Hi I am currently in the process of ordering a Canon XL H1 and trying to find a good carry case option, I was disappointed by Canon's case for the XL1 in the past and curious to know if they improved the canon case at all for the XL H1 or is it the same stock standard case the XL1 had as an option, I have been fairly happy with pelican cases in the past.. my canon dealer is suggesting the 1650 pelican however the new 1510 is designed for airline carry on.

I am not a fan of the cheap "Pic ‘N Pluck foam" that pelican use stock standard... Does anyone know if Pelican have custom foam molds for the XL H1 or otherwise the XL2 that might fit it?

Cheers,
Ash

Ash,
I carry my XL2 in the Pelican with the 'dividers' option. Works great for me. The foam padded dividers have velcro sides and ends that allow you to move the 'walls' around for various shaped gear. I also happened to have an old camera case with extra dividers, so I have all kinds of options. I dissasemble the camera, and carry it with the 16x manual lens, TWO viewfinders, batterires, chargers, spare microphone and assorted support items. I wouldn't go back to pluck-foam if you paid me.

Richard,
Do you find that your camera and gear moves around much with the "dividers" option? Could you have the camera fully assembled and ready to shoot or is having the lens, body, VF etc seperated something you must do in order to fit it all in? What model of Pelican do you use? just so i can compare size specs.

Anyone know of a soft XL H1 case that you could put inside a pelican?

Thanks,
Ash

actually Ashley pelican does have a pre-cut foam for the Canon XL series that goes with the pelican 1610. It's available with a clear picture at Cases4less.com it's a pretty nice set up but at the moment just a little on the pricey side.

-Jon

Thanks for that Jon! Now that I know that pelican actully do a custom foam mold I will get onto pelican themselves here in australia and ask them if they do a mold for the 1510 as I will need to be able to take it on airline carry-on.

Now that i searched for "Custom Foam for Canon XL1" with no space between "XL 1" I have also found it on "www.customcaseco.com"

Cheers,
Ash

I use the 1510 for my DVX100b, dont think it will work for the XLH1. You could prolly get just the broken down camera but not much else...


ash =o)

Ahh ok.. Damn.. I'll go out to pelican once I have the camera and take it from there, thanks for the heads up.

Nice to see another Ash on the site :)

yeah the 1510 won't hold it fully assembled, there is a carry on legal bag specifically made for XLs from tamrac, the protection is light but adequate and at least you don't have to worry about your checked flight cases getting lost, i've had that happen where my XL2 was in a different state than i was and it was a very frustrating experience.

I had the Tamrac 2249 for my XL2, and I liked it a lot. Convenient pockets and easy to carry. It fit on airlines in the overhead easily.

http://tinyurl.com/dld2s

Ashley,
another Aussie here! Have a look at the KATA bags, I think Miller are the local agents, should find a bag to suit, plenty of pockets as well and bright yellow lining to make it easy to see inside the bag.

I would recommend Peli 1620, yes it huge but you got plenty of room for accessories.
Personally I use the 1620 with my XL-2 (the XLH1 are the same size), and you got room for 20x, 3x wide, spare batteries, tapes, wires, battery charger etc.
You also got a fold in handle and wheels on the case.

- Per Johan

There's 5-ish options. The standard professional bag makers are:

Porta-Brace
http://www.portabrace.com

Petrol
http://www.petrolbags.com

Kata
http://www.kata-bags.com

You can also look at hard cases:

Pelican
http://www.pelican.com

Storm Case
http://www.stormcase.com

There are others (as mentioned already in this thread). The thing is, choosing the right bag is even more subjective than choosing the right camera. It depends on how much extra batteries stuff you want to carry, if you need it to fit carry-on size restrictions, how much protection you need, how you carry it, and so on.

Check out the Porta Brace Carry On Camera Case...rugged, well designed, etc. But check all the sites, bring your camera and all your peripherals to the dealer (if you can), and try out a few...

