Dan’s Camera Bags
As one might expect, camera bags truly represent the deep end of the pool. Or maybe it’s quicksand. Ann is correct, you can never have too many bags. I know how I would answer Stephen Colbert’s get-to-know-you questionnaire, at least the topic “name one thing you should get rid of.”
Anyway, given we photograph out in nature, it’s unsurprising that my main camera bag is a backpack. And a big one at that. I’m currently using a Mindshift Gear Backlight Elite 45 L bag.
It’s big enough to carry not only my gear plus accessories, but also a hefty first aid kit, survival kit, extra layers and lunch.
My previous backpack had started showing some wear (after 5+ years of heavy use on sand, slick rock (which isn’t so slick) and desert grasses), so I purchased this one for one main reason - the harness. And it’s a good one.
Nothing will compete with the custom-made McHale backpack I used to solo backpack with (it was amazing how light it could make a ridiculously heavy load feel), so any camera backpack is a compromise. This one is just sized better on my body than my previous bag, which was very good, except under unusually heavy loads (think carrying extra water, all my camera gear, extra clothes, and strapping both of our tripods on it because of rough terrain).
See, it can pretty much carry everything I need for a good day’s photography session.
Given that the difference in performance between one bag and another has as much to do with torso length and other personal factors instead of just the harness, I should give a shout out to my previous backpack, which I can also recommend highly - the F-Stop Tilopa, which is a bit bigger than the Backlight.
I also have a smaller backpack that I’ll use when I know I’ll only be doing shorter trips (like early in our stay in Portugal). That too is an F-stop bag - the Guru. Here’s a picture of it in action with yours truly
It too has a lot of flexibility, for a day carry, though not nearly as robust a harness as the Backlight or the Tilopa. Still, it’s a good, functional bag that I got before I bought the Tilopa and have used it on outings where I want to go light.
Oh yeah, and I’ve got a third backpack, which I haven’t really used for a long time, but I’m saving it because it is an excellent bag for more odd-shaped systems (if I ever go down that route again). It was the bag I used to carry the Contax system in - the original GuraGear Kiboko. This is a picture of the version 2, but the unique feature of this bag is that it has a “butterfly” system that divides the storage area into two halves divided vertically.
Perfect for longer cameras and super long lenses; not so perfect a harness for a long hike in the mountains.
Now we enter the dangerous territory. This section will be short (by the time it’s over, you’ll be asking yourself, “Short?”) because I must confess, I got rid of at least 4 shoulder camera bags when we moved to Portugal. I’m now down to three shoulder camera bags.
My main shoulder bag that lets me carry a camera and 4 extra lenses is a Domke F-2 Wax Wear bag. It’s much like my old Domke F-2 traditional, but in a more subdued coloring.
It calls less attention to itself form the traditional brown with tan straps, or at least I think so. But it has all of the functionality of the original F-2, which is very convenient for a shoulder bag.
I can’t imagine a better designed working bag. It’s a bit light on the padding, but you can carry this bag all day and swap lenses to your heart’s content.
My next smaller bag is a Think Tank Retrospective 7. It’s definitely a step down in size and reads more like a canvas day bag than a camera bag.
That bag is ideal for a camera and a couple of lenses, or the X-Pro 2 + 35mm (or 56mm) lens, x100 and the LX100 II. It’s also got a nice slot that will fit my iPad mini if I need it, and some room for odds and ends up front.
The last bag I saved was one I purchased out of, for lack of a better word, gluttony. Or should I call that, Obsession? Let’s call it the day I decided to try a triple flip into the deep end or the pool (not saying how that turned out, but I suspect others would call it a belly flop). The Wotancraft Ryker.
It is an elegant leather bag that really is designed for a Leica, and is the bag I keep my x100 in. I should start using it on excursions into town, it has such a European flavor to it. Just to show the bag and the x100 off.
Let’s just say that this is a bag that’s much classier than I am.
That’s why it’s best for me to resist even looking at camera bags. Because you never know what niche you need to fill in your array of existing camera bags.