Camera Bag Advice for trip to Australia

wvrocks · July 14, 2011

Just like the title says, I'm looking for advice on a new camera bag for an upcoming trip to Australia. I'm looking to travel fairly light and keep the bag as compact as is reasonable. Being useful after the trip is good too.

I want to take the following:

Nikon D90 with grip
Nikon 18-200 (could possibly change to a Nikon 18-55 2.8)
Nikon 35 1.8
Nikon SB-600
Lens cleaning Pen
2 filters
3-4 SD cards
Battery Charger

It would also be great if I could squeeze my Kindle in there for the flights. This will be a personal item in addtion to my Carry on Bag.

Currently I'm considering 5 bags:

Crumpler 5 MDH
Crumpler 6 MDH
Think Tank Urban Disguise 40 v2
Think Tank Retrospective 10
Think Tank Sling-O-Matic 10

Comments welcome! Other suggestions?

pmaxwell · July 14, 2011

Like everything else it depends what you like and how you will use it.

I have a Urban Disguise 50, and have tried a Sling-o-matic.

I ended up buying the Urban Disguise over the sling-o-matic for two primary reason.
1) I use it as my everyday laptop/work bag that also keeps a camera with me.
2) There was a little bit more room for accessories.

HOWEVER

I borrowed a sling-o-matic for my trip to San Fransisco and It is a FAR better bag for carrying around on your shoulder all day. and sliding it to the front to change lenses was a breeze.

Are you walking a lot or mostly traveling out of a car. For me that would be the primary decision point.
Walking/ Hiking/vaction= sling-o-matic
everyday bag /tougher on the shoulder but slightly more room = Urban Disguise.

Hope that helped.

kathiemt · July 14, 2011

What part of Australia are you coming to and when?

rainbow · July 14, 2011

I have too many bags and not enough bags...

Without commenting on the specific models you listed, I suggest a few noncamera gear considerations. These include a place for a water bottle, jacket, guidebook, hat, etc. I do not carry a computer, but like a PC storage section as it can accommodate books and notepads (of the pen and paper ilk). As a personal bag for airplanes (to accompany your carry-on bag), having extra room is an advantage to place other items in if luggage space is tight. I use this space on day excursions as the bag doubles as my day pack (thus the water bottle pocket need...). I also prefer a backpack as it is more comfortable than slinging a bag over one shoulder for longer distances and durations, though it is less convenient for switching gear and lenses. Something that looks more like a daypack and less like a camera bag is preferred to not draw attention to what is inside.

Hope this helps...

kathiemt · July 14, 2011

Agreed. We visited Canada 2 years ago and having a drink bottle, hat and guidebook were important. I deliberately shopped for a leather backpack that did not look like a camera bag and put padding inside it from my other camera bags. That way I wasn't advertising what I was carrying. Mind you I nearly always had the camera round my neck but from the back people passing by would have just thought it was an ordinary backpack.

wvrocks · July 14, 2011

kathiemt wrote: »

What part of Australia are you coming to and when?

We'll be in Perth starting July 29. Visiting some friends.

kathiemt · July 14, 2011

wvrocks wrote: »

We'll be in Perth starting July 29. Visiting some friends.

Oh. I'm on the other side, Melbourne. Enjoy your stay. You know it's winter here don't you? Although Perth doesn't get as cold as the eastern states do.

NeilL · July 14, 2011

Ooh, I think the right choice will be what suits your trip and your habits, more than what suits your gear. Is your trip mainly about photography? Do you like to keep as insulated from the rigueurs of nature as possible, or throw yourself into them?

Australia is much like the US in the range of conditions you can encounter - civilised and suave as Paris, big city vibes and sophistication, small town isolation and cuteness/strangeness. It has superb recreational facilities. Long, long, long distances, heat, drought, dust, flies and more flies, lots if insects in general, rain, tropical monsoonal rain, floods, wind, bushfires, snow, tropical cyclones. About twice as much coastline as the US, beautiful in the extreme, most of it almost totally absent of people. Lovely eucalyptus forests as far as the eye can see, red sand desert as far as the eye can see, stoney desert as far as the eye can see, rolling hills rural development as far as the eye can see, boring flat dry plains as far as the eye can see. Geologically it's older than the US, worn down, wearing down. And in places, large areas in fact, it is totally wild, virtually uninhabited, more or less impenetrable, and as it has been for tens of thousands of years. And getting to those can be a very long, very bumpy and very dirty ride, or walk, or even sail. With the nearest store left behind a couple of days ago.

