Please help me find new backpack.

[Juan A]

Hey guys and gals. I recently acquired some new gear, including 2 large lenses, and therefore need a new back pack for the times I want to take everything. Usually I will split and only take what I need for the situation but on trips it would be nice to take everything and even an overnight set of clothes in one bag. I live in San Luis Obispo, CA and there are no large stores here to sample a bunch of bags so I am turning to the community here. I am currently able to stuff my body and all my glass into a Tamrac Expedition 5, however it is bursting at the seems and It will not accommodate anything more so no change of clothes or snacks or anymore lenses etc. I would like to be able to pack the following gear:

Have
-Canon 80D
-Canon 17-55 f2.8 is USM
-Canon 100mm f2.8 L USM Macro
-Canon 70-200mm f2.8 is L III
-Canon 100-400mm L II
-2 Canon Speedlites
-Attachment for Tripod

I will eventually get
-Wide Angle (Suggestions?)
-35mm Prime (not sure which)
-Canon Ring flash


-Change of clothes???????
-Snacks?????

Please give me any suggestions you may have. Thank you in advance.

 

[Jeff15]

Lowepro does a good range, just Google it.......

 

[JoeW]

First, when it comes to backpacks, I think it is ESSENTIAL to try it on. You need to see how the load rides.

Second, are you just looking for something to carry your gear from point A to point B? Or are you looking for something you can access your gear while you hike (which means it has to convert in to a sling of sorts)?

Third, I'm a big fan of buying a standard ruck and then putting in a camera insert where everything is adjustable. This is particularly true with big lens. When I went to Botswana, I had trouble finding camera bags designed to handle a 400mm lens. I ended up just putting an insert in a backpack and adjusting the insert so it would work with two bodies, one with a wide angle, one with a 400mm, plus other gear to support the two bodies). Now, I almost never look at dedicated camera bags or rucks. When I need to upgrade, I just play around with my inserts.

 

[n614cd]

Pricey, but I love my F-Stop. I have two sized inserts to adjust based on what I carry.
Mine is sized to have extra room for items for a day hike.

Tim

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[Derrel]

I went with a rather large backpack...the problem withe the setup you have is the 100-400 and the 70-200: two fairly long,sizable lenses. That's the issue with many packs: only room for one longer lens, but loads of room for sorter lenses like the 17-55 and even the 100mm macro lens. Honestly: I am NOT a fan of backpack carrying for shooting out of. Fine for loading up, and carrying things TO a shoot, or TO a destination, but once on-site, I really,really,really loathe a backpack,and vastly prefer another type of carrying.

Perhaps you do not really want a backpack, but some other way to transport "everything", as you call it. If you add a couple of ballistic nylon tube cases to the mix, you can carry the 100-400 and the 70-200 inside of light,m relatively compact zipper-top ballistic nylon cases; these are sold by Canon, and have removable shoulder straps, and can be lashed to other bags,packs,etc..

if you can transport the 100-400, or the 70-200, just ONE of those two, in a tube case, then you can use dozens of packs, or bags, and have a more-compact bag. Just a thought. You asked for suggestions. My suggestion is considering a way to make more bags/backpacks suitable for 90-% of the time.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

You said you have an attachment for your tripod. What is it?


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[Overread]

A few thoughts

1) When I was getting started I wanted a bag that could hold everything I had in it - however I found that when I got to wherever it was I was shooting, I'd often only actually want a couple or one lens from the bag. The rest was just a dead weight the whole time. So my larger bags became more, as Derrel says, a means to transport gear from A to B (say from home to a hotel or site) and then I'd often take less out when actually going shooting itself.

Note - I've found planning trips (for photography) easier as I've gotten more experienced as I have a better chance to pre-plan what I intend/hope to take photos of and to pack on the day for that. I also note that it can depend on how many camera bodies you have - whilst changing lenses can be quick its still a hassle (esp when you're dealing with bigger, heavier lenses) - even more if you're shifting from macro (with flash and such) to regular (no flash on arms etc...).

2) Lowepro make some fantastic bags, some of which are big enough to hold two or three big lenses - the issue with camera bags though is that they are made to hold cameras and not much else. Indeed my favourite bag is still my Nature Trekker because it has a front compartment to put "other stuff in". So if your plan is to go for a hike and do some photography, a regular hiking backpack and some padding (spare jumper and lens case) can be more suitable because the bag has room and pockets made for holding your waterproofs, lunch, compass, spare clothes, other stuff.

3) One bag to rule them all - doesn't really exist. I've got a range of bags I use for different trips
a) A large shoulder bag that can hold a lot, but which isn't ideal to carry long distance. It's ideal for places like zoos, events, showgrounds and such. Where I'm basically moving around a lot less and often settling in one area/spot for a while. Being big and roomy I can easily keep two cameras with a lens attached to each inside so I can swap over fast; or just keep two big lenses or such inside.
It's also good to sling my flash gear into so that its all in one place when going out (and also whilst at home it mostly holds the flash gear still)

b) A big backpack that holds a considerable amount of gear - good for carrying stuff long distance or when travelling to keep all my gear in one place for easy access. Also good for carrying a big lens and lunch comfortably if going to a hide or such for the day. It's got great weight distribution to spread the weight out over the bag and hips, but isn't fast access for quick shooting

c) A small backpack (Nature Trekker) which is good for smaller trips out. It's not got the nice harness of the big bag, nor the quick access of the shoulderbag; but its got a decent size. It's a "day trip" bag to me. The kind I can load up with some stuff, still have space for some waterproofs and lunch and go out for some general photography. I won't typically carry my biggest gear in it (It CAN fit them bit its not comfortable when doing so and its a big of a squeeze).


So in my view its important to work out why you want a bag and what you want it to hold and what is practical and sensible. Plus expect to own more than one for different situations and needs.

Note all my bags have been Lowepro and I've had no issues with them in terms of build quality. The only niggle really is that the NT bag hasn't got a heavy-duty harness to it - otherwise they are all great and very well made bags.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

I’ve not seen a pack yet that has a good way of transporting a tripod. I’ve got a carbon fiber manfrotto that I’d like to have in the center of the pack since it’s the heaviest piece of gear that I have. I’ve seen them strapped to the side where I hit my elbow on it or strapped to the bottom of the pack where it slaps me in the rear every step I take.


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