Back Pack Bags

[DieselGirl]

Do any of you boys use the back pack bags?

I am thinking of getting one but notice that there is a huge price difference between them all. I am looking for one that I will be using sparingly. I want to get one as inexpensive as possible. Any thoughts?

[Tom W]

I don't use the backpack style, but I think that you'll find that anything from Tamrac or Lowepro is pretty well made and provides good protection for your camera and lenses.

[robertwgross]

I think you will find that many Canon shooters have photo-backpacks and photo-shoulder bags. The question is whether they get used or not.

If you have a heavy load of camera gear, then the backpack is good. The problem is that it puts all of the gear behind your back where it is not quick to get to.

The shoulder bag is a lot quicker for getting gear, but of course it can't hold such a load as the backpack.

I have one of each, but often I need something quicker yet, so I often carry a simple cloth shopping bag with an extra lens or tripod. The only problem with it is that I get a nice groove cut in one shoulder from the straps.

---Bob Gross---

[DieselGirl]

Thanks guys for your replies.

That brings me to another question I have. Do you recommend getting a different camera strap than the one that came with the 300d? I notice it is a bit shabby. And with a bigger heavier lense, I can imagine that I too will have a nice little dent in my shoulder from carrying it all day.

[Tom W]

Thanks guys for your replies.

That brings me to another question I have. Do you recommend getting a different camera strap than the one that came with the 300d? I notice it is a bit shabby. And with a bigger heavier lense, I can imagine that I too will have a nice little dent in my shoulder from carrying it all day.

Yes, a different strap is a very good idea. I have a Tamrac something-or-other but I don't remember the name or model number. All I know is that it has a colorfast padded suede piece where it goes over the neck which helps a lot. Its way more comfortable than the factory strap, though neck straps do have their limitations regardless of now comfortable they are at first.

[DieselGirl]

Man...

the shopping list continues to grow!!!!

:)

[CoolToolGuy]

Optech has a pretty extensive line of straps. Check here:
http://www.optechusa.com
I have 3 of them, and so far they have been very comfortable. Mine are all made of the fabric-covered neoprene.

By the way - nice Avatar!

[Tom W]

yes, that's the name I couldn't think of - Optech. If I ever wear out the Tamrac, that is what I'll look for. Many here recommend it.

[DieselGirl]

THANKS COOL!

[leony]

I have two bags that I use consistently. Large Tamrac to hold all of my 35mm & 35mm digital gear http://tamrac.com/5259.htm.

and a small over the shoulder "trip to a park" bag in the likes of http://tamrac.com/606.htm

i also have a small Temba bag to hold my 645 gear - one body, two lenses, two backs.

I'm very happy with my set-up for logistics purposes. if i need all the gear i just take one big bag. if i need little gear, i use my "606" bag with a camera + two lenses + flash + charger for batteries (power converter in the car).

the only advice i can give you is buy a bag that's twice of what you need right now - it'll fill up quick and quality bags aren't cheap. my "5259" was US$180+ from B&H. I was getting a bag that can accomodate a laptop since i was looking to get a cheapo $8-900 laptop for cheap storage and a lot of screen while on the road and wanted one bag for all stuff.

all the editing is done on my desktop which is built for image editing, but laptop is convenient for checking e-mail and storing images as well as getting a preview as the shoot progresses. laptops are also very good at e-mailing invoices to clients :-)

hope this helps.

[Tom W]

the only advice i can give you is buy a bag that's twice of what you need right now - it'll fill up quick and quality bags aren't cheap. my "5259" was US$180+ from B&H. I was getting a bag that can accomodate a laptop since i was looking to get a cheapo $8-900 laptop for cheap storage and a lot of screen while on the road and wanted one bag for all stuff.


hope this helps.

I can second the notion of getting a bag twice what you think you'll need. I finally broke down and got what I thought was a HUGE bag - a Tamrac Pro-12. Well, its almost full already. Fortunately, I have a few previous bags to handle the overflow. :)

[CoolToolGuy]

the only advice i can give you is buy a bag that's twice of what you need right now - it'll fill up quick and quality bags aren't cheap. my "5259" was US$180+ from B&H. I was getting a bag that can accomodate a laptop since i was looking to get a cheapo $8-900 laptop for cheap storage and a lot of screen while on the road and wanted one bag for all stuff.


hope this helps.

