• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Brother AirScouter WD-300C Head-mounted Display Review
  • The Traveling Photographer: Photographing People: Guidelines
  • Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Panasonic Leica 200mm f/2.8 Offers Superb Build Quality & Reach
  • The Vello BG-N19 Battery Grip for Nikon D850
  • My First Aurora HDR 2018 Experience

Photofocus

education and inspiration for visual storytellers

Menu
  • Blog
  • Photo
    • Shooting
    • Gear
    • Lighting
    • Photography
    • Close
  • Video
    • Shooting
    • Gear
    • Lighting
    • Cinematography
    • Close
  • Learn
    • Maximize Lightroom
    • HDR
    • Video
    • Lightroom
    • Photoshop
    • Close
  • Gear Guides
    • Bird Photography
    • The Ultimate GoPro Kit
    • Close
  • Business
  • Inspiration
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Audio Podcasts
    • Video Podcasts
    • Close
  • Software
  • Contests

Real-world Review: ORCA Carry-On Wheeled Suitcase

Rich Harrington 10/31/2016 0

I’m a sucker for camera bags.  I don’t think of them as fashion statements, but you wouldn’t know by looking at my gear room. I’ve got a wide range of bags for all sorts of purposes, flying, studio work, street photography, backpacking, and more. The folks at Orca sent me.a new bag to review, which I’m always game for… so let’s jump in. Let’s take a real-world look at the the ORCA OR-11 Rolling Suitcase for DSLR Cameras.

Is it Sturdy?

What I like about this bag is it seems well-built.  Let’s go from the bottom up.

  • Durable wheels. The wheels are very good.  They’re similar to a skateboard wheel, but with a bit more give.  They roll quietly and don’t seem prone to getting banged up.
    wheel
  • Honeycomb frame. The structure of the bag is quite solid.  It doesn’t bend or give, but still keeps a reasonable weight of 11 pounds.
    c73a3408-580x576
  • Strong nylon. The bag handles weather well and seems resistant to tears or stress.
  • Rugged handle.  I’ve had many bags get wobbly handles or jam.  While I haven’t dragged this one for hundreds of miles yet… it seems well-built and comfortable.
    handles
  • Solid zippers. This is often the weakest link on camera bags.  These seem durable and are very easy to find and operate with integrated zipper pullls.
    zipper
  • Metal reinforcement. A few pieces of metal piping appear to keep the bag rigid where it needs to.c73a3401-580x580

How’s it Pack?

The bag seems well laid out for the most part.  The compartments are easy to move and configure.  I found that I could easily fit a Sony A7R plus several lenses.  I also tossed in a Platypod Pro and Max, a small tripod, and a GoPro Hero5 kit.

c73a3409-580x576

What felt a bit strange to me is that the dividers didn’t really reach out to the lid of the suitcase.  This seems to be because of the laptop pouch section.  There’s quite a bit of room here, enough to easily fit a 17” laptop and even a tablet.  Once loaded, this fills in the top space and keeps the gear held down.  You’ll need to load some sort of gear here, or items can move a little too much inside.  The laptop compartment is recessed, and even when full there was no exterior bulging or tell-tale signs saying open me and steal a laptop.

laptoppouch

What I felt was missing was a series of small zippered pouches along the sides or in the flap.  While the bag did have a large zippered pouch that could be accessed from either the inside or outside (a nice feature).  I felt it needed more.  I usually use a series of small pouches and cases to hold cables, accessories, and batteries, so this isn’t a big deal.  But other manufacturers often have more small storage areas inside.

pouch2

They did include a useful gear pouch as well as a lens wrap.  These can help protect gear.  The velcro straps were also good at holding in gear, though I wish the bag came with a few more.

interior2

The bright blue liner of the bag is nice.  It makes it quite easy to see your gear when fumbling in lower light.  I’ve always been a fan of colored interiors since it seems most of my camera gear is black or dark gray.

Can It Fly?

I fly… a lot.  And most of the time I try to keep my gear with me on the plane.  I’m not very likely to check a bag with $15,000 worth of gear and then let it out of my sight. This back is well-over the size requirements for international flights.  For domestic flights it’s close.

For example, United Airlines states that the maximum dimensions for a carry-on bag are 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches including handles and wheels.

The Orca Carry-On Wheeled Suitcase checks in at 10.24 inches by 14.96 X 22 inches.

This means that you can probably sneak the bag on, but you’re risking it.  If a gate agent decides to measure it’s a no-go.  The extra 1.24 inches tall (when put into an overhead bin) should fit, but could get tight on a smaller plane.  The length and width are fine.

