I am making a trip to Hawaii soon and need to purchase a camera bag that I can carryon airline frilghts including small commuter planes. I normally travel by motor home so packing gear for travel has not been a concern. I will be taking the following:

15” Laptop
Canon 5DII
Canon 7D
Canon 100-400
Canon 24-105
Canon 17-40
Canon 70-300
Canon 580EXII Flash

Laptop power cord, small back-up drive, camera batteries, flash cards, card reader, GPS with 2 cords.

A tripod will go in my checked luggage.

I am currently considering theTamrac Evolution 8 or Thinktank Airport Antidote V2.0 backpacks. Which would you recommend?

Why the 100-400? I photograph birds and really would want my 500 f/4 but that would be a little much. My wife will not let this become a birding trip!! So, I want something for when the occasion arises. I will use the 70-300 when I am in the normal tourist spots as it is much easier to carry in a small bag.

10lbs of s**t in a 5lb bag bag you say? the commuter planes will limit you highly. even smaller planes with limited overhead and sizing will too depending on when you get on.

The Think Tanks are not the best for long hikes if that is what you will be doing. Some of the inter-island flights are on the 717/MD-95 which is fine to fit typical backpacks.

EBH

I second the Think Tank bag

I will not be doing any hiking carrying that much gear. The backpack is just to get it there. I will have a smaller day tripping bag in my checked luggage.

The reason I am looking at these two particular backpacks out of the 100s available is because thier depth is 9" or less which is "supposed" to fit under the airline seats. I do have a small commuter plane on my flight home.

I do have the Thinktank Airport Antidote V2.0 and have used it in the CRJ's overhead bin without any problems. It is a good, lightweight backpack, but the straps are necessarily a compromise for thickness. Depending on the bin height, you may need to pull out the laptop sleeve and place it under your seat, although I don't use it like that.

EBH

You might look at an f-stop loka. I found mine would "smush" into all kinds of places if not
overly full, particularly if you use their medium ICU along with a lens bag or two in the
pack space rather than their bigger ICU...


Best,

rkg
(Richard George)

Had never heard of "loka" and had no idea what "ICU" meant. Did a Google search and found Loka. Looks like a good bag especially if you are going to hike long distances. In my case I am looking for transportation and for that I will go with something less expensive. Thanks for the input. I learned a bit today.

sjms wrote:
10lbs of s**t in a 5lb bag bag you say? the commuter planes will limit you highly. even smaller planes with limited overhead and sizing will too depending on when you get on.

Only if it were 10lbs. I just weighed it and it all comes out to be about 20lbs. Glad I am not planning on carrying this for any long distance.

Lowepro Pro Roller 100X or 200X.

Both of these bags exceed the airlines maximum depth dimension of 9". They both have an 11.4" depth.

bobsofpa wrote:
I will not be doing any hiking carrying that much gear. The backpack is just to get it there. I will have a smaller day tripping bag in my checked luggage.

The reason I am looking at these two particular backpacks out of the 100s available is because thier depth is 9" or less which is "supposed" to fit under the airline seats. I do have a small commuter plane on my flight home.

the 9" is not always reality. as airlines install entertainment systems and such for pax convenience you lose that via the installed electronics which is either on the side under or direct under depending on the seat design and the installer airline. i live with it everyday.

sjms wrote:
bobsofpa wrote:
I will not be doing any hiking carrying that much gear. The backpack is just to get it there. I will have a smaller day tripping bag in my checked luggage.

The reason I am looking at these two particular backpacks out of the 100s available is because thier depth is 9" or less which is "supposed" to fit under the airline seats. I do have a small commuter plane on my flight home.

the 9" is not always reality. as airlines install entertainment systems and such for pax convenience you lose that via the installed electronics which is either on the side under or direct under depending on the seat design and the installer airline. i live with it everyday.


That is why I put the word supposed in quote marks. There was a time I had elite status in the US Air Frequent Flyer Program.

unfortunately for me its everyday. thousands of miles but no "elite status" though. just minding the fleet.

I have traveled the world many times over with the Think Tank Airport Antidote. It fits in the overhead of all planes. It is only 7 inches thick with the laptop sleeve removed, 8 inches with the laptop sleeve.

As EBH noted, to fit in the smallest overheads (Canadair CJB's) requires me to take my laptop sleeve out of the backpack and place it in the storage area in front of my feet. This is very easy to do. Any plane with a larger overhead (which is most all planes) does not require the laptop and sleeve to be removed.

I find the Airport Antidote very comfortable for carrying around airports, even when heavily loaded.

Jim

I have owned a few bags from Think Tank and have always been very happy with them. Were I you, I would also consider some of the offerings from Gura Gear. I believe the Kiboko 22L is made for exactly what you are using it for. I am a bird photographer myself and have a few different travel set-ups. For domestic travel, if I don't have to use the bag as a pack, I use a thinkTank Airport Security rolling bag, which is ideally suited for navigating airports. If I need to use the bag as a pack or am traveling on smaller planes, I use the Gura Gear Chobe as my carry-on "personal item" and / or a Gura Gear Kiboko 30L for the big glass. You might also consider the Chobe for your immediate needs if you decide on a shoulder bag rather than a backpack - it is amazing how much stuff you can get into the bag.

I have 99% decided on the TT Airport Antidote as my large bag and now they are tempting me with the Restrospective 5 or 10. Not sure which one to get to carry a 5DII with the 24-105 mounted, 17-40 and 70-300 lenses plus a 580EX Flash. They are some of the nicest walk around bags I have seen but are a bit pricey.

Yes, you could use both for different purposes.

EBH

There are no doubt many options, but not so many where I am (Australia). What appeals to me about Think Tank bags is that they are relatively compact for their internal volume. They are squarer, so that more stuff can fit (e.g. I wanted to carry two pro cameras with lenses attached - too wide for many bags - plus accessories), and they sacrifice most of the padded external pockets typical of other brands to keep the outside dimensions smaller.

The one I use in an Airport Addiction. It's too big for Aussie airline carry-on but I did not buy it for that - I had a requirement to hold certain stuff and I generally have it in my car, but I wanted to be able to carry it around if and when necessary. Another Pelican case was not the answer this time. It it was going in the cargo hold then a Pelican case might have been better.

- Alan

In early November, I got the Tenba Roady. It's carry-on compatible, and holds just about everything I need when I travel. Here's what I took to NYC and RI in it over Thanksgiving:

gripped 5DII with 24-70 mounted
gripped 7D with 70-200II mounted
100-400L
85L
50 1.8
10-22
100 2,8 macro (not the L)
77mm CPL filter in hard case
77mm Fader ND in hard case
77mm Red filter in hard case
3x 77mm UV filters in hard case
72mm UV filter in hard case
2x Black Rapid straps in their mesh bags
Cokin P filter holder with 2 filters in hard cases
430EXII with 2 sets of spare batteries
2x battery chargers (one for 7D and one for 5DII)
1.4x TC
Rocket blower/duster
several bags of sillica gel
15" Acer laptop with power supply
Ipad

Here's the link: Tenba Large Roady

Locally, I lug this bad boy around to my shoots when I'm shooting events.
When I travel, I either bring my Tenba messenger bag, or on occasion, my sling bag and use that to carry the equipment that I need when I go on walkabout. I often take the messenger as my other carry-on. I keep my magazines, iPod, and anything else I want with me on the plane in that. This way, when I get to my final destination, I don't have to lug the monster Roady all over town.