A Case for My Bag Addiction

OK, my little obsession is out! My wife called it the other day when she came home and asked me about the big "rollie" case in the garage. I said that it was the case I kept at school in case I needed to bring home lots of stuff. She laughed and said, that bags/cases must be my little addiction. Of course, we Chinese are well known for our little intricate boxes and all manner of fitted cases, etc. For my part, I've always been compulsive about using the correct bag or case for the task when it comes to my cameras, or portable computer equipment. Over the years, despite my best efforts to pare down, I have quite a collection of them stashed away. 

I'll have to level some blame/excuse on has become a favorite source of them in the last couple of years. And that's Goodwill. REALLY; Goodwill! It started some time ago when we decided that we were better off donating our stuff instead of accumulating it for a garage sale. So on occasion when I was tasked with dropping off, I'd go inside and look around as well as drop off the bags of kids clothes, toys, old computer parts, what have you. And over the years have found all manner of useful items cheap, like cassette decks for $8, iPod dock/clock radio for Katie or $6 to cases and bags. 

Yes, Goodwill is an awesome source of high-end computer and camera bags. I learned many years ago, that computer cases/bags don't hold their value; no matter how much you paid for that Brenthaven or Port bag that was $100-150 when you checked that box while ordering that new laptop. They can regularly be found on eBay for less than it costs to ship it; somewhere in the sub-$20 range. On top of that, they are often "lifetime" guarantee items, so if you want, you can send it back and get a new one if that zipper breaks! But, even better, they can be found pretty regularly at Goodwill for about $6 if you know what you are looking for and patiently go through their piles of old luggage that people donate. Another source is companies who handle surplus computing equipment. When they take laptops "off lease" or "surplus" they often come with the cases that were originally issued with the computer. Sometimes they haven't ever been used since many of those laptops were essentially used as a desktop their entire service life. If you find those places, they're be large bins of Dell, HP, Port, etc. cases for about $15-20 each. A good tip is to find the one you like best, then swap the strap around till you find the one of those you like best as well. The two are rarely one and the same, AND they pretty much all clip on the same way. Also, make sure you check to see that they one you want has all the padding and misc. accessory bags that supposed to come with it. These places (as with Goodwill), couldn't case less on the brand of the case. They are all priced the same. 

Recently I was able to make the switch from a ThinkPad backpack to a very nice Timbuk2 Messenger bag courtesy of Goodwill for $6. They also make an insert for this bag to turn it into a stealth camera case that's far less likely to be targeted for theft versus a $60 case from Best Buy emblazoned with a Nikon or Canon logo! Mine has a bonus of a padded laptop/tablet section that's separately access in the back. 

A few years ago, I needed something special when we were going to Alaska. After a lot of searching, I found that the Adventure series from Tamrac was perfect for a single bag that carried everything onto a plane. On a day-to-day shooting basis, I needed something that not only could stay our of the way on my back, but quickly slide around so I could get out equipment. That was the sling style Velocity 8. Although neither came from Goodwill, I was able to get them at good prices (about 50% of retail) from Amazon and eBay respectively. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, I found an "As Is" Halliburton 105 case on eBay for about $30 after shipping. After I get replacement latches and foam for it, I'll use it to store equipment here at home so that I can have ready access to it. The back story behind these Zero Halliburton cases is really pretty interesting. Many years ago, THE Halliburton company of Texas/Oklahoma oilfield fame decided that they needed to have cases that could withstands the rigors of their work environment and keep their sensitive equipment safe. So they started making their own cases. They were so impressive that Zero corporation bought out that division and has continued to make the cases every since. These are arguably the most coveted and copied cases in history used by everyone from field engineers, to photographers, to drug lords, to the mythical James Bond, to the most famous of all......the "nuclear football" that travels with the President of the United States. 

One of my favorite eBay scores was this backpack. It's one of the cases made for Lenovo specifically for the ThinkPad line of laptops. A few years ago, my wife injured her knee right before school started. As an elementary school teacher, she carried all manner of stuff with her back and forth on a daily basis. On crutches for the better part of 2 months, she needed a backpack style case which had the capability to stow a computer safely as well. So I went looking on eBay. One of the surplus outfits that I use on a regular basis out of Pennsylvania had a few of these things that were selling cheap. I mean cheap, something like $20 for an item that originally cost about $100. So I bought one. Unfortunately, it had a tear on one of the little auxilary webbing attachment points. I asked about it, and the seller sent me another almost identical to it while telling me to keep the original one! I use the bad one as my travel bag for when I'm going to a client location for my IT side business. It holds my laptop as well as any tools, cables and software that I might need.

With all these bags, do I need another? No, I don't need anything; especially after I found another Timbuk2 messenger cases in the "small" size for my Micro-4/3rds system. However, I've always coveted one of Zero Halliburton's Attache' style cases made for laptop computers. Especially in the unusual Gun Metal Grey color!