Photography Gear Luggage

As a professional photographer one of the things you will need to consider at some point and time is luggage for your photography gear. When it comes to packing and carrying your gear there are several ways you can do it depending on your needs at any given time.

1. Waist bags - these are small bags that you wear around your waist like a regular belt, but they can carry your camera and a couple of lenses and batteries. Think of them as kind of a fanny pack for your camera. There are several companies that make them from LowePro to Targus and they can range in quality and price from $20-$100.

2. Backpacks - These are just like they sound, you strap them on your back and carry your gear that way, great for hiking or walking around an event. They usually hold 1-2 bodies and 5-6 lenses and also have compartments for batteries, filters, iPad, laptop, and hoops that hold your tripod. They range in size from small to fairly large, are made by many companies from LowePro, to Targus, to Canon and Nikon and prices can run from $40-$300.

3. Rollerbags - These are similar to the suitcases people use to travel by air, they hold your gear and have a telescoping handle with wheels on the bottom and you pull them behind you. They can hold 2-4 bodies, 4-8 lenses, memory cards, Speedlights, filters, laptop, iPad, tripod and other items. They usually have multiple pockets and compartments and vary in size. Again they are made by the usual camera luggage makers, LowePro, Targus, Canon, etc, and can run in price from $100-$500 depending on the size and materials they are made from. You can also buy special roller cases that will carry your studio lighting for you as well.

4. Briefcase - These cases are usually made of quality aluminum and have foam inserts to protect your gear. The inserts can be ordered custom cut for your gear, but that usually makes them more expensive, or pick and pull, which means the foam is perforated and you can pick and pull pieces out to make your own custom size pockets for your gear. The most common maker of these is Zero Halliburton and they run $200-$800.

5. Durable Plastic Trunk - These are usually make of high strength plastic and again have the pick and pull foam to custom cut your own compartments with your fingers. These are most commonly made by Pelican Cases and range in price from $129-$600 depending on the size. Recently, Pelican started making a version of their trunks that have the telescoping handle and rollers wheels so you can pull it behind you instead of carrying it like a foot locker. They also come with padlock ports on each end to keep your gear secure.

Of course any time you have to fly for a shoot I would recommend the Zero Halliburton aluminum cases or the Pelican ones as they are the toughest and can be stowed in the belly of the plane. Some pros prefer to carry they heavy gear in these cases and stow them but carry their actual body and lenses in a smaller carry-on bag like a backpack to keep them with them at all times and not risk the airline losing their gear en route to a shoot.





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