Good Bag for equipment

kdthomas · Sep 23, 2014

I currently own what is in my signature as far as equipment. Can anyone recommend a good bag?

My budget is 100-150 USD
I bought a Manfrotto Veloce but didn't care much for it, not enough internal zippered pockets.
Really need something I can expand on for more lenses, etc.
I don't ever anticipate having more than one camera body, but probably 4-6 lenses.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!
--Kerry

Scatterbrained · Sep 23, 2014

I take it you're looking for a backpack, rather than a messenger style bag? I've been using a Lowepro Fastpack 350 for about 4 years now and it is still working great. Enough room for a pro body with lens, 4 extra lenses and a flash, as well as a roomy compartment up top for various sundries. At $90 it's a pretty good deal, but it doesn't have a tripod strap on it.

If you need something with a tripod carrier and rain cover the Pro Runner 300 AW has even more gear space for about the same price.

Derrel · Sep 23, 2014

Bags are a personal thing, K. I've used messenger bag style (Domke), backpack style (LowePro), and old-fashioned "camera bag" style with multiple lens compartments (Tamrac,Kiwi,Rockport). Each type of bag has plusses and minuses.

I honestly think that for actively SHOOTING out of, the old-style, multi-lens-compartmented type of shoulder bag, fitted with an auxilary waist strap, is the very,very best style of bag for being able to change lenses quickly and effortlessly and seamlessly, but the bag is bulkier than a messenger type. Backpacks CARRY gear the best, and with the least strain on the body, and for the longest distances, but the bags themselves are HEAVY, and a regal PITA to actively shoot out of in any type of fluid situation. Buuut, if you need to hike three miles, or whatever, a backpack bag is by far the best solution. Messenger bags are slender, and easy to wear, but stuff kind of mushes together inside them if there are as many as four to six lenses inside one compartment. I like my Domke messenger because it has a main compartment, a secondary one, and a large "book" compartment, very thin, on the back, plus two outside pouch-type flap closure pockets that can hold up to the 180mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor, or a 135/2 or whatever, an SB-800 + cord, or two smaller lenses with the lens caps taped back-to-back so the lenses "stack".

Here's an iPhone snap of the way I actually carry my smaller primes "stacked" in my fanny pack, backpack, and messenger bag:

bratkinson · Sep 24, 2014

I tried a couple of bags, and foolishly started small and quickly outgrew that one, and another, etc. I'm also concerned with not being 'obvious' that I have a lot of high priced stuff in my bag. I frequently travel by train and leave my baggage briefly unattended at my seat when I go to the lounge car for a coffee, or to the can. So unobtrusiveness is a must. To me, well-known photography equipment bag manufacturers proudly display their name & logo, making it a target for a thief that knows what's valuable and what's not.

I finally settled on a 'gym bag' type grip from Walmart that has a large main area, large end pockets, and one long but not too high side pocket plus a fully customizable camera bag insert from Amazon. It's only limitation is that to remain unobtrusive, I have to put my tripod and/or monopod in my garment bag for concealment. Here's the insert:
Amazon.com: ciesta camera bag insert

D-B-J · Sep 24, 2014

I have a Lowepro Vertex 200AW for hiking out to landscapes, but it's big, bulky, heavy, and all that. But it's perfect as it fits a TON of gear and is quite comfortable to hike for hours with. I also use a Domke F2 messenger style for my body, 2 lenses, and a flash. It works great for traveling light and shooting on the go. I have a super small bag that can fit my body and a 50 for days that I want to travel with almost nothing. And I have a large bag for lighting equipment and tripods. I also want a small backpack for day trips. You'll learn that there is no "do-it-all" all-purpose bag, but a bag for each particular shoot. What works for me may not work for you, and your best bet is to go somewhere you can see and feel the bags you're thinking of buying.