The Best Bags For Your Photography Tech

Let's face it, most of us have been in the search for the perfect bag for your gear at one point or another. As our camera gear gets smaller, we're actually looking for to downsize. We're not looking to spend a ton of money — so we set out to find a cheaper alternative, but one that lets us stay equipped properly.

• Bag Exposure: The Search for the Perfect Camera Bag was kicked off by Gregory on his search for the perfect bag. He found some really great options!

• 5 Small & Stylish Camera Bags for Traveling is a great post for those of you looking for a small bag for traveling (or even everyday use). We really like the Billingham Hadley Bag Small because it's giving off the vintage vibe and it's small enough to carry around.

• Camera Incognito: Messenger Bag Inserts are a good option for those who already own a messenger bag. The inexpensive inserts will be much more efficient than buying a whole new camera bag.

• Timbuk2 Finally Releases a Camera Bag Messenger Timbuk2 has since released a fully closable camera bag insert for their messenger bags. We don't use Timbuk2, but our Reload bag will certainly work just fine with this insert.

Comments (3)

I've been using the Dakine Sequence for the last 3-4 years and love it! Large enough to hold two bodies, two flashes, four lenses, and all my batteries, cards, chargers, filters, flash accessories, etc. The padding on the straps (shoulders, chest, and waist) is fantastic and it is very comfortable for long trips (even though when you fill it up the pack gets heavy!). The inside of the bag has a removable camera block which is great if you wanted to use your pack for carrying other things or wanted to slim down your kit and just take the block. Inside the block are padded 'walls' held in by velcro which can be moved into any orientation to fit your particular gear.

http://philwigglesworth.net/BlogEngine.NET/post/2007/10/06/Dakine-Sequence-Review-(1-3).aspx

Another backpack bag that I highly recommend is f-stop. They make unbelievable bags with a variety of sizing to fit your kit. Like the Sequence, they also have removable camera blocks. One of my buddies has the Tilopa and it is fantastic. Not enough of a change for me to switch packs, but if I ever felt the need to get another bag, it would be one of theirs.

http://fstopgear.com/

In the end, I think it's best to consider a few things:
1) get a bag that can accommodate all your gear and a few additional purchases you may have planned. If you buy something to fit your current kit, but know you're going to buy an addition lens/flash, whatever, its pointless to buy a small bag only to have it not fit your gear in your next purchase.
2) buy a quality bag as it is worth it. If you cop-out and get a cheap bag, you're going to be paying more in the long run as you'll have to replace them more often.
3) get something that's comfortable to carry. That canvas duffle pictured in the post looks great, but c'mon, with that much gear that bag would be brutal to carry!
4) Look for packs that can pull double duty. I personally love camera blocks. They can easily be rearranged as your kit changes, carried separately if you want to lug around less gear, and when removed you have a pack which can act as a different bag for whatever else you have!
5) Find a pack that suits your needs. Travel a lot? Maybe you want a hard case like Pelican. Fly a lot? Look for a bag that fits in overhead compartments (and check different countries you fly to as different countries have different restrictions). Visit wet places? Get a waterproof bag or one that has a rain cover. Getting the right kind of bag for the situation will help its longevity and ensure your gear is kept protected!

Cheers,
Matt

I love love love Domke Bags, I've used them for years and have too many of them. However sometime I need more cushioning and will use a soft tenba or tamron. In some circumstances I actually use pelican cases, especially for the computer.