Customer Reviews

Think Tank Airport Security V 2.0

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The good thing about being a photographer for many years is that you accumulate a lot of valuable gear... the bad part is that it is difficult to bring it along with ease. I don't care to leave my bodies, lenses and speedlights at my studio as a break-in could leave me in a bad way. I also do a fair amount of location work and I always seem to need something that I have left behind somewhere, be it at the studio or in another camera bag. My decision to buy this bag was based on a fair amount of research and some experience with trying to get-by with less for years. This bag allows me to carry almost everything that I need at a location shoot (I still carry a small bag with my Q-Flash and battery pack) and it travels SO WELL. I have envied people with rolling bags for some time and now I envy no more. Parked across the lot from the reception hall? No problem. Rapid packing at the church after formals? Bring it. I also know that I will have the right bag for airline travel. The TSA lock and cable lock to secure the bag to a chair or table is a nice touch. The bag is so well constructed and the endless possibilites for arranging dividers is just great. I may pick-up the "low divider set" so I can slip my 15" MacBook Pro in the bag as well. That is a well thought out idea! I did choke at the idea of speeding so much money on that bag but the sting was short-lived and I now feel that I have the right bag for many years to come!

What I carry: Canon 5D and Canon 30D both with grips attached, 3 Speedlights, Fong Lightsphere and an array of other speedlight modifiers including gels, off-camera flash cable, Justin Clamp, 70-200mm 2.8L, 24-70mm 2.8L, 17-40mm f4L, 50mm 1.4 and hoods for all lenses, Sekonic L-358, 3 Pocket Wizards, lens cleaning supplies, electrical and gaffers tape, multitool, flashlight, 2 memory card cases, blower bulb, collapseable reflector, white balance cards, and many other misc. items for that "you never know" situation.

As a long time ThinkTank user, I have high expectations for anything that they offer. Despite these high expectations, I was impressed! The construction is excellent and the features are well thought out.

The only problem with this case is how well it works. You have to be VERY careful that you don't load it over the airline carry on limit of 40 pounds. It is very easy to fit well over 50 pounds of gear into this bag. That's fine for carrying around town, and that is this bags number one duty. I just have to make sure that I lighten the load before I fly.

Would I purchase this bag again? I plan on buying another one!

I just received this bag yesterday, and it is very clear from the outset that it was designed by and for photographers.

I moved from a Lightware MF 1420 case to this one so that I could travel more easily. Upon moving my gear into the Think Tank, I was amazed that there was actually more room that my old case! Granted, it is configured differently, but I am amazed at the amount of gear I can store in this case.

It easily fits two Manfrotto Nano light stands, two Nikon SB-800s, a Nikon digital SLR and assorted batteries, cables, backups and more.

The construction is rugged yet flexible: while I would not want to check it, I wouldn't worry if I had to do so. After filling it with my usual setup and necessities, I was left with more than 10 additional dividers.

This case is well worth every penny. I am very happy with this purchase.

I have had this bag now for about 1 1/2 years. In that time I have taken it on 30+ flights, many of them international. I carry a Canon 30D body, 17-40 lens, 50 1.4, 70-200 f4, 100 macro, flash,along with extra batteries, flash cards, with room for my Bose headphones, ipod, misc cables, power conversion plugs for foreign plugs etc. I haven't actually weighed it all, but it is heavy. I think this is the best bag of this type I have found. I carry another smaller flexible bag in my suitcase to actually carry gear when I arrive, but this is great for getting it there.

Pros:
-solid bag, very sturdy, meant for hard use, materials meant to last (wtih one small exception below)
-with optional lower divider set can also carry laptop
-several sets of pockets on the outside as well as inside so can carry tickets, passport etc. easily accessible
-sized to fit most any airline (except small regional ones that have check in at the airplane, and in that case the sturdy construction is appreciated)
-lots of options for equipment configuration

Cons:
-heavy, even empty
-zipper ties on the back of bag are now about worn through, not sure why since never used. It appears friction from sliding bag into overheads etc. has worn them out
-handle very hard to get hold of (it's very tight unless you have small fingers) and seems very flimsy. So far mine has not failed, but it always seems not quite as well made as rest of bag.

