The official camera bag thread:

[jacobsen1]

Post 'em if you got 'em.
If not go shoot them and post them later...

I know it's always tough to get a bag you like, that does everything you want. This thread could be helpful to anyone looking for ideas, so post anything you have pictures of, and at least list what's in there. Here's my current bag, I'll be adding all of them as I can:


that's an $11 bag from whiskeymilitia.com. I have 3 Domke inserts in there as well as a Domke base. All the Domke stuff is available to B&H. I'm loving this bag. I've had it for a few months now, and I absolutely love it. The bottom is rubberized so I can set it down in the wet, and not worry. It's also pretty stealth and fits exactly what I wanted. I also added a crumpler padded strap to it (also from B&H) and it's miles more comfortable than my LowePro 650. It can hold all 3 zooms easily (that's what I bought it for) and/or a mix match of zooms/primes whatever. The one gripe I originally had was that the Domke inserts inner dimensions were a tad too small. I couldn't fit the wanker 24-70mmL hood in there. Well it's taught me one awesome lesson: Keep the hoods in their usable position and put the lens camera end down. Sure they're longer that way, but they still fit, and everything is super easy to get at. I'm really loving this setup. It's my perfect shoulder bag unless I'm flying (then I take the 650 because I can also take flying toys, ie gameboy/whatever). Now I just need to get cracking on a better backpack.

[subimatt]

fun idea! Here is mine... standard Canon bag... Need a bigger one. But I manage to fit everything inside so far.

[Rallyroo]

I'll do it this weekend when I have some more free time.

Subscribed.

[kensington]

Here is my Lowepro NOVA 3 AW http://www.cambags.com/nikon/d70/sho...va3AW_desc.htm bag. I use it for the short quick trips. I wish it was a little bigger, especially since I have upgraded from the D70 to the D200 w/vertical grip since those pictures were taken.

My 'big' bag is the Crumpler December Quarter http://www.cambags.com/nikon/d70/sho...arter_desc.htm it is near perfect. As noted in my review I wish it had a large zippered front pocket, with a zipper along the sides too and a handle at the top but other than that I really like it a lot. I think the replacement, Brazillion Dollar Home, has those things.

[jacobsen1]

LowePro TopLoad Zoom AW
~$39.90 @ B&H

This is the bag I use whenever I ski with my camera. It has a chest holster so it sits right in front of me all day. It's a bit awkward at first, but once you get used to having it there, it's awesome. It's like a workbench for your camera and it makes lens changes very easy. The bag comes in many different sizes, I own the biggest size they make. They've changed the name on this a few times, so just look them up at LowePro.com and get the size that fits what you need.

This bag will hold a 1 series camera at the top, and it's tall (deep) enough for a 70-200mm f2.8 attached. I can also fit a 12~24mm & (sigma) 24~70mm f2.8 stacked in there. I haven't used it yet with my newer lenses (I will Saturday) so I'll report back on other combinations that work. There is a small pocket in the front that will fit a flash, or a lens if needed, but there is no padding for it. There is also a AW cover that covers the entire bag the way you see it there. It leaves what's touching your chest uncovered.

I've skied 100+ days with this bag and I've had no problems with any water/moisture. It also comes with a shoulder strap if you want to use it as a normal bag. I don't do that because it's not stable when you set it down. For me it's a chest pack, and nothing else. You can also get creative with the straps and attach this to a backpacks straps... So you can hook this to the backpack's straps similar to the sternum strap (but much bigger). It makes for a good way to carry your photo gear so it's accessible. The other plus with this is it gets your ~10lbs of camera gear in front of you, so it balances the load. In that shot, I had 40 total lbs of gear, 30 in back, 10 in front. I put the camera bag on first with it's harness, then the pack over it (the camera bag's harness is very thin, so anything can go over it). If I were to do any sort of multi day trip, I'd spend some time with some webbing and clips to make it attach to the backpack's straps/harness.

edit to add another shot of the bag, this time in use!!!