Best,

Jim

Thanks for all your input everyone.. I like the look of the portabrace bags *Smiles*

I use the Storm carry on case,about the same as the Pelicon.I have made up my own foam set to fit my XL2 in.I remove the lense and pack everything in very tight leaving about 25 mm padding between the camera componants and the case wall.One important thing to remember with all the so called carry on cases is ,most are heavy 4 to 5.5 klg empty.By the time you put an XL2 inside they go way over the regulation allowance of 7 klg.Now this is not a problem with most airlines,they dont always weigh it, but on my last trip from Tokyo to Australia the airline said my carry on case was over the allowance and made me put it in with the regular baggage. The next time this happened I took some components out of the case to lighten it,put them in a plastic shopping bag and carried both the case and bag on the plane. For some reason this seemed to satisfy the check in lady.Anything is better than putting an expesive camera in with the regular baggage.Make sure the case is packed extra tight with foam and take a strong plastic shopping bag just in case.It might never happen ,but it did to me.

You can't go wrong with Portabrace, Ashley. Some of my Portabrace bags are over 20 years old. They're indestructable.

Thats good to know! When I think back to some of my earlier jobs on OB's I can remember having used equipment in the past and the gear was in portabrace bags, the cameras and tripods were well protected and had lots of pockets!

So I think its the way i'll go, maybe I'll get a large pelican later on if I need an extra bag with serious protection just for transport locally.

I used hard cases back in the days when I shipped cameras on airplanes, but anymore if I fly I carry it on. It's a lot easier to work out of a Portabrace bag. And, as you say, they have lots of pockets. Petrol bags look good too, but I've always used Portabrace. I probably have 8 or 10 for various pieces of gear now, and have had many others in the past that got sold with the old gear.

I am also looking for a good case. I think the PortaBrace HKP-3 will be outstanding. I am walking in the nature and don't like to carry it for a long time on one shoulder. Better to have the hands free and put the bag on the back for long walks. But for a short move I can carry it on one shoulder or in one hand if I like to be more prepared for anything quickly coming up.

I tried the HKP-3L today which is similar but has a computer pocket. This seems to put too much pressure on the viewfinder or microphone in my opinion. Will work if you separate the VF/mic from the camera.

The HKP-3 has a special external pocket around the viewfinder to protect it better. Think this will be much better. Plenty of space behind the camera for any mount with battery and/or microphone receiver. If you know anything better please write in here.

I just would like to say that the HKP-3 bag from PortaBrace is exceptionally great for the XL H1 camera. It is particularly well suited as it looks the measurements were done for this camera (and XL-2 series of course).

There is not much excessive space around the camera except for on the back of it where you will have space enough for larger battery pack or wireless equipment, (about 14 cm free space behind the shoulder pad).
If you don't use external packs you just put in a velcroed divider and you get a room for tapes and other stuff.

At the front lens there is about 9 cm space for hood (6 cm) or maybe matte-box (havn't tried the last yet).

You have four ways of carrying it, as a bag with wide comfortable leather handles, with the top up using another handle, as a backpacker with hidden straps or on your shoulder using an optional hook on strap.

The camera rests on a pillow and could be tied down with a strap.

The fabric is nice and tough with strong looking zippers which could be locked with a padlock.

I was afraid the bag should be too heavy because the manufacturer lists the weight to 12 lbs (!). However, the actual weight is much less, my package in a cardboard box and another small item weighed 9.8 totally.

The whole bag is padded and soft inside with a hidden protectice plastic box around, probably some kind of double wall air filled corrugated plates giving it shock absorbing, insulation and not much weight. When you compress the walls with you thingers the walls are still about 2 cm thick and soft so there is plenty of shock absorption. There is a great half hard extension made for the viewfinder to protrude into.

You could attach a tripod on the outside.

I do definitely recommend this bag if you carry your camera supervised or by yourself.
But it does not offer enough protection for checked in luggage. Never stand on the bag nor put any heavy load on top of it.

Be careful you don't get the HKP-3L bag. This is not wide enough and will put excessive force on the viewfinder if you dont remove it every time.

Nice feature is the packbacker straps. They are completely invisible when not used and nobody else even thinks its a backpacker so it looks quite professional.
But when you need to carry it a long distance together with other stuff, you turn it into a quite good backpacker in 5-10 seconds.

This is one of the very few things I have bought where I have not yet discovered how to improve the design.

Johan, First off thanks for your review of the HKP-3 Portabrace bag. Only question I have Is the HKP-3 bag small enough for airline carry on?

Cheers,
Ash

Johan, First off thanks for your review of the HKP-3 Portabrace bag. Only question I have Is the HKP-3 bag small enough for airline carry on?

