tomcat

I have tried several, but the best one is Think Tank Airport Advantage. The wheels are sturdier and the bag rolls smoother. It holds a lot of stuff and is narrow and short enough to fit in the overhead bins.

Beenthere

Tenba is a company, I discovered, that features a bunch of accessories for photographers and videographers. For my audio recording business, I bought lighting stands for microphones and sand bags to stabilize them when up high in front of an orchestra. Last summer I decided that I needed a rolling bag for my amateur camera stuff and Tenba made the lightest by far that seemed also strong enough to protect on an airplane trip. It was a perfect fit in the overhead bin too. Here is their site link;

https://www.tenba.com

Dossile

Look at B&H or Adorama. B&H has 67 rolling camera bags. Lowepro, Tenba, Think Tank or Vanguard are great brands. I bought an extremely well made Tenba rolling suitcase that has backpack straps. The camera case is really a typical roll on piece of luggage at 22”X14”X9” with a built in lock and cable. It holds my D850, 200-500, 24-70, 70-200 and 16-35 with cleaning supplies, a waterproof suitcase cover, filters, batteries, binoculars, my IPad, pens etc., and a tripod carried in a pocket with straps on the side. I had to figure out how to position the dividers. It took awhile. The piece is a primary carry on, so a smaller briefcase or backpack can accompany it. I generally travel light by plane and use it mainly on road trips. When I have taken it on a plane, I pack a second smaller shoulder strap camera bag in my main luggage filled with socks and T shirts so that I can use the camera walking around. The luggage sized camera bag is a pain walking in a city or on a hike. It is great out of a car. At home, I store my gear in the case.

If security is an issue at your hotel, then I would get a pelican case and two padlocks. The other option is a Pacsafe cable mesh backpack security net that can be locked to a fixed structure. A zippered suitcase can always be opened with a pen to the teeth of the zipper, so a lock is ineffective if the bag is left in a hotel room unattended. The 85 Liter easily fits an international carryon and likely many American carry on suitcases.

goolgol Loc: Sydney, Australia

The trouble with many of these travel bags, especially the wheeled ones, is the empty weight before one adds the photographic equipment. Most airlines nowadays seem to only allow a maximum of 7 or 8kg in the cabin and I always struggle with my equipment when travelling.

Dossile

I agree. Non-US based carriers are much stricter in regards to their weight limits. Years ago I had carry ons weighed routinely when flying internationally. That is less common now, but still happens occasionally, especially with smaller discount flights. I just flew into a smaller regional airport in the USA and had to curbside check our carryons, a situation which also worries me with camera gear unless securely locked.

If you ever get caught with an overweight bag, make sure you have a cap for your camera lens mount. Wear your camera with the cap like a cross strap and put a lens in your jacket pocket for the weigh in.

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

I have a medium size Tamrac backpack, that holds a lot (2 bodies, 2-5 lenses, etc.). I put that inside a small spinner carryon and I can still get a laptop, blanket, jacket and several other items in that bag. I have also added a long lens in it's case before. Works well for me. I can then pull the pack out and put it in my car when going out to shoot. The advantage for me is IF I am on a smaller plane and they want to take the spinner, again I can take the pack out and slide it under my seat. Most often it rides above my head with no issue.

tomcat

Excellent idea. I did something similar with a pair of Think Tank holsters. I put camera bodies with a medium lens inside both and pack them in a carry-on sized rolling luggage that fits under the seat Then I pack the longer lenses and accessories in a backpack and carry on with me. So even though my stuff is in two packs, I have it with me. I like your idea with the spinner carry on even better.

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

I have a bad back so this is great for me also when I go to a camera class. 😁