[Rallyroo]

Gear is nestled in a LowePro Mini Trekker

[jacobsen1]

Tamrac Pro 5
$~59.95 @ B&H




this was my light duty shoulder bag before I got the WM/Zoo York bag above. It is reasonably inexpensive and can hold a "pro" series DSLR (ie tall body) with a 70-200mm f/2.8 attached. Basically the bag is wide enough to do 2 stacks of lenses, and deep enough for a "stack" to be the 70-200mm or any 2 lenses that tall when stacked. It works OK for me for a while but I got sick of the stacking and wanted a bag that is 3 lenses wide (enter zoo york). It's light and compact. If you're looking for a day bag or only have/use a small selection of lenses, it's a great option. It's strap could be better (I used a crumpler strap to add additional padding).

[thechickencow]

I just use an overstuffed 'stock' canon bag as well, but I'll probably need something new if christmas goes well.

I don't like the backpack ones because the camera isn't too accessible, the chest bag Ben's got seems like something I'd like, but I don't knwo if I'd want to wear it alone with nothing else, I guess I could do the over shoulder option if that was the case.

[Markitos]

I have the same bag as Ben and I've always used it as a shoulder back until a couple of weeks ago, when I strapped it on for a hike like he has it. It's great to have everything held in place for you. It's a great bag for when you want to go light(er) and especially if you are hiking, since it frees up your hands.

M

[thechickencow]

Does it make you feel like you're leaning forward with just the bag on chest strap style?

[Markitos]

Nope... It doesn't stick out far enough.

M

[jjswee]

Any ideas for a small bag I can take hiking? It only needs to hold 1 or 2 lenses with an XTi (17-70 and some 70-300 maybe?) and not much else. I will have a camelback on (small backpack for water) already. I like the idea of the chest pack Ben mentioned, but I don't like the look of it. Something small would be nice, and that it will stay close to my body (won't hang free - attach to the belt maybe?), and allows easy access.


Also, what do you guys use for holding your tripod? Something easy like velcro strap to my backpack might work.

[Damon]

Lowepro Stealth Reporter 300 AW:

Very good at what it was designed to do. However, I don't really use the top zipper access very much, and I've actually found it is too small to fit a body through easily, but fine for lenses. This bag eventually might house my PJ kit, which will just be a body, 2 lenses, and a flash. The bag has a AW cover for the top, then another AW cover for the entire bag. Both covers are contained inside the bag.

Pics:


70-200 F4L non IS(hood reversed), 350D w/ grip, Tokina 12-24, 50 1.8 on top of an old 28-85. Usually there is a 430 EX underneath the 12-24, but not pictured.


Backside


Front

DaKine Sequence:

This bag is fairly large, but nothing that would be too bad for a day of skiing or hiking. It has a ski carry and snowboard carry - and also everything you would expect in a ski bag (shovel, probe holsters) and room for small items. It loads from the back, and carries the load well. Eventually I'd like this bag to become my landscape/travel bag, as I don't think it will be fast enough for PJ type work. However until I get a second body this bag is going to do everything. Also the sequence comes with the "Camera Block" which is actually an insert that holds all the gear. This insert is removeable and can be carried messanger style, but it is very basic.

Don't mind the pictures, my product box is too small for the bag...


Front of the bag, a pocket on top for small items, main pocket for bigger stuff.


Back panel - Access to the equipment. Well padded back. Also the inside of the panel has room for all the other misc items.


Same gear as before - I could definitely organize this better, but until it is full, I won't worry about it.

[Rallyroo]

Also, what do you guys use for holding your tripod? Something easy like velcro strap to my backpack might work.

My camera backpack, Lowepro Mini Trekker, has a tripod carrying strap with bungee cords galore. It's good for carrying a tripod from point A to point B, but it's inconvenient to work out of if you need to change any lenses.

[mkfotos]

So far I have four main bags:

Canon 200EG backpack - for small jobs

Tamrac Cyberpack 6 - for big jobs

ThinkTank Speed Demon (just got it, so haven't had a chance to test it in the field) - for keeping things around my waist when doing big jobs

ThinkTank Digital Holster 50 - for very small jobs that require just a body and a lens or two


...a tripod case:

ThinkTank Bazooka

...a hard case:

Pelican 1560

[jacobsen1]

added a shot of the chest pack in use this weekend.

