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I am looking at getting a nice camera bag, maybe from Lowepro. I would like for it to hold the camera, of course, and maybe two lenses, memory cards, and some batteries plus some extra room for upgrades. I know that Lowepro has the sling bag but I never have used one of them so is that better than a regular shoulder camera bag?

 

Thanks for your help

David

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I am looking at getting a nice camera bag, maybe from Lowepro. I would like for it to hold the camera, of course, and maybe two lenses, memory cards, and some batteries plus some extra room for upgrades. I know that Lowepro has the sling bag but I never have used one of them so is that better than a regular shoulder camera bag?

 

Thanks for your help

David

 

For excursions I take a LowePro Slingshot 200 AW and really like the convenience of being able to swing it around to easily search the contents and use the bag as a platform to change lenses. It will hold my Sony A700 with the 28-70 f/2.8 mounted, my ultra-wide and 70-200 f/2.8 in the main compartment. There's room left over in the top compartment for other bits as needed. I also appreciate the pop-out attached rain cover for those little surprises that nature often delivers.

 

I travel with another larger pack and swap out squipment to the 200AW based on what I expect to use for the day.

 

Dave

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For excursions I take a LowePro Slingshot 200 AW and really like the convenience of being able to swing it around to easily search the contents and use the bag as a platform to change lenses. It will hold my Sony A700 with the 28-70 f/2.8 mounted, my ultra-wide and 70-200 f/2.8 in the main compartment. There's room left over in the top compartment for other bits as needed. I also appreciate the pop-out attached rain cover for those little surprises that nature often delivers.

 

I travel with another larger pack and swap out squipment to the 200AW based on what I expect to use for the day.

 

Dave

 

+1. I have the same bag and do the exact same thing.

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First let me say that there is no perfect camera bag... at least not that I have found that works for me.

 

Secondly, I have tried many different camera bag combinations for cruising. Cruising in itself presents some challenges - perhaps that is not the correct word - presents a unique situation wherein you might want to take your equipment on board with you, but not necessarily not all of that equipment will be used on a daily basis.

 

An example might be bringing a DSLR and a waterproof camera - which of course - you would use these at different times. Or perhaps a telephoto lens that you might only use on an excursion, but not necessarily on board the ship.

 

I have painfully come to the realization that a bag that is large enough to hold all of your contents is too large to carry around comfortably. So my #1 advice - get a small bag.

 

OK then, this also presents another challenge - what do you do if you have more stuff to take than the bag will hold.

 

I have adopted a similar approach to pierces and others - in that I take a larger "mother ship" kind of bag, and a smaller day pack or excursion bag. I fill the excursion/day bag with whatever contents I might need for the day.

 

I have tried several approaches to this (and before I made the realization that you need a mother-daughter approach), and have littered eBay with the bags that just didn't quite work.

 

Bags that I have tried are as follows:

 

1. Tamrac Adventure 75 - with add-on pouches.

2. Tenba Messenger Medium camera bag.

3. Tamrac Evolution 8 sling bag.

4. Tamrac belt-pack system.

 

All of these solutions came up short and they eventually all ended up on eBay.

 

The first attempt was to carry a bag that would not quite fit all of my stuff (Tamrac Adventure 75), but with the pouches attached, I could carry everything as one unit through the x-ray and check-in process, then detach the pouches after I arrived at my stateroom. The disadvantage was that the bag was still too large even after removing all the "stuff"... and all of the pouches hanging off it was too cumbersome - it was just a mess, and all of the straps hanging off the bag could get caught in the x-ray machine's rollers. One of the side release buckles even ripped off after being hung up.

 

photobag1a.jpg

 

(Adventure 75 with attached pouches and netbook case attached to the front).

 

 

 

My second attempt with the Tenba Messenger was to carry the bag not on my back, but as a shoulder bag. And with a trolly strap on it - I could easily place it over my carry-on luggage as I go through the check-in. While it did contain everything I needed - it was just too heavy.

 

The third attempt was with a Tamrac Evolution 8 combination backpack - sling bag. While at the time, I thought this was the perfect solution, as it carried everything, including a little compartment in the top for a kindle, ipods, and other stuff - as well as my notebook, when you converted the backpack into a sling bag; using just one strap - it was still too darned heavy, and it hurt your shoulder after awhile. And it was still just too bulky to carry everything on an excursion.

