Some
Suggestions for Carrying all your new Equipment
Transport
cases by Andiamo are great. They last forever, they seem impervious
to water and they sure hold out dust. Mine has traveled for years
and never got a dent. Andiamo cases are not conspicuous either.
The model that has served well all this time is the "Aerospace."
Andiamo
Inc., 11520 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley, CA 92728, 1-800 423-3561.
Their
Aerospace division has a different address, which you can get from
the main Andiamo web site.
Once
you move up to industrial strength photography you will want, or
more likely you will need, a flight and road case. Several good
brands exist, I bought two A&S cases almost two decades ago,
and they are still serviceable. These are the professional cases
that musicians, TV crews, movie crews, and studio photographers
use when they move their equipment by airplane. That nice black
case to the left of the pile in front of the Copan Museum is an
A&S case, vintage 1970 and still sturdy and strong.
 |
|
Nicholas
and Andrea at Copan with photographic equipment in their cases
|
A&S
Case Co., 1111 N. Gordon St, Hollywood, CA 90038, tel (213) 466-6181.
This is from a brochure over 14 years old.
I was unable to get anyone to answer this old phone number.
I found no A&S Case Co. on the Internet either, so perhaps they
are out of business. If so, go with Anvil cases.
SCS
Cases sells Anvil Cases, Hardigg, and others. Anvil is a well known
and respected brand name. SCS's toll free number is (800) 544-5395.
Hardigg
makes "workstation cases," which enable you to transport
entire computer workstations with as much ease as you move your
cameras. These workstation cases enclose monitor, computer, and
keyboard. This means you can have the full power of a desktop system
yet the possibility of movement.
Fiberbilt
is another major brand but I prefer the heavy-duty latch system
A&S or Anvil.
Calzone
cases look similar to those of A&S or Anvil. Calzone Case Co.
has offices in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles.
Since I have hands-on experience with A&S and Andiamo, I recommend
them above all others until I have an opportunity to try out other
kinds of cases. Any case that survives the jungles of Central America,
the bullet trains of Japan, and being dragged though half the train
stations of Europe deserves a rating as "outstanding."
Andiamo is suitcase-style, A&S is a trunk style. I use them
both.
How
do you carry all your cases?
You
can tip all the skycaps in the world and avoid carrying your cases,
or you can save a bundle and buy your own private skycap, namely
a REMIN Kart-a-bag. I got
one many years ago and quickly saved all those $5 tips that bellboys
used to claim
If
you have too much equipment for a cart?
I
have used Land Rovers, Ford F-250 4WD trucks, and a Dodge Power
Wagon to haul my equipment all across the Americas and up and down
Central America. But the vehicle which has held up the best is a
GMC Suburban. My trusty '84 has over 300,000 miles and would keep
going for another decade if rust were not claiming almost the entire
body. Shortly FLAAR will need a replacement but it would be hard
to find anything more rugged (and as large as) a full sized Suburban
4WD. Check out this vehicle on
duty at Santa Lucia Cotzumalhuapa (Bilbao) in Guatemala.
|