Any ideas for a small bag I can take hiking?

Maybe get a belt and some lens cases? I have 3 different sized lens cases that I love when I know I'll have my camera out most of the time (or when I'll tolerate it around my neck). I then keep them on a think tank belt that has a giant plastic buckle in the front. It's easy to wear over anything else and keep everything easily at hand. It's a great working solution...

Also, what do you guys use for holding your tripod?

I have a OpTech tripod strap. Actaully it's an OpTech classic strap with one of the camera ends permanently on the tripod head and a custom spliced (by me) piece of spectra on the other end. The nice part is I can easily throw it over my shoulder with any of my bags except a backpack. My backpacks have stuff to hold it anyway:

[allawd]

Anyone try the Tamrac sling pack 7x or express 7. I can't decide between the two.

I want something to hold my XTi with attached 70-200mm f/4 and maybe a couple other small lenses at most. I like to keep it trim.

[SlvrScoobie]

This post reserved, I need to take pics of my many MANY bags (at least 4..)

[jacobsen1]

This post reserved, I need to take pics of my many MANY bags (at least 4..)

Yeah, I still have 2 bags to go myself (DaKine Reload and a Lowe Pro 650 stealth). No need to reserve, I'm sure people will just scroll until the see a picture of something that looks "good"...

[rattles]

might as well add some pics of the various bags that i use/used:

Lowepro Stealth Reporter 650AW:



Lowepro Lens Trekker 600AW with pouches for the 100-400 and 24-70:






Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW



Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home



Think Tank Airport Addicted




i have 3 new bags right here that i need to take pics of and review...

[mkfotos]

Oh yeah, the 600AW... I forgot I have that. Obviously it doesn't get used a whole lot

Looks like a nice, flexible collection Snir. So you have four more bags? What the...

Good to see that you decided to stick with the III... even if it did take a few tries

[thechickencow]

The Dakine Sequence has caught my eye, I know Damon has one and posted some pics but I was hoping for more information on the bag. How accessible is the gear in the bag? How much room is in the bag for gear other than the photo gear? Is there room for an extra jacket, a bit of food, water, etc?

Maybe I don't want this specific one and you guys can help me out picking other bags:
First off, I want a bag that doesn't look like a camera bag/backpack. The less like a camera backpack the better. I want to use this for travelling and I'd prefer it just looks like a normal backpack and doesn't attract attention. I'm also considering getting a backpack and finding a setup of inserts inside to hold gear securely and safely.

I'm also not completely sure I want a backpack, due to the slower accessability of the camera. I'm thinking I may however want 2 bags, a backpack for when I'm hiking with the camera on day trips, and then a messenger type or shoulder type for when I'm doing shorter trips (considering a homemade style like Ben did for this). Longer trips will be something I'll probably do different gear than either of these bag options.

[jacobsen1]

LowePro Stealth Reporter 650 (mine is the old version, the new one is "650D")
$122.95 @ B&H


This is the bag I call my "garage". It can pretty much hold ALL my gear if I need it too. It's also carry on legal, so I often use this when flying. To carry it on you have to make sure the front pockets are empty otherwise it won't slide under the seat. But I can fit just about anything in this bag. The bad thing is when you do that it get very heavy. Also, LowePro's dividers SUCK! I've added those black velcro straps you can see to hold everything together. Works much better. This also has a "condom" for when it's raining that covers the whole thing. The top has a zipper in it so you can open that to access you camera, or it flops over with clips and a zipper depending on what you like. IMHO it's a good carry all bag, but it's very heavy when fully loaded. I travel with this with 4 lenses (17-40mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and 15mm FE) then all the other travel crap I bring along (gameboy, mags, etc). It can also carry a laptop and has a padded sleeve not shown.

