Help Picking out a Bag

[Connor Hughes]

I need help getting a bag. I shoot alot of skateboarding and bands, so it needs to be portable and easy to move(Cops don't willingly let you skateboard), and a comfortable fit on my back, and lots of padding on the inside of the bag

Here is what it has to fit:
20D
10-22mm EF-S
50mm 1.8
18-55mm
580EX
430EX
Tripod Holder
and in the future, either a 70-200 2.8 or 300mm f/4

I was looking at the Canon 200EG because it is cheap, but what makes a 150$ lowepro bag so much better? What features make it so much more money?

[bolantej]

What makes them better?

Overall build quality:
Zippers
weather resistance
cushioning
harness comfort/straps
tripod holder

that's about it. I don't own a fancy one, but my MiniTrekker Classic was only like $80 and it is well padded and has lots of room even with a vertical grip on the camera.

[crn3371]

I have the Tamrac Expedition 5. Well made bag with good padding, and nice suspension, which makes it comfortable while wearing. Bags are a fairly subjective subject, I would recommend that, if possible, you visit a store that has a decent selection of bags, so that you can try them out in person.

[Rob612]

Albeit its not a backpack, among all my bags (I've lost the count of how many I have) the Domke F5 is my favourite. If I am not using the Domke, its very easy that I am not using a bas at all but a vest.

[flyb0y]

I have a Lowepro Compurover AW and I love it. I choose this bag because it not only will carry my camera equipment but will also carry my laptop and anything else I might want to carry. It is water resistant, very well constructed, good padding, comes with a rain cover if you plan on walking around in downpoors all day, and you can strap a tripod on it. With my camera, lens, widescreen laptop, accessories and a class days worth of books in the bag it is very heavy but it feels good sitting on my back. Not uncomfortable at all as some bags tend to feel like they are cutting my skin open with this amount of weight in them.

[vjack]

Take some time and look through this thread (which really should be a sticky, IMO): http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=36952

It is nice to see various bag options in action so you can get an idea for what each will hold and which looks like the right style for you.

[Az2Africa]

www.newswear.com Maybe one of these.

[Jon]

If you're worried about being moved along, you don't want a backpack. You want something you can work out of while keeping it on your person, a shoulder bag. I use backpacks when I'm hiking on rugged terrain, and even then I'll have a body and at least 2 lenses available without taking the pack off (vest/waist pack). Any other time, I'll be working out of a shoulder bag. Personal favourites are the Domke F1x and F2 which hold a ton (literally - just try picking up my fully-loaded F1x!). You could squeak by with an F-803, but I'd suggest the F2 Domke, or an equivalent.

[René Damkot]

I agree with Jon, and would ad the Billingham 445 to the 'to look at' list.

[Connor Hughes]

Thanks for all your replies. I can see why a shoulder bag would be nice, but I definitly want a backpack.

Riding a skateboard with a heavy bag flipping around on your hip is annoying, not to mention your banging your gear everytime you push. A backpack is much more logical to me.

What I'm gonna be doing is riding around to a spot, take the backpack off, take my gear out, shoot for a while(sometimes an hour or more in one spot), get back on my baord and leave. So taking my stuff out quickly doesnt matter.


So does anybody else have any other back pack suggestions? Is the Canon bag nice? It has an awfully nice price tag for me.

[Lotto]

This backpack, the Lowepro Minitrekker AW, holds everything in my sig + the battery grip.

[20DNewbie]

Here's a bag I was once looking to get, it's a bit more than the Canon bag though. A bit cheaper than buying new. I read somewhere not to long ago of someone traveling with this and using it as a footrest on a plane while his gear was inside it. Now that's confidence in the product if I've ever seen it. Then again, their main gig is making body armor so....

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/376240/0 (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/376240/0)

I'll never understand why anyone would want to put fairly expensive gear into cheap bags.