Picking a bag is tough stuff!

Wow,

I never imagined choosing an ideal camera bag to be such an involved process. Now that I think about it, however, it is quite a demanding piece of your equipment arsenal that should deserve a careful selection. Weeks and weeks later, however, I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere after quite a bit of research. I was hoping I could get some guidance from the always-helpful folks here at potn. So this is where I'm at:

-I bought a Lowepro Slingshot 102 a couple of years ago with my first dslr--it's been great, but that was a couple of years ago. Bigger, heavier lenses as well as a speedlight, filters, tripod etc. have made this bag obsolete for my slightly grown arsenal. Right now I can barely get zippers closed.

-I use a Timbuk2 messenger bag for my non-camera stuff (couple of notebooks/binders for work, deoderant, sunglasses, medication; all that stuff). I have gone out shooting many times wearing both bags kind of criss-crossed across my chest, with the camera bag over one shoulder and the messenger bag across another. It's not enjoyable.

-Last week I ordered an Ape Case ACPRO2000 from B&H and filled out a return form the following day for it. It's really, really big and heavy (it weighs about 7.75 lb), and you have to wrestle with 3 zippers just to finally get to your camera.

-I want to move towards carrying one bag around, and so the following is a short list of criteria including what I have now, what I may want in the future, and just overall wants/needs:

This is what I tote around usually:
Canon T2i/550D body, with battery grip
Canon ef 28-135mm lens, usually attached to body
Canon ef 50mm 1.4, with hood
Yongnuo 468-II speedlight (about the size of the Canon 430)
Filter pouch, LensPen, Demb Saucer Flip-It, a few other little odds and ends
Slik Sprint Pro II tripod (18.5" folded length)

Here's my criteria for the bag:
Backpack and not a sling
Reliable tripod support/holder
Rugged and durable
Enough "other space" for laptop, binder, and a shirt or light jacket/hat/gloves
Enough space for my equipment mentioned above, plus a few extra slots for maybe 1 or 2 more lenses or other accessories
Water bottle holder is a plus
Can carry on a plane
The camera stuff does not have to be super-quick access, but I don't want to feel like I'm picking a bank vault lock to get to it.
I would like to cap the price at $150

Let me know if you have any recommendations--I've been looking at Kata, Mountainsmith, Vivitar and that one Canon backpack, but I'm spinning my tires at this point.

-Randy

If it weren't for your budget, F Stop would be perfect for you.

Sirrith wrote in post #16023330
If it weren't for your budget, F Stop would be perfect for you.

Do tell--shoot me a model number and I'll look into it.

After reading Jon (the mod)'s posts for a while now about bags, I decided to try a Domke F-2. I found one used for a song on Amazon. I have to say, Domke bags are designed to be used in the field... not as storage units at home.

I am no longer using my Tenba Shootout Medium backpack. It's 6.7 pounds, empty. I'm glad I bought it used (though it was still "new" with the tags attached)

RandMan wrote in post #16023367
Do tell--shoot me a model number and I'll look into it.

The Loka or Guru with a medium shallow ICU would be great for you. They are mountain-series bags, meaning they're designed for hiking, backpacking, skiing etc... so may look a bit out of place if you're in the city with them, but for travel I have not come across anything better.

Fastpack 250. The only criteria it technically doesn't meet is the tripod holder but i put mine under the straps that cover the camera holder section. Very secure and stable and is still extremely comfortable for long periods.

I would recommend this Ape Case. Just what your asking for, good price, and you can take off the wheels and rolling handle when not needed and just use it like a backpack.

Hope to be ordering one of these soon. Looks perfect to me. I personally don't care whether or not it is a knockoff.

http://www.amazon.com …eywords=cosmos+​camera+bag

Or a Lowepro Flipside 300 or 400.

You're right about picking a camera bag being tough! That's why most people have multiple bags.

There is no "ideal" bag that works for every situation, only "ideal" for that particular situation/need. I thought I would be happy with one backpack, then got a pelican case, then got an Apecase, now recently picked up a small Lowepro,...

Just like the rest of this photo game, it never seems to end! LOL!

nhglamour wrote in post #16024287
Or a Lowepro Flipside 300 or 400.

Great bags (really good), but I would not say the tripod holder is the best out there. I don't use my Flipside 400 if I am going to be taking my tripod and doing a lot of taking it off, putting it back on and a lot of walking, my Pro Runner 450 has a much better holder. Easier to use and holds it more securely. The Pro Runner 450 would be too big for the OP though, maybe a 300 or 350 might be the go?

nhglamour wrote in post #16024287
Or a Lowepro Flipside 300 or 400.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but It doesn't look like the Flipsides (or Fastpacks for that matter) hold anything besides camera gear from what I've researched. They look more like a main compartment of dividers and then a couple of little side pockets.

RandMan wrote in post #16024933
Correct me if I'm wrong, but It doesn't look like the Flipsides (or Fastpacks for that matter) hold anything besides camera gear from what I've researched. They look more like a main compartment of dividers and then a couple of little side pockets.

Not sure about the flipsides, but I had the fastpack 350. It does have a top compartment for non-camera gear which is almost as large as the camera compartment. But the bag itself is not very comfortable when fully loaded, looks and feels boxy, and feels cheap (which it is I suppose, at around $100 for the largest model). It is now gone

Domke F2 for street and photojournalism, Dakine Sequence (the poor man's F-stop) for hike and ski. Every bag has a function.

What about the Kata 467DL? Started looking into it tonight.