[jacobsen1]

DaKine Reload
$100 "back in the day" (~1998), $199 for the new version.


This is my carry everything backpack. I don't really like backpacks for my camera gear so this pretty much sits in my closet with the non used accessories I don't want to throw away. This is a very similar bag to some LowePros, but it was much less expensive. The dividers aren't that good because there are only specific places you can put the internal dividers (only where the black strips are, the gray parts are smooth nylon)... It can hold all my gear AND a pair of skis or my snowboard... But to get at the camera gear you have to take it off, set it down and loosen the straps for the skis. It's a PITA so I use the chest harness and TLZ a few posts up when I can.

[jacobsen1]

Here you can see 3 of the bags from this thread in one shot for a size comparison:


I'm still loving the Zoo York/Domke setup. I just wish the bag was plain black, but for $11, I can't complain...

[SlvrScoobie]

The current setup looks basically like this. This the new Computrekker AW Plus.

The TC's sit together now. And the IR Rebel and 20D sit together at the bottom to allow the 18-55 to sit next to the TC's
Only problem i have with the bag is the way the velco is laid out, I cant adjust where the 70-200 goes well enough to give the 20d proper room at the bottom.. so it kinda has to push the bottom out and the 70-200 up a little..

[Colorblinded]

Yes, the TS-Es labels are swapped.

[jacobsen1]

Yes, the TS-Es labels are swapped.

I'm probably one of the few people in the world that could have called you on that...

[Colorblinded]

Yeah, I know you would and the 3 other people in the world that own or know about TS-Es

I've got a bunch of other bags to show off if I get around to taking some photos. Only two of those I actually use.

[LateApex]

I picked up a Burton Zoom 28L backpack this week. I finally got moved into it, so I figured I'd contribute to this thread.



I think what sold me on it, was the color. It comes in black, but I wanted it to not look like a camera bag. Plenty of straps and places to attach a tripod, and my monopod fits in one of the side pockets. Apparently, a 15" laptop will fit in the outside pocket. There is another pocket that is supposed to be for a shovel, but there's no reason a lightweight jacket couldn't be stuffed in there.



Lots of room to grow for my gear. As you can see, it opens toward your back, requiring you to remove the pack to get camera out. This was a plus for me, as I'm always paranoid about people getting into my bag, or me leaving it unzipped. The belt is a bit weird, and I read some complaints about it in some online reviews. My understanding is that this bag is to be used while snowboarding, and the belt is made more for stabilizing the load, not supporting it. It sort of wraps around your belly. It's perfect for me, since I don't hike a lot, but will wear it while riding quads/dirtbikes and I need a bag that won't swing around. Fully loaded, (the bag, not me) it's very comfortable. Much better than my Lowepro Slingshot.

I looked at the Dakine Sequence, but the camera block they include would have given me no room to grow as I acquired gear. The padded insert comes out of this bag, making it a normal daypack.

edited to add: I paid $129. Pretty reasonable for a camera backpack.

[jacobsen1]

Just to keep this updated with a few new bag threads:
.:domke Bug Bag 20 Review:.
.:Naneu Pro Tango Bag REVIEW:.
.:LowePro Vertex 200 REVIEW:.

[jblaze5779]

I need something that can fit a D300 w/vert grip and all my other listed gear comfortably.

[kensington]

I need something that can fit a D300 w/vert grip and all my other listed gear comfortably.

I just got a Tamrac Pro 5 and like it. I have it packed with the D200 w/MB-D200 grip and the 17-35 2.8 mounted it will also work with the 70-200 mounted), 70-200 2.8 VR, 50 1.4 and SB-800 w/diffuser mounted in the main compartment with room to spare in the slot with the flash. The front zipper pocket has plenty of room for all the accesories and my Epson P-2000 PSD.

[jacobsen1]

Yeah, great little bag isn't it?

take some pics with your gear in it if you can.

[subimatt]

I should prob do a shot of the backpack at some point...

[kensington]

Yeah, great little bag isn't it?

take some pics with your gear in it if you can.

