What bags do you use?

[Rick448]

I have just replace my old cheap camera bag with a (well actually 2, don't ask) Lowe Pro Pro tactic 450 bags. I am very impressed with the quality and will be setting up my gear in there shortly. 

 

I just wondered what you guys use and how you have them set up, and what you carry around on a day to day basis. 

 

As always pics would be welcome

 

I'll post some of mine once I finalise the set up. 

[Guest]

between me and her indoors we have a Tamrac 8 and a Tamrac 5 plus a lowpro and another couple of unbranded small bags The Tamrac 8 & 5 are used for storing all the gear safely at home and if we go on holiday the other bags hold a body a couple of lenses and spare cards and batteries and thats what we tend to use for daily use

[Black Pearl]

Lowepro Classified 200 AW

Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

Lowepro Nova 4

Lowepro Rover AW II

Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW

Billingham Hadley Pro - black canvas/black leather

 

...and a few other random bags, SLR cases, messenger bags, lens cases, bottle bag attachments and compact camera pouches.

[Rick448]

Lowepro Classified 200 AW

Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

Lowepro Nova 4

Lowepro Rover AW II

Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW

Billingham Hadley Pro - black canvas/black leather

...and a few other random bags, SLR cases, messenger bags, lens cases, bottle bag attachments and compact camera pouches.

Wow, that's quite a collection.

[Black Pearl]

Collection or fetish - border line I think 

[Paul]

I'm still using my Centon BP500....

 

 

Paul.

[cuilin]

the north face recon or 5.11 rush 12 backpacks.  the gear is wrapped in lens wraps.  the north face is a nice bag, shifts all of the weight closer to your body so it feels lighter, but on the downside you look like a yuppie.  the 5.11 is a tactical bag that i got through work, it doesn't have a place for bottles (though you can buy a bottle/lens/rifle scope holder that attaches to the side) but has a ton of room inside and lots of zippered pouches throughout the bag to keep batteries, cords and sd cards.  a couple of tethered carabiners can attach a tripod to the back of the 5.11 without much effort.

[colinb]

Lowepro Nova 180 - small but able to carry one camera body and a couple of lens

 

Manfrotto backpack - carrys a ton of stuff cameras, tripod, lens and feels like it!

[Paul80]

I have three old Jessops bags, They are all they same range just different sizes.

 

One holds everything, one holds one camera and a couple of lens's and there is one in the middle if I know what I will be shooting.  As such most of the time I take the big one but only use one camera and a couple of lenses  and my back always regrets it.

 

Paul

[ChrisLumix]

my neck

[Graham]

When I got my new camera at Christmas, I started thinking about what I wanted to carry on a daily basis.  As arthritis invades other parts of my body, started in the knees and is now affecting my right shoulder, I never wanted to return to the huge kit bags I carried about in my film days.

 

Thankfully, my modest camera kit is lightweight so all I wanted was a bag just large enough to hold the essentials but small enough so that I wasn't tempted to fit loads of extra unnecessary gear.

 

I spotted this LowePro Event Messenger 150 bag in Argos.  It is small but suits my needs perfectly

 

 

It has a strong clip to hold the lid shut and two velcro tabs (with fold over silencing tabs) to help keep it closed without the clip.  Obviously, this doesn't work if they are silenced.  On the front is a zipped pocket and on each end is a small slightly expanding open topped pocket.  The rear also has an open topped document style pocket, ideal for small reflector cards, grey cards etc.  There is also a full width and depth pocket in the interior rear which will hold my iPad but I rarely take that with me.

 

The interior is divided into three vertical sections which are adjustable and have 'shelves' in them all held by Velcro.  I removed the shelf out of the right hand one to fit my flashgun in but left the other two to separate kit.  I have the camera lens down, standard 18-55 kit lens, in the middle with the flash controller under the middle shelf.  On the left my 55-200 kit lens is stored under the shelf, but easy to access, and my light meter slots down the left side of the shelf.

 

The front pouch holds all the usual bits and bobs.

 

And this is what is in it and what I carry with me all the time.  It weighs in at 2.9 kilos loaded as seen which I find comfortable enough.

 

 

Nikon D3300 with Kit lens

 

Nikon 55-200

 

Nikon spare battery

 

Nikon Remote (infrared) release.

 

Sekonic L-308S Light (ambient and flash) meter

 

Yongnuo YN560 Mk III manual flash gun, in its case which also has a mounting foot so it can be stood on a table etc

 

Yongnuo YN560-TX wireless flash controller 

 

Remote shutter lead to be used with Yongnuo RF 630 N flash triggers (not in picture as they were on my Nikon D40 for taking these shots firing a screw in mains flash gun shooting through an umbrella style soft box)

 

Spare set of Eneloop Pro batteries for flash

 

Cokin Filter holder and grad grey filter

 

Couple, or more, spare SD cards

 

Small pack of business cards with my website and email address should I need to give info to people and a pencil to jot any further info on the back.

 

Finally, a lipstick style lens brush.

 

I also have a Joby Gorilla Pod with ball and socket head which I can stuff into one of the end pockets.  I don't take the big tripod unless I am doing something specific where I know I will need it.  The Joby is great as it holds a DSLR like I have with no trouble at all and can be 'wrapped' around posts or such to give me the height I need.

 

As I said, a modest set of kit but it is fairly light and will do for me just nicely.

 

[VWGolf]

I'm impressed by how organised you are, Graham.  I want to be like that when I'm grown up!  ;-)

 

I have a Lowepro rucksack and a Lowepro shoulder bag (plus a small Manfrotto bag for the little camera).  I find I am always swapping stuff out from one bag to another, depending on whether I'll be driving or walking to my photo destination.  And invariably, I'll have left something critical behind in the bag I'm not using!

 

I have a carbon-fibre tripod (as my hands shake), which I take almost everywhere.  I [paid extra to get the c-f one, but that is negated by having a Manfrotto adjustable grip head for it that weighs almost as much as a small family hatchback - well, that's what it feels like after lugging it around for a couple of hours!

 

I too have arthritis - quite badly in my knees, to the extent I cannot kneel, and also in my shoulders.  As often as I can, I take my nephew or niece with me and give them a couple of quid to carry some kit for me.  Other times I just struggle.  Which is why I take lots of pictures of the cat and people at home, where I don't have to carry anything and all my gear is here (just a matter of remembering where I put it!).

 

I think I might join a dating agency and get myself another husband.  A strong one who doesn't mind carrying things!  :-)

Edited February 17, 2015 by VWGolf

[JHFoto]

Manfrotto................................

[Jon]

Lowepro flipside 400AW is the main kiddy

[kev7d]

I mainly use a Lowepro Toploader 55 these days. I have a Lowepro flipside back pack but hardly use it. The toploader gets me around with the camera and a couple of lenses.