I travel quite a bit by air. The Think Tank Airport Security Roller Bag is the best large carry-on I've owned by far, and I've used a few! I use this bag in tandem with the "Urban Disguise 40."
There is enough room to pack a full traveling studio.....4 speedlites, 2 bodies, 2 lenses, and all the little stuff that goes along. If I transfer some of this to the "Urban Disguise 40, I have room for my 24 in. monitor if I use the low profile dividers. When I fly, the "Airport Security" goes in the overhead bin, and the "Urban Disguise 40" goes under the seat in front of me. Between the two bags, I have ample room for everything I need for location shooting as well as a change of clothes in case the airline "loses" my checked luggage! An excellent value for the traveling photographer!Think Tank Airport Security V2.0, Carry On Roller Bag for Photo Gear

I bought it a month ago, I live in Brazil and so far I have made 2 international flights, 8 national flights and 2 regional jet flights and I'm yet to have any problem with it's size and bulk.

I've used all kinds of camera bags, from rollers to backpacks, hard cases, modular systems, etc. and so far, the Airport Security is the best photo bag in any category I've ever used!

It's so well thought and made, all details are in the right place and you can fit a great amount of gear inside it. TSA locks and security cables are awesome for any frequent traveler, internal dividers the right size/amount, tripod holder works and you can take it away as well, I could go on and on talking about the great features but you can see them all on the manufacturer's web site and they are all great and functional ! Only critic I would post is that the elastic sleeve in front of the bag is too tight so you can't really fit the Artificial Intelligence Laptop Bag when any or both bags are fully loaded.

You can't go wrong with Thinktank products and the Airport Security V2.0 is probably one of the best they make and that is quite a statement!

I'm a full time Pro photographer who is always on the road carrying loads of gear so this is a real world review from an experienced traveler.

Briefly, this is the best bag I've ever had for my SLR and Lenses and accessories. I pulled this around hotel lobbies, through it into the back of the car and performed flawlessly. It's highly practical, exquisitely constructed, a must have for travelling and for me I'm now using it also to keep all my equipment organized in one place, this bag. I open the bag and can quickly find everything I need.

This bag is very well built. It has alot of good features.
It holds so much equipment that it can be a challenge to lift it up into that overhead bin on the plane. I am very pleased with this bag, & feel that my equipment is very well protected.

The Think Tank Airport Security v 2.0 bag is so well made, so well constructed and so well designed that I can't think of using any other bag at this point in time. While it's definitley expensive, one must consider the level at which they value their gear and compare that to the cost to understand the value of the bag.

Security:
The bag is designed like any standard piece of luggage. This is of course fantastic becasue you don't have a billboard on your gear saying "steal me, I'm full of Canon/Nikon gear". There are several locks on the bag including your standard combination lot to prevent the zippers to open AND an additional wire combination lock to be able to tether your bag to a pole/stand/anything secure.

Compartments:
The bag is full of extensible compartments that are very well constructed and easily managed to be modified to fit each individual users needs. Keep in mind that this is designed to be used by professional photographers. That means that by default you're going to have two areas built into the bag for two camera bodies (Standard & Backup). To give you an idea of how much gear I can safely fit into this device, I keep two camera bodies, and the following lenses: Canon 35mm f1.4 L Canon 85mm 1.8 Canon 100mm L IS Macro Canon 135mm f/2 Canon 24-105 f/4 L Canon 100-400 L 3 Canon 480EX II flashes Sekonic Light Meter and I have room for one more lens!

Inside Pouches:
Made of high grade clear plastic so that you can easily see what you have stored, well made with zippers, this is the location that I store things like my extra memory cards, cleaning materials, batteries, flashlight, and the like.

Outside Pouches:
The one thing about the bag that makes me scratch my head is the front pouch. It's convienient in that you can stuff things like papers in it, maybe even a Rogue Flash Bender, but it's not really something that I have found a fantastic use for. I think they would have done better by putting another pocketed & zippered compartment. This of course isn't that big of an issue.

Wheels:
You need to know that the wheels will need to be replaced as time moves on. This should be an "of course" in most people's mind but it's something to note.

Summary:
THe bottom line is that this bag is built well, is made with the professional photographer in mind and is well suited to be brought along as a travel bag for anyone flying or traveling to a shoot.

Wow, this thing is great. Tons of flexibility. I've got an entire underwater housing, strobes, arms, modeling light, camera body and 3 lenses packed into it and still I have room for things.