Was planning on it but but I have been sick then I went snowboarding with my boy and feel like I bruised some ribs during a fall (not fun when part of the illness you have is a hacking cough) and Madeline has had the stomach flu for the past few days so pictures have been somewhat hard to come by.

[Reed Goodwin]

Hmmm, I'll get a shot of my bag when I get the 100-400mm back from Canon.
Reed

[kensington]

Here are some pictures of my new Tamrac Pro 5

I have the 70-200 2.8 VR (hood reversed) in the left hand slot

D200 w/MB-D200 grip and 17-35 2.8 (hood reversed) mounted in the middle slot

SB-800 with diffuser on in the right hand slot



Took the camera out and you can see I used a horizontal divider in the middle slot, below the divider is the 50 1.4



In the front zipper pocket I've got camera and flash batteries and my Epson P-2000 portable storage device.

[dansaa]

Ooh, ooh, I wanna play!

Lowepro Micro Trekker 100:



And before you say anything about the Quantaray lens, it's the only thing in that bag I bought in a store. I needed something quick and of course, that's all Ritz had. I would prefer Sigma but hey, can't complain.

[thechickencow]

I think I'm gonna order the dakine sequence bag after last weekend working out of my north face daypack. Just not convienient at all.

The only holdup is that I want something that can hold a bit of gear other than the camera gear, does the sequence or that burton pack ^^ have room for a jacket, water, snacks?

[The Monster]

You are Such a Dork


My bag: Lowe Pro, Mini Trekker AW

[jacobsen1]

You are Such a Dork

[LateApex]

The only holdup is that I want something that can hold a bit of gear other than the camera gear, does the sequence or that burton pack ^^ have room for a jacket, water, snacks?

The Burton pack has a ton of room. I guess I need to take more/better pictures. You could easily put a jacket in the rear pocket, and there is a good sized upper section that's perfect size for a lunch or whatever. I've fit a water bottle in the side mesh pocket. So far, it's the perfect gear hauler for me. I'd still like a shoulder bag for other times.

[iunno]

FINALLY, my DIY bag is done!



and no i didn't label those front pockets loaded full of random ****!

[jacobsen1]

finally!

and damn, your lenses are skinny. I can't fit 4 in my 2x2...

[iunno]

yeah dude, they fit with room.

and yes...FINALLY!

[thechickencow]

The Burton pack has a ton of room. I guess I need to take more/better pictures. You could easily put a jacket in the rear pocket, and there is a good sized upper section that's perfect size for a lunch or whatever. I've fit a water bottle in the side mesh pocket. So far, it's the perfect gear hauler for me. I'd still like a shoulder bag for other times.

Sweet, thats exactly what I'm looking for then, so its between that one and the dakine. Did you look at both in person? I can't find them around me at all.

[LateApex]

I didn't get to see the Sequence in person, but they all use the same camera block, and I saw that. That's the part I didn't like.

If you have to order a bag, make sure they have a cool return policy.

[thechickencow]

I didn't get to see the Sequence in person, but they all use the same camera block, and I saw that. That's the part I didn't like.

If you have to order a bag, make sure they have a cool return policy.

Thanks for the input.

I'm leaning more towards the burton now, but probably in black. Decisions decisions.

[chkltcow]

Here's mine... Tamrac Adventure 7 backpack


Front pocket has extra memory cards, spare batteries, a lens cloth, and my remote shutter release for my Rebel


Bottom... well... self explanatory. Digital Rebel w/ battery grip, 3 lenses, and a Speedlite.


Not how it usually is, but as you can see there's a LOT of room in the top compartment. I went to the in-law's yesterday... so I had a book to read, my two film cameras to show to my sister-in-law, a mini-tripod that I usually keep in there, two rolls of 120 film, a lens brush, a roll of electrical tape (buy a Holga and you'll understand), and a set of mini headphones.

When we go somewhere and I go hiking with it, I can put snacks or a jacket in the top part, and there are two little drink holders on the sides of it. It's a pretty nice bag for walking around, and can hold basically every bit of equipment I currently own.