Camera bag for motorcycle use?

rokklym

I'm looking for suggestions for a camera bag to carry my Olympus E510 while on my motorcycle. I guess I should specify, on my dual sport and off road bikes. On my street bike I'm going to carry it in my tankbag, or get one of the SW motech quick release tank rings and mount a pelican case there. On my off road excursions I need a bag that meets the following criteria.
1. quick access to the camera.
2. protection - in way of padding and also from the elements
3. comfort. I'll be wearing this up to 12+ hours a day and don't want it bouncing around all day.

I don't need it to hold much, the SLR and a lens is fine.
I looked at the Lowe Pro off trail 2 the Tamrac Velocity 6X and the Lowe Pro all weather toploaders.

gus

I ride everywhere with 9-10 kg (about 20 lb) of gear/tripod etc on a BMW GS. I use the largest of the www.crumpler.com.au camera bags.

After nearly 3 years i am still yet to see any mark on the bag & i dont baby it at all...they are made very tough. Also i spent an hour & a half in a tropical downpour one ride & when i got home i opened it...not one single drop of water got in. Its the most comfortable thing i have ever carried on my back & has a horizontal chest strap to keep it steady on you if you need it.

darkdragon

I use the Lowepro SlingShot 300 AW, I think the SlingShot 100 AW would be great for your needs. I used it for a few weeks (then I had to much gear for it). Has plenty of padding and very easy access to the camera - you can whip your camera out in seconds (unlike most backpack-style bags). It has a waterproof cover that stores in the bottom of the bag and covers the whole bag when pull out and over, it fits snugly and keeps it dry and dust-free.

rokklym

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to take a good look at them both!!

ian408

Backpack. The only caveat I have (and it's a biggie) is coming off the bike
with a pack full of camera gear :eek1

Still, I do it. I have a lowe pro though I think the Crumpler is the way to go for comfort.

blalor

I have a SlingShot 200 AW and, although I like it very much for its convenience and accessibility, I find it somewhat uncomfortable when hiking or just wearing it for long periods of time. I think having the weight concentrated on one shoulder is probably not good for long-term comfort.

Are you tied to a backpack? No matter what, I don't see one being terribly comfortable for long periods of time (like 12+ hours). And the idea of crashing with one on my back is a little scary (tho I still did it when I rode, of course!). The tank's pretty narrow, so I'm guessing there aren't many options there, but what about something that secures to the rack in the back? I would think that a top-opening bag secured to the (or "a") rack behind you would be just as quickly accessible as a backpack, and perhaps more-so.

kelsow

Nice bike BTW

Although outrageously expensive, I like this from Tourtech,
http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?sku=055-1076&-session=touratech:188A317E1d71f2316BnMW40041DF
I kinda like this size bag and you may be able to convert it to a camera bag,
http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/03Tank/EnduroTank.html

It's certainly smaller and it will fit on your 6fiddy no problem.

ian408

kelsow wrote:

Nice bike BTW

Although outrageously expensive, I like this from Tourtech,
http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?sku=055-1076&-session=touratech:188A317E1d71f2316BnMW40041DF
I kinda like this size bag and you may be able to convert it to a camera bag,
http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/03Tank/EnduroTank.html

It's certainly smaller and it will fit on your 6fiddy no problem.

That Wolfman is kinda wobbly. But put a towel in it (like a beach towel) and
it would be fine. That Tourtech is nice but bloody expensive.

rokklym

kelsow wrote:

Nice bike BTW

Although outrageously expensive, I like this from Tourtech,
http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?sku=055-1076&-session=touratech:188A317E1d71f2316BnMW40041DF
I kinda like this size bag and you may be able to convert it to a camera bag,
http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/03Tank/EnduroTank.html

It's certainly smaller and it will fit on your 6fiddy no problem.

That Touratech bag is certainly sweet, but awful pricey and it wouldn't work on my 650. I have the Wolfman tankbag mentioned and after looking at it, with a little work, I could make it into a camera bag. I think for off roading, I't doesn't really matter where you have the camera in a crash.

pathfinder

My 20D went riding for a week in my right soft saddlebag ( Happy Trails) with nothing but a camera case for protection and survived the Snowy Mountains in Wyoming just fine.

I was riding a Suzy DR650 on double track, sand and snow pack.

The camera survived just fine, but I blew the clutch plate in the snow and mud pack with the saddle bag submerged in water briefly when the clutch failed. I was finally towed down the mountain by my son's KTM - OH!! the ignominy. Riding a bike being pulled with a rope from another bike is a trip too!

Suzy lives again after a trip to Max Pitts Motorsports. She's a good old ride.

kdog

ian408 wrote:

Backpack.

