A Bag for the Mobile Photographer
A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread soliciting suggestions for a bag that could carry a limited amount of photographic equipment into the field. I indicated then that I planned to carry a Nikon D300 camera with a Nikkor 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens attached, a shorter Nikkor 28-105 mm lens, a compact travel tripod, a tripod ball head, a CF card wallet, and extra camera batteries. While I received some useful suggestions, I felt that none of them fully met my needs. But now I have the answer to my original inquiry.
The solution is the ThinkTank Glass Taxi, a small, beautifully constructed and designed photo backpack that can safely carry a 400 mm f/2.8 or a 500 mm f/4 lens. But this small and light backpack can also be configured in numerous other ways, e.g., to carry my D300/80-400 mm combo, a Canon DSLR with a 100-400 mm lens, or similar combinations. And there is room to spare with extra padded compartments holding smaller lenses, lens shades etc. And it will also carry a reasonably sized tripod into the field.
While I plan to carry most of my photo equipment during air travel in a roller photo carryon bag, the Glass Taxi, will serve as my other, "personal" item on the plane. It can do that because it is so small (enabling it to fit easily under the seat in front), and the backpack shoulder straps can be tucked away out of sight, leaving only a small bag with a shoulder strap. Yet inside the bag during airline travel I will be able to carry my noise-canceling headphones, iPod, books to read, compact travel tripod, etc.
So the ThinkTank Glass Taxi is my solution for traveling without checking ANY of my valuable photographic equipment with the airlines, and for carrying and protecting my equipment in the field (and during Antarctic Zodiac landings) against all weather contingencies.
Hopefully, this advice will be helpful to others having similar travel requirements.:)
Norm Dulak