I can second the notion of getting a bag twice what you think you'll need. I finally broke down and got what I thought was a HUGE bag - a Tamrac Pro-12. Well, its almost full already. Fortunately, I have a few previous bags to handle the overflow. :)

However, a warning - I got the Tamrac 5612 (Pro 12), and I quickly filled it up. Then I tried to take it out for a day of shooting. After about two hours of walking with that bad boy hanging from my right shoulder, I was about done - I had to stop frequently to relieve the pain. I have since gotten a Tamrac 608 to carry just what I need for the day. I'll still carry the 5612 in the car, and load the 608 as required.

[Olegis]

Recently I replaced my old Lowepro Orion Trekker (the 70-200 f/2.8L wouldn't fit in it) with Lowepro Mini Trekker AW (http://www.lowepro.com/pages/series/trekking/minitrkaw.htm) - and I love this bag. It has plenty room for all my gear with some spare sections left here and there, and it has relatively large front pocket - for a bottle of water, a sandwitch, maps and stuff like that.

[DieselGirl]

Geez, sounds like I may need to add some wheels to any bag I get.

This stuff gets heavy quick!

Thanks for all the info boys. I am going to make yet another purchase shortly.

[IanD]

IMHO the best strap of the money is the OP/Tech Pro in either the Loop or Web model. As stated on the package, "Weight Reduction System" but I have failed to loose any body weight, only wallet weight.
The OP/Tech is a semi stretchy strap that is \very comfortable, even with a 70-200IS on the body.
I don't think that there is such a thing as 1 perfect bag. I have and use several LowePro bags. PhotoTrekker AW backpack holds everything that I own and on long car trips or holidays is my main transport bag. MiniTrekker is the backpack that I use a lot in winter when shooting from the truck. It holds my long lenses and sits on the seat beside me with easy access to everything.
S&F Reporter 650AW is my main summer bag. Again just about everything can fit into it including the 400 prime and is a shoulder bag that is easy to carry. Great feature is the AW all weather cover in case you get caught in a shower. I also have a S&F 500 for smaller loads.
The TopLoader Zoom 75 is used when I just want to carry the body and 1 or 2 lenses. I also use a few LowePro add on pouchs and lens cases. You might say I have a closet full of LowePro bags. I use them all.

[Volatile]

I'll back up Olegis on the Mini Trekker, awesome backpack. I also got a Top Load Mini from Lowepro, for those times I don't want to carry the whole shootin match.

[Belmondo]

I also have the Mini Trekker. It allows me to carry my 10D w/ 24-70 f/2.8L mounted, the 70-200 f/4L, 16-35L, and the 1.4 & 2X TCs. I have a very large Tamrac backpack that carries most everything else.

I recently picked up the Micro Trekker 100. It's just the right size for a body and a medium-sized lens, and I bought it mainly so I could carry one of my cameras easily when bicycling.

[JoeTampa]

My "Carry Everything" bag is the Tamrac Expedition 8 (http://www.tamrac.com/5278.htm). It replaced a Lowepro shoulder bag (Stealth Reporter 650AW) that I both outgrew and eventually disliked because of the shoulder pain inflicted after carrying it with all my gear for, oh, 5 minutes or so. The Ex-8 fits nicely in the airplane overhead, and holds my 10D, 100-400L, 100mm macro, 16-35L, 28-200, 50mm, 1.4x converter, 550/420EX, Macro ringlight, Sekonic meter, Canon charger, and has a spot open for the 28-300L IS (if Canon ever releases it.. LOL). Plus I have pens, paperwork, etc. in it.


The "Day" bag, for walking around, street photography, or "tourist"/family stuff is the Tamrac Velocity 9 (http://www.tamrac.com/5749.htm), which holds the 10D WITH Big Ed, the 100-400, 100mm macro, 16-35L, and either the 420 or 550EX, plus the Sekonic.


Note: I did love my Lowepro bag for a long time - held a laptop and everything quite well - just that the shoulder carry method got old real fast as I started packing it with more stuff over time. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't have THAT much to carry. It's got pockets galore and is very well made; in fact, I may keep it for when I outgrow the Velocity 9 as a day bag... :D

[CoolToolGuy]

Geez, sounds like I may need to add some wheels to any bag I get.