Cheers,
Ash
Thank you Ashley,
I have not checked the actual limits, I would appreciate if you could do?
My actual bag is: length 67 cm, height 32 cm and thickness 27 cm (at the viewfinder extension which could be compressed a bit. The thickness of the boxy part is only 17 cm and the rest of the extrenal pockets could of course be kept empty if required. (You will get this metric exercise for free. One inch is 2.54 cm.)

Good if you could find out. However, I think you have to tamper with the regulations anyway because of the weight limit for carry on luggage. The bag seems smaller than what I have seen other people carry onboard but still, you will never pass the 5, 6 or 8 kg limit when the bag is loaded with camera and other stuff.

I will try to carry it onboard next time. Good thing with the backpacker is you could keep it on your back when you check in your other luggage and they will not notice the bag very much nor tell you to take it down to the scale ...

Good luck /Johan

PS. Sorry Ash, Missed your location ... have you gone metric down there?

There's a airplane icon at the product page of the HKP3, so that means you can have it with you.

I just bought a XL H1 with mattebox and V-mount battery adapter. Everything fits in a Portabrace CTC 3:

http://portabrace.com/product_detail_C.php?id=2952

I just purchased the Kata ccc-10 (medium) for my Xl H1 and I really like it. It's not too bulky, but it still it's still rigid and holds everything nicely.

*it is really great for travel too! I had no problems getting it on the plane..which is more than I can say for other camera bags I've tried...

BH lists it at $250 or so, but they can email you a price that is less than $200, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a decent, inexpensive bag.

"...my last trip from Tokyo to Australia the airline said my carry on case was over the allowance and made me put it in with the regular baggage."

I have been going a lot with flights shooting stills. Here is a trick, bulletproof (nearly) to get you and your beloved and heavy camera on board. I would never, never, never send my H1 in the regular cargo. Have you seen the guys unloading luggage in Capetown for example?

1. Don't bring your camerabag to check in. But bring a small bag or something - if they want to see what you want to carry on.
2. Retriew your avfull heavy H1 bag, go to gate. If there is a argue at the gate, just tell the personal, that you wont fly today, if you not allowed to carry onboard. If you don't go, they have to unload the cargo of the whole plane, and pull your bags out. It won't happen!
3. You can also put some of the gear in tax-free plastic bags. They never weight plastic bags! I know a photographer who always brought his whole gear in plastics! And they never asked once.

So which one is best for flying, Kata CCC-10 or the Tamrac 2249? Does XL H1 fit into the nice looking Tamrac bag? But again, maybe I will never be on a plane again after this message!

I had one flight where the box over the X-ray conveyer had a smaller than normal opening, and my Portabrace bag wouldn't go through. I took the camera out, shoved the bag through, then let the camera go through. Then I put it back in the bag and all was well.

So, what is up with the bags everyone? I am orientating myself on a good bag for my soon to be purchased XL-H1. I think I will be using a bag and not a case as I am planning to do a lot of wildlife shooting with it. Another important thing (but not the most important thing) is that it can be carried on-board on an airplane as carry-on luggage.

The bags I am considering are Kata, Porta Brace and Camrade.

I have the Kata and I would definitely recommend it. It holds my cam (H1)fully rigged even with the dual 970 battery holder on (as well as the mic). It's great because you can access it quick and be shooting literally in seconds. It also has a metal cross-brace in the top that lines up well to protect the EVF.

I have carried it on a plane (Boeing 737) with no problems, it was slightly over the legal length but under the weight limit. I did take my batteries off to be sure it was underweight.

I also have a metal dinosaur case, which i rarely use.

Hi Floris,
I think I have about the same considerations as you.
After evaluating most of the bags I finally selected the PortaBrace Hiker Pro (HKP-2).
It is just the right size for this camera! It holds the camera fully assembled with viewfinder, mic with better wind protection, rear bracket with Anton Bauer Dionic 90 battery. Then there is spare room in front of the lens, about the length for some 5-packs of tapes. Here also a LED light (Zylight) fits.
Inside pocket for white balance card and some small stuff.
Outside pockets carry rain protection, Titan 70 charger, tripod ties, large plastic bag in case of rain, cleaning tape and more. Also a sandwich box and 1 liter of water and a spare T-shirt or so.

Best of all: It fits like a backpacker and it is quite comfortable to walk long distances loaded with about 12 kg of stuff. One day I walked about 16 km in the mountains of Crete. Took up the camera 100 times. Your hands are free for steep climbs. For short distances you can carry it in your hands or on your shoulder too with soft real leather grips.