 

Tamrac makes a smaller version of that bag - Evolution 6 - and smaller is better in my opinion - that might have worked.

 

The fourth attempt was to pack all of the photo gear into separate pouches and load everything into a non-photo backpack. I even used a couple of Clik Elite modules for this attempt. When I took what I needed on an excursion, I used a holster-style camera case, and was able to clip one or two modular pouches to it in case I needed an extra lens. This was probably the closest I came to perfection - but again, it seemed to be a really disorganized approach.

 

So I thought about it for awhile, and came up with a list of what is important:

 

1. should be a transport system to get your camera gear on board - and perhaps other items, such as carry-on essentials (change of clothes, other electronic items, medications, etc).

 

2. should also be a small day bag so that you can just carry what you need for the day. The day bag should be small enough so that it is not too heavy. A DSLR and an extra lens is perhaps all you need. And it should have provision to attach an extra pouch if need be for a particular excursion - but do not get carried away with adding pouches.

 

3. should have a method of securing the contents.

 

4. should be able to carry a laptop or netbook, and be easily accessible when you go through check-in x-ray, as you need to remove the computer for inspection.

 

5. should be able to carry documents - passports, boarding pass, and so on.

 

6. and while it's not an immediate priority, it should be airline carry-on capable; yet secure enough that you could check it if you are presented without any other option. You should not want to check it - but sometimes you might need to as things may be beyond your control. And if you have to check it, the day bag should be easily removable so you can at least carry your expensive camera gear with you in a smaller bag.

 

After all of these considerations, I also worked to trim down the stuff I take. I purchased a 18-200mm lens, so that all I need to carry is that lens, a 11-16mm super wide angle, and perhaps if I am feeling like it, my fisheye and possibly a fast 50mm prime - both of which are small lenses.

 

Also I have consolidated cables and connectors as much as possible to cut down on the bulk I need to take.

 

For the cables, I bought a JDI Camera Cable kit that cuts down on the bulk:

 

jdikit.jpg

 

For those cables that do not come with the kit, I bought 1ft versions.

 

I also bought power adapters so I did not need to drag bulky 6ft power cables for the various chargers:

 

iecc7adapter.jpg

 

OK, enough of that. Here is my current bag solution.

 

DAY BAG.

 

I now use a Think Tank "Change Up" bag for day use. It is normally a sling bag, but it can be used with a pull out belt that is permanently attached (but stuffs into the bag when not needed). The belt has loops on it so you can attach pouches if needed. The bag is large enough to hold a DSLR with lens attached, a 11-16mm superwide, and a flash. There is a front pocket for accessories - spare batteries, and such - and even can carry passports.

 

AI-change-up.jpg

 

 

Here is a link where you can see all of the features of the bag:

 

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/change-up-belt-pack.aspx

 

I have used this bag quite a bit. It is so nice that with the belt loop, you can rotate it around your waist to get to the gear, yet not have it too heavy on your shoulder. You can use the combo of the shoulder strap and belt loop at the same time. And you can hide the belt loop away and just use the shoulder strap, so that you don't look too geeky.

 

MOTHER SHIP

 

For the rest of the gear, I am using a "mother ship" bag. It is actually a rolling suitcase, also made by Think Tank, called Airport International.

 

It is sized for carry-on for both international and domestic flights (international flight carry-on sizes are slightly smaller). The interior of the rolling suitcase is just right so that I can fit the day bag inside of it (in the bottom section as shown here):

 

AI-open.jpg

 

In the top section, I can fit two pouches with all of the connectors, cables, and chargers, a kindle, my 50mm and fisheye primes, a second camera, a Nikon P7000, a third camera, an Olympus 8010 waterproof camera, and other "necessities".

 

The details of the suitcase are found here:

 

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-international-v2-roller-camera-bag.aspx

 

So what about a change of clothes? Since when you go on board a ship, you may want to carry a change of clothes, but not need to when debarking a week later, I can remove the day bag and carry it either as a shoulder bag or by it's belt, and put the change of clothes in the lower half compartment where the day bag normally resides.

 

Note that I had to make a couple of custom dividers for the bag for everything to fit correctly. Think Tank does supply you with tons of dividers, and you could get by with those, but for the perfect fit, we made our own. We have a commercial sewing machine we normally use to keep our boat canvas in good repair, so it was an easy thing to make a couple of dividers.

