Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 Rolling Camera Bag Review

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The Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 rolling camera bag is the answer to the professional/serious amateur’s gear carrying challenge.  Think Tank as a brand is considered among many pros as the ultimate in practical, well-made camera protection and transportation products. They consult professionals on every design, and put the feedback directly into their bags and accessories. The extremely well-thought-out features and usability are a testament to this process.  As the name would indicate, the V2.0 is the second iteration of the Airport Security bag.  The Think Tank Airport Security v2.0 is the largest rolling camera bag that will still fit in a US domestic flight overhead compartment, and it is amazing how much gear it can hold.  It is obvious they worked hard to use every last inch of space to provide practical storage. I’ve used the Airport Security rolling bag as my primary gear bag since receiving it, which is as good a review as I can give. I’ve taken it on multiple plane trips and numerous portrait and wedding sessions, and it has been an excellent companion.

External Features:  Two of the most important features of any rolling bag are the wheels and the handle.   Thankfully Think Tank held nothing back with these.  High quality roller blade wheels are smooth rolling and replaceable, and the handle is made of solid metal materials.  When not in use, the handle retracts and even has a zippered cover to make it completely snag-free. Think Tank also realized that people will not always be using the rolling handle, and equipped the Airport Security V2.0 with multiple carrying handles.  There are handles on every side of the bag, which comes in handy more than you would assume. They didn’t stop there with the carrying options: they even included ’emergency’ backpack straps for times when you can’t roll and don’t want to hand-hold the bag.  These straps fold up and disappear out of sight behind a zippered flap on the back panel, and are deployed with two simple clip ins.  On the top of the bag is a clear window for sliding in business cards and also a small zippered pocket for small items like a wallet and passport. The top part of the front of the bag is home to an organizer pocket that is perfect for pens, keys, and small accessories. The rest of the front is covered with a large stretch pocket that is designed to hold a laptop in one of Think Tank’s laptop sleeves. I’ve found it to be a great place to slip my iPad and some magazines as well.  It can accommodate a 17 inch laptop in a slip case.  Finally, a hidden flap in the back of the bag stores a cable with a lock that is perfect for deterring opportunistic thieves at an event or other venue. At a wedding, I used this to attach the bag to the DJ table but it would come in handy in a lot of scenarios.  In addition to the cable lock, the Airport Security v2.0 has a TSA compatible zipper lock for the main compartment. It is a unique lock that is embedded in the bag and you snap the zipper-pulls into it so you don’t have to worry about toting a separate lock.  Think Tank did an awesome job utilizing the outside of the bag while still keeping it within airline regulations.

Internal Features:  While on the outside, the Airport Security v2.0 looks like a nondescript rolling suitcase, the inside is all camera bag. Again, Think Tank did an amazing job of using the space to its full potential. Along the entirety of the front flap are zippered, see-through compartments for accessories like cf cards, batteries, cables, etc.  I am able to store everything I need for a shoot in these compartments, and quickly locate them.  There is just the right balance of size and volume; this is another testament to the user input that goes into Think Tank’s designs.  Upon opening the camera compartment, I discovered a significant number of dividers included for compartment customization.  At first I was a little overwhelmed, but found some example configurations online, and was able to customize according to my exact needs. I like having my primary body stored with a lens on it for quick use, and luckily the Airport Security v2.0 has a great divider option that includes a lens pass-through for this purpose. As you can see below in my list of bag contents, I was able to configure the bag to store a huge amount of gear, and I could have stored even more had I needed to.  The dividers are fairly easy to arrange and additional dividers are available for purchase on the Think Tank website . There is even a low divider set option if you want to sacrifice come camera gear storage in order to place your laptop in the interior.

To bring the magnitude of storage space to life, here is a list of camera gear I was able to carry in Think Tank Airport Security V2.0 Rolling Bag:

• Nikon D700 body
• Nikon D300 body
• Nikon 70-200 2.8 lens
• Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens
• Nikon 60mm 2.8 micro lens
• Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens
• Nikon SB-900 flash
• Nikon SB-600 flash
• LED light panel
• Nikon SD-9 battery pack
• Lots of cables, chargers, accessories, batteries, et cetera

Features:

• Carry-on size meets US domestic airline restrictions
• Main compartment can be locked with an included TSA lock
• Security cable locks bag to immovable object
• Front stretch pocket holds slim laptop case or iPad, etc.
• “Emergency” shoulder straps tuck away and convert rolling bag into backpack for temporary carrying
• Seam-sealed rain cover included
• Doesn’t attract the attention of a camera bag

For more info on the Airport Security V2.0 Rolling Camera Bag and other Think Thank products, visit www.thinktankphoto.com or www.amazon.com/thinktankphoto.