Help me with a bag choice?
InsuredDisaster
Registered Users Posts: 1,132 Major grins
I know there are a lot of bag threads and I've been to the stores everywhere here but I'm just not getting attached to any bag.
Right now I've got a Lowepro Stealth reporter 300 and a 650. However, I'm trying to get away from the single strap shoulder bag as I'm not sure its good for my neck to be carrying all of that weight. Some might say to get rid of the gear, but I'm pretty committed to carry it all.
I carry a D300, D700 (grip is only used rarely) Nikon 24-70(with hood reversed) 70-200 (hood rarely used) and quite possibly in the future the 14-24 2.8 as well, though right now I'm carrying a Sigma 10-20. Additionally, I often carry a teleconverter OR a 50mm. I also carry an SB-800 and often a second flash, an SB-600. I'm a committed two body shooter and thus, the bag must be able to fit both bodies with any of the lenses attached.
I believe I'd prefer a waist pack or belt system as I'd like to try to carry the weight down there and not on my back. Being able to quickly access my gear is important to me.
I've also got a Nature Trekker II but I hate this bag. It weighs almost as much as an American empty and when loaded the darn thing is a killer. Plus its a bastard to get stuff into and out of. And its not really any bigger than my Lowpro Stealth reporter 300 in terms of what it can carry so why bother with it?
That being said, I'm not completely against a backpack as being able to carry a tripod would be nice as well. But many are enourmous without being able to carry any more than a shoulder bag, and they weigh so much even when empty.
All weather is a must.
Could anyone help me with this?
Right now I've got a Lowepro Stealth reporter 300 and a 650. However, I'm trying to get away from the single strap shoulder bag as I'm not sure its good for my neck to be carrying all of that weight. Some might say to get rid of the gear, but I'm pretty committed to carry it all.
I carry a D300, D700 (grip is only used rarely) Nikon 24-70(with hood reversed) 70-200 (hood rarely used) and quite possibly in the future the 14-24 2.8 as well, though right now I'm carrying a Sigma 10-20. Additionally, I often carry a teleconverter OR a 50mm. I also carry an SB-800 and often a second flash, an SB-600. I'm a committed two body shooter and thus, the bag must be able to fit both bodies with any of the lenses attached.
I believe I'd prefer a waist pack or belt system as I'd like to try to carry the weight down there and not on my back. Being able to quickly access my gear is important to me.
I've also got a Nature Trekker II but I hate this bag. It weighs almost as much as an American empty and when loaded the darn thing is a killer. Plus its a bastard to get stuff into and out of. And its not really any bigger than my Lowpro Stealth reporter 300 in terms of what it can carry so why bother with it?
That being said, I'm not completely against a backpack as being able to carry a tripod would be nice as well. But many are enourmous without being able to carry any more than a shoulder bag, and they weigh so much even when empty.
All weather is a must.
Could anyone help me with this?
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Comments
you likely have both cameras haning from your shoulders/neck. Two lenses
and a flash should fit ina fannypack then. As for a leightweight backpack,
I'd take a look at LowePro's flipside series (400), they are faster opened than
the standard backpacks because you can just flip them from your back and
unzip without having to turn then over first.
― Edward Weston
Not sure if it can take your whole gear but i am sure it can with attached pouches.
My Gallery
I don't have a trunk as I'm on foot, unless you have seen the size of my a. . . well, anyway, I don't have a car.
But I am going with your idea or maybe what I think might be your idea, or at least, what might be good idea.
Today I bought a Think Tank Speed racer for base of my system. Now, compared to my Stealth reporter, the speed racer is much less functional. Fewer pockets smaller overall, etc. But. . . . I also got the Think Tank Holster 50 which can accomodate a pro DSLR with grip and 70-200. I don't normally carry the grip since I do try to cut down on the weight when I can BUT I find that my straps don't fit so well into the holsters in the non grip holster. I needed the extra space.
My reasoning is that I can use the Speed racer alone when I wish to carry one camera, and when I wish to carry the full loadout, then I can attach the holster.
I'll just insert my tripod through one of the loops sort of "maglite holster style" as well but I need to work out this system a bit better. And in the future, if I find I want to carry around a whole lot of super clamps and flashes should that be the order of the day, I can always add a second holster and just use the speed racer as the extras bag.
