Lighting case for airlines?

[Bill Davis]

Bob,

If you go with the SKB case, you might consider modifying it by drilling and re-bolting the handle support points. Lighting gear is typically heavier than golf clubs, and while the SKB cases have the advantage of being pretty light (which helps greatly when you’re dinged up to $150 for exceeding 50 lbs) a fully loaded golf bag gets pretty heavy pretty fast.

YMMV.

Good luck.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Richard Crowley]

I also went with a large golf bag case for a bunch of stands and cables. I managed to pack 95 pounds into it(!) The case was great, but the weight was a killer.

On a short trip across the country, I needed just one stand and decided it would be clever to use a soft shotgun bag. The stand fit perfectly and traveled unscathed. However, at every point along the way, it was treated as a weapon. That got it hand-delivered (vs. on the luggage-go-round), but that typically took much longer and I was always the last one out waiting for my hand-delivered luggage. I don’t think I will do that again. 🙁

[Roderick Lavallee]

I’ve used a SportTube for the same purpose. Very useful.

-RJ Lavallee
bent spoon Media

[Liam Hall]

I regularly fly worldwide with 100 kilos of kit – including, but not always, lighting gear. I use Kata, Peli, Tenba and Petrol cases. All four are excellent manufacturers and will have various solutions that will fit your needs because they are specifically designed for the job.

First impressions count for a lot in this industry, I couldn’t imagine what my clients would think if I arrived with a golf bag. It sets the wrong tone.

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Chris Tompkins]

Golf bag stays in the Hotel room. Only for travel day.
Great for sticks, light stand, bags, batts, cables.
Highly recommend it. Hard Shell with wheels.

Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta LLC

[Liam Hall]

[Chris Tompkins] “Golf bag stays in the Hotel room.”

Not exactly handy for the quick dash to the airport at the end of the shoot…

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Mark Suszko]

It might also give an impression to your clients if you show up without your lighting gear, because it was easily identified as film making stuff and stolen en route. If you have the kind of superficial clients that would obsess about what brand of trendy bag you carry the stuff in, I think you have bigger problems.

[Liam Hall]

[Mark Suszko] “It might also give an impression to your clients if you show up without your lighting gear, because it was easily identified as film making stuff and stolen en route. If you have the kind of superficial clients that would obsess about what brand of trendy bag you carry the stuff in, I think you have bigger problems.”

Mark,

I’m guessing that comment is aimed at me…

First up, I travel a lot and have done for years. This year alone I’ve shot in twenty-two different countries. I agree traveling with gear that says “steal me” isn’t smart and something I take very seriously. Luckily for me, in my twenty-seven years in this business I’ve had precisely zero bags stolen.

Secondly, I don’t have superficial clients. I’ve worked for several Royal Families and several governments around the world. I make films for some pretty big companies too, like Kodak, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Tetra Pak, Unilever, BA… …You get the idea…

Thirdly, it’s not about having trendy bags either, (I didn’t know lighting cases could be trendy anyway). The point I make about creating a good first impression is that I consider it very important that a client or interviewee has absolute confidence in my ability to deliver. If I turned up with a bag with “Calloway or Nike” written in large letters down its side or a few stands tucked under my arm, because I left the odd looking case in the hotel, they might start to wonder who they’d booked. That nervousness can transmit itself to the screen. If it can be avoided, avoid it.

The OP asked advice for a lighting case, pretty much what he got was advice for a bag good enough to carry some stands, but not necessarily heads. My advice is simply choose a bag that is designed for the job you need it to do, otherwise you may come unstuck. Particularly if the airport thieves like golf:-)

Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net

[Bob Knapp]

Thanks everyone for great input! I definitely see both sides for quality of cases. For fun I’ll finish up this thread and describe my experience.

I needed a case fast!!! (3 days) so I went with a golf case. I found one on Craigslist for $15!! It wasn’t top of the line but for the price and it looked like it was never used so I went for it. I Placed 2 light stands, backdrop with stands, spare tripod, and even 2 light fixtures (carefully wrapped) in the case. The case had a place for a lock so I used a TSA lock for protection and in case the latches came loose.

First flight the case came out perfect everything in working order. The flight back was out of ATL. I had to drop the case at a different bag drop off for larger bags. The TSA guys there were already diagnosing a golf bag so I knew mine wasn’t going to skate by.

When I picked up my bag after the flight it came off the belt with 2 of the 3 latches unbuckled. The bottom latch and the lock was the only thing holding it together (I got lucky). Everything was still in its place and working properly.

So, you can see both sides on using a quality case. I fixed the latches to make them tighter and we’ll see how round 2 goes. I’m definitely sold on the golf case idea. I’ll probably buy a better quality one soon.

I’ve never had gear stolen but I try to be careful. I even lock my Pelican cases to the bed frame in hotels if I’m not sure about the area. TSA and baggage handlers are our biggest problem. I’ll always be traveling for work so I’ll keep experiencing and learning and try to make things easier and safer. You guys helped tremendously thanks again and hopefully this will help others with their decisions when traveling with gear for work. Thanks again!

See What I See Productions

[James Dow]

I’m usually a one man band production guy. My usual routine is as follows…
HVX200a in a Kata airline trolley bag that I always try to keep with me. Often the smaller regional jets with the small overhead storage bins necessitate the “Green card gate check” treatment. When this happens I remove the camera and my laptop, and carry them on as my personal items. The KATA bag looks like it will last 2 years before needing a replacement. (probably because I carry too much in it…the handle is about to snap off. Hopefully I can just replace the trolley part.)

Sometimes I check a Lowell Rifa light and a tripod. I have had one tripod disappear upon clearing customs and re-checking on United. It showed up a month later, after I had purchased a new tripod. If it would have stayed lost they would have replaced…since it was later returned I got nothing for the inconvenience.

Depending on my destination I will often ship a light kit via UPS. So far this has worked pretty well. A 90 pound ARRI kit can cost $200 bucks to ship, but the client is gonna pay for that, right? I LAO Have a 50 pound Lowell DP kit that I ship frequently. I just gaffer tape the latches and slap the shipping label on it. So far, so good. Since I have several kits I’m usually covered for my shoots while waiting for the return shipment.

JPD