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Orca Bags, something new at NAB


johnpaul215

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They were located a bit off the path, but hopefully Team Gotham will make it there today and get some video. The designer from KATA and then Petrol has a new company. They very much look like a next generation Petrol in many ways, meaning they took a lot of things up a level, but you can maybe see some DNA of the PEGZ series. Incredibly light and they have an aluminum rod frame to keep the shape. Offhand one is a Maxx/633 size, then 2 bigger ones. They also have a great harness and a quick change boom pole tip they estimate at (iirc) $40-$50. Whitney can correct me if I'm wrong.

www.orcabags.com

Between them and K-Tek, we have two new sources of bags and harnesses to check out. It's not like there is one bag or harness for everyone, so I'm glad there are new people getting into the market, and both have bags that have my interest. I personally have been looking for something new to carry my Nomad. I reverted to a PEGZ1 because the lightweight petrol was messy with 6 receivers. Maybe if I just buy an RX12 everything will be ok.......

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Yes I don't like the ambient quick release due to the high price and needing two hands to use it . The Orca one will be under 75.00 I really liked it and the harness

 

Hey Whitney,

You only need one hand for on/off on the Quick Tips.  Two last fingers on the body, and first three (thumb, index, middle) on whatever you choose.  Same for boom poles.

A.

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Ofer brought the Orca bags to the Zaxcom booth yesterday and I loaded them up with Nomad and Maxx and I was really impressed and the more I played with the bags the more I liked them. They are really light weight and totally rigid - the bag will not sag or flop over. 

All four sides of the bags as well as the bottom of the bag can either partially open to pass cables through - or completely un-zip and fully fold down to have 100% access to the bag - you can even have all four sides of the bag open at the same time and its aluminium and honeycomb frame will maintain its integrity.

I spent quite a bit of time with Ofer giving him my thoughts on the bag - and he said that he got a lot of good feedback at the show and several improvements will be made to the production model - which should ship around June/July. Orca also has few pretty neat accessories that they will be coming out that I don't think I can elaborate on at this point.     

Bags are a really personal choice and I like that there are several really good bag choices out there now. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

A quick overview on their products:

http://thelocationcrew.com/blog/orca-mixer-bag-and-harness/

 

Orca’s harness is the best I’ve ever worn, and I’ve been wearing these things for over 25 years. With a few quick adjustments it fit like a glove. The harness is light weight, very easy to get in and out of (this is huge), and best of all breathable. I was sweating in the K-Tek harness within minutes! It’s way to stiff and incredibly cumbersome and it wasn’t the easiest thing to get out of – the Petrol harness I’m currently using is the same and I’m not a fan at all.

The Orca harness I demoed also had a pouch built into the back that holds a battery with breakout cables that exit on the front of the harness for powering a wireless system even a cell phone – someone’s thinking? If the Orca harness can stand up to the abuse of real world documentary video, I’m sold.

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Actual "setup pictures" with the three different sized bags with w/less rxs and 788/664/633/nomad/maxx in it would be appreciated.

 

Orca had a Maxx or 633 in the smallest bag at their booth. I didn't get a picture, but it was really secure and a pretty perfect fit. They have these clips that connect to the posts and hold it in place. They didn't have a Nomad, which I would have liked to see (since that's what I own). 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the KTek line and the Orca line are *close* enough that if one bag is your style, the other might be worth investigating before you buy. They have a few differences that might work with your setup, or something that would make your life easier. Like Jack has said above, a bag is a very personal decision, so that's not a comment against either company. We're lucky to have solid options. 

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It should be noted that other than the Stingray for the 633/MAXX, all other products shown at NAB in our bag division were prototypes and we made it clear to people that changes could and will be made, specifically regarding the harness. It is too early to write an accurate review on products that aren't even in the marketplace yet. Our beta testers have been extremely positive about the harness, especially about the fact that it actually distributes the weight to your hips using our patent pending design and technology. 

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Will there be a stingray type bag for the Nomad?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Absolutely, and the way it's going, it might also work with the 788t.

 

...and there are many more products coming in our bag division as well. We will be pounding the pavement pretty hard over the next year or so. 

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It should be noted that other than the Stingray for the 633/MAXX, all other products shown at NAB in our bag division were prototypes and we made it clear to people that changes could and will be made, specifically regarding the harness. It is too early to write an accurate review on products that aren't even in the marketplace yet. Our beta testers have been extremely positive about the harness, especially about the fact that it actually distributes the weight to your hips using our patent pending design and technology.

I do like how the Orca harness can charge your phone. Might be worth looking at for your harnass. Maybe even pouches to help store tape or batteries in. Just a couple thought.

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