I am currently traveling in Japan and decided to travel light with gear. I wanted to be able to fit virtually all my gear into a single piece of carry-on baggage (there was no way I was going to deal with lost items). For this trip, I have some new gear I want to test, I also have a variety of shooting styles to execute including time laps and video. I decided to go Micro Four-Thirds for this trip (and what I fit into one bag amazed even me).
I’ll be shooting for the next two weeks (and will share what I find as well as opinions on new gear). But I can safely report:
- The bag fit on the airplane and had no issues with gate staff
- Did fit under a seat.
- Did fit in a standard overhead compartment easily (handle facing out)
- Got through customs with no problem
The Bag
The case I used ROADIE II HYBRID BLACK
- Weight 10.5 lbs(4.8 kg)
- Exterior Dimensions 14W X 20H X 8.5D in. (36 X 51 X 22 cm)
- Meets international carry-on requirements
Camera Bodies
- 2 OM-D E-M5 Camera Body
- 1 OM-D E-M1 Camera Body
- 1 Panasonic DMC-GH3 Body
- 2 Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras
- 2 Olympus BCN1 Charges
- 11 Olympus Batteries
- 2 Blackmagic Chargers
- 9 Blackmagic Batteries
- 3 Multiformat Chargers
- 5 Panasonic Batteries
Lenses
- 1 Olympus 12MM 2
- 1 Lumix 12.5 3-D Lens 12
- 1 Olympus 12-50MM 3.5-6.3
- 1 Lumix 14 MM 2.5
- 1 Olympus 15MM 8
- 1 Lumix 25 1.4
- 1 Olympus 40-150 4-5.6
- 1 Olympus 45 1.8
- 1 Olympus 60MM MACRO 2.8
- 1 Olympus 75 1.8
- 1 Olympus 75-300 4.8-6.7
- 1 FUJIAN GDS-35 1.7 Manual Lens
- 1 Lomography MFT SET
- 1 PINWIDE PINHOLE LENS
Audio
- 1 ZOOM H4N
- 1 Olympus Microphone Adapter
- 2 XLR Audio Cables
- 2 TRAM Lavaliere Microphones
- 1 Wooden Camera XLR Audio adapter
Support Gear
- 1 Olympus 600-FR Flash
- 2 Remote Shutter Releases
- 1 Olympus Macro Light MAL-1
- 1 HDMI Coupler
- 3 HDMI Cables
- 4 Camera USB Cables
- 1 HDMI Coupler
- 1 Toolkit Really Right Stuff
- 6 Allen Wrenches
- 4 Really Right Stuff L-plates
- 2 Really Right Stuff Base-plates
- 2 Lenspens
- 1 Tether Tools Rock Solid Accessory Extension Bar
- 2 Vulture Works Straps
- 1 Giottos Rocket Blower
- 1 14 Photovision Calibration Target
- 2 Pelican Hard Case Card Wallets
- 2 Spare Camera Plates
Checked Bag Gear
Packed in my suitcase (checked baggage) were.
- 2 Giottos Voyage Compact Tripods
- 3 Really Right Stuff Tripod Heads
- 1 Sirui Monopod
- 1 Steadicam Curve
- My GoPro Kit (more on this later)
The Verdict
I’ll be packing things smaller for going out shooting each day. I’m limiting myself to a tiny Domke shoulder bag (what Scott would call my man purse). I am still amazed that this all fit and truly excited. I have a lot of different styles of shooting to do as well as some friends joining me (who I brought gear to share with). Micro Four-Thirds is an amazing format that’s small and compact, yet still quite powerful.
In the comments below, let me know if you have questions on any items or any suggestions as a road warrior yourself.
______
Richard Harrington
Rich has published over 100 courses on Lynda.com. Rich has authored several books including From Still to Motion, Understanding Photoshop, Professional Web Video, and Creating DSLR Video.
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Cool. Could you carry on all of that with the addition of two strobes (600 watt elinchroms) minus the audio gear. Or is it just too much.
No… they wouldn’t fit in this bag… but I was flying international. I have a larger rolling back and they probably would fit (for domestic). Or those could be checked. The audio equipment was QUITE small.
I’m curious – did you weigh this bag once it was full? I do a lot of travel between New Zealand and Europe and I’ve noticed recently that they’ve started to get a lot more particular on the weight of carry on. The limit is usually 7.5Kgs which is very easy to hit. A lot of roller bags get close to this on their own.
I’ve been enjoying some of your Lynda tutorials lately Rich. I’ve done a lot of photography but am pretty new to Video. Learning a lot of useful tips, thanks!
I will weigh it when I get home… It’s heavy, but not ridiculous. The MFT lenses are a LOT lighter than DSLR. Plus the bag “looks” light so they didn’t stress.
Hi Richard. Thanks for this. I am getting the same bag and wanted to ask you – if you stuff like rods and tripod mounts ( heavy ..metallic) …parts of my shoulder rig would pass through security? any experiences? ( Yes, this comment isnt exactly in line with the Tenba, but I thought I would ask). Thanks for your time.
I usually check that stuff. Very durable and not an issue. But I have gotten a zacuto rod system through security. And I just carried two tripods through yesterday.