The perfect wedding fanny pack?

[PhotoMatte]

I am looking for the perfect wedding camera bag. I always carry two bodies with me, with lenses and flashes attached, and I have been using a fanny pack as a way of carrying my other, miscellaneous gear (No, I never wear a suit to a wedding...I'm not in any of the photos!). For example, I use the two water-bottle-holders as places to carry my remaining lenses and I use the two main pockets for my battery packs, extra batteries and CF cards, etc. The problem I've found is that these bags weren't designed for photography, and the water-bottle-holders aren't as deep as they need to be for a longer, heavy lens (135mm f2, for example) to rest in without the risk of falling out (which happened to me once during a wedding; I watched it crash on the marble floor below me...ouch). I am looking for a waist bag that I can use as described above but with deeper side pockets for my lenses. I like that I can access my lenses right now without having to unzip or unclasp anything; I don't like those bags where you can "add-on" lens pouches. Anyone know of anyplace that sells them or should I start working on my patent?

[SuzyView]

I see Jon using his F-2 with all his gear and he holds it like as a shoulder bag and doesn't have to put the clasp on. He can change lenses standing up and not miss a beat. I can't carry all that weight fo 3 hours so I carry my F-802 with 2 bodies and 580EX and 1 large lens and walk around. I also have a Lowepro Nova 5 to take the rest. That bag is nice and can carry all the accessories and I have a wheely thing for it. Having all that weight for 3 hours straight isn't feasible. You'll need to split the weight or else, just buy a nice rolling bag. Maureen and I have the Pelican 1510 to carry all the equipment around if we need one small rolling case. I can keep the F-802 on my shoulder and not have to worry about stuff falling out. The cover draps over, isn't zipped to be secure.

[PhotoMatte]

Hi Suzie,

Thanks for the tip. My wedding days usually last between 10-12 hours and I need my shoulders free.

[mR_CaESaR]

Have you looked at the new lowepro inverse range?

I can't find a store here in Sydney that has them in stock, so I can't actually try it and check it out, but the video on the lowepro website looks promising.

I'm thinking about having that and a Lens Case 5 (for the 70-200).

[Mark Passmore]

Have a look at the new fanny packs from Newswear
www.newswear.com
Or buy a chestvest and trim off the shoulder straps and wear it as a fanny pack.
Hope this helps.

[colmc]

Not specifically for weddings but I find the ThinkTank ChangeUp (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ChngUp.php) to be excellent.

I'm using it more or less exclusively as my 'working-from' bag. It can be uses as a belt back or on the shoulder or a combination of both to help with the load.

Personally, I use it with three lenses and my 5D (100-400/70-200/135, 28-70/24-105, 35/50/85) and it fits the usual filters, pens, lens cleaning gear. A flash in one side pocket and a water bottle in the other and I'm set.

In your case it could easily fit secondary lenses for your bodies, batteries, pens, cleaning gear, memory cards, etc.

Cheers,
-- Colm.