This stuff gets heavy quick!

Thanks for all the info boys. I am going to make yet another purchase shortly.

You may be onto something - Both of my Tamrac shoulder bags have a 'sleeve' in the back that enables you to slide it over the handle of a luggage cart. Since my kit now exceeds the capacity of my big bag, if I want to take it all I need to carry two (I also have a holster bag if I only want to carry the camera and one or two extra lenses). I am on the lookout for a luggage cart to wheel them around. My biggest criteria for the cart is to find one that keeps the bag off the ground, because I go to a lot of events on grass or dirt fields, and even on a good day the dew can wreak havoc in the early morning. :wink:

Now, if you are committed to wheels, Tamrac makes several wheeled camera cases - I'm sure others do as well. :D

Good luck, and keep us posted. :D

[Bruce Hamilton]

Wish I'd found that Op-Tech site earlier... Could've used one of those little pouches with the locking belt clip, might've saved me the loss of my cell phone this past weekend. :x

[Tom W]

However, a warning - I got the Tamrac 5612 (Pro 12), and I quickly filled it up. Then I tried to take it out for a day of shooting. After about two hours of walking with that bad boy hanging from my right shoulder, I was about done - I had to stop frequently to relieve the pain. I have since gotten a Tamrac 608 to carry just what I need for the day. I'll still carry the 5612 in the car, and load the 608 as required.

You're right about that too! I take the Pro-12 in the car when I'm going out to shoot. I store things in it. I take it with me to Florida or wherever I travel.

But if I'm on foot, or shooting a birthday party or travelling on foot, I'll travel considerably lighter - usually, I will take the Tamrac Explorer 2 (which used to be my "big" bag). It will hold the 10D, 24-70, and flash, or the 10D, 17-40, and 50 plus flash. Plus, it has a built-in hip belt which is quite useful for those day hikes and such.

[RikWriter]

I bought a Tamrac backpack when I first bought my Digital Rebel.
Now I have a conventional shoulder bag.
The backpack was uncomfortable, awkward to carry and clumsy to access.

[2new]

Like everything else here there are some excellent experiences posted above.

I purchased a smaller shoulder bag, and within a few months outgrew the bag. I recently purchased the LowePro OmniTrekker backpack as my travel/Hiking bag. (Great for travel because it holds my laptop as well as my camera gear with room to spare & has a good system for carrying the tripod). I just spent a week in Sedona and the Grand Canyon and the backpack was great. Very comfortable for carrying a lot of gear.

I have used hip packs in the past and have already started to accumulate parts of the modular belt system (mix of lowepro and Tamrac). If I am going on a specific shoot I typically don't need to carry everything. I take it all in the backpack and then off load the specific items into the modular belt system.

Personally for myself I found that there was no "one" bag that would do it all, and do it well. The combo of modular belt system and backpack has been working great.

Good Luck
Michael

[karusel]

I use Lowepro mini trekker, but it is not at all that mini.... and I like it, it's roomy, practical and well padded. Next one I'm gonna buy is probably gonna be the micro trekker..

[Blues67]

I have a Tamrac thats been through hell and back. Its held up to moutain biking, serious treks though moutain trails, the beach, skiing down mountains, chasing bears in VA., ATVing, plus a couple of kids. I carry it almost daily. Theres no way in hell my new 50-500 Sigma is going in there though (comes with its own case fortunately). I has protected many a camera though. Usually had a digital, 35mm SLR, and Video camera on vacations. Nothing broken.

[NILOLIGIST]

I have these two bags, love them both:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=315091&is=REG


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=292331&is=REG

NiL,

[PaulN]

Has anyone used the LowePro Nature Trekker or Photo Trekker?
I would like to see a picture of your gear in either one, as well as how convenient they are for all around use.

-paul

[robertwgross]

The LowePro bags look exactly like the catalog photo.

I studied the catalog first, then went to my local retail photo shop to run my hands over them, then selected one for purchase.

---Bob Gross---

[PaulN]

The B&H site only shows an exterior photo.
-paul

[PaulN]

oops,

lowepro site shows interior!

-paul