If timing is everything, you'll never get a shot like that, son.

ian408

kdog wrote:

If timing is everything, you'll never get a shot like that, son.

On a bike, you have to balance ease of use against the pack coming off
your back and causing you to lose control of the motorcycle.

If you have a tank bag, it works pretty well. Same with the cases (of course you're
not going to get quick access there either).

So I guess if you want fast access, you keep a P&S on a lanyard around your
neck. That's what I do.

kdog

Yeah, I'm thinking tag bag. I'd like one big enough to hold a body with my 100-400 lens. I find with my camera bag in the topcase, I rarely bother stopping. It's either too difficult to find a flat place to park the bike, or I know the opportunity (wildlife or whatever) will be gone by the time I park and unload. With a tank bag, you can just pull over and put your feet down to get the shot without ever even putting the sidestand down.

And yeah, I shudder to think how much damage you could do to yourself going down on your bike wearing a camera backpack.

Point and shoot is a different animal. I keep mine either in the my little tank bag or in my jacket pocket. But it doesn't take the place of my SLR.

Cheers,
-joel

Art Scott

I Still swear by my Lowe Pro 75AW's on a military pistol belt....and if you want you can use it as a chest pack or a backpack and I carry 2 KM7D's....1 with the 70-210 f2.8 APO and 1 with 28-70 f2.8.....very proctective and has a nice rain cover built in.....of course I am going to be dong a heavy application of camp dry real soon on them just in case I get caught out and get the rain covers on quickly....on the pistol belt they ride perfectly for me.........

Dizzle

I converted an ICON Urban Tank Bag into a camera carrier for my Ninja 750.

It's a big backpack that can carry a laptop and a days worth of clothes so I simply found a store that carried hard foam and had inserts made to fit the body and couple of lenses I tend to use the most.

I had a layer of foam placed on the back/bottom of the bag as well.

This way while on the bike its secured to the tank, when off the bike it works just fine as a backpack.

kdog

Art Scott wrote:

I Still swear by my Lowe Pro 75AW's on a military pistol belt....and if you want you can use it as a chest pack or a backpack and I carry 2 KM7D's....1 with the 70-210 f2.8 APO and 1 with 28-70 f2.8.....very proctective and has a nice rain cover built in.....of course I am going to be dong a heavy application of camp dry real soon on them just in case I get caught out and get the rain covers on quickly....on the pistol belt they ride perfectly for me.........

I like that bag a lot. I could probably strap it to my tank and have it work fine. Plus you can convert it into a chest harness or backpack with the right straps. Thanks for reminding me about this one.

-joel

yoshi

I have the lowepro slingshot 200 and it's been good. Quick access without taking the bag off.

Art Scott

kdog wrote:

I like that bag a lot. I could probably strap it to my tank and have it work fine. Plus you can convert it into a chest harness or backpack with the right straps. Thanks for reminding me about this one.

-joel

The straps for chest and backpack are included wit hte bag.....and yes you could tank it with a cinch strap or 2 from your local milatary surplus or sporting store............

BikePilot

I move around a lot on a bike and could never ride off road with a tank bag. What I've done in the past is attach a large fanny pack to my front number plate. That way the camera is within reach and not in my way. I do run an acerbis aluminum front fender brace tie the pack to that as well for extra support. I need to work on a more tidy mounting system but so far that's the only quickly-accessable place I've come up with on my dirt bike (CR250R).

timk519

this looks interesting:
Lowepro Stealth Reporter

I use the Lowepro Nova 2 AW, which isn't listed on their website. There is, however, the 1AW and 3AW.

kdog

timk519 wrote:

this looks interesting:
Lowepro Stealth Reporter

I've got that bag, and it's an excellent carry bag. Very versatile and well built. It's fine in the motorcycle trunk. However, it's not something you would want to mount on a motorcycle tank.

timk519

kdog wrote:

I've got that bag, and it's an excellent carry bag. Very versatile and well built. It's fine in the motorcycle trunk. However, it's not something you would want to mount on a motorcycle tank.

From the way it was billed, it was something a person would wear, which seemed to be in line with what the OP was looking to do.

kdog

timk519 wrote:

From the way it was billed, it was something a person would wear, which seemed to be in line with what the OP was looking to do.

Fair enough, but I still don't think it's the right bag for that. The OP did say he wanted to use it on dirt and street. I can't imagine using a camera bag hanging off a shoulder strap in the dirt, or even on the street for that matter. The weight shift if it starting swinging could be deadly, I'd imagine. On the other hand, you could take the strap off and use a waist belt with it. But it's probably too big of a bag for that. It really holds a lot, much more than you need for getting quick pics while on the bike. The smaller AW100 might be a better bet.

Cheers,
-joel