Camera bag for laptop + camera + one lens + a book.

ulrikft

I have a kata backpack and a domke F2 shoulder bag, I love both, but kind of need something in the middle of those two. I need a bag/backpack/slingshot that can carry my laptop (13" macbook), my Canon 30D and a hardcover book + some small accessories.

Any suggestions or/and advice?

cletus

Crumpler Sinking Barge

DoctorIt has the Sinking Barge and loves it. I've got it's bigger brother the Customary Barge. The build quality is outstanding, it looks good and it's comfortable to wear for long periods of time even when loaded up.

dgrinjackson

ThinkTank Urban Disquise 60
Hey,

I was in the market for the same type of thing. After a lot of looking and trying I settled on the ThinkTank bag. Perfect size and lots of storage pockets and spaces. You can even get a backpack attachment for it for when you don't just want to sling it over the shoulder

greenpea

I have the crumper Whickey And Cox. Probably bigger than what you want, but it easily holds camera, several lenses, flash, 15" MacBook Pro, a jacket, couple of books, and still has room to spare AND it doesn't feel too large, and it doesn't look like the kind of bag that would be full of expensive camera equiptment.

EDIT: I should also mention I also have the Domke F2 as my big bag I dump all my camera stuff into, and then a small lowepro bag for 1 lens, 1 flash, 1 body.

jdryan3

I like my Tenba medium bag. Fits in the overhead of even small commuter jets, carries my Mac Book Pro, 5D, 70-200 f/2.8 attached, 24-70, flash and other stuff. They make an even smaller version that may meet your needs.

DoctorIt

cletus wrote:

Crumpler Sinking Barge

DoctorIt has the Sinking Barge and loves it. I've got it's bigger brother the Customary Barge. The build quality is outstanding, it looks good and it's comfortable to wear for long periods of time even when loaded up.

It's great when I don't have to answer for myself.

yup, Cletus is spot on. The sinking barge is my #1 carry-on choice for trips where photography is not the main objective.

BradfordBenn

Okay I have a question, how about two laptops, a book, and a camera? That can be carried on a plane. Would the Barge meet the bill?

DoctorIt

BradfordBenn wrote:

Okay I have a question, how about two laptops, a book, and a camera? That can be carried on a plane. Would the Barge meet the bill?

depends on the camera, and on the laptop(s). The smaller Sinking Barge, like mine, nope, doubtful. But that's what makes it nice, it's not a handful.

The way the Barge is designed, the pockets are wedge shaped. In other words, down towards the bottom of the laptop sleeve/pocket/upper wedge (whatever you want to call it) space would get very tight for 2.

ulrikft

Hey!

Thanks for all your answers. So far my best bet is :

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/8915/

I just don't know if I can get one of my school books in the top compartment, but I have sent a mail to Kata about it. I just need a small, small backpack, just enough room for one book, one camera and a laptop. Does crumpler have any minimum bags like that? I think I remember a backpack with a camera appartment in the bottom and "stuff" in the top halve?

DoctorIt

ulrikft wrote:

I think I remember a backpack with a camera appartment in the bottom and "stuff" in the top halve?

You didn't click on the link Cletus posted, did you?!

Yes, that's the bag we've been talking about, the Sinking Barge (here's another link). Looking at that Kata bag from thinkgeek, they should be close to the same size, albeit slightly different shape.

cletus

BradfordBenn wrote:

Okay I have a question, how about two laptops, a book, and a camera? That can be carried on a plane. Would the Barge meet the bill?

Two laptops in the Customary Barge might be doable but at least one of the laptops would have to be small (like 13" screen small). The larger of the two laptops would go in the laptop sleeve and the smaller would have to ride in the main compartment.

The Customary is carry-on friendly. Loaded to the gills it's still an easy fit in an overhead bin. With a light load it can be squeezed under-seat.

ulrikft

DoctorIt wrote:

You didn't click on the link Cletus posted, did you?!

Yes, that's the bag we've been talking about, the Sinking Barge (here's another link). Looking at that Kata bag from thinkgeek, they should be close to the same size, albeit slightly different shape.

I did try to find my way on the crumpler homepage, but it was a bit.. weird.. :P Thanks for the new link!

Terrence

+1 for the Sinking Barge. That's my next bag.

stuffjunkie

ulrikft wrote:

I have a kata backpack and a domke F2 shoulder bag, I love both, but kind of need something in the middle of those two. I need a bag/backpack/slingshot that can carry my laptop (13" macbook), my Canon 30D and a hardcover book + some small accessories.

Any suggestions or/and advice?

Like several others, I searched around for a laptop/camera (carry-on legal) backpack for when photography was not the main concern. I tried the Kata Prism U and found my Dell 14" latitude was a VERY snug fit and getting my camera in/out was a pain. Nice bag but just a bit small for a DSLR w/ lens (no room for a spare lens or flash), a laptop and a few other carry-on necessities. I returned it.

I also purchased a Crumpler Sinking Barge. It's extremely well made. My laptop fits great. There is room for my DSLR w/ small zoom and a smallish second lens (like your 12-24), a paperback book, sunglasses and maybe a toothbrush. The camera compartment has a couple pockets for spare batteries and a filter or two. The room left in the main compartment once the laptop is added is not really that big. A novel sized hardcover could be a tight fit. I carried it around Paris one day. It's pretty comfortable and seems inconspicuous enough. I do find it a bit difficult to get off my shoulders. I don't find it quick to get at much of anything as a result.