 

I have to tell you, this isn't a cheap solution; the combination of the two bags runs almost $500. But if you like this idea, check out a less expensive version from LowePro:

 

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Pro-Roller-Attach%C3%A9-x50,2218,28.htm

 

But the LowePro solution, being less expensive, is not necessarily cheap. And if you wish, you could select your own brand day bag and your own brand rolling suitcase and perhaps get by for even less.

 

But Think Tank products are professional grade, and do carry a lifetime warranty.

 

And there are a couple of other features that attracted me to the Airport International rolling suitcase:

 

First, it has an integrated lock for the main compartment. This prevents the zippers and lock from flopping around. It is located on the side of the bag.

 

Secondly, there is a security cable on the back of the suitcase so you can secure it to a pole or other non-moveable object.

 

The cable is permanently attached to the suitcase frame, and inside a zippered compartment on the back of the suitcase. All you have to do is pull it out, loop it around something, and lock it.

 

Another security measure is that there is a metal riveted identification plate on the suitcase with a serial number stamped onto it. When you get the suitcase, you register the number with Think Tank so should you ever lose the bag, it can be tracked via the number.

 

There is also a protective rain cover that I keep in this compartment. The smaller day bag also has a rain cover inside of it as well.

 

And Third, there is a nice little "office" on the front of the suitcase for holding my boarding documents and passports for easy access during the check-in process.

 

And finally, on the front of the bag, there is a neoprene sleeve where a laptop or netbook can fit into. And in the "office" compartment above, there is another security cable attached to the bag that you can attach to the laptop bag.

 

There is also a tripod attachment gizmo on the side of the suitcase. But I rarely rake a tripod with me on a cruise.

 

The only thing lacking about this setup is the rolling suitcase doesn't have backpack straps. While I could not see the need for them in normal use, they could come in handy as you are getting on and off board the ship. But if this is a real need, you could look at the Think Tank "Airport Security" bag. It's just slightly larger, and does include "temporary use" backpack straps. I say temporary use, as the straps are not padded, and are not intended for long term use - you might use them just for going up stairs and such.

 

But the Airport Security case, being a bit larger, is too large for a carry-on for international flights - but should be OK for domestic flights.

 

I usually buy Think Tank bags from either Amazon, Adorama, or sometimes you can even find them on eBay.

 

So (at least for now), this is my setup. I know it is a bit on the expensive side, but I sold all of my other bags on eBay and had enough money to buy this one. And as I mentioned, you can perhaps build your own system for less money by purchasing a small day bag and a suitable suitcase that it can fit inside of.

 

The idea though is to have a small day bag that is not too heavy (think small), and a transport bag or suitcase for bringing stuff on board. I think this is a much better approach than trying to get everything into a larger photo backpack or shoulder bag - which ends up being too heavy and bulky.

 

Anyway, that is my experience... to date.

 

Who knows - I might fine tune this even more, so you might find me selling these bags on eBay some day.

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I'll second (or 3rd?) that sling bag/pack.....

 

I've had a Tamrac Expedition backpack for a few years & while I like the bag & it carries "just enough"....in crowds it's a pain, on the bus or water taxi..it's a pain...Changing lenses? Pain....

 

I've taken to just using one strap & letting it hang funny...but that's not a good or comfortable solution.

 

My next bag is going to be the "sling" style! (Now if I can just convince the wife I need MORE camera stuff!)

 

 

....

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I am a big fan of Lowepro. I have 3 bags from them, a shoulder bag, a mini-trekker AW and a Nature Trekker AW. They have all been great. If you need to pack a ton of stuff the Nature trekker is nice, but is pretty big and fairly heavy even empty. The mini-trekker is great and highly recommended. My GF has a Lowepro Flipside and the really great thing about that is it opens from the back side, so you can't open it while it is on your back. This is a great option if you are walking noone can open the bag without you knowing, also you dont get your back dirty when you set it down. I would look at that bag it is also very comfy to carry as it is a bakpack with 2straps.

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Personally I am not a fan of single strap, sling bags even though I own a Tamrac Velocity. They are OK for short periods but if wearing the pack for a couple hours I tend to get a pain in my neck and shoulders from the off centered load.

 

I found that most photo bags are great at carrying camera gear and not so great with anything else. Quite often I am traveling on a commercial airplane in coach. If you put your camera gear in the overhead then you can have a separate bag for in flight items like a magazine, sweater or snack. If your overhead bag is a suitcase of clothes then the camera gear needs to fit under the seat in front of you and many bags are too big or if they fit, they do not work well carrying; sweater, book, lunch...

