One of the coolest features in the Lowepro booth at WPPI 2012 is the pair of airline overhead storage compartments installed with our Pro Roller display. These are standard US airline overheads. I’ve seen larger versions on the bigger jets, and slightly smaller renditions on the commuter planes, such as the one I flew from Santa Rosa, CA to Las Vegas.

For those of you who can’t come see us in person, I put together this short video with Lowepro’s own Robb Stites, who oversees the marketing of these rollers. Robb shows how easily both models of the Pro Roller Lite AW Series fit in a standard overhead compartment.

I mentioned that I flew to Las Vegas on one of those small commuter planes, and I was able to fit the Pro Roller Lite 150 AW in the overhead compartment for that flight. In it, I have a DSLR body, lenses, a micro four thirds system, flash, audio recorder, microphones, and even a tripod (yes, the tripod is inside the bag). Everything I needed to record and edit this video, plus the gear I need for other assignments while working at WPPI.

I hope the overhead compartments become a standard feature in the Lowepro booth. Maybe you’ll be able to take them for a spin one day.

Derrick Story is the Lowepro Photography Evangelist.

We’re thrilled to be exhibiting at WPPI, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (Booth #124). But we realize that many of you can’t make it to the show. So we’ve planned a little something extra this week for everyone who follows our show coverage.

WPPI attendees leaving the Conference Center after class. Photo by Derrick Story.

Each day during the show (Mon. – Wed.), we’ll give away one Lowepro bag. To throw your hat in the ring, all you have to do is comment on a daily blog post about the event (starting with this one), or comment on a post about WPPI on the Lowepro Facebook Page. You can do both if you’re so inclined.

We’ll announce all three winners (and the bag each won) at the end of the week. As always, this is void where prohibited. Stay tuned over the next 3 days as we report on the people and events at WPPI. And maybe you’ll have a little Las Vegas luck… no matter where you are.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

Photographers on the go need to stay organized without missing a step. I recently spent a morning trying to keep up with pro shooter Andy Katz while he moved from task to task. When he first arrived at his studio in Healdsburg, CA, he had his trusty Pro Roller x100 filled with gear from a recent assignment. Inside the roller, he had images that he was anxious to print. So he parked the x100 and sent a photo to his large format HP printer.

Next, it was time for an outdoor portrait shoot. He was scheduled to shoot Lowepro’s own Suzanne Knowlton. She wanted images at the height of her pregnancy, so she commissioned Andy for the shoot. (This is how I found out about the assignment and convinced them to let me tag along.) Andy chose the Pro Messenger 180 AW for the outdoor session. He commented that it held everything he needed to capture these shots, but it didn’t get in his way as he worked.

Andy got some terrific photos of Suzanne. (BTW: she just delivered a healthy baby boy a few days ago.) And I enjoyed observing how a fast moving pro uses his roller for transporting gear from point A to point B, then working out of a more nimble shoulder bag during the shoot itself.

You can see more images from this shoot on the Lowepro Flickr page. And thanks to Andy Katz for letting me crash his party.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

We’re offering up one Photo Sport Sling 100 AW this week. That’s right, our cool outdoor bag that’s perfect for adventure types. How do you throw your hat into the ring (to be the possible winner)? Post a comment below telling us why you’d like to have this beauty.

You have until midnight PST, Sunday Jan. 29, 2012 to participate. (As always, void where prohibited.) We’ll announce the winner here and on our Facebook page the following week. Good luck!

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

On my flight to Las Vegas to cover the CES 2012 event, I booked a seat on Bombardier Q400, so I could use my local airport instead of driving 90 minutes to San Francisco International. The tradeoff is that the Q400 is a much smaller plane than those servicing SFO. The overhead compartments are particularly tight.

I decided to go with my most powerful carry-on companions: the Pro Messenger 200 AW and the Pro Roller Lite 150 AW. Both fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment of the 60-seat Bombardier Q400.

To give you an idea of how compact the Pro Roller Lite 150 AW is, here’s a shot of it in the standard US Airline “carry-on luggage check,” and you can see that there’s room to spare. But room to spare here doesn’t mean that it fits in the overhead of a smaller plane. Fortunately, in the case of the Roller Lite 150 AW, it does fit.

Inside of the Pro Roller Lite 150 AW, I have two DSLR bodies and a Olympus PEN. Plus it holds flash, 5 lenses, my iPad, accessories, and more. I put my MacBook Air in the front pocket during travel in an Acme Made sleeve.

I put all of my clothes in the Pro Messenger 200 AW. When I arrive at my destination, I put the personal belongings in the hotel dresser, then load up the photo gear I need for the day in the shoulder bag. I keep the roller locked up in the hotel room. I like to bring a bike cable lock so I can secure it to a stationary object.

I just spent 3 days working in Las Vegas with this combination. I’ve written articles, published photographs, and managed to have a nice meal or two. I love the option of traveling light, but still having the gear I need to get my job done.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

I took my Lowepro Pro Messenger 200 AW around Center Hall at CES to see how much room there was to spare when accommodating the hottest new cameras. This shoulder bag has lots of space, and even more when compact cameras are used.

For example, you could put a half dozen Canon GX 1s in our voluminous Messenger 200 AW.

Lots of elbow room with the Canon GX 1 in the Pro Messenger 200 AW.

The Sony NEX 7 seem dwarfed by the bag.

Sony NEX 7 in the shadow of the Pro Messenger.

The FujiFilm X-Pro1 was bigger than I anticipated. But you could store it with its 3 prime lenses, and still have room for your lunch.

The Fuji X-Pro1 might be bigger than I anticipated, but the Messenger just gobbled it up.

The only camera that gave our bag a run for its money was the flagship Njkon D4. Still room for the body and a couple lenses, but the glass you mount on the body will determine its position in the Pro Messenger 200 AW.

The big dog, Nikon D4.

Aside from all the camera fittings, I kept an iPad 2 in the front pocket, lots of accessories, spare lenses, and snacks in the Pro Messener 200 AW today while working at CES. And I loved the way it felt against my side as I navigated from booth to booth.

You can see more shots from the CES 2012 show floor on The Digital Story Flickr page.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

January is a great time of year to clean out closets, review upcoming expenses, and even tackle that messy garage. But what about your camera gear? Over time we tend to collect lenses and other accessories. How are you storing them? On shelves where they’re exposed to dust? In various camera bags? Desk drawers?

One of the best systems for protecting your equipment in an organized manner is with a roller bag. You can create compartments for each item, with everything clearly visible when you open the bag.

When it’s time to go on a shoot, you can select the pieces you need and put them in your favorite backpack or shoulder sling. And if it’s a big assignment, just take the entire roller with you. If you review the options on the Lowepro Pro Roller x-Series page, you’ll see that there are a variety of sizes to accommodate the amount of equipment you use.

Rollers are easy to store. They don’t take up much room, even in the tightest quarters. Yet, you have bodies, lenses, flashes, and other accessories readily available… and protected. While you’re organizing the rest of your life in this New Year, consider treating yourself to a sturdy, efficient, and handsome roller bag. What a great way to start 2012.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.