Camera bag for vacation

Any recommendations for a camera bag to take on vacation with my family. Looking online I was thinking between a sling bag or a backpack with camera access on the side. My camera equipment: Canon 60D, Tamron 28-75, Tamron 70-300 vc and a Canon 580exii flash.

Thanks

Alberto

I picked up a Tenba Messenger bag this spring. I LOVE it. It's been awesome for all of my travels thus far.

There are a number of different sizes available. Build quality seems excellent - at least as good, maybe better than my Think Tank stuff which I've been man-handling for 6 years.

https://www.tenba.com/​collections/messenger.​aspx

I got this one and I *super* love it!

https://www.amazon.com …age_o05_s00?ie=​UTF8&psc=1

YMMV.

Its built very well, I have had zero issues with it. Straps are kinda short, but it still works out well.

HTH,
Andrew

Personally I'm partial to LowePro and I carry virtually identical equipment to you in a LowePro ProRunner 200AW. Actually as I look at your equipment, I carry one additional lens, a Sigma 17-50. That model LowePro isn't available any longer so I suggest you go to the LowePro "bagfinder" (https://www.lowepro.co​m/bagfinder) and "build" a bag to see the size requirements and suggested models.

My Think Tank Turnstyle 20 (sling) is still my favorite bag. It holds a good amount of gear and the gear is accessible without removing the bag. When I went to Pittsburgh last year, I used a backpack for getting my stuff and laptop to the hotel, then used the sling for just what I needed for the day. I find it far more comfortable than a shoulder bag that's always swinging around, sliding off, or trying to choke me, depending on the situation.

Check out the Peak Design Sling 10L.
It's well made and a good design IMHO.

I'm ordering this bag on Friday to take to Europe this summer: https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ew_usa_gear_s17​_dslr.html

It's the only bag I could find that was reasonably priced and could fit my laptop. It appears to have plenty of room for everything you listed, but I can't be sure as I don't have that camera and lenses, but the photos do show a similar setup and it fits along with extras.

Given the choice between my F-stop camera bag and my Billingham Hadley messenger-style bag, I usually prefer my F-stop. But sometimes on vacation it's not always convenient to carry a backpack style bag. The Billingham is really a nice bag. The strap can be uncomfortable if you have it loaded up so I got one of these strap cushions which work well.

I would recommend Think Tank or Tenba.

Photo from Ah-keong's gallery.
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Scottboarding wrote in post #18636065
I'm ordering this bag on Friday to take to Europe this summer: https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ew_usa_gear_s17​_dslr.html

It's the only bag I could find that was reasonably priced and could fit my laptop. It appears to have plenty of room for everything you listed, but I can't be sure as I don't have that camera and lenses, but the photos do show a similar setup and it fits along with extras.

But will it fit in the plane is the bigger question.

The OP didn't mention mode of travel, but these days it is important to not only check fit for your gear, but make sure your bag is allowed as a carry-on if using air travel. Otherwise you may encounter a situation where it needs to be checked. I see for instance that the bag you are considering has exterior dimensions of 18 x 12 x 8 inches so it meets the dimension requirements of most airlines, at least today and with nothing in it. But a few years ago, the I.A.T.A. announced guidelines for carry-on baggage, promoting a new luggage size of 21.5 inches by 13.5 inches by 7.5 inches. There was a lot of pushback. Some airlines have compromised; Alaska Airlines, Horizon and SkyWest just recently announced new guidelines of 22″ x 14″ x 9″ to be effective June 4th. Your bag has an exterior thickness dimension of 8 inches (by specification) but in actual use may be much more than that. My LowePro for instance is by spec 8 inches, but when packed is a "solid" 9 inches. In theory Alaska could require me to check the bag.

John from PA wrote in post #18636396
But will it fit in the plane is the bigger question.

The OP didn't mention mode of travel, but these days it is important to not only check fit for your gear, but make sure your bag is allowed as a carry-on if using air travel. Otherwise you may encounter a situation where it needs to be checked. I see for instance that the bag you are considering has exterior dimensions of 18 x 12 x 8 inches so it meets the dimension requirements of most airlines, at least today and with nothing in it. But a few years ago, the I.A.T.A. announced guidelines for carry-on baggage, promoting a new luggage size of 21.5 inches by 13.5 inches by 7.5 inches. There was a lot of pushback. Some airlines have compromised; Alaska Airlines, Horizon and SkyWest just recently announced new guidelines of 22″ x 14″ x 9″ to be effective June 4th. Your bag has an exterior thickness dimension of 8 inches (by specification) but in actual use may be much more than that. My LowePro for instance is by spec 8 inches, but when packed is a "solid" 9 inches. In theory Alaska could require me to check the bag.

