Travel-ready Think Tank Airport Security carry-ons

A while back I wrote an article about our carry-on luggage for two dSLR housings. Since the Storm Cases combined could only fit a single flat port and small dome port, all other ports (including some Aquatica 8" ports and port shades) had to be packed in our checked luggage. I assumed a bunch of ports would have little or no value to thieves. Well, a connecting flight through San Juan proved me wrong. They stole five ports, including two limited edition Ikelite-Aquatica dome ports with port shades. I later found one of the Ikelite-Aquatica ports bundled with a housing for sale on eBay. You can read part of the story in our Bonaire in October 2005 trip report. Hopefully the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and TSA will put an end to the thefts in San Juan, but I'm not holding my breath. So meanwhile, I went looking for larger carry-ons -- ones that could potentially accomodate our newly purchased, and redesigned, Ikelite 8 inch ports.

The Think Tank Airport Security carry-on appeared to be ideally suited -- it's inside dimensions suggested it could fit an 8" port, it comes with padded dividers, and includes several handy features like an integrated tie-down cable. The only drawback to this carry-on is it's rather expensive price ($359 MSRP) and size -- it pushes the limits of carry-on sizes.

It took me most of one day to organize the dividers -- I was determined to fit in each carry-on one 8 inch port, it's three stalks, a flat macro port, and all the ULCS arms needed by these various ports. I succeeded with sections to spare for a Fisheye flashlight, Nitrox analyzer, various power adapters and chargers, etc. Each carry-on weighed 35-38lbs fully loaded. Here's a complete list, including where each item is located (going from bottom-up):

• Two Ikelite DS-125 substrobes, one in each bottom corner.
• An 8 inch dome port without stalk, located in the center between the two substrobes (packed in freezer type ziplock with a very large micro-fiber cloth to protect it's surface).
• "Y" TTL cable in triangular section next to the dome port.
• A Fisheye HG20DX modeling flashlight above one substrobe.
• A flat focus port for the Canon 100mm Macro lens above the other substrobe.
• Short length #5510.10 stalk for the 8 inch port, resting on the top of the 100mm flat port.
• A quick charger for the DS-125 substrobes and the Fisheye flashlight charger - both in the space above the Fisheye flashlight.
• An Ikelite Canon 20D housing with it's baseplate and handles removed.
• A Canon 20D camera, mounted inside the housing.
• Long length #5510.24 stalk for the 8 inch port, next to the 20D housing.
• Medium length #5510.16 stalk for the 8 inch port and Nitrox analyzer, next to the 20D housing.
• Housing baseplate, handles, and a variety of ULCS clamps and arms (up to 12 inches in length) above the 20D housing.
• Two ULCS DB-16 substrobe arms on the inside of the front flap.
• Miscellaneous items: multiple spare o-rings for housing/ports/lights/strobes/cables/etc., a Petzl LED headlight for servicing o-rings, a damp fiber-free cloth for service area, lens cleaning fluid and micro-fiber cloths, a dozen Ikelite silicon tubes, roll of double-sided velcro, spare Canon 20D batteries and compact flash.

Carry-on and personal items for two people

The Airport Security carry-on fits well in most overheads, except for the little prop planes with "Valet" service at the door. I don't foresee any problems travelling with them, although if you count the wheels and feet, it exceeds the standard carry-on size limits. Even without factoring in the feet or wheels, it's still a good 0.5-1" over-sized, depending on how you measure it -- it's a little smaller when resting on it's front. So, if someone is going to measure it, make sure you present it properly. :-) Overall, it looks like any other large/largest carry-on, so I doubt anyone would go through the trouble of measuring it.

The overall build quality is excellent - on par with other pro-level photo gear. My only complaint might be the numbered locks -- with little effort, and a few minutes to spare, you could probably unlock them. The locks are similar to old-style bicycle locks you can pull and see the individual dials move - so they're not the safest locks, but they'll probably keep out would-be thieves for a few minutes. A good knife would probably work pretty well too. :-)

Aside from the two Think Tank Airport Security carry-ons, we also travel with two "personal items" -- Stahlsac's largest regulator bag and a Crumpler Schrinkle photo backpack. Our regulators and laptop go into the Stahlsac; lenses and spare Canon 20D body go into the Crumpler.