Hello,

I need help choosing a camera bag with wheels. I want to carry my camera equipment with me as a carry-on on domestic and international flights. There are two bags that come to mind:

$329.00
Airport International™ V2.0
http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ArprtInl2.php

and the other...

$209.00
KATA OC-84
http://www.videodirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=OC84

Any of you have experience with these bags? How do you like them? Do they fit in the overhead storage? Does the KATA need the roller to be removed to fit the overhead storage or does it slide in as well?

Thank you in advance.

I have the Airport International and really like it. It is well made and carries quite a bit of gear. It is a little heavy, even when empty and the only issue when travelling is that it won't seem to fit on a regional jet. Any larger jets and it is perfect.

I use the airport international. It fits wheels first in ALL full size jets. Takes my 500 2 bodies 16-35 24-70 and 100-400. I pair it up with the glasss taxi.

I have been using the Think Tank Airport Addicted Backpack since 2005 and it is fantastic. The Airport International is a bit smaller, as well it is a tiny-bit smaller than the Airport Security. The size difference allows for the measuring differences between the US/Canada and much of Europe,Asia and the Pacific.

Think Tank is a fantastic company and stands behind their products which is great!

Depending on what you're packing, and where you are traveling, you may also want to look into the Mountainsmith Correspondent rolling bag. I have grown fond of mine as a 'do it all bag.' The down side is that it is not designed for long glass, my 400f2.8 would never fit in the set up, but a 300f2.8 with modified lens hood would (my 300f2.8 lenses always have non-OEM hoods to save on space and weight). You can check out the Correspondent in this post on my blog for traveling photogs:
http://flyingwithfish.blogspot.com/2008/06/mountainsmith-correspondent-versatile.html

I have both of them - Kata OC-84 and Thinktank Airport International. My impressions are:

Kata OC-84: exceptional protection, built like a tank, the exterior is dust-repellent, interior roomy and easily reconfigurable, laptop sleeve included. The bag comes with an external detachable trolley. This would have been a perfect bag except for a couple of nits. One, it will not fit in the overhead baggage compartment of many aircraft as it is probably an inch or two more in depth. Two, the detachable trolley can be a pain to deal with if you are carrying full weight. And yes, the rollers will have to be removed. While I have taken this bag on international flights (I was traveling either Business or First in those instances, which makes life hell of a lot easier) I now use it almost exclusively as the mother ship at home.

TT Airport International: I bought this just over a week ago. It is intelligently conceived and built with first-rate materials. It comes with wheels attached. A low-divider set sold separately allows inclusion of the laptop (sleeve sold separately). While not as sturdy, tough and padded as the Kata, it has the virtue that it will fit almost every aircraft's overhead bin. It provides a good degree of protection but in this department, if Kata is a 9 on a scale of 10, the Airport International would be a 7.

My own assessment is that for point A to point B airport travel, the Airport International is perhaps the best solution currently available (as long as you are not going to toss the bag around or haul it through swamps).


STEPz wrote:
Hello,

I need help choosing a camera bag with wheels. I want to carry my camera equipment with me as a carry-on on domestic and international flights. There are two bags that come to mind:

$329.00
Airport International™ V2.0
http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ArprtInl2.php

and the other...

$209.00
KATA OC-84
http://www.videodirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=OC84

Any of you have experience with these bags? How do you like them? Do they fit in the overhead storage? Does the KATA need the roller to be removed to fit the overhead storage or does it slide in as well?

Thank you in advance.

Thank you all so much for your input. I am leaning towards the Think Tank Airport.

The KATA OC-84 does fit overhead after the trolley is removed. The OC-84 is well-designed and well-made. I plan to sell my little-used OC-84 as I no longer need it; I sold most of my lenses. If you are interested, send me a private message.

I love my airport international. I can fit:

5D
1D
24L
50L
85L
135L
70-200 2.8L
580EX x 2
Cards, cables, batteries, accesories, ipod, business cards, bla bla.

Get it. It's the best out there.
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