Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm trying to find a bag that I can keep my paints, brushes and some models in so that I can transport it around and paint in different locations. The two products I've found so far are the Battle Foam PACK 216 and the GW Fast Attack Bag.

Battle Foam PACK 216:
Pro:
The trays would be able to hold ALL my paints, brushes and a whole bunch of models
Con:
To ship it to me in the UK, it will cost about £89 ($126).

GW Fast Attack Bag:
Pro:
Would only cost £34.25 (about $50)
Con:
It doesn't look like it would hold that much.

Does anyone own the GW bag? Is it any good? Is there more space in it than the pictures show? How much space does the removable bit take up in the bag and can you put anything else in the bag with it? How many models would it hold? Could you show any photos of the size of it all and what is in the blocky part of the removable section please?

Has anyone got the PACK 216? Any thoughts about it? Would it be worth me shipping it to the UK? It does seem to be a far superior product to the GW one, but the cost is quite high.

Does anyone know of any other products that would do the job?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I own the GW bag, basically you can squeeze the 40k rule book in the bag along with the insert and not much else.
The rubber bits where the paints are restrained are way to tight and barely fit a GW bottle (almost like they were designed for Vallejo). The brush bits are designed for GW brushes and smaller, if you use larger brushes (like I do) expect to fit only 1/2 the recommended number in there, and you'll stretch out the silly plastic holder so nothing else will fit in it.
The top foam bit will hold roughly 10 infantry sized figures but its just a piece of overly large egg crate style foam folded in 1/2.

I second most of Foda's comments about the GW Fast Attack bag and add that the "folded over" egg crate foam won't really hold your metal figs that well if you get jostled a bit while carrying it. As a figure carrier it makes a great messenger bag.

A regular GW case wouldn't work for you? If you are looking for something small and easy to carrying for small-scale painting sessions you might be able to get a "pistol case" (fairly readily available in the US, but not sure about the UK) that could hold say a dozen paints, a dozen figs, and some brushes. Something like this:

http://www.outdoorsuperstore.com/product.asp?prod=321271

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Dave

So it looks like the GW bag probably won't do what I want it to. The pistol case looks pretty reasonable, but it doesn't quite fit the bill.

Perhaps I should have explained a bit more. Basically I work in a boarding school and live at school during the term times. I own a flat elsewhere that my wife and I escape to in the holidays and on odd days here and there. The problem I find is that by keeping my GW stuff at either home, I can't do it whenever I want to (while I'm in the other home). The net result of this s that my painting time equates to about 20 or 30 hours a year, which sucks as I really enjoy it. I'm looking for a convenient way of being able to satisfy my hobby needs without doubling up on stuff! All suggestions welcomed.

You might want to take a look at an art supply store and see if there's a case that could be modified to fit your specific needs better.

There's stuff like this for a bit more 'retro' look but there's also a number of soft or reinforced-sided bags, cases, etc. for the fine art painters who want to be able to travel. My girlfriend likes doing 'pleine air' painting (Basically, going outside to paint) so we've looked at a lot of similar gear. In her case, weight and size is a big deal.

I know Sabol makes a paint tray for their bags as well.

Speaking of bag comparisons, how about battlefoam's 432 vs sabol's standard army transport? They are just about the same size, while battlefoam's is rigid but costs 3x as much and quite a bit more for shipping. I like battlefoam's trays but is there any reason to get the case?

I might have to go to an art shop and see what I can find in there. It's just a shame that the total cost for Battle Foam is so high as it's clearly the right product for what I need.

The Sabol bags look a little big for my needs.

To ph34r: I haven't seen the BF bags myself, but if you look at their website, there is a video about the bags and they look pretty sturdy and well-made, as many people on here have said.

I think the smallest of the Sabol bags are smaller than the smallest Battlefoam bag. Of course, Battlefoam looks to have great customer service.

It sounds like you could almost use something like this or this as a less expensive option. The latter might be a bit small, but you could possible look at buying the bag and a single Battlefoam or Sabol tray designed to fit.

Balance, I think you might be right about the 'this' and the 'this' that you posted. Thanks for those. I'm going to have to pop into an art shop and see what they've got and work out if anything can be adapted to my needs.

I'm not too worried about the size of the Battle Foam bag as it looks to be about the size of the smaller GW hard army case. The smallest Sabol bag I've seen was considerably larger than this. My main concern is being able to conveniently transport all my paints and brushes, so that I don't have to worry about "have I got the right colours with me to paint that model?" The main concern about the BF bag is the cost. Can I really justify the expense?

Timing is everything. Check this out: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/238143.page

Albinoork, you may have saved the day. Thank you. I may have to look into this sensibly. I currently keep my paints in a similar style of box and if I can just work out a sensible way of combining the minis with the idea in the thread you've found, it could be the solution I've been looking for. Thanks.

If anyone else has any thoughts, ideas or similar products, I'm still open to suggestions!

Don't thank me thank tausmith

There are some less expensive alternatives, however, if you feel the battlefoam bag is perfect than I say go for it. Considering how much we spend on minis, paints, brushes, and most importantly TIME, than dropping $126 to protect your investments isn't such a large number.

take care and let us know what route you decide to take.

I have an extra one of these bags if your interested and i love it.

Left profile, notice extra long side pocket (perfect for templates and rulers) and top exit hole for IPOD/MP3 player earpieces

Center view, long profile showing top 2 velcro stripes, large (book size!) pocket and smaller back pocket All pockets expand outwards for maximum capacity.

Right profile with two handy side pockets. Perfect storage for dice, tokens, glue - you name it! All pockets close with a velvro strip.


The Central Storage area holds a buch of stuff. Plenty of room for a hard plastic figure case, with space to spare!

Top grip handle plus the two strips on the back of the pack velcro on and off. Have them embroidered with your name, club name or Army name!

Adjustable lower strap, top of strap is lightly padded and much wider for comfort on shoulders.


Large rear pocket extends nearly the entire length of the backpack and expands outwards. Perfect for storing rulebooks and codexes.

Smaller rear pocket has plenty of room for dice, tape measure, templates etc...

Another great use for the extra long side pocket -- storage for a foot long hero sandwhich!

That looks like the bag gw put out for apoc

the bags were remade/repackaged for another group. It is the same bag and same materials

Johnathon, It looks good, but if you're in the US, it's probably still going to cost too much to ship it to me in the UK.

Albinoork, I'm still trying to decide and I can't get to the shops to have a root around for a while, but if I can come up with a good alternative, I'll certainly post it here.

Let us know what you get. I'm curious.

frgsinwntr wrote:the bags were remade/repackaged for another group. It is the same bag and same materials

Do you have a name and a line for this "other group"?

the "other group" was the War store. they came out with this bag about 2 months after the GW apoc bag went off the market.

4 small tackleboxes with removable separators. Lined it with a cut up Shamwow. Got myself 4 cheap, effective, modular cases.

Sorry, what is shamwow?

InyokaMadoda wrote:Sorry, what is shamwow?

https://www.shamwow.com/

Ah, ok, thanks.

So, I've tried contacting Battlefoam by sending them a couple of emails a week ago to ask them some questions about the PACK 216, but so far I've had no response. Anyone else had problems contacting them?