You see, what is the right bag for you depends...:D

Neil

kathiemt · July 14, 2011

What an apt description Neil. http://www.kenduncan.com/ and http://www.steveparish.com.au/ will probably give you some insight to the sites you can see here.

NeilL · July 14, 2011

wvrocks wrote: »

We'll be in Perth starting July 29. Visiting some friends.

Perth city is small, modern, good shopping, pretty location, mild weather, can be windy. Winter temperatures ~ 8degC to 18degC. It's likely to be raining every second day in July. When the sun shines the light is hurtingly bright and white. Even in winter it will quickly burn. Western Australia is in size about a quarter the size of the US, stretching from near Equator to the Roaring Forties, and has almost all the things I mentioned above in my previous post. And only 2.5 million people live in all that space!

For photography there in July, keep in mind wind, dust, sand, rain, extremely bright light, huge vistas which only make sense as huge vistas, lots of birds, sublime coast, rough travelling conditions.

You might like to look at the Aussie portfolios here:

http://petereastway.com/showports.taf

Neil

wvrocks · July 15, 2011

kathiemt wrote: »

Oh. I'm on the other side, Melbourne. Enjoy your stay. You know it's winter here don't you? Although Perth doesn't get as cold as the eastern states do.

We'll be in Melbourne for about 3 hrs changing flights on our way home. I'll wave hello from the plane!

The winter time temps in Perth look to be about the same as our Spring temps here in WV. Looks to be pretty pleasant. I was actually hoping to get a chance to go skiing while we were there but we're going to be on the wrong side of a very big country. :cry

As far as what we will be doing while we are there, its kind of up in the air. My sister and her husband were transferred from WV to Perth for work last year and again this year. They are staying with a longtime friend that she met while hiking the Appalachian Trial. He's orignally from Perth and we'll be staying at his home. I think having some locals with us should make the trip go much smoother. I'm sure we'll go see some touristy type things but I we have no fixed schedule. The camera will go with me everywhere though.

kathiemt · July 15, 2011

wvrocks wrote: »

We'll be in Melbourne for about 3 hrs changing flights on our way home. I'll wave hello from the plane!

The winter time temps in Perth look to be about the same as our Spring temps here in WV. Looks to be pretty pleasant. I was actually hoping to get a chance to go skiing while we were there but we're going to be on the wrong side of a very big country. :cry

As far as what we will be doing while we are there, its kind of up in the air. My sister and her husband were transferred from WV to Perth for work last year and again this year. They are staying with a longtime friend that she met while hiking the Appalachian Trial. He's orignally from Perth and we'll be staying at his home. I think having some locals with us should make the trip go much smoother. I'm sure we'll go see some touristy type things but I we have no fixed schedule. The camera will go with me everywhere though.

And I'll wave back!

I look forward to seeing what you get. I haven't been to Perth in some years - certainly before I got the camera I have now.

wvrocks · July 15, 2011

I'm unfortunatley located in an area with no good camera shops. May just have to order a few online and try them all out at home. I'm leaning toward the Think Tank bags, just not sure which one yet.

Svennie · July 17, 2011

For many years I've been carrying a lowepro minitrekker 200: http://products.lowepro.com/product/Micro-Trekker-200,1963,14.htm
I took it on a trip to RSA and twice to Australia. It fits everything I need: currently it holds a d700+grip, sb-800, 28-300mm, 85mm, 50mm, nikon binoculars, charger, cables, batteries... On my trips I still used my d70s, so i.s.o the grip I had some additional space. Still there is now room for a water bottle, tripod (although I use the two straps to carry a jacket ;-) etc.
A backpack is very convenient when hiking a lot.

Art Scott · July 17, 2011

tAKE A PEEK AT THE lOWEpRO sLINGSHOTS....THE LARGEST, last I looked was the 350, has room for a laptop also....rides well as a backpack ....un do waist belt and it slides to the front for changing gear......Sling bags have the added security that they never need to be removed to change bodies and lenses, so a lot less chance of a snatch, grab and gone.............have a great vaca n OZ.....

NeilL · July 17, 2011

I 3rd the Lowepro suggestions!

Neil

babowc · July 18, 2011

I used the Lowepro 200 slingshot for my last trip in LA and I have to say it was a bit uncomfortable.
I had 2 lenses in there most of the time
a 24mm 1.4 and 50 1.4 and couple of personal items, but BOY did it start to wear you down after a bit!