I've only been able to take this rig around for a few minutes before my day job came rudely knocking, but I'll see how things work out. Despite the setup weighing a ton when I pick it up to put it on, the weight doesn't seem so noticable when its only my waist. Even my wife noted this when she tried it on. Follow up with a full run down of my thoughts, likes and dislikes will follow in a day or two, and then maybe after a month, should anyone wish to follow along.
ID
Problem with this is I MUST be able to fully holster everything in some situations. I carry my camera (s) everywhere, and I've had times when two cameras hanging over my shoulders has brought along concerned security guards. But at the same token, I like to be able to whip 'em out quickly when I want to.
I did take a look and yeah, come to think of it maybe more pouches would work. However, I didn't think it was quite big enough and I also had some experience with the Nature Trekker. I found that over time my loadout really got to my shoulders and the belt wasn't very effective compared to say, a proper hiking pack. Probably due to the lack of an internal frame. Also, I find that Lowepro stuff is very heavy. I did look at the FS400 and its got some good stuff about it, but not quite up my alley.
Thanks for the suggestions re; the FS400 though.
If you look at picture #7, you'll see a harness. This is actually the optional harness for the Urban Disguise series. With the addition of a short nylon strap to go through the Speed Racer top handle, the harness works great!
If I'm really loaded down, or will have the bag on for hours, I'll use the harness. It really allows a very comfortable system.
I'm sold on ThinkTank bags. I just purchased their Airport International II bag this past Saturday... Who knows, I might sprout wings.
send me a PM if you want to get rid of that Stealth Reporter 300
This was my solution for carrying camera gear on a motorcycle and havng the gear easily accessible ............
If you backpack style....then the LowePro Slingshot 300 or 350 would be worth a look.
I have a great backpack but only use it to carry gear to weddings.
Thanks for this. I'll consider the harness in the future perhaps. I will still need some time to get used to the Speed racer, as it is quite a bit different than the lowepro SR300. In fact, I'm thinking about running down to the tailor street and seeing if they can convert the SR300 into something closer to the think tank, plus a few modifications. hehe.
Over my dead body.
j/k, but seriously.
Thanks, Art, I have read about your system setup in the past. I may still end up going to something like this route, in the future. We'll see. It probably would be a good setup for a bike to be sure.
http://www.karlgrobl.com/EquipmentReviews/ThinkTankBeltSystem.htm
Hope that helps.
A lot of things are sold in China now that weren't in 2008, Dell, Crumpler, and Think Tank are all very recent arrivals in the China market, where as Lowepro has been here for years. I'm fairly happy that I can look at a wider selection of gear now. However, and this is the same in the past, for some reason, it is nearly impossible to find stand alone belts here. They also are not enthusiastic about special ordering something like that. So it is a bit of a problem.
Can't really evaluate the system now as my D300 and 70-200 (both fairly weighty items) are with nikon for service. Not sure when they'll be back. But now I've removed the holster and will just use the Speed Racer for now.
My shoulder bag was 50 cents! (no joke)
Some 3rd party nintendo 64 carrying bag from the local Goodwill...
A belt with 2 holsters?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/706900-REG/Cotton_Carrier_100_CCS_100_CCS_Camera_System.html#reviews
Photog-rambo (I'd hate to run with these things):
http://www.adorama.com/OTDHR.html
Train a dog with a satchel? Invent a teleportation device strictly for the purpose of teleporting cameras to the top of mountains?!
As for working out... maybe! lol
Overall, its pretty good. I no longer have to carry all my crap on one shoulder like with the Stealth Reporter 300 (or my bigger 650.)
Weight Management/support
The belt is really good I think. The buckle seems really secure and the belt is comfortable for all day usage. I can walk around or even run a bit with this system and its not too bad. The shoulder strap is pretty good as well. I think the lowpro has more padding, HOWEVER the lowpro padding is over a smaller area which never ends up in the place I want it to be. I've never thought about switching straps, for example. I try to not use the shoulder strap though as I'm trying to get as much weight off my shoulders as possible. But I use it when putting the bag on.
VS my SR300, I'd say the Speedpro wins by miles.
