If you use c-stands, boom arms or anything else that requires a counterweight to keep it from falling over you will know how important it is to have shot bags or sandbags. The problem with shot bags or sandbags is that they are heavy and you have to carry them around. If you work in a studio this isn’t really an issue, but if you travel a lot then taking sandbags or shot bags with you usually isn’t an option, especially if you are flying.
That’s where the HurleyPro H2Pro Weight Bag comes in. What makes the H2Pro Bag different from other sandbags or shot bags is that it features a removable and refillable water reservoir that can be filled on-location. This means you can travel without having to carry heavy weight bags and spending money on excess baggage. The H2Pro Weight Bag only weighs in at 0.9 lbs. / 0.4 kg.
Hardly a new idea
The idea of using water as weight isn’t a particularly new concept, but it’s the first time I have seen a lighting company come up with a dedicated solution for filmmakers that looks professional. There have been other solutions such as the Prolux Studio Water bottle Counterweight Ballast for Boom Arm Stand, which uses 6 x 1.25L bottles that act as a counterweight for a boom arm, there is also the Neewer 2 Pack Photography Studio Water Bag, and Photoflex Counterweight Bag just to name a few. Matthews Studio Equipment also makes a Fly-A-Way bag which can be filled with rocks, dirt or water.
H2O
The HurleyPro H2Pro Weight Bag features a large lid and a durable bladder that can be filled in sinks or streams, with faucets or with hoses. The nice thing about using water as weight is it can be found just about anywhere and it doesn’t take much time to do.
Safety first
If you are working with electrical equipment, having water around is a dangerous proposition. If you are going to use water as a counterweight it has to be in a very well made and secure bag. Luckily the HurleyPro H2Pro Weight Bag is made out of metal, polyester fiber, and polymer. The stitching on the bag looks to be solidly made and the water bladder lid secures down well.
The bags also come with a double-stitched nylon strap so you can attach them to your equipment. I would have preferred to have seen an included hook as well as that sometimes makes it easier to attach to certain light stands and arms.
The water bladder is removable from the actual bag which gives you an extra layer of security if the bag somehow gets punctured or leaks. Being able to remove the water bladder also makes it easier to fill it up on location.
I do, however, think that for added safety that Wescott should have put a zipper at the top of the fabric bag which the water bladder sits in so if it falls over it won’t just pop out.
Combining bags
In a nice touch, each Pro H2Pro Weight Bag has a full-length side zipper that allows you to connects multiple weight bags together. This is really handy if you need to support heavier loads as often when you use multiple individual bags they move around and it’s hard to get the correct balance.
How much weight does it provide?
A Pro H2Pro Weight Bag when it is completely filled with water gives you 8.75 lbs (3.97 kg) of weight to use.
Real world use
The product looks good so far, but how is it to actually use? Is it practical? Does it do the job? In short, yes. The Pro H2Pro Weight Bags are easy to use and I was able to adopt them into my workflow for setting up lights very easily.
Filling the water bladder is fairly straightforward but I do recommend that after filling, you double check that the lid is on securely and then hold the bladder upside down to make sure there aren’t any leaks.
I also found that it is easier to not fill the bladder all the way up and instead I left a bit of a space. This makes it easier to screw the lid down as you don’t end up with a bladder that looks like it is about to burst.
The bags are easy to rig on boom arms and c-stands and I love how you can simply zip up multiple H2Pro bags together if you need more weight.
The bags are also very easy to use for putting on the base of c-stands. What you do need to keep in mind when using them this way is that they aren’t as pliable as a sand or shot bag so you have to be careful how you place them so they don’t move around too much.
What you need to be aware of
The Pro H2Pro Weight Bag is not something you can just set and forget. You need to maintain it and clean it after every use if you want to prolong the lifespan of the product.
To clean it Westcott recommends you use hot water with either 2 tablespoons of baking soda, or two tablespoons of bleach and then shake it and leave it inside the bladder for 30 minutes. You should also not store it away until it is completely dry.
The problem I found when it came to drying the bags is it’s really hard to get all the water out. I left the bags outside to dry in 30c/86f heat for two days and they still had some water inside of them.
Given you need to follow these procedures and the problem I had in drying the bags it’s not surprising that Westcott only offers a 90-day warranty on the water bag reservoir. They do give you a one-year warranty on the fabric bag. I’m not sure how many times you could actually use the bladder before needing to buy a new bag. It would be good if Westcott made replacement bladders available, so you don’t need to buy a whole new bag.
Price
The Hurley Pro H2Pro Weight Bags retail for $44.90 USD each, and you can also buy them in packs of two ($84.90 USD) and packs of 6 ($249.50). This is certainly a bit on the pricey side considering it’s just a bag with a water bladder in it, but it is well made. If I’m going to be using large amounts of water near electrical equipment I want peace of mind and don’t want to be counting on an $8 solution.
To H2O or not H2O, that is the question
I really like the Hurley Pro H2Pro Weight Bags. They are a no-fuss solution to the age-old problem of carrying around dead weight to secure down light stands, boom arms and other equipment. Are they a replacement for the good old sandbag? Well, that depends entirely on what you are doing. If you are working in a studio and don’t have to travel then sandbags are still the way to go. However, if you do a lot of travelling or are working out on location the Hurley Pro H2Pro Weight Bags make a lot of sense.
Water can be found just about anywhere (well maybe not in a desert) and there is no point carrying around dead weight when you don’t have to. While the concept of using water as weight is hardly new, Westcott has managed to improve on other existing ideas and come up with a very useful product.
