Hi, my name is Alex and I have a bag problem. I have owned way too many bags and while the below picture is a slight exaggeration, I do have quite a few shoulder bags, hiking backpacks, photo backpacks, day packs, equipment specific bags, suitcases and carry on. Hey, don’t judge me! They each serve their purpose and every one of them has traveled with me at some point. However, in recent years, I have been able to cut back on my bag purchases as I have learned to find bags that fit the specific need I am looking for with specific features that make them the best bag at my price point. This article will be leaning heavily towards photo backpacks as I have been researching them recently for, well just one more bag purchase. Yeah, I know. I said I cut back, not quit cold turkey!
By User:Yoshi (Self-photographed) GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) via Wikimedia Commons
The right pack for the right job
When looking for a bag you will run into the problem of too many choices. While it is good to have a lot of choices, too much choice can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed as well as making you worry that your choice isn’t the best of the plethora of available options. Even if you limit your search to photo-specific bags there are still a few categories, several different carrying methods and a plethora of different styles. I will share with you my method for cutting through the forest of choice to get a few main competitors. The first way I make my search easier is to narrow the field by the need this bag will serve. Do I want a light pack to walk around the city? Do I want a pack to hike up a mountain? Am I going on a several day or longer trip and need to carry lots of other stuff besides my equipment? These are all very different needs and no one pack will work well under all those circumstances. The next thing I do is cast a wide net to see what companies are serving this need. I then read reviews about the companies and their products to eliminate the ones that produce sub-par equipment. I then eliminate companies that produce bags that are far out of my price range. Usually, the companies that are at the top of my price range are the ones that end up being the most heavily considered. It is not always true, but I find that you get what you pay for and with items that will see a lot of use it is better to buy quality than to have to replace them later when they break down. With bags this especially true as the more expensive bags tend to have better zippers, are lighter weight, yet still strong and use excellent materials. And I have also found that the companies often have excellent warranties.
Once I have limited my search to a few companies, I will more easily be able to find the features that appeal to me the most for whichever need the bag will serve. For example, when I am looking for a pack that I can walk around a city with, I don’t want something that will attract attention. When I am looking for a hiking day pack I look for a good suspension, light weight and a convenient location for both my tripod and camera. This usually limits the field to only a few bags depending on how many features I find highly desirable. After that, it is a matter of seeing them in the real world. So now that I have given you some insight into my methodology I will take you through my top bags for city or around town daily use, day hikes, and multi-day camping trips.
Around town – Daily Use Packs
This type of bag will see the most use, it will be your workhorse bag. I use this bag to keep my camera on me almost all the time, so for me I want it to be something I don’t find burdensome to take with me when I leave my apartment. The main features I am looking for are for the bag to be comfortable, low visibility, and have enough gear for my biggest setup. I have two of this type of bag and they get probably about equal use.
Lowepro Passport Sling III – Black
This is the bag I take when I am staying super low-profile and want to just take my camera and a couple lenses out for a spin while keeping the weight very minimal. This is a great bag that is surprisingly spacious and fits a Canon 5DMk III, a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II, and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L II in it’s protective sleeve.
Manfrotto Bumblebee-220 PL Pro-Light Camera Backpack
The other daypack I use is a backpack with a compartment that will house almost all my camera gear including an attachment for my tripod and a laptop section that is well padded. This backpack has excellent ergonomics with well-designed shoulder straps that really grip. This is definitely a comfortable pack to carry around.
Hiking – Daypack and Multi-Daypacks
I love hiking and camping and have tried many different bags to get to the combination of the two bags below. The capacity of a bag is generally measured in Liters. It may take a little while to get used to what the difference is between different volumes of bags are, but as a rough guide, a 30 Liter or less bag is mostly good as a daypack, a bag bigger than around 45 Liters is good for an overnight hike or a couple days of hiking and the 60-75L packs are great for multi-day hiking.
MindShift rotation180deg. Horizon 34L Backpack with Beltpack for DSLR Camera, Lenses, Flashes, 13″ Laptop and 10″ Tablet, Tahoe Blue
The Mindshift Horizon 34L is my newest acquisition and I couldn’t be happier! This backpack solves my number one annoyance with every other backpack I have owned, quick and easy access to the camera. The camera section quickly and easily rotates around the hip belt to give you near immediate access to the camera compartment without even taking the bag off your shoulders. The entire bag is lightweight and has room for other accessories or hiking necessities such as water, a jacket or some food. There are two ways to attach a tripod, which is great as I much prefer attaching my tripod to the front of the pack when I have plenty of space. When space is more limited I much prefer mounting my tripod on the side to avoid getting it stuck on the underbrush or just crashing it into people or things.
This is the pack I take when I am going on day hikes and don’t need my sleeping bag, tent or any of the extras that I need for multi-day hikes. This is just the right size for me, but Mindshift makes a few different versions in both the blue color below and a more traditional gray. If you want a smaller and less expensive version, their 22L version may serve your purposes. If you want more space at 38L, the MindShift Rotation 180 deg. Professional Backpack is their top of the line backpack. I have been very happy with the bag below and if this bag meets your needs I suggest you give it some serious consideration.
Clik Elite Stratus Camera Backpack, Blue
Honorable mention goes the Clik Elite Stratus which is also an excellent option but doesn’t have the rotating waist belt camera compartment that is amazingly convenient.
Hiking – Multi-Daypacks
I haven’t yet found a great backpack for multi-day hiking and camping that has excellent dedicated camera features. There are a few retailers out there that do make them, but they are more expensive than my budget allows for. My current multi-day large capacity hiking/camping backpack is the Gregory Baltoro 75L pack, which won the 2015 Editors’ Choice Award from Backpacker Magazine. You can see their video review of it here. With this pack, I utilize a few accessories to make this pack more camera friendly. I also attach my tripod to the cinch straps on the bottom of the pack, which works very well.
Accessories
These accessories will work with packs you already own, so if you already have a pack you love, this may be a good cost-effective way to keep your gear safe in packs you already own. There are also a couple accessories that will keep your equipment easily accessible.
Peak Design CapturePRO Camera Clip with PROplate
The Capture Clip from Peak Design is a great tool that will attach your camera to your backpack strap. This keeps your camera easily and quickly accessible while also allowing you to keep your hands free. I use this clip extensively and it is a super useful accessory to have when you need to scramble and don’t want to worry about your camera swinging around on its sling and bashing against the rocks.
Equipment Wraps
Equipment Wraps are a great way to keep your cameras, lenses and other gear well protected, no matter which bag they go into. There are many different kinds for many different models of cameras and lenses. There are also several wraps that you can customize to fit whatever you place in them. Check out the link here to find the one that suits your needs best.
Tenba BYOB 10 Camera Insert, Gray
The Tenba BYOB 10 camera insert is another great way to transport camera equipment in non-camera bags. Just check to make sure it will fit into the bag you’re planning on using.
