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An Inflatable Camera Bag?  It’s About Time.

I was doing a shoot at an airport last week when I was swept with waves of nostalgia. I remember way back in the 1990’s, when I was traveling by airplane on assignments frequently. Of course, it would have been suicide to bag-check a Betacam in anything less sturdy than an ATA-approved plastic cube, so to save all that bulk on the far end what I (and most other shooters I knew) did was to carry the camera on the plane. Of course, this approach wasn’t without it’s difficulties as well. I treated my camera as if it was a baby - for example, if I went to the bathroom, the camera did as well, and for the duration of the time the shoulder strap was wrapped around my leg to thwart “snatch & grab” thieves.

Once on board, the trick was to find an overhead compartment with an ample supply of blankets and pillows (remember them?) I would create a pillow and blanket “cocoon” for the prized camera, lay baby to bed, and spent the rest of the boarding time growling at other passengers to watch out for the baby. I can say this technique - while certainly invasive of the other passengers - always got me to the destination with an intact camera. I cannot say the same of checking the camera in the baggage compartment.

This gag wouldn’t work well these days, now that pillows and blankets are rare at best on commercial airliners. Petrol to the rescue! They have just announced their Inflatable Airline Bag (model number PIAB). It provides an air cushion for your precious camera, and claims to be large enough for “a full-size broadcast camera without disturbing the viewfinder and lens.” You inflate the bag with a tube that lives in an outside pocket, and the inner bladder is covered with soft fabric. GREAT idea!

It lists for $259, and should be available soon. Find more info at www.petrolbags.com .  And if you do happen to find yourself on the same airplane as me…stay away from my overhead bin!!

KIDDING!!!

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