 

In the past couple years I have mostly abandoned a dedicated photo bag except for driving trips when I can throw my "mother ship" bag in the trunk of the car. Instead I most often use a regular backpack and throw whatever gear I need inside. It looks like any other non-photo backpack so it does not attract attention and it fits under the seat in front of me on commercial airline flights with a netbook, body, 2 or 3 lenses, photo accessories, a couple magazines, a warmth layer, water bottle and a snack. I use individual padded cases when space allows for the camera body with a lens mounted and a separate padded case for each lens. When I have to travel very light the padded cases do not go and the gear gets wrapped in clothes for protection. Not the greatest for quick access but it works quite well.

 

I really do not think of batteries and memory cards when considering a bag. They are so small and rugged they can go anywhere and dedicated pockets and compartments consume space.

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Have you looked at the Think Tank Urban Disguise series (V2.0)? I also have an Urban Disguise 40, and the Version 2.0 bag has loops at the bottom that when you buy the Urban Disguise Attachment Strap kit - you can lash a tripod to the bottom.

 

My bag is a bit small for a tripod though, but I have carried a monopod with it (but you have to be careful as the monopod/tripod sticks out a bit and you could end up bashing into something with it).

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For excursions I take a LowePro Slingshot 200 AW and really like the convenience of being able to swing it around to easily search the contents and use the bag as a platform to change lenses. It will hold my Sony A700 with the 28-70 f/2.8 mounted, my ultra-wide and 70-200 f/2.8 in the main compartment. There's room left over in the top compartment for other bits as needed. I also appreciate the pop-out attached rain cover for those little surprises that nature often delivers.

 

I travel with another larger pack and swap out squipment to the 200AW based on what I expect to use for the day.

 

Dave

 

I have the same bag, only the newer 202AW, but I do the opposite; I have a smaller bag for when the 202 is too much. It's a Lowepro messenger that I can crumple up and stick in a pocket of my suitcase. It also doesn't look like a camera bag, so depending on where I'm going and what I need, I make my decision between those two. The 202AW is a great bag. It's starting to seem a little small though, but I don't want a bigger bag.

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I use the Lowepro Slingshot 100 and love that bag. It fits my D60 with wide angle lens attached, and 70-300mm, plus a smaller lens. I just found out that the small zipper compartment on the side will fit my new p7000. I can also place a small compact flat umbrella in the case as well.

 

It would only fit one of the smaller SLR bodies.

 

The slingshot 200 was too large for me.

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F

DAY BAG.

 

I now use a Think Tank "Change Up" bag for day use. It is normally a sling bag, but it can be used with a pull out belt that is permanently attached (but stuffs into the bag when not needed). The belt has loops on it so you can attach pouches if needed. The bag is large enough to hold a DSLR with lens attached, a 11-16mm superwide, and a flash. There is a front pocket for accessories - spare batteries, and such - and even can carry passports.

 

AI-change-up.jpg

 

Here is a link where you can see all of the features of the bag:

 

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/change-up-belt-pack.aspx

 

I have used this bag quite a bit. It is so nice that with the belt loop, you can rotate it around your waist to get to the gear, yet not have it too heavy on your shoulder. You can use the combo of the shoulder strap and belt loop at the same time. And you can hide the belt loop away and just use the shoulder strap, so that you don't look too geeky.

 

MOTHER SHIP

 

For the rest of the gear, I am using a "mother ship" bag. It is actually a rolling suitcase, also made by Think Tank, called Airport International.

 

It is sized for carry-on for both international and domestic flights (international flight carry-on sizes are slightly smaller). The interior of the rolling suitcase is just right so that I can fit the day bag inside of it (in the bottom section as shown here):

 

AI-open.jpg

 

In the top section, I can fit two pouches with all of the connectors, cables, and chargers, a kindle, my 50mm and fisheye primes, a second camera, a Nikon P7000, a third camera, an Olympus 8010 waterproof camera, and other "necessities".

 

The details of the suitcase are found here:

 

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-international-v2-roller-camera-bag.aspx

 

So what about a change of clothes? Since when you go on board a ship, you may want to carry a change of clothes, but not need to when debarking a week later, I can remove the day bag and carry it either as a shoulder bag or by it's belt, and put the change of clothes in the lower half compartment where the day bag normally resides.

