The other day I decided to stop procrastinating and take advantage of Labor Day discounts; hence, I bought myself a much needed gear carrying bag. That is, a wheeled carrying bag for my studio gear, to be precise.
I needed a wheeled carrying bag, long and sturdy enough for my longest stands (42″ folded length), a 7′ umbrella and stand, and other gear. After spending a significant time looking and searching for just the right bag, I decided to go for the Godox CB-01. It’s $100 (and it’s a steal, compared to other bags in the same category).
In this post, I’d like to share my first impressions:
The Godox CB-01 is sturdy enough for what I need these days. Not all on-location photo shoots require all that gear, but some do, hence, it’s good to have a rolling bag sturdy enough to carry it.
The Godox CB-01 also offers plenty of ways to store gear. I managed to fill my bag with two 9.5′ Impact stands (42″ folded length), tripod, another stand and arm (for my reflector), horizontal rods (for backdrop), cloth backdrops (three: one thick cloth, two thin cloth), two Profoto strip softboxes and respective rods).
Here are a few images:
Godox CB-01 rolling bag for photo studio equipment. Closed. Just out of the box. Photo by Alina Oswald.Dividers inside the Godox CB-01 wheeled light gear bag. Rolling bag for photo studio equipment. Velcro dividers can be easily moved/repositioned or removed. Photo by Alina Oswald.Godox CB-01 wheeled light gear bag. Rolling bag for photo studio equipment. For comparison, here’s my Profot D1 kit bag as it fits/looks inside the Godox CB-01 wheeled bag. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 rolling bag for photo studio equipment. I removed all the dividers, used them to pad all walls of the rolling bag, and then filled it with my stands, backdrop rods and umbrellas. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 wheeled gear bag. I added two thin cloth backdrops and two rods (in their boxes) for the Profoto strip softboxes. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 wheeled light gear bag. I added two softbox strips and, over the length of the entire bag, a Westcott 9×10′ black (thick) cloth backdrop. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 wheeled light gear bag; corner detail. Not sure how sturdy they are, the corner reinforcements, but guess I’ll have to use it more, and then update. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 wheeled light gear bag. Fully loaded. Note: when fully loaded, the zipper seemed to get slightly stuck at the corners, hence, I ended up taking out one of the purple (thin) cloth backdrops (and found plenty of room for it in the Profoto D1 kit bag) . Problem solved. [Photo by Alina Oswald.]Godox CB-01 wheeled bag for photo studio equipment. photo by Alina Oswald.
Again, I hope I won’t have to wheel this bag, fully loaded, out of the house. But it’s good to know that that’s an option. I see myself loading it with light stands, my Profoto studio gear, light modifiers and even cameras and lenses, on a more regular basis.
The good news is that I’ve found a better and more practical storage solution for my (photo and lighting) gear. And that’s a relief!
Alina Oswald is a writer and photographer documenting the AIDS pandemic and the LGBTQ+ community. She's often invited to talk about HIV and AIDS, photography, women in photography and the arts, and women empowerment. Her photography work has been featured in NYC shows and galleries, including Fresh Fruit Festival at Leslie-Lohman Museum, Postcards from the Edge at Visual AIDS, photo art shows at Soho Photo Gallery and La Vie Galerie. She is Arts Editor at A&U Magazine--America's AIDS Magazine, NYIP photography instructor, and the author of JOURNEYS THROUGH DARKNESS: A BIOGRAPHY of award-winning, legally blind photographer and AIDS activist, Kurt Weston. Contact her online at alinaoswald.com.
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