Great Non-Camera Bag Camera Bag

Nice topic! I imagine that most of us have purchased a great many bags looking for one that is just right.

Regarding your topic, I remember a professional photographer with a YouTube channel from a number of years back who chose non-camera bags for his equipment. His approach was to protect each equipment item before placing them in a bag with minimal padding.

I have settled on three camera bags for my use, all by camera bag manufacturers. For a small kit with an Olympus E-P5 and multiple Olympus primes, I use a Domke F-5XB. For larger kits, I like either my Billingham Hadley Pro or Billingham Hadley Small Pro. For camera storage that doesn't leave the house, I have some ThinkTank Mirrorless Mover i30 bags (they line up nicely on a shelf in our home office).

In my case, I am a hobbyist who enjoys three camera systems. As I have branched out over the years, I abandoned the idea of single bag storage. Most of my lenses are stored in individual lens cases and are arrayed on shelves. It is a simple matter to outfit a camera bag with camera(s) and lenses.

We each have our own preferences for storing and transporting our equipment. Thanks for sharing yours!

Jim

NorCal Jim said:

Nice topic! I imagine that most of us have purchased a great many bags looking for one that is just right.

Regarding your topic, I remember a professional photographer with a YouTube channel from a number of years back who chose non-camera bags for his equipment. His approach was to protect each equipment item before placing them in a bag with minimal padding.

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I use separate zippered lens cases for all my lenses. I switch to a padded insert for a couple of sling packs that work well using it.

It's a very flexible system, since I simply pick the lenses I want to use and stick them into whatever size bag I want to carry that day.

For travel, I use one Patagonia Atom Sling 8L, which can carry 3 or 4 lenses, depending non the size. Often I'll attach a lens case to the outside of the pack for quick changing between two lenses. I rarely carry my camera in a bag.

NorCal Jim said:

In my case, I am a hobbyist who enjoys three camera systems. As I have branched out over the years, I abandoned the idea of single bag storage. Most of my lenses are stored in individual lens cases and are arrayed on shelves. It is a simple matter to outfit a camera bag with camera(s) and lenses.

We each have our own preferences for storing and transporting our equipment. Thanks for sharing yours!

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It's cool to see what systems other people come up with.

jeffharris said:

Like a lot of us here, there's a constant search for a camera and lens bag.

I'm not a big fan of official "camera bags", preferring use separate lens cases or padded inserts so I can use ANY bag… lumbar, sling or backpack… as my photo bag.

The last few years I've been using a Patagonia Atom Stealth Sling fly fishing sling pack. It's served me well, but there were a few things that weren't quite right. The teardrop shape was okay, but the big blobby pouch on the back bothered me. I really wanted something more svelte and discreet.

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After using a slew of camera bags, I'm convinced that most of them are ergonomic garbage. I recently picked-up a Quechua MH500 20 L and it's amazing. Having proper hip and sturnum straps with the metal frame make carrying any load feel substantially lighter and keep your back cooler than any camera bag I've ever tried. I still have a Wotancraft 7 L sling for when I am carrying really light loads, but dedicated camera bags are more or less dead to me.

As a bonus point, Quechua is so ubiquitous, I just look like some generic European tourist with it.

unhappymeal said:

jeffharris said:

Like a lot of us here, there's a constant search for a camera and lens bag.

I'm not a big fan of official "camera bags", preferring use separate lens cases or padded inserts so I can use ANY bag… lumbar, sling or backpack… as my photo bag.

The last few years I've been using a Patagonia Atom Stealth Sling fly fishing sling pack. It's served me well, but there were a few things that weren't quite right. The teardrop shape was okay, but the big blobby pouch on the back bothered me. I really wanted something more svelte and discreet.

Click to expand...

After using a slew of camera bags, I'm convinced that most of them are ergonomic garbage.

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Pretty much. LowePro started out as Lowe Alpine Designs back in the 70s, pioneering internal frame mountaineering packs. I had one and compared to the lumbering Kelty external frame packs they were amazing.

So, I would assume their photo packs are a bit better than the majority of glorified book bags festooned with logos. I really don’t want to be carrying a bag with a target on it.

unhappymeal said:

I recently picked-up a Quechua MH500 20 L and it's amazing. Having proper hip and sturnum straps with the metal frame make carrying any load feel substantially lighter and keep your back cooler than any camera bag I've ever tried. I still have a Wotancraft 7 L sling for when I am carrying really light loads, but dedicated camera bags are more or less dead to me.