My main trife was that shoulder couldn't be changed, therefore wearing down on one side too much!

divamum · July 18, 2011

No suggestions on specific bags, but triple and quadruple check size/bag limitations for the airline you will be flying. What counts as a "personal item" for one airline (in conjunction wtih a "carry on") may not for another (DAMHIK!), and it seems to change daily particularly here in the US. One thing I tend to do these days is pack bags within bags so that if I have a gate-check imposed on me, I can whisk the valuable stuff out of a larger bag in a second; it's been very helpful on more than one occasion w/my laptop and/or camera....

rainbow · July 18, 2011

divamum wrote: »

No suggestions on specific bags, but triple and quadruple check size/bag limitations for the airline you will be flying. What counts as a "personal item" for one airline (in conjunction wtih a "carry on") may not for another (DAMHIK!),

My son just arrived in Australia last week. He had booked a flight from Sydney to Canberra. The day before, he found out that he was allowed only one check in bag! There was no option to even pay for a second bag (not counting that they would charge $18 per kg... a fortune for a student). So he had to cancel and travel by bus instead.

So I would second divamum's suggestion to quadruple check...

Art Scott · July 18, 2011

babowc wrote: »

I used the Lowepro 200 slingshot for my last trip in LA and I have to say it was a bit uncomfortable.
I had 2 lenses in there most of the time
a 24mm 1.4 and 50 1.4 and couple of personal items, but BOY did it start to wear you down after a bit!

My main trife was that shoulder couldn't be changed, therefore wearing down on one side too much!

I have never had a problem as you describe....but I have the 350 and I believe comfort comes down to having any pack properly fitted to your body....my 350 has been on my back for as long as 16 hrs a day with a hydration pack attached to it with no problems......

NeilL · July 18, 2011

rainbow wrote: »

My son just arrived in Australia last week. He had booked a flight from Sydney to Canberra. The day before, he found out that he was allowed only one check in bag! There was no option to even pay for a second bag (not counting that they would charge $18 per kg... a fortune for a student). So he had to cancel and travel by bus instead.

So I would second divamum's suggestion to quadruple check...

Sydney - Canberra is a short domestic flight, less than 3/4 hr (286km by road), with smaller aircraft used. Typical total luggage allowance - carryon + booked - is 30kg. That seems to me to be adequate, and better than on international flights. Would most students be travelling with more than 30kg of luggage?

Neil

Sam · July 18, 2011

Depending on where your going and how you plan to use your camera you may actually be looking at two different equipment carrying problems and solutions.

The first is how to safely and securely carry your gear on the aircraft and maybe other types of transportation. There are a number of carry on rated equipment bags available. I think one needs more physical protection for this issue.

Second is carrying your gear on your photo trek. I have a Lowepro Rover II. While light weight something like this should carry the gear you listed.

What I like about this bag is the top compartment. you can use this for jackets, hats, as well as gear. It has web pockets on the side that will hold a water bottle.

One thing I hate is to start out in the morning wearing a jacket and sweatshirt, only to have no easy compact way to store and carry them when the day warms up.

Sam

rainbow · July 18, 2011

NeilL wrote: »

Sydney - Canberra is a short domestic flight, less than 3/4 hr (286km by road), with smaller aircraft used. Typical total luggage allowance - carryon + booked - is 30kg. That seems to me to be adequate, and better than on international flights. Would most students be travelling with more than 30kg of luggage?

Neil

He is studying there for five months. The second bag was an archery case that he was unable to check in (a Pelican case that would not be dissimilar from one with photo gear that would exceed carry-on dimensions) . The issue is not the weight, but quantity: international flights (and domestic in USA) allow two check-in bags (50 pounds each...) along with carry-on. Post was to piggyback on divamum's comment to check each airline's allowances to avoid surprises.

NeilL · July 19, 2011

rainbow wrote: »

He is studying there for five months. The second bag was an archery case that he was unable to check in (a Pelican case that would not be dissimilar from one with photo gear that would exceed carry-on dimensions) . The issue is not the weight, but quantity: international flights (and domestic in USA) allow two check-in bags (50 pounds each...) along with carry-on. Post was to piggyback on divamum's comment to check each airline's allowances to avoid surprises.

Yes, understand.

