Traveling with your studio... It's all in the bag.

One of the most common questions I receive is how I manage to schlep an entire studio-worth of production gear around the country and stay sane... My answer: It's all in the bag. The right kind of baggage can really help make traveling with production equipment manageable. Here's what I bring:

This is my only check-in bag. It's an Eddie Bauer rolling duffle -- the largest they make. It's so large, in fact, that I almost never fill up the top section, which is where my clothes go. You'll notice there is a separate bottom compartment, though, which is where the utility lies. Inside, wrapped in a thick production blanket are my two tripods.. One is for my video camera, and one for stills (I've yet to find a tripod that is light enough for my dSLR, but rock solid enough for my video camera, and could do double duty). The two tripods make up most of the weight of this bag, which, when added to my clothes and toiletries and such, comes to around 45lb, just under the 50lb check-in limit on most airlines.

This is the jewel of my luggage system... The Think Tank Airline Roller, which I carry on with me whenever possible (I have to gate-check it on small aircraft). Let's take a look inside...

Here we have everything a portable studio kit could need. From top-left, there's an on-camera LED light (made by Zylight), my dSLR lens, Sony EX-1 XDCAM camera, rain cover, charger, Sennheiser Evolution wireless microphones, cleaning supplies and batteries, and finally my Nikon D300 SLR camera. The lid flap has room for cards, flyers, etc...

Finally, there's my backpack of choice, which is currently the Skooba Designs Check-Through bag. This bag is cool in that it's TSA approved so you don't have to take your laptop out at the airport. Saves a few precious moments...

Inside is my MacBook Editing studio, a portable HD, Sprint AirCard, iPhone, and a few other essentials. This is the bag that stays with me under the seat so I can edit on my flight home...

This combination has served me well for a couple of years now, but I'm always looking to find news ways to pack light and still carry everything I need. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line at ben@PrimeImageMedia.com