Bag solution for sound gear

drboffa

drboffa

Well-known member
I'm looking around for a decent small- to medium-sized bag to carry some sound equipment. This is for shoots where we're running our own audio, generally direct to camera, so it's not an extensive sound kit. The ideal bag would hold:
  • 3-4 lav body packs and transmitters
  • 1-2 MKE 400 shotgun mics
  • a Zoom H4 (or similar) on occasion
  • associated bits (camera mount pieces, extra AA batteries, lav mic tape, etc.)
Open to any and all bag types (shoulder, doctor bag, backpack, etc.). Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
I use carry on shoulder bags for travel for most of my equipment needs.

In my experience more pro level bags have both pros and cons. Let’s start with the pros. They’re more durable, often have protective padding and are ridged with customizable dividers making it easier to access your equipment. The rigidity also helps stack and transport on a cart. Now for the cons. They’re more expensive, substantially heavier, the rigidity can make it less comfortable to carry.

Carry on bags conversely are lighter and less expensive, but provide less protection and lack of rigidity can make it difficult to access equipment. All your equipment tends to become a jumbled mess. When components don’t have a designated home they can be hard to find or easily not packed or left behind. The insides are often black and equipment is black which makes it difficult to find things. Depending on the bag you get it can look unprofessional if you’re using a gym bag with big Nike swoosh on it. Sometimes how you present yourself is more important…

For me I value weight and comfort more and I don’t throw around my equipment. I do have an Orca camera bag, it must weigh 6lbs empty and 16lbs loaded but it has lasted almost 20 years of use with no issues. So there is no right answer.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions, Peter.

Something like an Orca DSLR bag might work.

We tend to use a cart when we're transporting gear so ease of carrying and lightweight aren't top priorities (although lighter is nice). And as you note, without some kind of divider things become a jumbled mess (which I'm trying to avoid).
 
After xxx years in this game.. I suggest that knowing how you roll is a big part of knowing your game.

The folks who use the subway, the folks who check five peli cases, the folks who hike up a mountain each learns what works for them.

What I do know is that I have some workmens bags (£30) and some billinghams (£400) and.. well the workmens bags are fine.

Here is an exmple in the UK of a work bag..
https://www.diy.com/departments/mak...-tool-bag-shoulder-strap/0088381348331_BQ.prd

Ive also started splitting my stuff by putting it in 'molle' pouches (something you can google)
 
One thing I want is a big dead cat with its own mic left mounted inside. This will be a killer on windy EXTs.. and I know they are big and probably need a small backpack that can be worn while you mobile shoot.
 
morgan_moore said:
What I do know is that I have some workmens bags (£30) and some billinghams (£400) and.. well the workmens bags are fine.

Here is an exmple in the UK of a work bag..
https://www.diy.com/departments/mak...-tool-bag-shoulder-strap/0088381348331_BQ.prd
Click to expand...

A work bag is a good suggestion. We certainly don't need anything fancy, so long as it gets the job done. The shoots are generally pretty easy on our gear (i.e., we're not hiking up mountains or working in harsh environments).
 
See B&H bags and cases.
A back pack would work for transporting gear from point A to point B. Run and gun sound folks would want bag with at least a shoulder strap. Most pros have a chest harness for the bag if there are more than just a semi-pro recorder and one or two RF receivers.
 
Rick R said:
Most pros have a chest harness for the bag if there are more than just a semi-pro recorder and one or two RF receivers.
Click to expand...
Even if I've just got a lightweight recorder (such as a Maxx or 633 or F8n) and nothing else I'm still going to want to use a harness for sure! As it's a much better experience with one, and absolutely awful to be using just a shoulder sling instead.
 
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