This bag have very good quality. Good protection for the viewfinder and camera. Camera rests with the rear part down putting no stress on the lens.
There is not much else I could wish in this case!
However, I would not check-in this bag with the camera. Bag is not enough protective for that kind of transportation. There are composite panels making the sides of the box rigid but still soft. Protection is enough for safe transport in cars etc.

I have had it on planes a couple of times without problems but I know they are now restricting the hand luggage at least in Europe so I don't know what will happen next time. A loaded bag will be over weight and over size but reasonable.
These restrictions will make my kind of travel difficult if we don't get excemptions like the musicians who are allowed to take their instruments onboard because instruments can be too expensive to check-in! (I think camcorders also are too expensive for check-in.)

The drawback could be I prefer to put the bag on the ground when I like to take up the camera and it takes a few seconds to get ready for shooting. (Bag opens similar to a suitcase.) So, if you work from the shoulder another type of bag could be faster/better. (A bag where you lift the camera up while the bag is hanging on your shoulder.) However, these kind of bags are not funny to walk a whole day with.
BTW Floris, where in Europe are you located? Holland?

Good luck with your choice and footage! /Johan

Hey, thanks for the feedback. I am located in Holland, in the southern part of it. You live in Sweden I see? I am planning to go there next summer.

Have you ever considered getting a tailor made case? It's not that expensive, and the good thing is that aluminium cases are strudy enough to let them go in cargo when you travel by airplane. I did not want to test my chances with the airlines, and thus, got cases made for all my equipments. Here's an image of my XL H1 case and one of the accessories case.

http://www.luontovideo.net/Cases.JPG (http://www.luontovideo.net)

I bought a Porta Brace quick draw ("cc" something) for my XL2 and accessories, and it's worked out well. Olenty of room and a hard metal protector for the viewfinder. There's room for everything plus. I plan to use it for my H1. it is , of course, too big for plane overhead.
Bruce S. Yarock
www.yarock.com

I've used Portabrace bags for many years and have never had any problems. They have one bag that will collapse smaller when needed--you take the lens off and put it in it's own padded compartment, and the length of the bag can be zipped down. I've seen a different bag, I think it's either 16X9 or Petrol, that is sized so you can leave your mattebox on if you want.

Another option might be the Pelican 1550NF with the soft bag. That way you get the best of both worlds. I've just ordered one.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=details_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=182962&is=REG&addedTroughValue=228224_REG&addedTroughType=accessory_detail
plus
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=228224&is=REG

I imagine this is perfect for traveling.

Even; Looks really nice - but it seems to be a quite small bag - will the XL H1 fit in with the 20x lens mounted?

Lauri; where can I find the taylormade cases?

Hi Jonas,

Good question. With the 20x mounted I doubt. But in its constituent pieces - I fully expect it to fit. I have an XL H1 on my shopping list, so I'll let you know when the time comes. :)

Lauri; where can I find the taylormade cases?

Jonas, I would guess there must be some close to you as well. The factory which made mine told me they make cases for hospitals, ambulances, musicians and bands, broadcasting companies etc. So, to find out where such cases are made in Sweden, I would ask people who manage the mobile television units/trucks in SVT or other broadcast companies. Or, if you know any medicine people operating with helicopters or ambulances, they should know.

If you ever end up with such a solution, I can send you details of my cases by email.

I found a case in LA for my H1 that I like very much for around $260. It's called Strut. Very high quality, great fit. Has extra room in front so there is room for my matte box and less pressure on the mic. I guess the owner was one of the main guys at Portabrace for years and is now out doing his own thing. web site is www.strutcases.com . They have a great section in their FAQ on traveling with a camera. Nice to see a new player.

I have the Kata CCC-110 and I really love it. Camera fits with viewfinder attached and there is plenty of protection as well as storage space.

I think cases are really personal. I think Kata does a pretty good job but the old models never had enough pockets for me. The new ones seem a little too flashy and heavy. Portabrace has got a great history and has served the industry well, but it seems to be losing something. Like I said, bags are personal. You get used to stowing your gear just so and then you know you've got what you need, and you know where to find it.

the only thing I don't like about "shipping" the camera in a hardcase...is you can't lock it on the airlines. Therefore...it's easy for someone to open the case the take the camera out.

If I have to ship a camera now....I'll do it fedex...with the custom case locked.

