I've been working on another DIY bag project lately. I've been wanting a good backpack lately and haven't been able to find anything that does what I want w/o being huge or uncomfortable or both (the Kata 3n1 I have is much bigger and more cumbersome than I need). So I was searching B&H/flickr a few weeks ago and stumbled upon this tenba insert:
So for $25 shipped it looked like a promising start, but notice there's no sizing on their page for it? :diaf: One of the reviewers listed some rough dimensions which sounded good so I ordered one. (Tenba/B&H have another insert that's similar and $25->$30 shipped that's 12x9x4.5).
This is what it looks like with a 100-400 on the right with it's hood reversed(which is the same size as a 70-200 basically) and a 24-105 on the left with it's hood reversed (the camera with ANY of my lenses will go in the center tube):
Add to the insert any of my collection of decent riding backpacks and I have a decent start on my DIY backpack (this is a burton 11liter AK pack I picked up on whiskeymilitia for $20):
you can see above that there's room above the insert for another lens or some accessories (that's a 17-40). I can also fit 2 X-pro filters and the older between the back side of the insert and the outside of the bag, and there's a small accessory pocket at the top.
I can actually "sling" this bag in front of my and access all my gear, he's what it looks like when in front of me (slung over my left shoulder, but you could do this the other way if you prefer as the zipper goes all the way around):
in the above picture you can also see my biggest complaint about this setup; the zipper doesn't go all the way to the bottom which means the bottom "tube" of the insert is a bit tricky to get into. You can do it, easily in fact if you set the bag down, but doing it standing is a tad trickier (still possible). If the zipper went to the bottom it'd be very easy.
Here's the outside of the pack I'm using:
and in that shot you can see my other complaint. This pack is designed to carry a snowboard for backcountry hiking. The straps for the board aren't needed and I'll be cutting them off. There's also a avalanche shovel handle holder on the right (top of the picture) which actually works very well for my tripod. There's a GIANT exterior pocket (for an avi shovel blade) which I could remove or ignore. Basically, there's straps everywhere than aren't being used and I should remove.
my other complaints are that the sternum strap is under my chin, and the waist belt doesn't have a pocket to tuck into. I've been using this to bring my gear with me biking at night in which case I like the waist belt, but when I'm using it as a day bag I don't need it and it'd be nice if I could tuck them away.
All in all it's been a nice bag so far. I need to look into some other packs that have a full zipper and maybe a few less straps, but that'll take a while. But it's amazing what a nice backpack setup can do to make your kit seem much lighter. I've honestly had to stop and open the pack to make sure I didn't leave the camera at home/work a few times because the weight is so much better supported.
The other key here is this insert/bag/setup is basically designed around a body w/o a grip (or 1 series). The insert is 4.5" tall (by 13x9) so it won't really fit a gripped body. I prefer not using grips so this is ideal. This issue comes up for me when shopping for a bag the 100-400 will fit in because whenever a bag is designed to handle a lens that size, it seems it's also designed around a 1 series to go with it (which makes some sense because then everyone can use the bag). But this insert and pack are MUCH slimmer than my Kata, or any other photo backpack for that matter. I LOVE how small it is. The fact it's a simple burton backpack also makes it more stealth.
Hope this helps any of you budget or DIY oriented guys out there get some new bag ideas flowing. I've enjoyed it more than my Kata already and just need to find the perfect backpack.
