PixelatedImage Blog

Last week the UPS guy dropped off what is bound to be my new favourite traveling bag. For a couple years that category was filled without contest by Think Tank Photo’s original Airport Addicted. The Addicted’s design and build quality are legendary in my mind. But with the shrinking overhead bins in today’s larger planes and my growing paranoia that these insane weight limits are going to catch up with me, I finally conceded and am downsizing for international travel. The Addicted will remain my favourite all-around bag, but for international travel, the Airport Acceleration 2.0 is my new go-to bag for hauling my gear.

What I love about my Airport Addicted
It’s gigantic. It’s built like a tank. It doesn’t look like a camera bag. The pockets are all exactly where they ought to be, and the right size. The handles are beefy and comfortable. The backpack straps hideaway but come out with one hand without breaking stride, and are really comfortable. It comes with a mountain of dividers, almost all of which sit abandoned in my closet because I don’t use them, but you can’t call the folks at Think Tank cheap. It comes with it’s own sealed rain cover. It has it’s own laptop pocket and comes with a fantastic laptop sleeve that would easily sell for $100 in a computer store.

Why I switched to the new Airport Acceleration
My Addicted is really, really, big. For domestic travel it’s still within size limits, but WAY over if I actually fill it with gear. To date I have never been asked to weigh the monster, but how long can I dodge that bullet?  With over 13 international flights in January alone I just no longer want to risk my gear not getting on the plane with me. The Acceleration is everything I love about the Addicted, but smaller. The new 2.0 bags have the laptop slot in a different place, which allows the bag to become physically smaller if the laptop is removed – smart. It’s also got a security cable for keeping the laptop where it ought to be. One of the gals on last year’s Lumen Dei tour had her laptop stolen from a Think Tank roller – this would have prevented that.

What’s In My Bag?
The Airport Acceleration still holds plenty of kit:

2 x Canon 5D bodies with grips
17-40L lens in modular pouch
85/1.2L lens in modular pouch
70-200/2.8L IS lens in Skins pouch
2 x OWC portable drives
1 Hyperdrive Colorspace 0
Canon chargers, 8 BP-511 batteries
Canon G9
TT Cable Management 10 with assorted cables, maglight, USB drive, Lexar card readers
Skins pouch with accessories like Hoodman Loupe, CF card wallet
2 x Blackrapid R-straps
MacBook and AC cable.

What I will miss about traveling with the old Addicted bag
The size. It’s a double-edged sword. If you have the space you fill it. But if I packed smart I could fit all the stuff that now will go into my new, smaller, bag, into the Addicted plus have room for snacks, a jacket, and a couple more harddrives. I’ll miss that. I’ll also miss the side ticket pocket that is on the Addicted. I don’t recall ever using it for tickets but it was a nice size for things like laptop batteries, and it was very easily accessible. Other than that, I’m really excited by this updated bag and the peace of mind  it’ll give me – I’ll be able to look gate agents in the eye again.

I know I have a bag fetish, and I know that in the last 4 years I’ve gone through too many of them, but my all time favourites remain the Think Tank Airport Security and Airport Addicted – this new one isn’t much different, but gives me the confidence that I’ll be able to take it all on board. Why not roller bags? I love my Airport Security – pulling it instead of carrying it is great. But the roller adds weight I’d rather use for my gear or just keep my bag a little closer to weight limits. The Airport Acceleration 2.0 is 4.2lbs without dividers, the corresponding roller, the Airport International 2.0, starts at 9.5 lbs – over 4 lbs difference.

Check out all the features of the Airport Acceleration 2.0 on the Think Tank site HERE.

This isn’t a review, just a reaction. Until I’ve hauled this thing around the globe I’ll hold off on telling you it’s the greatest bag ever. But it is. Probably. Think Tank bags have yet to disappoint. I will also be taking a Think Tank Change Up as my second carry-on, Belly Dancer, complete Skins set, and probably a Digital Holster or two. Still figuring out my logistics. I wanted to get over the jetlag from the recent Africa trip before I started packing. My travelling partner isn’t a photographer so thankfully I’ve got someone to pack my tripod. He packed so light last year it made me sick until I realized this might work to my advantage!