Bags, bags, and more bags.

[Jeff Harper]

Congrats Keith, you done good! I'm disappointed to not have offered less also. All in all it's ok, my Tenba bag cost $200 and so this still feels like a good move.

I hope we both like the case!

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Steve Grimshaw

I am a proud new owner of a Canon XF300 and have been searching for a decent bag since I bought it a few weeks ago. This camera completely thrashed my budget and as a result I have needed to find something on a real shoestring. This information is of absolutely no use if you are outside of the UK, but as I can't believe how clever I am, I thought I would share it with you anyway! T**co are running a promotion at the moment, selling a full range of luggage made by the same people that make the Swiss Army Knives and the quality is "mindblowing". As I don't yet have a huge amount of kit - one of the smaller bags has met my needs. I have just paid under £30 for a "pull along" type case with rigid sides. The inner lining opens up with a zip which has enabled me to fit upholstery foam to the interior for the extra padding required and there are internal straps which anchor the big cam with ease. I think the promotion runs until August 2012 (vouchers required) Amazing quality and very stylish - Every little helps!!

Steve, this sounds great but is this a Scottish only deal? Assuming you mean Tesco I can find no details of any promotion on luggage or anything else made by Victorinox (who make the Swiss Army knives). We had been looking at some cheap Samsonite knock-offs on eBay far carrying gear but this looks much more interesting. Do you have a link?

[Nigel Barker]

All the Peli cases are wonderful but do weigh a lot which is not a problem when you pull them along on wheels but does becomes a pain if you need to lug them up & down stairs. I have a couple of JCB branded semi-rigid tool bags which are very tough & great for carrying cables & lamps & other stuff that can be jammed in. Here in the UK they cost about £40($65) from B&Q but I am sure that similar tool bags available in other countries. JCB 500mm Heavy Duty Soft Sided Tool Bag, 28509189

[Steve Grimshaw]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

Steve, this sounds great but is this a Scottish only deal? Assuming you mean Tesco I can find no details of any promotion on luggage or anything else made by Victorinox (who make the Swiss Army knives). We had been looking at some cheap Samsonite knock-offs on eBay far carrying gear but this looks much more interesting. Do you have a link?

Hi Nigel - As far as I can see the promotion is a national thing (in participating stores) Try searching under the banner of "Wenger luggage"
If you do decide to buy - it is worth noting that the buckles on the straps may need re threading as they were threaded wrongly on my bag. The other thing to consider is - not to use any adhesive to bond the foam to the sides as this would surely invalidate your guarantee, but hey! for the price - who cares!!

[Nigel Barker]

It's my wife's birthday today & as one of her presents we went into Warehouse Express in Norwich to look for a new camera bag & finally settled on the Tenba - Messenger: Medium Camera Bag which is a fabulous bag big enough for a couple of full sized DSLRs & a bunch of lenses. I already own the Tenba - Messenger: Large Photo/Laptop Bag which is wide enough for a 17" laptop but not as deep so only holds one DSLR body plus some lenses. Take a look at the Tenba bags they are really rugged have a load of zipped & velcroed pockets. Mine is a discreet black while my wife's is the muted burnt orange.

[Benjamin Maas]

Something to consider with Pelican- especially if you're on a budget, is that they have a lifetime guarantee on them. If you get one that is damaged/thrashed, you can send it to Pelican and they will replace it for free.

I live near their offices so it is a really easy switch for me, but normally, you just mail it to them and they mail one back (without need for documentation or paying of shipping for the new case).

--Ben

[Jeff Harper]

Right Benjamin. Pelican cases are extremely tough and the company has an excellent reputation.

[Jeff Harper]

Keith, I'm satisfied with the X300. It's not quite as large as I had hoped, but it's close and it works.

