Bags: Soft Padded Vs Rigid, etc.
 

Ok, after lugging my tripod and head around without any protection on my last couple of shoots, I want to buy some kind of bag for either the head, both or one for the head and one of the legs. My setup is a Sachtler Video 18 (I'm guessing at least 17 years old since it says "Made in Western Germany";)) and a brand new set of Bogen 525's. I am the only one who uses the head/sticks (I don't rent it out) so I am fairly careful with it--though sometimes I have an assistant who will carry the sticks from/back to my car.

I have been eying a couple of opinions...

If I wanted to protect just the head, Petrol makes this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation
The rental house I used to work in had this from some of their higher end heads and we just stored the tripod upside down on them. Drawback to this is the legs are not protected. Upside is that the head is safe.

The next option is to either buy this: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HEAVY-DUTY-C...QQcmdZViewItem
or buy a rigid case like this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation
Upside to the first one is it's cheaper (I know I know, but a guy wants to save a buck if he can), but the downside is that while it may be padded, it's not rigid.

So my question is, how many of you have padded soft sided bags for your tripod and head? Do many of you carry your sticks and head to the job in different bags?

My last thought is to get the petrol head bag and the soft sided bag and just always tear down the sticks after each shoot.

Sorry for rambling, but I hope my questions make sense.

thanks,

Matthew Rogers
http://www.macvilleproductions.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2091937/

Speaking from my own experiences a soft padded is sufficient. I would have a bag that covers the head and legs rather than just the head.

I wouldn't have two bags either - although I'm sure we are all careful enough to make sure we pack everything, having the head in a separate bag allows it to to be left behind (either at home, studio or on location). You could always get the bag designed for your legs provided it fits the head as well.