I got TT Airport Essentials just for this reason. It fits nicely under the seat of a Southwest 737. That was my "get it all there" bag which I could be reasonably certain I'd not be forced to part with.

John from PA wrote in post #18636396
But will it fit in the plane is the bigger question.

The OP didn't mention mode of travel, but these days it is important to not only check fit for your gear, but make sure your bag is allowed as a carry-on if using air travel. Otherwise you may encounter a situation where it needs to be checked. I see for instance that the bag you are considering has exterior dimensions of 18 x 12 x 8 inches so it meets the dimension requirements of most airlines, at least today and with nothing in it. But a few years ago, the I.A.T.A. announced guidelines for carry-on baggage, promoting a new luggage size of 21.5 inches by 13.5 inches by 7.5 inches. There was a lot of pushback. Some airlines have compromised; Alaska Airlines, Horizon and SkyWest just recently announced new guidelines of 22″ x 14″ x 9″ to be effective June 4th. Your bag has an exterior thickness dimension of 8 inches (by specification) but in actual use may be much more than that. My LowePro for instance is by spec 8 inches, but when packed is a "solid" 9 inches. In theory Alaska could require me to check the bag.

I thought about that too. I checked the Q&A on BH and someone had the same questions and someone answered that it fit under the airline seat no problem.

Scottboarding wrote in post #18636843
I thought about that too. I checked the Q&A on BH and someone had the same questions and someone answered that it fit under the airline seat no problem.

One still has to use some care. Fitting under the seat is not the criteria, it is getting past the ticket counter. 95% of the time it isn't a big deal but it is that other 5% that may get you. That Think Tank Airport Essentials is a great bag but note that it measures 11.5" x 18" x 7". But in my experience when fully packed that 7" can become 8" which is pushing the limit.

If the OP is headed for Europe, and Ryanair is a common heavily discounted carrier within Europe, there can be another issue causing grief at check in. LIke many airlines Ryanair allows two bags, one of which is smaller. The smaller bag is to be maximum of 35cm x 20cm x 20cm or 14 inches x 8 inches x 8 inches.

Priority boarding doesn't actually cost that much more (Ryan says "starting at 6£") but if the priority boarding seats have been sold out, then your oversize camera bag may be gate checked. So if you are flying Ryanair, consider paying for the priority boarding in advance.

I don’t know about “for vacation”, but I recently bought 2 Saddleback Leather bags for my Fuji gear, one big and one small that are very stealth. I take the little one everywhere.

I use a couple of big Domke bags for Canon, but they scream CAMERA BAG. I wanted bags that were more street-friendly and messenger-styled.

The small one holds 1 body and 3-4 Fuji lenses. I use inserts from older, discarded bags. The larger one holds 5-6 lenses and 2 bodies with extras.

Both fit under an airplane seat, but so far I’ve only put the small one under. It holds a lot, plus an iPad, all the chargers I need, my nr headphones and anker battery pack.

Edit: I forgot, I used the larger bag under seats flying all around Colombia in January. Fit everywhere, even a twin prop from Bucaramanga to Medellin. Fits a 15” laptop, but I took an iPad and wireless WD drive with SD slot.

I usually transport the larger bag in a semi-rigid wheeled clamshell that meets the smallest carry-on restrictions. It’s got room in there for additional lenses in pouches, a laptop, a handful of Rugged drives, more or less. Works perfect for me. The straps aren’t going to cut by a guy on a motorcycle in Vietnam.

Both are on Amazon. Medium and Large waxed canvas gear bags. $350 and $439, respectively. I think your gear would fit in the smaller bag. I have the bigger Think Tank Retrospective bag and I didn’t feel it handled weight well, is too fat, and still looks like a photo bag.

I like backpacks with the opening against my pack to prevent theft. I used a Fstop loka and will be using a Guru when I want to carry less gear.