I've got four cameras, two on camera lights, wireless, audio recorder, one extra lens batteries, pretty much everything in one case now instead of three. A video camera with shotgun any larger than my tiny XA10 would probably not be a good fit, but two XA10s fit perfectly in one end of the case, and my GH2s fit great at the other end.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Steve Grimshaw

Hi Nigel - As far as I can see the promotion is a national thing (in participating stores) Try searching under the banner of "Wenger luggage"
If you do decide to buy - it is worth noting that the buckles on the straps may need re threading as they were threaded wrongly on my bag. The other thing to consider is - not to use any adhesive to bond the foam to the sides as this would surely invalidate your guarantee, but hey! for the price - who cares!!

Steve, we were in Tesco today & picked up our first two vouchers. Only another eight to go & we get up to 70% off the luggage which looks very nice. The promotion only started on 7th May replacing the kitchen knives one that has been running for months. It runs until August so plenty of time to collect vouchers as you get one with each £10 you spend.

[Keith Betters]

That sounds great. I'm down here in Texas so mine is scheduled to get here tomorrow. When you say it's not as big do you mean wide or deep?...I will stuff and stack to try to get all my stuff in there, lol. I think I will use all $300 of the bag. I'm excited about it.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

All the Peli cases are wonderful but do weigh a lot which is not a problem when you pull them along on wheels but does becomes a pain if you need to lug them up & down stairs. I have a couple of JCB branded semi-rigid tool bags which are very tough & great for carrying cables & lamps & other stuff that can be jammed in. Here in the UK they cost about £40($65) from B&Q but I am sure that similar tool bags available in other countries. JCB 500mm Heavy Duty Soft Sided Tool Bag, 28509189

I have recently discovered that clear PVC zipped cosmetic bags are perfect for storing wires, batteries, memory cards & other bits & pieces within the larger bag. They keep everything separate & you can see exactly what is in each without opening. They are available from lots of retailers for as little as £5/$7.50 e.g. http://www.marksandspencer.com/Outst...P_2_FRO_T_MSF_

[Keith Betters]

I see exactly what you mean Jeff, it's deep and the build quality is amazing. However, it's just not as big as it looks on pictures. What I today was put everything I could in there and keep the seldom used items in another bag that will stay in the car in case of an emergency. Overall I am happy and I will take it through the rigors at tomorrows wedding. It looks good too! Thanks again Jeff for the info and I hope yours is working out for you!

[Jeff Harper]

Thanks for the tip Nigel, great idea.

Keith, I'm slightly disappointed, as I said, in the size, but overall I am happy with the case. As of now everything I have fits but I could use one more row of compartments so that I don't have to mix things. It will work, for sure.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Thanks for the tip Nigel, great idea.

No problem. I was shooting a weddings yesterday & it was the first time that I took all my cosmetic bags out on a gig. It was so much easier to find a particular audio lead or quick release adaptor without having to rummage around in my bag. I actually misquoted the price in my previous as I bought these bags in a nested set of three for £5($7.50). They were so good that I went back to the store & bought another couple of sets.

[Keith Betters]

Hey Jeff, I hate that you are a little disappointed in the bag. It is not as big as I had hoped for either, but I had a feeling it would not hold all of my gear, so I can say for me that it was not that disappointing. I just got home from the wedding today and let me say I love this compared to my 3 bag setup. Not only is everything in one bag but it has an open concept to it. You can see everything and have access to it all once it is open. My other bags are smaller and designed different, so sometimes you had to unzip different compartments to get to certain things. Also, some things were stacked on others. With this layout, which for me is new, it works out great. I like not having to manage 4 different bags. Now its just 2 onsite, actually 3 if you count the small merlin carry case. However I use the small strap that came with the lowepro x300 to secure that to the pullout rails so I don't have to carry it. So far so good for me. What I did since it could not hold everything was put all the most utilized items in there, and put the random or seldom utilized items in another bag and leave in the car. I think im satisfied as a I can be after one day of use. Just thought I'd throw in a picture as I was cleaning out the other bags to put all the gear in the new bag!