Rolling case for Sony PMW-EX1

[Paul Chiu]

Search some dozen hard and soft rolling cases for the Sony PMW-EX1 and accessories with a Macbook Pro 17" notebook. The goal was to find the safest case for rolling over theme parks, big cities and even short stretches of rough roads this summer and fall.

I finally bought the Tenba Universal Roadie with outside dimensions of 20x14x8 and interiors of 17.5x12x7.25. It also fits in a Macbook Pro 17".

This 'Universal' model has the biggest inline style wheels among the Tenba Roadie series, even larger than the large Roadie. It also has the deepest interior at 7.25" which helps accomodate the Sony PMW-EX1 on its side. With the eyepiece pulled up, the PMW-EX1 can also be place snugly at one end of the Universal Roadie freeing the top 2/3 of the case for maybe a Letus35, light, microphone or external batteries.

At first, I thought the miles of rolling maybe better served with a Pelican or HPRC hard case with wheels. Upon closer inspection, all hard cases within cabin specs that can carry the Sony PMW-EX1 including the HPRC 2550W and HPRC 2600W or Pelican 1510 have flat hard wheels. These wheels with higher rolling resistance, meaning a larger surface of the wheel touching the ground will transfer more vibration into the case. Think of rolling over the 10 to 15 miles of theme parks a day and you would want as little vibration as possible.
The Tenba Universal Roadie with the largest inline style wheels among the various brands I looked at seemed to best protect while rolling with the Sony PMW-EX1.


Among the other rolling cases that accommodated the Sony PMW-EX1 I examined:

1. Petrol PCTB-3 rolling backpack
The best alternative and the interior was the best. The wheels were of the same size and kind as the Tenba Universal, large and sturdy. The only issue was the bottom of the case; (surface near wheels), it was not as reinforced as the Tenba Universal.
Also, the backpack feature cannot be used instantly instead of rolling since the shoulder harness has to be zippered underneath a canvas panel. It's either shoulder or rolling, no quick switch to the other when needed.

2. Crumpler Cork and Fork Photo Trolley Bag
This is a fabulous 2 in 1 rolling backpack. It's a backpack inside a really nice and strong roller case. The wheels are the best inline skate styled wheels I have seen in a cabin allowed luggage. The only problem is that I cannot fit a 17" Macbook Pro.

3. HPRC 2600WIC
The Sony PMW-EX1 fits inside the soft Porta Brace bag and it is 100% protected from drops and probably a bullet or SUV. The only problem is that the small flat wheels were designed for airports and not for theme parks or the occasional off roads. The only HPRC hard cases with big off road wheels were cases over 30" long, too big to take into the cabin.

4. Pelican 1510.
Same problem as the HPRC 2600W.

5. Kata HB-207 with Trolley
I have this setup and used it since May 2008.
Rolled it through 5 theme parks, Boston, New York city and Washington DC. Through pot holes, uneven sidewalks and even small steps.
The problem is that the setup is bulky, hard to hand hold getting the luggage with trolley attached into theme park rides or car trunks without taking out the trolley. The trolley has small hard wheels. Not flat like the HPRC and Pelican but not inline and large like the Tenba, Petrol or Crumpler. Vibration is felt by my hand throughout. Although the Sony PMW-EX1 works fine since, I do not want to submit it to another summer/fall of vibration. So the Kata HB-207 will be carrying other stuff this year.

[Floris de Rijke]

Wow, thanks a lot for this lengthly report.

1 question though, the Peli and HPCR are really tough, how would you compare the Tenba to these two when it comes to toughness?

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Floris de Rijke

Wow, thanks a lot for this lengthly report.

1 question though, the Peli and HPCR are really tough, how would you compare the Tenba to these two when it comes to toughness?

real easy verdict here.

i can stand on the pelican or HPRC cases, even the smallest 1510 or 2550.
as the web videos show, these hard cases can be dropped from buildings and into the ocean.

you can lean on the tenba but i would not sit on it.


it was the 'rolling' aspect of it that limited my choice.
(i would have gone hard)

the smaller hard cases that were "airline cabin allowed" all had small flat hard wheels that were airport terminals friendly, not really for city streets.

i may be totally wrong here and if someone in DV(i) have rolled Pelican or HPRC cases around theme parks, new york city, boston, and san francisco for miles and miles.
especially with the cloth inserts with no vibration issues, please let us know!!!

paul

[Mitchell Lewis]

Here's another option for a case with wheels:

Storm 2720 Case with Custom Sony EX-1 Foam Insert :: Hard Cases :: Cases & Bags :: Cases, Covers & Housings :: Equipment Sales :: Abel Cine Tech

I have the larger version of this case I bought from Zacuto and I'm very happy with it.

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Mitchell Lewis

Here's another option for a case with wheels:

Storm 2720 Case with Custom Sony EX-1 Foam Insert :: Hard Cases :: Cases & Bags :: Cases, Covers & Housings :: Equipment Sales :: Abel Cine Tech

I have the larger version of this case I bought from Zacuto and I'm very happy with it.

thanks mitchell,

i like the look of those wheels
these are inline skate wheels and probably can be rolled all day long in the city and theme parks.

now, if they make an airline cabin ready version, say 26x18x12 like for Jet Blue, I'll get my 2nd case.

paul

[Mitchell Lewis]

There's a chance they make one. Call them and ask. They made this one plenty roomy with room for a matte box, etc... Maybe they're thinking of making a more compact one....dunno.

