Suggest a Camera Bag (Bicycle Messenger Style)

sjafari wrote in post #5554274
I have what I feel is a perfect setup.. I own a LowePro DryZone Rover, which has a removable lower-padded section (which can hold my 5D+Grip w/24-70 attached, a 1.4x TC, 135mm f/2 and 16-35 f/2.8 ). Stick that inside of a Chrome messenger bag and you have a system that is perfect for hard biking and very little swaying of the bag on your back, and the quickness of the release mechanism on the Chrome bag allows for accessing the gear in a few seconds. Granted, you are buying two bags to do this, but the DryZone Rover is pretty fantastic in its own right for day-hikes and the like. What i like the best is that a Chrome bag does not look like something that is holding multiple-thousands of dollars worth of equipent. As a bonus, you can detach the waterproof portion of the Rover and stick that into a much larger hiking backpack for long journeys. I suppose you can buy inserts and stick that into the Chrome messenger bag (which itself is largely waterproof)

Unique solution! More expensive, of course, but then again, photography is quite the expensive hobby...

So just to get this straight, you only put the pouch from the DryRover into the Chrome bag, not the entire backpack, correct? This might be similar to buying a Crumpler photo bucket for my current Crumpler bag.

hrmm, I don't have the picture online anymore it seems, but I modified a chrome bag to ride with. I got some Domke inserts and after a little sewing and sealing (to retain the bag's waterproofness) I have no problem carrying body + couple lenses (or flash) and laptop plus random other stuff in the mini metro. Sounds similar to what sjafari did but different! I've been riding with this getup for over a year in Chicago with no problem (Id hate to take a spill though!)

nadtz wrote in post #5555510
hrmm, I don't have the picture online anymore it seems, but I modified a chrome bag to ride with. I got some Domke inserts and after a little sewing and sealing (to retain the bag's waterproofness) I have no problem carrying body + couple lenses (or flash) and laptop plus random other stuff in the mini metro. Sounds similar to what sjafari did but different! I've been riding with this getup for over a year in Chicago with no problem (Id hate to take a spill though!)

I think taking a spill even without the bag is something I'd try to avoid! Obviously no bag would protect against that, but a poorly chosen bag would increase the risk of something bad happening.

Would you be able to take some pictures of your setup? It definitely sounds interesting. One of my friends uses a Chrome bag, not sure what size, but it's definitely made for cycling.

woloi wrote in post #5555398
Unique solution! More expensive, of course, but then again, photography is quite the expensive hobby...

So just to get this straight, you only put the pouch from the DryRover into the Chrome bag, not the entire backpack, correct? This might be similar to buying a Crumpler photo bucket for my current Crumpler bag.

That's correct, only the lower camera compartment is put inside the Chrome bag. I was considering the Crumpler insert route as well, but decided on going with the DryZone Rover since i needed a good day-hike backpack that was waterproof, and it happens to work perfectly with the Chrome bag. Definitely not a cheap approach, but the system is great.

I'll have to either dig one up or take a new one, my stuff is scattered to the 4 winds at the moment but I'll see what I can do.

sjafari wrote in post #5554274
I have what I feel is a perfect setup.. I own a LowePro DryZone Rover, which has a removable lower-padded section (which can hold my 5D+Grip w/24-70 attached, a 1.4x TC, 135mm f/2 and 16-35 f/2.8 ). Stick that inside of a Chrome messenger bag and you have a system that is perfect for hard biking and very little swaying of the bag on your back, and the quickness of the release mechanism on the Chrome bag allows for accessing the gear in a few seconds. Granted, you are buying two bags to do this, but the DryZone Rover is pretty fantastic in its own right for day-hikes and the like. What i like the best is that a Chrome bag does not look like something that is holding multiple-thousands of dollars worth of equipent. As a bonus, you can detach the waterproof portion of the Rover and stick that into a much larger hiking backpack for long journeys. I suppose you can buy inserts and stick that into the Chrome messenger bag (which itself is largely waterproof)

You guys are masochists. Why would you want to bike with all that stuff and all that bulk? Just get one of those little clip on the seatpost carriers and one of the bags made for that (topeak makes them, IIRC). Then put what you want in there and take 1/3 of what you think you need (because you don't need that much).

J.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #5563021
You guys are masochists. Why would you want to bike with all that stuff and all that bulk? Just get one of those little clip on the seatpost carriers and one of the bags made for that (topeak makes them, IIRC). Then put what you want in there and take 1/3 of what you think you need (because you don't need that much).

That would work, but are those Topeak bags easy to carry when away from the bike? I like the idea of not having an extra 15lbs on my back while biking, but a lot of my shots are taken after ive already parked the bike and walked away from it.. and yeah its a good amount of gear to have on me, but Id rather bike 1mph slower and get the shot i want rather than go 1mph faster and miss some shots because i didnt bring a certain lens or something... though lately i just take my G9 with me and tuck that inside my saddle bag, and skip all the SLR equipment.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #5563021
You guys are masochists. Why would you want to bike with all that stuff and all that bulk? Just get one of those little clip on the seatpost carriers and one of the bags made for that (topeak makes them, IIRC). Then put what you want in there and take 1/3 of what you think you need (because you don't need that much).

J.

I'm moving to Newport, RI at the end of the month. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Newport, but from my few visits while searching for an apartment I found some amazing vistas, mostly of the ocean. Unfortunately, it appears as if it's quite difficult to drive, and even more so park, in Newport during the summer months, it's a pretty big tourist trap. Add in ridiculously high gas prices, and I'm trying to avoid using my car as much as possible this summer, which means I need a good bag to carry everything in on my bicycle.

Sure, ideally I'd carry nothing but a bottle of water while riding, but I'm trying to combine exercise, photography, and general transportation into one activity. I won't be as efficient at any one task, but I'll be a lot more efficient as a whole, at least so the theory goes .

JohnJ80 wrote in post #5563021
You guys are masochists. Why would you want to bike with all that stuff and all that bulk? Just get one of those little clip on the seatpost carriers and one of the bags made for that (topeak makes them, IIRC). Then put what you want in there and take 1/3 of what you think you need (because you don't need that much).

J.

My bag weighs about 7lb, for a 6 mile bike commute that's nothing. Once upon a time when I used to do bike messengering Id easily have several times that strapped to my back for several hours a day. As for bike racks, baskets and what not, I leave my bike out of doors too much, stuff like that gets stolen in a blink here in Chicago.

I've been looking around for a better bag to carry my gear when I ride (or walk/short hike). I had been using a Kiesel VR300, which is awesome because it holds a lot and has a camelbak style hydration setup, plus it hold my Slik tripod. However, it is a major nuisance to use. When I want to take a shot, I need to stop the bike, get off, take the bag off my back, bla bla bla. I also have a little Lowepro shoulder bag for walking around town, but it has become too small and is impossible to use on a bike.

I recently purchased a Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW. For me, it is a near perfect solution for both bike riding and walking/short hiking. It holds all my current gear, is comfortable, and really easy to use while biking. I say "near perfect solution" because I can't strap my tripod to it. Maybe with the 300 AW I might have.

In any case, I recommend the Slingshot 200AW for cyclists, as well as walking around town or hiking.

In agreement with the slingshot for biking. For a bike tripod, I'd take the gorilla pod and prob. just attach directly to my bike (which you could do with a regular tripod I suppose).