 

 

I have to tell you, this isn't a cheap solution; the combination of the two bags runs almost $500. But if you like this idea, check out a less expensive version from LowePro:

 

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Pro-Roller-Attach%C3%A9-x50,2218,28.htm

 

But the LowePro solution, being less expensive, is not necessarily cheap. And if you wish, you could select your own brand day bag and your own brand rolling suitcase and perhaps get by for even less.

 

 

The idea though is to have a small day bag that is not too heavy (think small), and a transport bag or suitcase for bringing stuff on board. quote]

 

My solution to the carry-on bag with change of clothes, meds, cruise docs, flight info and more is the LL Bean Carryall Rolling Underseat Bag (which always fits in the overhead bin). The rolling bag fits extra camera Equipment such as charger and cables.

 

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/62132?feat=506074-GN2

 

I travel with this rolling bag (actually the version from a couple of years ago which was $99.00), along with the smaller Sling bag which holds the camera equipment.

http://products.lowepro.com/product/SlingShot-100-AW,2034,4.htm

 

At night the only camera I carry around the ship has been a P&S.

 

The cost for both bags/luggage was under $200.00

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  • 2 weeks later...

The bag I use is a Think Tank Speed Freak! It holds most of my gear (about 25 lbs. of lenses, camera and flashes) and has a wide hip belt and shoulder strap that makes it very convenient to carry and keeps the load balanced nicely if you have to scramble over rough terrain. If you need even more space, the belt can accommodate extra pouches.

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I'll second your recommendation. I actually had a Speed Freak (ver 1.0) that I bought not too long ago at a huge discount. They were replaced by ver 2.0 in June 2011, and I found a ver 1.0 bag in May for about 40% off (which is unheard of for Think Tank).

 

I have to stay out of camera stores.

 

While it was a very nice bag, it was just a bit too large for my ability to stuff it into my Airport International as I show in my previous post.

 

Otherwise, I'd highly recommend the Speed Freak as well. The nice way the shoulder/neck/waist strap worked worked on the Speed Freak led me to purchase the Change UP - which is basically similar, but smaller.

 

Carrying the Speed Freak with the combo of the shoulder strap and waist strap was a dream - it fit very light on the body, and I could carry it for hours without a lot of difficulty.

 

And the nice thing for a cruise, if you are loaded down with bringing bags on or off board - especially if you are using express departure, you can "wear" the bag on your waist, keeping both hands free for transporting your remaining luggage.

 

I'd still have it if it were not for my bag-stuffing needs. I gave the Speed Freak to my son, and he really likes it.

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I have been a fan of the sling format. I like the convenience. I had a LowePro Slingshot 100 and upgraded to a Think Tank Sling-O-Matic 20 when I needed more space. Like pilotdane said though, lately, I've felt it in my neck when carrying a full bag for a while. I've been thinking about switching to a multi-bag strategy sort of like what awboater described. If I do that, I'll probably dump the Sling-O-Matic and go with a backpack style as my main bag for better weight distribution. If you have any sort of neck/shoulder problems, I'd steer away from the sling style. Otherwise, they sure are convenient.

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Similar to what others have said earlier:

 

- large pack bag for cruises = Tamrac Velocity 10

- large pack for backpacking = Tamrac Evolution 8

- day bag for body, 2 lenses, batteries, filters = Crumpler 4 Million Dollar Home (love their names)

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  • 3 weeks later...

I recently purchased a Domke Shoulder Bag and I have to say "I'm in love!". I also really like the Lowepro Slingshot. I use the Lowepro 300 to pack my gear and will be using the Domke for excursions and daily use. Both bags are water resistant and the Lowepro has a rain cover. Both bags come with "dividers" to allow for individual configuration of the bags to fit your particular gear.

 

I just used the Domke on a day trip to the zoo and it was great...really easy to carry (wide strap), and doesn't scream "I'm a camera bag!". I can't wait to use it in Alaska next month.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tamrac pro 12 is to small for all my equipment . lowepro rolling mini tracker is nice but it has both wheels and acts as a pack pack and I don't like all the straps The one I love is the Tamarc 5263 cyber pro express.It will hold 2 full size Nikons with batt packs extra lens and a lot of Misc / if your not against used e-mail me they are like brand new I'm a camera equipment junkie and never part with anything

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  • 1 month later...

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