What do you carry your camera rig in?

[Yorkie88]

I'm looking at getting one of the AO coolers for my rig, just thinking about a couple of things out loud in case anyone has experience with them 🙂

 

Is the 24 can size big enough for a full frame + 2 strobe rig or is 36 a better option?

 

Is the 36 size generally allowed as carry-on/cabin baggage?

 

Cheers!

[gstrek]

9 hours ago, Yorkie88 said:

I'm looking at getting one of the AO coolers for my rig, just thinking about a couple of things out loud in case anyone has experience with them 🙂

 

Is the 24 can size big enough for a full frame + 2 strobe rig or is 36 a better option?

 

Is the 36 size generally allowed as carry-on/cabin baggage?

 

Cheers!

I use the AO Cooler 18 pack for my SeaFrogs Salted Line a6xxx, 1 strobe, arms, grip and tray.  It barely fits if you fold in the arms.  The cooler folds flat and goes in my check-in bag; it is very bulky, even when folded.   The housing, camera, etc. go into my carry-on backpack.   

For a full frame, 2 strobes, arms, etc., a 24 pack would be a very tight fit, if it fit at all.  The larger cooler would be a safer choice but you will have to measure to see if it would be an allowable, carry-on size. I would also recommend that  you fold up your rig as compact as possible and measure the dimensions for comparison to the internal size of the coolers.  The height is problematic for me with the 18 pack.

[Yorkie88]

1 hour ago, gstrek said:

I use the AO Cooler 18 pack for my SeaFrogs Salted Line a6xxx, 1 strobe, arms, grip and tray.  It barely fits if you fold in the arms.  The cooler folds flat and goes in my check-in bag; it is very bulky, even when folded.   The housing, camera, etc. go into my carry-on backpack.   

For a full frame, 2 strobes, arms, etc., a 24 pack would be a very tight fit, if it fit at all.  The larger cooler would be a safer choice but you will have to measure to see if it would be an allowable, carry-on size. I would also recommend that  you fold up your rig as compact as possible and measure the dimensions for comparison to the internal size of the coolers.  The height is problematic for me with the 18 pack.

Thanks - I'm still waiting for the housing to arrive so I think I'll be best measuring up when it arrives, rather than guessing now.

 

I'm heading to the US for work in a few weeks but I've actually found somewhere selling them cheaper in Australia so I don't need to rush and bring one back from the states with me.

[Nemrod]

I use a Pelican Air for on the airline or in transit. But once at the dive site I use a Sam's Club bag, about $9. I have one that I have used for several years, even got rescued by a Bedouin gentleman in Egypt, I gave him more tip for finding my bag than it could be worth but he was so proud to have helped me!

 

Edited March 24 by Nemrod

[Johan]

For travel I use a Lowepro ProTactic BP 450 AW. I'm very happy with it. I can fit my housing, strobes, camera, 2 or 3 lenses, laptop, spare batteries and a couple of other parts. Of course the bag ends up being around 12-14 kg which is super heavy, but the bag is still comfortable enough. I haven't had any problem with airlines in Asia. I like that it appears just as a regular bag, and haven't been asked by airline staff to weigh it.

 

For boat trips I've been using an AO Cooler 36 for about 8 years now. I am glad that I went with the 36 and not the 24. I don't see that much difference in terms of space taken by my old APS-C Ikelite setup, and the full-frame Seacam setup I now have. Then again the Seacam housing is compact. It's the arms that tend to get in the way. Extra space is always useful for spare parts tupperware, mask, dive computer, torch, towel, etc. 

However the zippers are metallic and will get encrusted. I did dissolve those a couple of times with vinegar, but that's a short term fix. I can't move them now and am not even trying anymore. I originally had the thought of using it as a carry-on but never did - yeah it's well padded but still too loose inside, + with all the spare parts, laptop etc... not ideal or feasible.

 

What I do instead is that I put the AO coolers in a regular suitcase. So, with the suitcase open, I stack the fins first, then the cooler on top, stash the ports and arms in the cooler, then all my clothes. I've even managed to fit the BCD and reg as well in that suitcase. After that there's still plenty of space for about 1 swimsuit and 2.5 t-shirts...