DIY or buy a bag.

[U100695]

I've been looking for a new bag to hold just my XSI body, flash, and another lens in a cheap price range. I also wanted a really cute girly bag. I've looked at crumpler and jill-e but they are too expensive for me. I thought about making my own inserts for my gear. Do any of you have any suggestions towards a cheap bag option or my DIY project?

[pako73]

Welcome to the boards!!!

I'd say save up and buy a bag, you would want something to protect that sweet investment. Or you can put that on your X-mas wish list.

[timmyeatchips]

There are a few examples on here of DIY bags from messenger bags (do a search in this section for 'DIY' or 'messenger') and I'm sure most of those can be adapted to some kind of girly shoulder bag? =)

[Jim G]

Domke 5xb.. possibly cute, definitely petite :D

[U100695]

Domke 5xb.. possibly cute, definitely petite :D

It definitely is petite, but I'm looking for more of a girly pink purse type camera bag.
I'm starting to lean more towards making my own bag. Any tips or tricks?

[Jon]

I'm a Domke fan, but if you don't want their rugged, manly good looks :{)# get a closed cell foam sleeping pad at a camping store and a bottle of contact cement and custom-build an insert for your favourite purse.

[U100695]

Thanks for the advice on what to use.

[gravity]

I used my old t-shirts to as buffer / divider when I bring my camera and lens to places in my laptop backpack. does that count? Or is that not even relevant? :o

[U100695]

I used my old t-shirts to as buffer / divider when I bring my camera and lens to places in my laptop backpack. does that count? Or is that not even relevant? :o

i think it counts. thats a pretty good idea too.

[_aravena]

For a girl, what I've seen, are Vera Bradley bags. They seem to be the nicest and coolest things. My wife loves them so being obsessed with bags I look and they seem like they'd be awesome as camera bags. They are well padded and have many designs. Look into it. They have them Hallmark. Inserts are not hard either.

[U100695]

I hadn't thought of that yet. Good idea.

[gembobs]

I have custom made my own padded inserts using a foam sleeping mat, glue and duct tape. I have used them in a handbag on holiday and also in a medium / large sized (50 Litre) hiking backpack when out walking in the Lake District and the local moors.

[U100695]

I have custom made my own padded inserts using a foam sleeping mat, glue and duct tape. I have used them in a handbag on holiday and also in a medium / large sized (50 Litre) hiking backpack when out walking in the Lake District and the local moors.

do you have any pictures?

[Sparky98]

I haven't made dividers for a camera bag but I have used the sleeping mats to make pads for electronic equipment for transportation in work trucks. You can get a mat at Wal-Mart for about $10 and it is about 60"x20"x5/8". You can cut the mat with a sharp knife or a razor blade and glue the pieces together with super glue.

If you make your own bag just be sure to use some heavy weight fabric and strong thread especially on the handles or straps. You don't want the bag to rip or come apart because the fabric was too thin.

[gembobs]

do you have any pictures?

Sorry, I don't have any piccies - and I doubt I will be able to get any before christmas - I left the inserts at my parents house 200 miles away.

The camping mat I used had a silver foil backing side, so I scored through the mat from the foam side only (not all the way through), then bent it and stuck it in place using silver duct tape. Then to make it look smooth and hopefully make it last longer, I covered the whole thing in duct tape! You can of course cut straight through and glue / tape each piece together. The mat I used was the cheapest I could find - cost about £5 in the UK.

All the cases I made are rectangular in shape, but they are a snug fit for the lenses. Hope that explains it a bit better.

[jrm27]

I DIY'd a bag and it has been perfect.. taken it on international trips and around town.

It is a basic no frills messenger bag (like the Jack Baur bag you see on here from time to time) ($14). I then went to walmart and picked up one of of those little soft lunch coolers... about the size of a sixpack of soda ($3). I cut the top off and then used a hot glue gun to line the inside of the cooler with pieces from a closed cell sleeping mattress ($4). The soft cooler is nice because the material is actually quite simialr to what you see in a domke bag.. it's padded, but soft, has some give, but also offers some protection from a bump here and there.

I took some other peices of the mattress and divided the inner space into comaprtments like a domke insert. I can fit my XSi , kit lens, and nifty fifty in the "cooler" just perfectly. I take that and set it in my Jack Bauer messenger bag and I've still got room left in th ebag for anything else i might need for the day's outing. It is the perfect oslution for me and cost about $20.

[U100695]

I DIY'd a bag and it has been perfect.. taken it on international trips and around town.

It is a basic no frills messenger bag (like the Jack Baur bag you see on here from time to time) ($14). I then went to walmart and picked up one of of those little soft lunch coolers... about the size of a sixpack of soda ($3). I cut the top off and then used a hot glue gun to line the inside of the cooler with pieces from a closed cell sleeping mattress ($4). The soft cooler is nice because the material is actually quite simialr to what you see in a domke bag.. it's padded, but soft, has some give, but also offers some protection from a bump here and there.

I took some other peices of the mattress and divided the inner space into comaprtments like a domke insert. I can fit my XSi , kit lens, and nifty fifty in the "cooler" just perfectly. I take that and set it in my Jack Bauer messenger bag and I've still got room left in th ebag for anything else i might need for the day's outing. It is the perfect oslution for me and cost about $20.

I hadn't even thought of using a cooler. Thats a really good idea. I've decided to make my inserts out of the sleeping bag pad foam, then i'll cover it in some soft fabric. When i do get it finished i hope to put up pictures.

[U100695]

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/U100695/Random/IMG_5826.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/U100695/Random/IMG_5820.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/U100695/Random/IMG_4849.jpg

[Paul J McCain]

That is actually really cool! Never seen anything like that and looks like it will offer good protection. Your only problem might be that no one will know where it is if you ask them to grab your camera bag! :)

[U100695]

haha, very true. luckily the people i trust to handle my camera bag or camera at all, are all in on the secret ;-)

[Vascilli]

Wow I think it's great! :D

[YP5 Toronto]

Nice job!!!

[gembobs]

That looks really cool!

[Raivyn]

Great job on the bag! I've been looking for a purse that opens wide enough to be a camera bag, and doesn't already weigh 5lbs w/o anything inside. Haven't had much luck yet, but I'm glad you were successful! ;)

[U100695]

I will admit it was a little difficult trying to find a purse that was the proper size, but the one i found is surprisingly light on it's own; although it does get heavy on the shoulder after a while. Fortunately humongous purses are in style right now.