McNally seminar a week or so ago and noticed that he ships his lighting gear in Golf Bag cases. Looked like a good (and cheap) solution for stands and long modifiers and such, although they weren't compartmentalized for heads or monolights.

Nov 18, 2009 at 03:54 PM

Michael White
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p.1 #21 · Lighting bag recommendation

I was looking for a used golf bag hard cover when I found my TuffPak from NalPak. I learned of those from Chase Jarvis some time ago when he did a video on how he packs for a shoot. I saw one when a CBS Videographer was at an event I was at and asked him some question on it and it had literally been around the world several times and was in perfect working order after a few decades of use. The TuffPak opens on the top end and you pull you stuff out instead of hinging down the sides in a clamshell configuration. I got mine off of eBay but I had been looking seriously for a year or more and missed a couple that were priced well. I think to start off with the Photoflex bag will work for you when you get some C stands that might change.

Nov 18, 2009 at 05:43 PM

kenyee
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p.1 #22 · Lighting bag recommendation

Michael White wrote:
to start off with the Photoflex bag will work for you when you get some C stands that might change.

Which Tuffpak did you end up using w/ your C stands? The medium length one?

Nov 18, 2009 at 06:52 PM

bobbyz
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p.1 #23 · Lighting bag recommendation

Someone (I think RDkirk) on POTN mentioned these cases.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/287879-REG/SKB_2SKB_R4913S_Freedom_ATA_Stand_Case.html#specifications

Nov 22, 2009 at 03:32 AM

Michael White
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p.1 #24 · Lighting bag recommendation

I believe that it is a 12" wide mode that is close to 4' long. I don't have it here at the minute or I would put a tape measure to it. I like it as I have a ton of stuff in it and I gave around $200 for it used off eBay. It can be used as a shipping case so shipping it isn't a problem. It meets the ATA requirements so you can check it at the airline gate. It doesn't have a lock. Between it and my Pelican 1660 I can get my gear safely anywhere in secure cases.

Nov 22, 2009 at 07:22 PM

baument
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p.1 #25 · Lighting bag recommendation

, I won that auction for the bag on ebay in the post by supergimp. It's pretty cool. Alot bigger than it looks in the photo. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure I could easily get 3 AB's if not 4 in is along with cords etc....

Nov 23, 2009 at 12:04 AM


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