Flying with the Petrol Cocoon Bag for Sony EX3
Flying with your camera gear is challenging at the best of times, so what’s the right bag to choose? It needs to be light yet heavy duty; robust enough to survive trekking across rough country the other side of the planet but it has to fit in an over-head locker on a plane. Tough choices need to be made!
The same question is coming up with regular persistence on various camera forums: What bag for the EX3 (or similar)? Oh and it needs to fit carry-on luggage sizes.
You don’t want to end up having to hold your camera on your lap for a long haul flight or even a short one. Nor do you want to carry various bags with you from location to location. Travel light if at all possible!
There are many options out there, the one I chose may not be the right for you!
The way I fly
When I travel I want one bag to chuck everything into: charger(s), batteries, mic(s), cables, media, light, my 17″ laptop and last but not least the beast itself – my Sony EX3. Not a tall order at all then.
One bag? I was lying! There’s a lighting kit bag (3 lights), my tripod bag and a bag for my cloths and everything else I might need. The latter one is usually where I make stark choices: how much underwear do I really need for a weeks shooting? Can I make do with one pair of trousers and one pair of shoes?
Thankfully I don’t often have to lug around lights, so the damage is limited to one backpack, the tripod bag (which you can also take on the plane with you!) and my check-in trolley case for everything else.
There’s a well known size for carry-on luggage but not all airlines go by that standard. What it comes down to is what the staff tell you can go on or has to be checked in. Generally if you are flying from UK, if you can demonstrate that it’ll fit into their carry-on luggage frame at check-in you are golden. Sometimes you can cheat by taking stuff out, putting it into a plastic bag and then put it back in after. However, as with most things flying you are at several peoples mercy. From security staff who freak when they see your wireless mic adapter to check-in desk staff under strict orders to be as much as a pain as possible.
I show up with my bags and usually try to be as nice as possible. A bit of charm goes a long way! Especially with security staff who can get quite excited when you are trying to take so much electronics on board an aircraft.
The bag I chose is the Petrol Cocoon or PCBP-3N as Petrol call it. It’s a very comfy backpack, which weight you can barely notice even when loaded to the brim and lugged around all day! Yes, you will feel it after you take it off and have lunch.
When shooting I like to use a smaller rucksack instead but it depends on the situation.
The Petrol Cocoon will snugly fit your EX3 or EX1 or other camera of similar size. And it will do so safely!
I hope you found my little post helpful. What choices have you made? What is your experience flying with kit? I like to hear from you.
Petrol Cocoon PCBP-3N with Sony EX3 camera
Hand baggage Sizes and Comparison
British Airways Carry-on hand luggage specifications:
56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in)
Petrol Cocoon PCBP-3N specifications:
61cm x 40cm x 32cm (24in x 16in x 12.5in)
The important bit!
As you can see the bag exceeds the regulation size for hand baggage that you can carry-on a plane! However, don’t forget that it is a bag and not a suitcase – you can shove it in to the frame easily enough. Just be careful not to be too forceful and take out anything you don’t need to carry on-board! Chargers, batteries, … you only want to keep the EX3 and the laptop safe. Good luck and try to remain calm when staff advise you that the bag is too big. Show them that it fits and how light it is.
PS: I got my gear from Prokit in London. All professionals, most of the kit is on display for you to try and they make a nice cup of tea while you wait to process your credit card. Say hi to Mark from me if you see or call them 
