Cheap looking but good backpack

Hi yall
I am looking for a cheap but good camera backpack, for when backpacking abroad.
It has to be cheap because i will make it look like an old torn down backpack that is not as appealing to steal as a brand new shiny backpack.

When traveling alone abroad you have to take every precaution you can, and when sleeping on trains/airports you really dont want your camera bag to be stolen :/.
My mate got his backpack stolen a few weeks ago with equipment for abouts 6000$ worth.

Anyone got any good tips?

I love the Kata bags, they don't look like camera bags. You can always consider the National Geographic bags.

Why not get a good bag and keep that in a larger old bag? A Kata H-series would do fairly well for a mid-size kit.

I have been thinking about modifying a cheap non-camera backpack.
Just padd it myself and wear it down so it looks like something a homeless guy would use.

Both the Kata and National geographic is way to "pretty"

Look for a bag in the Army-Navy store and pad it yourself. Olive drab does not shout camera inside. You can pad it with a closed cell sleeping pad from Wal-Mart. The pads are blue, about 5/8" inch thick and about 2' wide by 5' long and sell for around $10 or less. Cut the pad to size with scissors or a knife and you can glue them together with Super Glue if you want them to make pockets that will retain their shape. The material does gouge fairly easily but should last longer than your trip. To prevent gouging you can line the pockets you create with some kind of fabric and the padding will last a long time.

I have used it to line shelves in trucks to carry electronic testing equipment and the pads will last a year or 2 with heavy use. The material is very absorbent and does a great job. The one drawback is the material is thick and will take up a lot of room in the bag. If you could find thinner material it might work better for your application but thinner may be hard to find. You might also find this material in a Army-Navy store.

betebete wrote in post #6432245
Anyone got any good tips?

Insurance.

^Agreed

Kata is way too nice. Who said it doesn't look like a camera bag? Looks like freakin' armour! I'd say get something from your local A&N store or any retail store. There are a few simple "hiking" backpacks in Target that I envision use for a camera. Plus it has the pocket for a CD/MP3 player to have with the earphone opening.

Just make some inserts for soft padding and BAM! Ya got a DIY backpack. I keep thinking on want that then I see the Kata T214.

My Kata 465 doesn't look like a camera bag, but it is "pretty" because it is light colored, not the armor looking models.

When I traveled overseas last month I used one of my old SwissGear backpacks and a Tenba insert that I usually use for my Domke F-series bags. It really isn't "camera" bag looking and almost EVERYONE in the airport seemed to have the same or similar versions of the backpack. Yes, I was looking! The Tenba insert fit perfectly in the backpack too!

I managed to fit:
13" iBook with charger (travel charger)
20D gripped w/70-200IS 2.8 hood inverted
40D gripped w/28-70L hood inverted
16-35L
3 Pocket Wizard Plus radio triggers
2 580EX flashes
2 Battery chargers for the cameras
2 light stand heads
Sekonic L-358
Newton DiFR2 bracket
Rocket Blower
Sony DSCP-10 camera
Sony HDR-HC5 camcorder
Spare batteries for flashes and cameras
WD Passport external hard drive and case
Sandisk multi card reader
CF card holder
Memory Stick card holder
and there were some misc. other stuff that I had in the bag for travel!

Granted, the bag weighed 33lbs and almost didn't make it back home because there was too much weight in the bag, but it held it all! On the next trip I go on I decided to invest in the Pelican 1510 w/dividers instead! I guess it really depends on how much gear you decide to lug with you! At the location I ended up unpacking everything and transfered what I needed for the day into my Domke F-804 and left the rest in my room. Didn't worry about security because I was in a condo that I own overseas!

And yes, I used all the stuff that I took! Hope this gives you some ideas!

Minute you take out the camera, your cover is blown. I'd rather go with good quality, comfortable backpack and an insurance might be your best bet. IMHO

Jason Kim wrote in post #6434523
Minute you take out the camera, your cover is blown. I'd rather go with good quality, comfortable backpack and an insurance might be your best bet. IMHO

Well ofcourse
But there are times when yer sleepin on the train / airports and thieves may not be as tempted to steal something that looks like the hobo outside would have than a shiny expensive backpack

Thanks for all the info guyes! Great tips for padding! I'll work something out.

Another vote for Kata 465 (or the bigger 467)

cdifoto wrote in post #6433199
Insurance.

Ill second that!

betebete wrote in post #6452745
Well ofcourse
But there are times when yer sleepin on the train / airports and thieves may not be as tempted to steal something that looks like the hobo outside would have than a shiny expensive backpack

Thanks for all the info guyes! Great tips for padding! I'll work something out.

Pretty much anything that's relatively plain would work.

http://cgi.ebay.com …iewItem&item=12​0312439042

You can take a look at Pac Safe products.
http://www.pacsafe.com​/www/index.php