Don't know how your short domestic air services compare with here for price, but in Australia these types of fares are all now "basic service" so as to be competitively low for the frequent commuter (walkon-walkoff with only the clothes you stand in pretty much - toothbrush extra!

). If you add the cost of that extra bag to the airfare, how does it compare to the "normal" fare in the US?

Sometimes direct comparisons don't make much sense.

Neil

wvrocks · July 19, 2011

Thanks for all of the advice. I've definetly checked the baggage allowances. On international economy flights Qantas allows one 15lb carryon and one 50lb checked bag. Their website doesn't say it but I spoke with a representative and was told they also allow one "personal item". I'm planning for that to be my camera bag. I just ordered several bags from Adorama so I should have a decision made by the end of the week.

NeilL · July 19, 2011

wvrocks wrote: »

Thanks for all of the advice. I've definetly checked the baggage allowances. On international economy flights Qantas allows one 15lb carryon and one 50lb checked bag. Their website doesn't say it but I spoke with a representative and was told they also allow one "personal item". I'm planning for that to be my camera bag. I just ordered several bags from Adorama so I should have a decision made by the end of the week.

The "one personal item" might be your Teddy Bear.:D I'd investigate more before arriving at the airport. Airports are horrible places to try to resolve any issue like baggage.

Neil

HelenOster · July 20, 2011

Have to share a funny baggage moment from this morning which had me laughing 'til I literally had tears running down my face; I'm actually on vacation with my son at my folks' - who live in the UK.

We are close to being 'over weight' because of all the gifts etc that we are bringing back, so my son (who was 12 yesterday) decided to wear ALL his clothes to make more room in his holdall.

I took pictures as he removed:

7 pairs of socks
1 pants
1 shorts
1 swim trunks
1 pyjamas (apparently 6 boxers underneath......)
1 sweatshirt
2 t-shirts
2 polo shirts

...and he had a smart shirt plus 6 pairs of socks stuffed down the front of his sweatshirt.

Ingenious, huh?

Pupator · July 24, 2011

You'll not be happy with either of those Crumplers. I have them and, while they're great bags, they aren't going to hold as much as you're looking for.

wvrocks · July 25, 2011

Pupator wrote: »

You'll not be happy with either of those Crumplers. I have them and, while they're great bags, they aren't going to hold as much as you're looking for.

I agree, after getting one in my hands the 6MDH was just too small for my needs. I'm narrowed down to either a ThinkTank UD 40 or Retrospective 10. The ThinkThank Sling-O-Matic 10 was very nice but a bit more bulky than I wanted to carry for this trip.

The Urban Disquise 40 suprised me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do. The downsides for me are that the strap pad doesn't slide on the strap. If you move the bag around a lot or wear the strap across your chest you have to adjust it at the strap ends. Not very convenient. Also the top of the bag doens't have much padding. Not a huge issue though.

I very much like all of the pockets and organizers. I also like that I can get to a whole lot of pockets without ever opening the main camera compartment and exposing the gear to everyone. The whole bag has a nice slim profile.

The Retrospective 10 has a better strap system in my view. Nicely padded and easily adjustable. The entire bag is a little thicker than the UD40. Its not too bad though. It seems like it was easier to access my camera with the R10, although both bags fit everything I need them too easily. It would be nice if the R10 had a buckle of some sort to secure the front flap in addition to the velcro tabs for a little extra insurance.

I liked the R10's selection of pockets and organizers. Not as many as the UD40 but sufficient for my needs.

Still haven't made up my mind but I'm leaning toward the Retrospective 10. Honestly if the UD 40 had a strap like the Retro 10, I'd probably go with the UD 40. It just seems like it would be a pain for the way I like to carry a bag.

BigAl · July 27, 2011

Art Scott wrote: »

I have never had a problem as you describe....but I have the 350 and I believe comfort comes down to having any pack properly fitted to your body....my 350 has been on my back for as long as 16 hrs a day with a hydration pack attached to it with no problems......

I agree, having done long stints with my 200. My BiL had problems with his 350, but then I found he wasn't carrying it correctly - he had it over his left shoulder. When I showed him how to put it over his right shoulder so that the strap was *across* his chest he found it much more comfortable.

wvrocks · July 28, 2011

Well, I finally decided last night. I'm going to go with the Retrospective 10. It fits everything I need it to, has good quick access to my gear, is comfortable to carry and looks nice. Off to Perth tomorrow evening!