I'm putting together my traveling "backpack journalism" kit for the Denver convention. I'm not quite sure what to expect or what I'll need, but I'm taking a lot of junk so I'll be ready.

I was looking at a combination backpack/rolling laptop/camera case from Lowepro when I ran across this Pelican PCS247 that costs half as much.

I figure I wouldn't use the backpack feature of the Lowepro, so I got the Pelican instead. We have some of their hard sided shipping cases for demo/tradeshow work, and they are rugged and reliable.

This one has ball-bearing rollers, carrying handles on the top and side, room for a large notebook computer, two camera bodies, four lenses (including a large f2.8 200mm), flash, and a small pocket video camera, plus accessories. It is very stable when loaded, doesn't tip when rolling, and you can remove the notebook PC from the top while it's standing.

The other good thing is that it looks like a regular overnight carry-on, so hopefully it won't attract the attention of thieves.

The camera gear compartment has lots of configurable padded dividers. You could probably fit a decent prosumer video setup in it, too. The compartment is a padded tray that lifts out, so you could also use it as a combo overnight/computer bag, sample case, etc. It includes a waterproof zip-on nylon cover for the entire case, but it's the same loud, ugly blue as the interior.

My only complaint so far is that the camera compartment is designed so you can stow a DSLR with long zoom attached. In fact, a pro body is a little too tall to fit and it stresses the top of the camera and the bottom of the laptop PC when you try to close it. I had to remove the lens and put the body in the middle of the bag. I'll play around with the configuration to see if I can at least have a short lens mounted with the camera stowed sideways or something.

Fully loaded it weighs in at about 35 pounds. Good thing it has rollers. It's supposed to be within carry-on limits, so we'll see. The padding is good, but I wouldn't want to have to check it. But we're probably driving to Denver so I don't really care. The main thing is it replaces two camera bags and a notebook case, and did I mention it has rollers?