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Bags used for travel should always offer a lot of flexibility in terms of use, and that’s even more true when photographers use them. Carrying camera gear must mean keeping it protected and, at the same time, efficient with space.
Camera bags serve different purposes depending on the needs of the user. Not all bags are best for the outdoors, and not all bags are great for professional work. The same goes for roller bags. Dedicated roller camera bags do well when used to bring a lot of gear specifically for high-demand shoots, while travel bags that can hold and protect camera gear offer a modular kind of solution. The WANDRD Transit Carry-On Roller aims to provide multiple kinds of use for a traveling photographer.
The Wandrd Transit Carry-On Roller
The Wandrd Transit roller is a 40-liter, carry-on-size bag that offers various kinds of protection and probably more pockets than you’ve ever asked for on a carry-on roller bag. It comes in as a 21.5 x 13 x 9 inches (54.6 x 33 x 22.9 cm), 3.1 kilograms pack with a solid hard-plastic rear shell paired with a durable and weather-resistant tarpaulin front panel that’s loaded with pockets and compartments.
The rear shell makes up 75% of the bag’s (empty) width, which contributes a lot to the protection that it can offer for carrying camera gear. Attached to it are three thick, foam-loaded handles for comfortable carrying whenever necessary on any of its sides, along with a fourth handle that also serves as the front stand of the bag.
Behind the stand is a pair of oversized, crush-proof hard-plastic wheels that are larger to provide a smoother roll even on rough surfaces. It is, of course, a downside that the bag follows the more traditional two-wheel format, wherein one would have to tilt the bag and pull backward, instead of the more convenient multidirectional four-wheel setup that allows for more effortless use. On the corners between the three handles are thick nylon loops that can be used to attach additional accessories, tripods, or even other bags using the supplied accessory straps on any practical side of the bag.
Pockets, Sub-Pockets, and Sub-Sub-Pockets
The front panel houses multiple layers of pockets that can be used for quick access while in transit. On the right side is a zipper that gives access to the front-most pocket that is subdivided into two sub-pockets with inner mesh pockets in them. This can be used for small personal items and travel essentials such as passports, wallets, power banks, earphones, etc. On the other side is a much larger pocket that spans about 70% of the front panel, and this can be used to store extra pieces of clothing or a light jacket that the user might want to be able to reach for while in transit.
On the upper part of the bag is another zipper that opens the entire length of the bag and an additional 25% of the height on both sides. This is an oversized laptop compartment that can potentially hold a laptop even larger than 17 inches. However, it is important to note that the amount of padding one would have on the laptop would depend on whether the two front pockets are occupied by something soft. Otherwise, it would be best to put the laptop in a sleeve for better protection. Inside this compartment is another long sub-pocket that can hold large laptop power bricks and other necessary accessories.
Opening the largest zipper gives access to the bag’s main compartment that holds the majority of its volume. Upon opening the entire front panel, a medium-sized zippered pocket and another mesh pocket are available for additional small items. However, should one choose not to use them, this layer can be opened using an inner zipper and can be folded or rolled to expand the width of the main compartment whenever necessary. Alternatively, this compartment can be used to store pieces of clothing enough for a couple of days. Do note that this capacity will highly depend on how packed the front pockets are, as they all can bulge into each other.
Main Compartment and Capacity
In the main compartment are a couple of side compression straps that use a magnetic buckle. They can come in handy whenever the user wants to keep everything on one side when opening the bag. The compression straps, however, don’t have any pockets to be tucked into when not in use, which can be minimally annoying.
The size of the main compartment can fit two units of the WANDRD Essential Plus Camera Cube. These cubes can each hold one to two camera bodies and four to six lenses. If used entirely for camera gear, then two cubes can hold a total of two to four camera bodies and up to 12 medium-sized lenses. Personally, I used a second camera cube to hold a DJI RS 4 Mini gimbal conveniently packed in the camera cube. If the user is carrying minimal gear, then one camera cube and a set of clothes for two to three days can fit in the main compartment. Alternatively, without any camera gear, the compartment can hold a week’s worth of clothing or even more.
Application and User Experience
The WANDRD Transit Carry-On Roller is definitely a bag that was designed for travel with a lot of flexibility for unexpected conditions. The exterior was made to protect whatever is inside from the elements and provide a smooth experience of carrying and rolling with the handles and oversized wheels, respectively. While it may be even more comfortable with four wheels, I’m not entirely sure if that would be feasible with the same wheel size.
The abundance of pockets inside and outside definitely aims to make sure that the user has a compartment for everything they’d want to have easy access to. However, it is important to understand that the compartments bulge into each other, which may affect how you actually maximize the space. Alternatively, if you don’t maximize the space, that might mean having enough padding for the laptop compartment in the third layer of pockets.
The main compartment perfectly fits the brand’s own camera cubes and can hold a pair. While you can of course use any other camera cube, it was satisfying to see how perfectly they fit. The photography bundle includes one camera cube, but I had another one that came with my Wandrd Provoke 31L, which allowed me to maximize the bag for more gear. Otherwise, using one camera cube or even a smaller one will allow the user to mix bringing camera gear with clothes and other items.
Overall, the Wandrd Transit carry-on roller is a great bag for photographers who are traveling with various combinations of camera gear. The open-space compartment and usability with camera cubes offer a lot of flexibility in packing, while the exterior provides more protection than meets the eye.
What I Liked
- Weatherproof exterior
- Abundance of sub-pockets
- Maximizes space
What Can Be Improved:
- Laptop compartment padding
- Possibly a four-wheel variant
- Smoother zippers
Get the Wandrd Transit Carry-on at half the price for black Friday.