Click to expand...

unhappymeal said:

As a bonus point, Quechua is so ubiquitous, I just look like some generic European tourist with it.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I’ve seen Quechua bags everywhere. Saw some at the Decathlon store in Madrid recently. You could buy 4 for the price of a “real” camera bag.

My favorite packs are Deuter mountain biking packs with 3 liter hydration reservoirs. The back is a mesh panel, so you tend not to sweat quite as much. They’re narrower than most packs and ride really well, even without using the hip belt. Nice colors, too!

jeffharris said:

jeffharris said:

I recently picked-up a Quechua MH500 20 L and it's amazing. Having proper hip and sturnum straps with the metal frame make carrying any load feel substantially lighter and keep your back cooler than any camera bag I've ever tried. I still have a Wotancraft 7 L sling for when I am carrying really light loads, but dedicated camera bags are more or less dead to me.

As a bonus point, Quechua is so ubiquitous, I just look like some generic European tourist with it.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I’ve seen Quechua bags everywhere. Saw some at the Decathlon store in Madrid recently. You could buy 4 for the price of a “real” camera bag.

My favorite packs are Deuter mountain biking packs with 3 liter hydration reservoirs. The back is a mesh panel, so you tend not to sweat quite as much. They’re narrower than most packs and ride really well, even without using the hip belt. Nice colors, too!

Click to expand...

You've pretty much described the Quechua bag that I use. It has an external metal mesh frame and a hydration reservoir that takes up to 3 L. As an added bonus, it can open from the top or side, making accessing your camera a fairlys traight forward affair. I have a few camera cubes that slot in depending my load out. It's great and my bag and shoulders thank me.

My Wandrd and Peak Design stuff are going up on eBay soon. I can't believe I schelped those along for so long.

For the past 16 years it has been a Mountainsmith Day lumbar bag. 13 liters of space, two large pockets with heavy duty zippers and multiple carry options make it the ideal choice for me. I recently started putting my camera gear in a LowePro Creator Box that nestles neatly into the Mountainsmith bag.

Whether I'm travelling or on a local trail the bag is usually with me, it easily stores under the seat in front of me and has enough room for other essentials and some clothing.

I really don't see myself ever replacing this bag.

unhappymeal said:

After using a slew of camera bags, I'm convinced that most of them are ergonomic garbage. I recently picked-up a Quechua MH500 20 L and it's amazing. Having proper hip and sturnum straps with the metal frame make carrying any load feel substantially lighter and keep your back cooler than any camera bag I've ever tried. I still have a Wotancraft 7 L sling for when I am carrying really light loads, but dedicated camera bags are more or less dead to me.

As a bonus point, Quechua is so ubiquitous, I just look like some generic European tourist with it.

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Wait, THIS is your preferred "camera bag?"



Dang, you must tote a lot more lenses and bodies than I ever would, or you toss in a sleeping bag, cookware, and cold weather clothing in case you get lost while out shooting. :-O

To each his own, but my imagination can't stretch far enough to call that a camera bag, nor to seeing myself wandering around a European city with that on my back just to be ready to catch a great photo op.

--
Brent

brentbrent said:

unhappymeal said:

After using a slew of camera bags, I'm convinced that most of them are ergonomic garbage. I recently picked-up a Quechua MH500 20 L and it's amazing. Having proper hip and sturnum straps with the metal frame make carrying any load feel substantially lighter and keep your back cooler than any camera bag I've ever tried. I still have a Wotancraft 7 L sling for when I am carrying really light loads, but dedicated camera bags are more or less dead to me.

As a bonus point, Quechua is so ubiquitous, I just look like some generic European tourist with it.

Click to expand...

Wait, THIS is your preferred "camera bag?"



Dang, you must tote a lot more lenses and bodies than I ever would, or you toss in a sleeping bag, cookware, and cold weather clothing in case you get lost while out shooting. :-O

To each his own, but my imagination can't stretch far enough to call that a camera bag, nor to seeing myself wandering around a European city with that on my back just to be ready to catch a great photo op.

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That's max fill and the dimensions are smaller than the Wandrd Prvke bag at max. It compresses far smaller than a regular padded camera bag. Empty, it's around 16 x 11 x 3 That's also the "Large" size in the photo. I use the small, which has less height. I also travel with my kid and mother-in-law, so it's not just camera gear.

Here is the Wandrd Prvke 21 L for reference:



FYI, the Wandrd bag weighs 350 g more and doesn't have a mesh metal frame to keep the mass off your actual back and shoulders.