Manfrotto Pro-Light Rolling Organizer - Large MB PL-LW-97W
Manfrotto Pro-Light Rolling Organizer
Large MB PL-LW-97W
Over the past 5 Years, I've purchased 3 of this series. The first of which was their large bag (MB PL-LW-97W) before Kata was acquired by Manfrotto. I've taken this bag on countless shoots and dragged around 50+ pounds in it for a 6-month journey through east Africa. It's been on countless airplanes, rolled down crowded city streets and muddy village paths, ridden on buses both in cargo storage or sitting in the seat beside me. It's been through the toughest of conditions and taken some serious damage.
Once acquired by Manfrotto they updated the color, branding and added rubber bumpers around the corner which is a necessary improvement. I own 2 of the Manfrotto bags the large (MB PL-LW-97W) and the medium (MB PL-LW-88W), which I'll review separately.
WEIGHT & SPACE
I bought these bags to fly. Obviously, for protection, these can't compete with a 30lb hard plastic pelican case, but if you're trying to keep your two checked bags under 50lbs a piece you'll need to check out some alternatives. That's where this shines. This only weighs 13lbs but has an interior of 37"x15.75x9.5 which is long enough to fit a tripod and with plenty of space for light stands, a monopod, boom pole and plenty of room for a lot more.
It's got so much space it's easy to overload it and when not flying I often run it at 75lbs. But, I wouldn't recommend it. More on that in durability.
PROTECTION
Padded water-repellent exterior. All my gear has remained undamaged and dry. Something I have found helpful though is to put smaller items inside of additional bags like this one http://amzn.to/2kUO8hJ to for organization on a smaller level and to keep things from moving around. Although I haven't done this tripod or light stand sleeves could reduce scratching from having multiple items in the same compartment.
LONG-TERM DURABILITY
As mentioned above I've often weighed this thing up to 75lbs for lights and rolling it down muddy paths over the course of a few years. So it's taken a beating. I'd say it's held up reasonably and probably could have worn better had it been kept under 50lbs.
On to the weak points. The side handle has come loose from the bag. It's still attached to the fabric but the rivets aren't anchored to anything making it unusable. I now put a luggage strap around the center and grab it by that. I think the strap adds a lot of needed support.
The plastic has shattered around the bottom of the bag. That enables it to stand and added rigidity to the corner between the wheels. Now that the support isn't there, the bag can't handle as much weight in that corner which has caused scraping against the ground thus shredding the cover against the ground. Since then I've duck taped and tried not to put as much weight in that corner.
That was the first Kata bag I bought in 2012. I've now retired it for the most part and using the updated Manfrotto for the past year. It's still in good condition after a few international trips, but this time I avoid overloading it and always fly with a strap around the center.
CONCLUSION
Although I wish my first bag would have lasted longer, I think it's acceptable for what I've put it through. Regardless these bags have kept all my gear safe and dry through countless flights and journeys.
Please share your experiences or recommendations in the comments!
