Over the years, as our assignments became more complex, we found ourselves moving more and more gear. Just check out the photo on the facing page – and keep in mind that that doesn’t include light stands, soft boxes, extension cords, power strips.

Yeah.

You get the idea.

And this photo includes the Production Manager 40. You can almost double the number of Think Tank bags before it arrived.

Protecting our gear is important. Not only is it our livelihood, but replacing broken or damaged gear can be extremely expensive. Just the Pentax 645Z with five lenses can exceed $18,000. Yes. $18,000.
Add to that four Profoto D1 strobes, a Pro-B4 kit, a Profoto B2 kit, and you can imagine what the total value of the gear we carry can be.
In case you are wondering, the company owns a Mazda CX5 – a vehicle which – in theory – has ample storage space. Our CX5 replaced our 2011 Chevy HHR, which we loved but which seriously labored under the weight of all the equipment we carried.

Still, imagine what it is like to put both seats down and still fill the entire back of the car with all the equipment in the photograph on the previous page. It becomes even more complex when we travel by air. Space is valuable and expensive. We are constantly looking for ways to get more gear in less space without sacrificing protection. You can imagine how pleased we were when the Production Manager 40 made its way into our stockpile of Think Tank camera bags and cases.

It’s no accident that we use Think Tank. If you look back over past editions of this magazine, you will see that we often feature Think Tank products. They are rugged, incredibly well designed, extremely flexible, and perfect for protecting even the most delicate gear. The Production Manager 40 is another in a long line of classic Think Tank products. As the photo to the right shows, we were able to get all four Profoto D1 heads, adapter rings, power cords, and even our backup set of PocketWizard MultiMax remote triggers into a single case. This reduced the number of Think Tank bags we needed to carry equipment to a job site by 50%.

In addition to getting four strobes into a single carrying case, we were able to get our entire Pro-B4 kit – battery pack, spare battery, two heads, charger, adapter rings – into a Think Tank bag that previously held only two strobes. This reduced the number of bags required from three to one. This may not sound as significant as it is. First, it saves gas and room in our CX5. Second, we can pack, setup, and take down far more quickly given the fact that we are carrying fewer bags.

Like all Think Tank bags, this one is totally customizable, and that, in itself, is sufficient reason to own this bag. Think Tank provides more than enough dividers to make almost any configuration you can imagine a reality. It is also easy to “re-purpose” this bag because of the flexibility that is built in. Initially, we used it for our Profoto Pro-B4 battery powered strobes. We decided to put our D1 strobes in this bag instead. Making the change took a matter of about 10 minutes.

There are always intangibles that distinguish Think Tank from other companies. For example, we often work in open environments that aren’t secure. The main compartment can easily be locked by placing a lock through the overlapping zippers. The bag can be secured with a lock and cable that are included. Of course, there is a rain hood as well.

We can’t recommend this bag enough if you need to move a lot of gear quickly from assignment to assignment.

(Originally published in NyghtVision Magazine, Volume 8 #2. You can read it here.