I’m a bit baffled why Orca advertises this as a Carry-On bag when its over the allowed size.  Its close and it will probably not be an issue (often) but this discrepancy is a bit concerning.

The Bottom Line

c73a3411-580x5761-580x576I really like this bag and have taken it on a few car trips and remote gigs.  I’d have no problem checking it (it seems sturdy) but it makes me nervous as a carry-on.  Orca should really work to get this bag inline with the specs.  For comparison, my Tenba Roadie II Large case complies at 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches.

I think if you need a solid back for jobs around town or on the road, this is a good back. The bag sells for $356 at B&H and  comes with a 2-year warranty.  The price is inline with other bags in its class.  The warranty however good be better, for example that Tenba Roadie comes with a 5-year coverage plan at the same price point.

All in all, I like this bag a lot…. I just wish I could carry it on a plane with confidence.

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Follow me
61

Rich Harrington

Publisher at Photofocus
Richard Harrington is the CEO of ThinkTAP and the Publisher of Photofocus.He is also the founder of RHED Pixel, a visual communications company based in Washington, D.C.

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.
Follow me
61

Latest posts by Rich Harrington (see all)

  • Reducing Chromatic Aberration in Aurora HDR 2018 (part 11) - April 21, 2018
  • Removing Ghost Images with Deghosting in Aurora HDR 2018 (part 10) - April 17, 2018
  • Aligning Source Images with Aurora HDR 2018 (part 9) - April 14, 2018

Categories: Photography Reviews Tags: camera bag carry on Orca review

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Google
  • Email
  • Print
 

You May Also Like:

Please Support Our Partners:

Datacolor Spyder – There is no better time to enhance your capabilities in color management and create outstanding images. Calibrating your display is the first step to ensuring your prints accurately match what you see on your screen.

Luminar – Meet the world’s first photo editor that adapts to your style & skill level. Luminar is the supercharged photo software that makes complex editing easy & enjoyable.

MPB.com – We buy, sell and trade used camera equipment with custom-designed technology, built to solve the challenges of peer to peer transactions. Our rapidly growing marketplace is available in the UK, US and EU countries. Build a camera setup that's right for you with MPB.

Platypod – Platypod Pro LLC makes the world's most compact mini tripod bases for photographers. Inspired by the duck-billed platypus, an animal with flat and broad feet, we designed our camera supports to be ideal for low-angle shots and situations where traditional tripods are cumbersome or impractical.

Perfectly Clear Complete – Built for precision. Made for beauty. Perfectly Clear has mastered the science of intelligent image correction - creating superior quality photos in record time, so you can get back to doing what you really love...in no time. Special Photofocus deal here.

HDR Learning Center – Check out new ways to use High Dynamic Range photography to make compelling images. Free tutorials and posts to get results. Produced in partnership with HDRsoft.

Adobe Portfolio – Beautifully Simple Creative Portfolio Websites are a snap to build. Try Adobe Portfolio, a tool to build your own personalized website in minutes, available to Creative Cloud subscribers today https://www.myportfolio.com.

ThinkTAP – New online education for photographers by working professionals. Be one of the first 50 people to buy our new time-lapse training for only $99 (that’s 60% off); use the code TL50.

Reader Interactions

Comment Policy: Vigorous discussion is welcome. Please use your real names and respect one another.

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our eBooks

  • Develop Great Images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Scribd | iBooks)
  • The Basic Beginner’s Guide to Photography Light & Exposure (iBooks)
  • Secrets of HDR (iBooks)
  • 72 Essays on Photography (iBooks | Amazon)

Footer

Photofocus

Regardless of the type of photography you focus on, Photofocus is here as a helpful and educational resource for the aspiring and professional photographer. Our goal is to assist in your success as an artist.

Advertise on Photofocus

Our eBooks

  • Develop Great Images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Scribd | iBooks)
  • The Basic Beginner’s Guide to Photography Light & Exposure (iBooks)
  • Secrets of HDR (iBooks)
  • 72 Essays on Photography (iBooks | Amazon)

Follow Us On Twitter

Follow @photofocus
Follow @scottbourne
Follow @rhedpixel
Follow @rodharlan
Follow @davecross
Follow @lightroomers
Follow @JoeMcNallyPhoto
Follow @Matthew_JordanS
© 2018 Photofocus · All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Advertise
    • Marketing Kit
  • Authors
    • The Publisher
    • The Founder
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
    • Contests
    • FTC Disclosures
    • Review Guidelines
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.