Has anybody solved this one yet?

[jehingr]

I'm about to purchase an Empire Builder to replace my aging Victronox (sp?) bag. So that problem is solved, if I can believe all of the great things I've read here.

But here is my unsolved problem.

As a video producer I not only carry one of my PowerBooks with me at all times (as well as at least one of my Optura X1 cameras - in a seperate bag) but I also need to carry one or often two external firewire drives. These are usually the large silver Maxtor external drives in the 300 Gb (or more) size. What I would really like to find is some sort of padded sleeve that fits these drives (individually) so that they can be dropped into my main bag and carried with some degree of protection.

Has anybody else already solved this problem?

[Cobos]

Have you done some measurements with regards to the Mac Mini enclosure that Tom Bihn makes ? It might fit both drives or one of them ? Just throwing out ideas here...

Cobos

[Ken]

I would suggest that you get the Empire Builder and find some Domke Wraps at a camera store for the hard drives. They are padded fabric with velcro tabs on all four corners and the inside is a smooth nylon fabric. You basically wrap the item and the velcro tabs hold the wrap around it. Its not unlike wrapping a baby in a diaper. If you need more padding than a wrap, then you are going to need to find a padded case. Seeing that I trusted my lenses to these wraps for a number of years, I would say that they are fine for protection from minor bumps and scratches. It you want to protect them from a major fall, then you will need something more heavily padded. Good luck.

[jehingr]

Ken - you rock

and so does my new EB!

The Domke wraps are the perfect answer, in combination with the EB.

My 17" PB fits nicely into the size 1 Brain Cell. Next to that goes my firewire drives wrapped up snugly in their Domke wraps. This fits nicely next to the file folder thingie with all of my paperwork for the coming shoot.

On the outside of that I'm still going back and forth between a couple of Snake Charmers filled w/ various stuff or the Freudian Slip. The FS holds less stuff than the SC's but organizes it better.

I'll do a full review of the EB after I put a few miles on it.

[Ken]

Glad I could help, Jim. The photo world has been using Domke wraps and canvas bags for years and they have protected my lenses and camera bodies when I travel. Don't leave home without them!

Happy trails and happy shooting (video that is)!

--Ken