Need Help :: Travel Photography

[KT Moon]

Greetings =) In a little over a week I will be backpacking Europe for 20 days....and I'm REALLY hoping that someone can provide me with some solid advice on the best way to travel with photography gear. Here are the main issues ::

1) Limited Space....I need to find a hiking backpack that can hold at least one week worth of clothing, a laptop, & camera equipment (at least 1 body & 3 medium size lenses)

2) Safety of Equipment....I do not want to check my photography equipment or laptop at the airport, so I need to find a bag that will be allowed as a carry-on.

3) Ease of Access...when hiking around Europe, I would definitely need for the photography equipment to be easily accessible.

As of now, I would LOVE to find one backpack to fill all of these needs, but if need be...2 bags that can be attached to each other, one inside the other, or stacked may be a better option??

I was able to find one bag that was fairly close to what I am looking for (Tamrac Adventure 10 , model #5550, The Official Tamrac Homepage - The leading manufacturer and distributor of camera, photography and camcorder bags) however, Im not sure if there will be enough space for clothing & other personal items.

Can someone please help?! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!
KT Moon

 

[Andrew Boyd]

The main thing you need is a comfortable, internal-frame backpack. Lots of good brands will work, although I'd get one with some outside, easy-to-access pockets. I like the Alps Mountaineering bags: ALPS Mountaineering - Camping Gear, take a look at the Cascade 4200 bag which has a detachable top pocket which can become a fanny pack. The reason for internal is that you can carry this on and it'll fit in an overhead compartment. If you ever need to check it (not with the gear you have on this trip) it won't get bent and beat up like an external frame pack would.
Have a great trip!

 

[bigtwinky]

I haven't used one of these, but I came accross Naneu bags in a local shop the other day. They looked interesting. I tried one on (with some random gear from the store) and it was very comfortable. They have various sizes depending on your gear needs and had a pretty big backpack style compartment

Unique Camera Cases - Camera Bags, Messenger Bags, Laptop Cases & More | NaneuPro.com

There is the Adventure series that might fit your needs
K4L and K5

The K5 is bigger, and might not work as carry-on.