FYI...I have a 16x9 case (don't know who's making them)
http://www.16x9inc.com/products/16x9/169-cb2.html

It fits the H1 with Mattebox and Rods...and the Anton Bauer bracket on the back with a Trimpac 14 on it. Plus they gave me a nice 16x9 mattebox cover that goes over the mattebox to protect the lens...and it has a zipper on it for the foldable french flag.

It travels in overhead storage on the airlines...and I haven't had a bit of problems with it. Nice zippers with PLENTY of room.

I agree on shipping cameras. I can't believe what goes on at the airlines. I lost a laptop and a still camera out of my luggage a while ago. With all the security, how do these guys get away with walking out with all this stuff?

By the way, not to go on and on about Strut but they have a good section on traveling with a camera in their FAQ http://www.strutcases.com/FAQ/faq.html

Hi Michel,
The "security" introduces new problems too. My wife got her new watch stolen by the X-ray staff in Mombasa, Kenya, two months ago. However, we got through with a lot of video and audio gear as hand luggage without trouble.
Then they were very eager to look through everything and examine all pockets in the search for the watch.

While my wife had to go back and X-ray her clothes in search for her watch another staff was eager to examine her backpacker. He opened a zipper inside the lid and found her wallet ... I was standing three meters in front watching him. He looked suspiciously around ... suddenly noticing me watching him. He immediately pulled out his hand and looked embarrassed!

A policeman came. We thought one of the three "suspected" should "find" the watch when we searched around them and inside the X-ray machine if it had "fallen out" of the tray as they suggested.

BTW, they had their metal detectors so sensitive so you had nearly to take off everything. I had to pass three times before I was cleared. (I'm a private pilot myself so I know the procedure and what normally passes.)

The result was that a lot of things had to be taken off and pockets emptied. Then it was more easily for them to take something while we were busy with all that gear and two kids ...

So, empty your pockets in your bag in advance. Don't have any metal in your shoes, wear plastic belt, no zippers in your clothes, ...

They insist to X-ray nearly everything but if there is nobody watching the screen doesn't matter sometimes!

It is getting more and more difficult to travel these days ... /Johan

Hi Johan,
The airline industry should look at these everyday happenings and realize what a joke it makes out of the whole idea of security. When I called to make a claim for my lost goods I was treated like I was the criminal and never did get restitution. So I guess you agree that your camera belongs with you as a carry on item not shipped in the baggage hold. Like the guy at Strut says "your camera is your work". That makes it your priority piece of luggage even if you have to take it on bare and wrap it in a blanket...it stays with you.

I have a Petrol PCBP-3N, and I am very satisfied with it.. As I am usually carrying lots of other stuff besides the camera, a backpack is a very good option. In this case I carry all the accessories including a shotgun, extra batteries, Canon wide angle lens, tapes, cleaners, white cards, rain jacket, and occasionally a mamoth Dell 17" laptop. I have taken this carry on in a plane hauled it through a dozen cites, in my car, even piled under other stuff.. Nothing in it has ever been damaged in the least. I think alot of people do not consider the backpack for various reasons, but one of the really good qualities about it is that it is self contained, and you can carry all your stuff with you when you are in a public shoot. There is nothing worse that having a crackhead eying your stuff when you shooting in NYC.. if its on your back, you don't have to watch it. Nuff said..

Brian

Ahh ok.. Damn.. I'll go out to pelican once I have the camera and take it from there, thanks for the heads up.

Nice to see another Ash on the site :)

Just curious to know if you were able to get the Pelican Foam custom made. I am in the same situation and I would like the hard case.

I recently picked up a 28 inch stanley FatMax tool box. It's water resistant and very sturdy. I cut some foam dividers for it and my camera fits right in fully assembled with a sony mrc1k compact flash video recorder mounted on the back. I will have some pictures up soon.

It took a little doing . I used some scrap foam I had a around (the white foam I bought at a fabric store, will be replacing it with sturdier foam) , a hot glue gun, some velcro, and a box cutter to trim and cut spaces in the foam. I am able to fit the entire camera in the case with everything attached (except built in mic). I also picked up a small grey toolbag at home depot for batteries etc... I am going to be tweaking it a bit. The toolbox has a waterproof gasket and is sturdy enough to stand on.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17824&stc=1&d=1272606128

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17823&stc=1&d=1272606128

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17825&stc=1&d=1272606128

Model Jade Vixen not included with toolbox camera case.