You're right, the wheels are real nice. I've drug our case all over. But I never fly anywhere for shoots. (that would be really cool!)

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Mitchell Lewis

There's a chance they make one. Call them and ask. They made this one plenty roomy with room for a matte box, etc... Maybe they're thinking of making a more compact one....dunno.

You're right, the wheels are real nice. I've drug our case all over. But I never fly anywhere for shoots. (that would be really cool!)

thanks mitchell,

i think i might have found the right case for Jet Blue's 26*18*12 limits

it's the im2620 with dividers inserts. (im2620-00002) in black.

the wheels are in-line and large, so rolling all over Disney parks should not be a problem.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/m.../IMG_45685.jpg

i am contacting dealers today

paul

[Mitchell Lewis]

That case looks identical to our Storm case. I love the collapsable handle. I use it all the time. It's very durable and looks like it will last a long time. I think the main difference is that your example is much smaller than ours. (I'm going to post a picture....give me a second)

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Mitchell Lewis

That case looks identical to our Storm case. I love the collapsable handle. I use it all the time. It's very durable and looks like it will last a long time. I think the main difference is that your example is much smaller than ours. (I'm going to post a picture....give me a second)

that is a storm case, made by hardigg industries out of south deerfield, massachusetts.

they recently merged or was acquired by pelican.
i guess pelican wanted an east coast alliance plus the military roots of hardigg.

with hard cases like these, i foresee siting as well as standing on it so my son can see parades or fireworks better in the disney parks.

paul

[Mitchell Lewis]

Here's some photos of our case. We bought this from Zacuto. They created the foam insert. This particular foam is a modifided version for the EX1. They now have one specifically for an EX3 with adaptor and matte box.

Our Red Rock matte box is too big to fit mounted on the camera. But it will fit if we dismount it. I like the case. Plenty of room for everything I need to bring on a shoot. Underneath the viewfinder I've got a pair of light weight headphones and a Sony EXCM-77 lav microphone. There's also another cubby hole next to that one that holds some Zacuto rod extensions and a second lens support for when we us the 80-200mm zoom.

Next to the second Nikon lens is our Case Logic SxS card case (holds 6 cards).

It's no fun to lift this case into the bed of a 4x4 pickup truck, but otherwise I'm very happy with it.

[Paul Chiu]

All 3 can take in the Sony PMW-EX1
Naturally, the Lowepro is for quick day trips and the EX1 will fit real snug.

http://zoto.com/paulchiu/img/45/5676...dee87258b4.jpg

the Petrol PCTB-3 is very well furnished, almost as plush as the Kata.
The real estate of the Petrol is a lot easier to use, as it is almost boxlike.

http://www1.zoto.com/paulchiu/img/83...eddfa50b57.jpg

Kata's material is soft and slightly thicker than Petrol.
Both Petrol and Kata does not leave dust or stuff on my PMW-EX1 after trips.

http://www1.zoto.com/paulchiu/img/83...a3a2857423.jpg

finally, most important in this thread, the wheels.

http://www2.zoto.com/paulchiu/img/83...d7ffa31e7f.jpg

paul

[Juan McFarland]

I don't recommend the HPRC hard cases.

I bought one (2700wic) 6 months ago, it gets only light use. The problem is that the metal pins that are pivot points for the the latches and handles will work themselves loose. Every 2 days I need to inspect and tap the pins back in so the latches and handles don't fall off.

Italian engineering!

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Juan McFarland

I don't recommend the HPRC hard cases.

I bought one (2700wic) 6 months ago, it gets only light use. The problem is that the metal pins that are pivot points for the the latches and handles will work themselves loose. Every 2 days I need to inspect and tap the pins back in so the latches and handles don't fall off.

Italian engineering!

Thanks, Juan!

Paul

[Ray Bell]

As a note... I've never had any issues using the Pelican 1510 case and traveling by
plane both in the USA and other parts of the world...

as mentioned the small flat wheels work fine in airports and such and not so much in other surroundings, like off road.... as a solution for when I'm out and about and can't possibly use the wheels, I purchased a NRS-Paragon pack system that converts the Pelican 1510 into a back back... works great....

also what is nice about this solution is that I am also able to use my soft bags with the
harness also...

Here's the website for the product...

NRS Paragon Pack

[Paul Chiu]

Originally Posted by Ray Bell

As a note... I've never had any issues using the Pelican 1510 case and traveling by
plane both in the USA and other parts of the world...

as mentioned the small flat wheels work fine in airports and such and not so much in other surroundings, like off road.... as a solution for when I'm out and about and can't possibly use the wheels, I purchased a NRS-Paragon pack system that converts the Pelican 1510 into a back back... works great....

also what is nice about this solution is that I am also able to use my soft bags with the
harness also...

Here's the website for the product...

NRS Paragon Pack

thanks ray!

this is very helpful.

if these are the dimensions of the case i ordered, would this harness fit?

Dimensions:
Exterior Dimensions (LxWxH)
21.2 x 16.0 x 10.6 in.
538 x 406 x 269 mm

also,
how does it fold down? compact enough to be stowed away in a pocket?

thanks!

paul