Flying with location lighting kit: whatcha got?

[scott squire nonfiction]

I've searched a bit, as I've seen good threads on this, but to little avail.

 

I'm wondering of those of you that fly routinely with lighting gear, what do you carry, and

how do you carry it?

 

I would love to learn of a moderately powerful (3x500ws?) kit that would run off either

battery power or plug-in power (dual voltage of course, heh), and fit inside a bag about

the size of a large carry-on type roller bag (plus a lightstand bag, of course).

 

Is this totally pie-in-the-sky wish? Which of my fantasy specs would I be most likely to

have to give up hope on? Does anyone care to detail their kits?

 

Thanks!

[petequinn]

2 SB-800's, 1 SB-600, two small light stands, with 2 umbrellas and 2 6-way reflectors and

a black backdrop cloth. The strobes work wirelessly together, AA batteries are available

anywhere in the world and I can fit it all with a camera and a couple of lenses in a carry-on

sized bag. Now throwing in a pair of extra socks may be an issue...

 

I think you would be hard pressed to find a total light kit with (3) 500 ws heads and a

generator ('cuz mono's won't) that will fit with your camera gear into the one allowed

carry-on. I know I'm not sending my cameras out to the boys on the tarmac!

 

Pete

[brad_bell]

Elinchrom makes a case that holds 2-600 watt mono's and will fit under the seat back.

[scott squire nonfiction]

Thanks for the responses. Indeed, I wasn't really clear in my post; I'm not so much hoping

to

carry on the lights, as to limit their collective size to a bag approximately the dimensions

of a

typical roller bag (plus a lightstand bag).

 

This would ideally be tough enough to go in the belly of the plane, perhaps with spare

flash

tubes safe inside with me.

 

As a Canon guy I really envy the degree to which Nikon has the flash thing dialled in,

particularly as regards the wireless function. I have Canon's ST-E2 which is wonderfully

handy at times, and immoderately frustrating at others.

 

Does anybody have experience with DynaLite Uni400 mono's and the Jackrabbit packs?

[ronald_olsen]

I fly with;

 

2 White-lightning 3200's

2 White-Lightning 2400's

1 Alien Bee 1600

1 SB-600 flash and miniature tripod

5 27" (folded) Lowel Lightstands

1 Manfroto Wilderness tripod

1 swivel-ball head

1 Panasaurus head

5 VagaRon's (Vagabond's cut down to half-size, but still with 80% power. One could run the whole kit, if necessary)

6 Pocket Wizards receivers

2 Pocket Wizard transmitters

7 power cords

9 control cords

4 forty-foot long control cords

3 spare flashtubes

5 11" reflectors

4 7" reflectors

1 48" foldable sign

 

All of it fits into my Pelican case (except reflectors).

[scott squire nonfiction]

Ron,

That's an impressive kit. I'm interested in the VagaRons (!). Also, what model of Pelican are

you using if you don't mind me askng. Do you happen to have a picture of this kit? Does it

weigh in under the ~70# limit imposed by the airlines?

 

Thanks.

[jeffcallen]

This may or may not help you, but I've evolved a kit for travelling and shooting with very fast setup times and no need for extension cords and no fragile parts.

 

I carry about 4 or 5 Sunpak 555's and 544's. I have some metal brackets I made to mount 2 of them on one light stand and fire into an umbrella. I also carry a Softlighter II instead of a softbox. The 2 sunpak's seem to be about half as bright as a good monolight, but much stronger than the usual wimpy little flash pointed at an umbrella. I use home-made lead-acid batteries to get fast recycles, but I can use AA's if I have to. The umrbellas and tripod and light stand go in one bag meant for musicians equipment and the flashes and tri-reflectors go in an old carry-on suitcase or camera bag.

[jmf]

I think what you want is the Vagabond kit, and it's a battery and full wave inverter kit. The cases you probably want are "Lightware". I believe they're hi density foam over polycarb.

 

Pelican makes some nice hardshell cases too, and there's always Anvil, but all their cases are custom or so it seems from their web site.