Security/Ease of Access
I'm comparing this to the Lowepro Stealth Reporter series, which I find to be just perfect for me. With my SR300, I can use the single buckle and nothing has ever fallen out. Getting gear out is super fast this way. Just a single buckle to undo. However, in a few situations, I can also do the zipper. I do this if I'm in a big crowd or the bag might be turned upside down or such. There is some sort of weird top entry zipper that I never use. And being a shoulder bag, I can sling the bag around pretty fast.
Well, the Speedpro has looses a lot of points in this category. Firstly, the top opens away from me, not towards me. I think this probably boosts the security a whole lot, and I can see how it might end up being beneficial to getting gear in and out as the top is not in the way, but its not what I'm use to, and it makes opening the zipper a bit more challenging. I don't like it.
Also, there is a zipper and nothing else. So I must fasten the zipper every time, all the time. I dislike this as well.
I'd say that the Lowepro just works better for me in this category.
Organization
The SR300 has multiple "extras" pockets for everything you could possibly want to carry. Cell phone, keys, notebook, flash gels etc go into one pocket. Two battery pockets are also super easy to get to and are the perfect size for the Nikon EN-3 batteries that my Nikon Cameras all use. There are "secret" compartments as well that are very useful for passports and extra money. I love these features and have a hard time not using the SR series becasue of this. Even other Lowepro bags don't have these very useful features.
The Think Tank Speedpro is pretty much crushed in this category as well. They've got a fairly large pocket that everything is kinda dumped into. Its got a smaller zippered pocket on the front that isn't very big. No battery pockets that I can find. Well, there might be space to hold two batteries but not with the covers on them. So they don't work for me. I feel that with the TT bag, everything ends up at the bottom.
That being said the TT memory card holder is super cool. It holds a lot of memory cards and folds up really small. The Lowepro SR has a much bigger card holder that takes up a lot of space. I think the TT is much better.
Space
First, I would like to state that the SR300 bag is NOT tall enough to handle a 70-200 lens attached. However, to compare sizes. . .
The SR300 can handle the following items: D700/24-70with hood, D300/70-200 w/o hood, Sigma 10-20, three speedlights, superclamp, pluss accessories.
The TT now is a different beast. Both bags seem almost the same size. However, you are not getting three lenses into the TT bag. I can stuff the two cameras in, but not the Sigma WA lens. And even with just two bodies, I can't fit all three speedlights in the bag. The TT Speed Racer has some mesh pockets outside on each side, but I question the overall security of these pockets. Even from ebay, SB-600's don't come cheap. In short, the TT speed racer is not big enough for my purposes and I don't know why. The bag must be smaller than it appears. Kinda blows.
Now, Think Tank makes a holster that mounts to the belt. Comes in different lenghts to fit your lens. Get the "pro grip" size even if your camera doesn't have a grip. I have a rather large neoprene strap and found it difficult to stuff that down into the standard body size. The pro grip size isn't that much bigger, but it gives you space for the camera strap. This takes care of one of the cameras, freeing up a lot of space in the main bag to add the third speedlight and wide angle.
Lowepro wins hands down here as well then. I feel that TT could have made the bag just fractionally bigger and it would have been perfect yet not very noticable. Oh well. Adding the holsters makes the whole rig pretty wide for moving in a crowd.
This also hits the TT "Ease of Access" score pretty hard since there is so little extra room, things are very hard to pull out and there is no extra space to put things.
Build Quality
Both bags seem pretty well built.
Overal:
The Lowepro in my opinion is the much better bag, especially for my purposes. Its just all around easier to use and carries more stuff. And that's what ends up being its downfall. I feel that I just can't handle that kind of weight on one shoulder. The belt pack puts the weight down much lower and I hardly notice the TT once i've got it on. The TT also has the benefit of being able to handle the 70-200 attached to a camera, which the SR300 doesn't quite do. (I swear the TT and the SR both have the same volume, but the dimensions each use to get there make the bags very different. . .)
I would recommend either bag to people, but just be aware that the SR is very easy to overload. The TT, you just have to be caseful you don't have too much stuff to put in it.
One thing I've been doing lately is just taking the two bodies and nothing else. The FF D700 has made the 24-70 a lot wider now so I don't need three lenses like I used to. I don't get to carry all the flash equipment, but generally I suppose I don't use it when just walking down the street anyway. I just have to do without some things. Today for example I first wished I had brought the wide angle, and then later wished I'd brought my teleconverter. Both were things I used to carry when having one body and the SR300.