I’ve been trying out the new OR-16 Rolling Camera Bag from Orca for three months to see how this bag holds up over time. I’ve had a few rolling bags before, and they don’t last long, but this bag has been a different experience. Whether I’m in the city or out in nature, I usually use a backpack, but I’ve been longing for an easier way to transport my gear around town, and I also needed it to work as a carry-on for flights.
The challenge with wheeled cases is the same with luggage: the wheels are made of weak plastic and other parts are not reinforced, so the bag falls apart quickly. This is where Orca takes wheeled bags to the next level with a build, design, and features that make the bag more reliable overall, reliable enough even for four days of run and gun shooting at IBC 2024, where I was able to stuff a monopod into the front sleeve so I could hurry to the next presentation.
The Orca OR-16 Rolling Camera Bag
About Orca
Orca is popularly known for their carefully designed bags, covers, and harnesses for professional audio gear, but for a long time, they’ve also been accommodating many models of photo and video cameras. The OR-16 is the airplane carry-on-sized version of Orca’s slightly larger rolling camera case, the OR-15. As airline requirements for overhead luggage have gotten stricter, the OR-16 was designed to meet those standards. I did take one international flight and had zero issues. Here’s why:
Exterior
The exterior dimensions are 21.5in x 15.8in x 10in / 55cm x 40cm x 25cm and the whole bag weighs 11.4lb / 5.2kg. It rolled down the narrow aisle of the plane and fit perfectly in the overhead compartment on its back, side, or standing up.
The material is naturally water-resistant nylon, and where most bags do have some kind of protective piping along the edges, these pipes feel denser. There are reinforced handles on the side and top for lifting into the trunk of a car or carrying over uneven ground for a short distance. Another nice touch is how one of the side handles is angled, making it easier to carry the bag when it’s really heavy. Stowed away in their own zippered compartment, there’s also a set of adjustable backpack straps for more stairs or tricky terrain.
With rollerblade wheels, a reinforced skid plate, and an aluminum collapsing tow handle, the OR-16 can better withstand the most likely wear and tear. The rollerblade wheels are probably the toughest part of the bag, and in the city they are king. Though it’s the quickest way to ruin a bag like this, I also carefully tried out the wheels on mud, sand, and light trails and still performed better than expected. It’s not just the hard, smooth material of the wheel itself but also its placement, sticking out a bit to help the bag avoid scraping the ground. If you do hit a rock or something in between the wheels, the reinforced skid plate is there to absorb the impact. The tow-handle is aluminum and the entire mechanism feels rigid, unlike many tow-handles I’ve used that can actually bend out of shape just by opening and closing them quickly. This one feels like it’s on rails, so I’m confident I can attach a smaller bag and rest on the top of the case if I need more storage space.
Side handle on the Orca OR-16 Rolling Camera Bag
In the front is a padded, zippered pocket for easy access that holds a laptop up to 17″, for working on the go and for when airport security asks you to take out your laptop. On the top front of the bag is a smaller zippered pocket with a USB port on the outside and on the inside is a stretchy fabric storage system for your memory cards. There’s a second zippered pocket inside this main compartment that I like to use for extra camera batteries, but it also houses the other end of the USB port that connects to your own power bank so you can charge devices from the outside without opening the bag. Plugged into a power source with 65-watt charging, I was able to charge my phone pretty fast. Both of these external pockets have water-resistant zippers with pull tabs to make them that much easier to grab onto.
Replaceable wheels on the Orca OR-16
In the upright position the bag leans back slightly so that as long as the dividers are used correctly, nothing should fall out. Use the short velcro straps that are included as a backup anyway. There are also two long velcro straps to attach a boom pole or a tripod to one side of the case via four reinforced fabric loops. Just below the top two loops is a zippered pocket for a smartphone or passport. On the other side is a second slim pocket, and below that an ID display window.
Interior
The inside of the case measures 19.7in / 50cm x 13in / 33cm x 7in / 18cm, incorporates an internal honeycomb frame, and is lined with a padded, felt-like material that works with thirteen removable velcro dividers. The velcro dividers are high quality – very firm, and light, and the velcro is strong. There are two short velcro straps to secure something from falling out when the bag is standing up. On the inside of the main door are two mesh-reinforced pockets accessed by one zipper, as well as behind this, a second zippered compartment to store a large laptop internally rather than in that outside pocket.
Fully packed Orca OR-16
Conclusion
If you’ve ever filled your backpack to its bursting point, worried if your larger, heavy lenses are protected, or just needed to give your back the day off the OR-16 might be for you. I even put up to forty pounds of gear in there a few times, and although it wasn’t super convenient to pick up with the handle at that weight, the handles didn’t fray or stretch because the stitching is reinforced. The other potential weak point on a bag like this is the collapsing handle, but here it’s been resilient. Thankfully, if something does break down or wear out, Orca has spare parts available at a reasonable price.
Pricing
The OR-16 is currently available on B&H’s website for $422. You can check out more LensVid exclusive articles and reviews on the following link.
You can check out more LensVid exclusive articles and reviews on the following link.
You can support LensVid by shopping with our affiliate partners
Affiliates: Amazon, B&H, Adorama and E-bay.
Why should you trust us?
