*thin* vacation bag

[ayman86]

ive been mulling all over the internet(and these forums) for the past 3-4 days trying to find the perfect bag for my vacation and i need your help

the requirements are:
the depth needs to be less than 5inches. well in reality, the interior depth just needs to be 4inches or less.
needs to fit 5D attached to a lens and be easily accessible.
lens i will be bringing with me are: 24-105L, 35L, 16-35L
stylish

the results that i found were with interior dimensions:
safrotto (domke f802 clone): 13*4*11
domke f802: 14.5*3*12
domke f803: 12*3*9
mekko (domke f802/3 clone): 12.6*3.9*9.5

out of those, i really find the domke f803 waxwear to be the most stylish of them all (and the most expensive of them all!!!). though since its not nearly padded enough, a domke f-280 or tenba insert will have to do. but i dunno if either will be good for it. preferably an insert that thats snugged

domke insert: 11*3*8
tenba photo insert: 13*4*9

ive heard nothing but good things for the tenba insert but i think it will be too big for the f803. the domke insert, on the other hand, sucks. there arent any flaps to speak of. so its mostly just holding lens/body unattached.

any comments/advice/help would be grateful or other bags that would be great (i have a 7MDH at home and just too bulky to consider any MDH in general). diy bags would be fine too

*due note that im trying to find a photo store(in chicago) that has these domke bags and insert so i can try it out myself.

[Jon]

Padding in camera bags is highly overrated. I've hauled my gear all over the US and Europe in Domke bags, by bus, trahn, plane, car and subway (and a fair amount of walking too) with the basic Domke inserts and no ill consequences. My favourite bag for traveling "light" (2 bodies, 24-70, 70-200, 580EX and Sigma 15-30) is the Domke F-802, the slightly larger version of the Domke F-803; I use the regular 720-230 3-compartment inset in it, and it works fine. If you're really worried about padding your gear (which will make it harder to meet your size requirements), the Domke inserts have open bottoms so you can slide out the standard foam and replace it with some of your own choice. Just remember - if you use more padding, you'll have less room for your gear.

[ayman86]

well all i care about is to have everything (lens) separated from each other, so they wont bounce around and damage each other. if the insert that the 803 has, is more than enough, then im set on the 803 waxwear

[Jon]

It's plenty. There's a light polyfill blanket between the compartments and there aren't really any sharp edges on your gear to chip/scratch through it anyhow.

[tvphotog]

Look at the Lowepro Stealth Reporter 200 and 300 AW models. They would work for that kit, though you'd have more latitude with the 300. Pro bags, very sturdy, and black...very fashionable.

[ayman86]

i just came back from a local camera store where i tried out the domke f803 and its perfect. it might not be wide/depth enough to have hoods reversed onto the lens but thats a minor annoyance. i can work with that. it doesnt have a lot of padding like the crumplers but its enough and very light. so you are right about that, Jon.

now i just need to find a cheap f308 waxwear edition.

[hfgarris]

You might also look at the J-803 Domke satchel. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it available in waxwear.

I selected that one because it is .5" thicker at 4.5" to better hold the camera body. The J-803, at 13.5" x 10" x 4.5" also perfectly holds the Tenba Insert (13 x 9 x 4). I find the Tenba insert is well sized to hold today's larger lenses and cameras.

-howard