Of course, I always want to carry more stuff. I recently purchased an REI Lookout backpack. It's only a bit bigger than the Sinking Barge but has some real advantages. It has a very nice harness and a serious waistbelt. I created some padding using some closed cel foam and have a nice carry-on legal bag that is pretty adaptable. Throw in a laptop sleeve and I still have room for a DSLR w/ lens, spare lens, filters, book, extra shirt, socks and the very important charger for the laptop. Maybe this is woth a post all by itself.

ulrikft

stuffjunkie wrote:

Like several others, I searched around for a laptop/camera (carry-on legal) backpack for when photography was not the main concern. I tried the Kata Prism U and found my Dell 14" latitude was a VERY snug fit and getting my camera in/out was a pain. Nice bag but just a bit small for a DSLR w/ lens (no room for a spare lens or flash), a laptop and a few other carry-on necessities. I returned it.

I also purchased a Crumpler Sinking Barge. It's extremely well made. My laptop fits great. There is room for my DSLR w/ small zoom and a smallish second lens (like your 12-24), a paperback book, sunglasses and maybe a toothbrush. The camera compartment has a couple pockets for spare batteries and a filter or two. The room left in the main compartment once the laptop is added is not really that big. A novel sized hardcover could be a tight fit. I carried it around Paris one day. It's pretty comfortable and seems inconspicuous enough. I do find it a bit difficult to get off my shoulders. I don't find it quick to get at much of anything as a result.

Of course, I always want to carry more stuff. I recently purchased an REI Lookout backpack. It's only a bit bigger than the Sinking Barge but has some real advantages. It has a very nice harness and a serious waistbelt. I created some padding using some closed cel foam and have a nice carry-on legal bag that is pretty adaptable. Throw in a laptop sleeve and I still have room for a DSLR w/ lens, spare lens, filters, book, extra shirt, socks and the very important charger for the laptop. Maybe this is woth a post all by itself.

Hey! Thanks for your input.

I use a Kata HB207 right now for my daily use. I can bring a tripod, a 70-200, my 12-24, my 18-50, 2-3-4 books, a laptop and ofcourse my 30d. The problem is that it is very deep, so when I turn around, I knock the surronding 10 people to the ground. That is why I'm looking at the kata (prism and sensitivity), beacause I want a very, very slim bag. The Crumpler seems a bit "fat", but I have to see it "live" to decide where to go. Do you think it is possible to cram in a 13" laptop + a 20x5x15cm book + 30d+50mm1.4 in the kata?

I'll check out the rei backpack now..

stuffjunkie

ulrikft wrote:

Hey! Thanks for your input.

I use a Kata HB207 right now for my daily use. I can bring a tripod, a 70-200, my 12-24, my 18-50, 2-3-4 books, a laptop and ofcourse my 30d. The problem is that it is very deep, so when I turn around, I knock the surronding 10 people to the ground. That is why I'm looking at the kata (prism and sensitivity), beacause I want a very, very slim bag. The Crumpler seems a bit "fat", but I have to see it "live" to decide where to go. Do you think it is possible to cram in a 13" laptop + a 20x5x15cm book + 30d+50mm1.4 in the kata?

I'll check out the rei backpack now..

I don't have the Kata any longer as my laptop didn't fit very well. I think the hardcover book will be a problem with the Kata, the compartments are not very square. It IS a slimmer bag. I think your book will fit in the Crumpler. However, the Sinking Barge is fat too. Happy Shopping.

Miguel Delinquento

Try new Osprey Transit
Just got this for my DSLR+lenses, work laptop, books, jacket, papers etc. It is thick enough to accomodate two laptops. You will have to purchase some inserts for the lenses and camera or use padding of your own as dividers, but the exterior is firm (almost hard) shelled, tons of space, the nicely padded shoulder strap is complimented by a waist strap that moves heavier loads to your hips. Plus the bag side facing your body is slightly contoured.
A great bag, I just returned a pricey ThinkTank and a Crumpler because this works so much better.

http://www.ospreytravelpacks.com/Packs/TravelCouriers/Transit/

$100 REI
M

DoctorIt

Miguel Delinquento wrote:

Just got this for my DSLR+lenses, work laptop, books, jacket, papers etc. It is thick enough to accomodate two laptops. You will have to purchase some inserts for the lenses and camera or use padding of your own as dividers, but the exterior is firm (almost hard) shelled, tons of space, the nicely padded shoulder strap is complimented by a waist strap that moves heavier loads to your hips. Plus the bag side facing your body is slightly contoured.
A great bag, I just returned a pricey ThinkTank and a Crumpler because this works so much better.

http://www.ospreytravelpacks.com/Packs/TravelCouriers/Transit/

$100 REI
M

The Osprey reminds me a lot of my Crumpler December Quarter
(see my review here)

I like the DQ for what it holds, how it holds, and how it fits in an overhead compartment. But... I HATE carrying it! It's just plain old too big for a shoulder bag. I only take it for transport purposes, as in, on a plane when I know I will not be walking around with it. If I'm going half work/half hiking around a city for pleasure, I'll always always take the backpack (Barge).

Miguel Delinquento

DoctorIt wrote:

The Osprey reminds me a lot of my Crumpler December Quarter
[deleted]
If I'm going half work/half hiking around a city for pleasure, I'll always always take the backpack (Barge).

Yep, I know how you feel. For day hikes and xcountry skiing, I use the Slingshot 200. Backs carry weight better.
M

ulrikft

Thanks for all your inputs so far! Even though I'm more undecided now than ever

I'll try to find most of the actual backpacks here in Oslo, so I can test them live and see how big/slim they are.

tsk1979

I recently purchased a Caselogic SLRC-4
If you have a big lens, then its a no no. It will fit a 15.4" laptop and costs around 60$ online.

ulrikft

I just got a respons from Kata, they recommended that I got the: http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pid=401&perentId=4&ProdLine=4

It looks like a decent backpack for city/school use! I think I'll order it