Is there a good looking camera bag anywhere in the world??

[bklein61]

myone, this is exactly the direction I was thinking of going too. What brand of insert do you use. I was thinking either the f-stop medium or the crumpler Haven Lg

 

[distant.star]

.
Here's what you do, sparky.

Take the $500 or so you might be willing to spend on your ultimate gear statement and donate it to Partners In Health:

http://www.pih.org/

They will use it to keep a few children from dying of tuberculosis or cholera, maybe provide some clean drinking water for a few people.

Then you go down to the local surplus store and get yourself a nice canvas backpack to throw you stuff in.

Your eyes may still hurt, but your spirit will fare better.

Finally, when (if?) you get to be 55, come see me and we'll talk about what's important in life.

What kind of people design camera bags? My guess is people who are 55 yrs old, who wear clothes from the early 90's With no eye in fashion. because 99.9% of all camera bags look really bad and they hurt my eyes when i look at them.

I use a lowepro classified 160, which is actually an ok looking bag but i need a smaller size backback or a really ergonomic shoulder bag/sling for my 3 month trip to Japan where i will walk up to 10 miles on some days.

I also want to be somewhat fashionable or at least have it be ok looking so i won't stick out as a stereotypical photog with a huge square looking thing on my back that could house a small person.

I want to fit one 1DX body, two primes and an ipad. (smaller size is also a good thing when i'm riding the metro in Tokyo at rush hour.

Maybe your suggestions and findings will be useful to many others too.

So have you found anything good? I've looked at many.. like lowepro, crumpler, kata etc... And they all look horrible.
Price is not an issue.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan708]

.
Here's what you do, sparky.

Take the $500 or so you might be willing to spend on your ultimate gear statement and donate it to Partners In Health:

http://www.pih.org/

They will use it to keep a few children from dying of tuberculosis or cholera, maybe provide some clean drinking water for a few people.

Then you go down to the local surplus store and get yourself a nice canvas backpack to throw you stuff in.

Your eyes may still hurt, but your spirit will fare better.

Finally, when (if?) you get to be 55, come see me and we'll talk about what's important in life.

What kind of people design camera bags? My guess is people who are 55 yrs old, who wear clothes from the early 90's With no eye in fashion. because 99.9% of all camera bags look really bad and they hurt my eyes when i look at them.

I use a lowepro classified 160, which is actually an ok looking bag but i need a smaller size backback or a really ergonomic shoulder bag/sling for my 3 month trip to Japan where i will walk up to 10 miles on some days.

I also want to be somewhat fashionable or at least have it be ok looking so i won't stick out as a stereotypical photog with a huge square looking thing on my back that could house a small person.

I want to fit one 1DX body, two primes and an ipad. (smaller size is also a good thing when i'm riding the metro in Tokyo at rush hour.

Maybe your suggestions and findings will be useful to many others too.

So have you found anything good? I've looked at many.. like lowepro, crumpler, kata etc... And they all look horrible.
Price is not an issue.

Thanks!

I love it distant star! haha, and im just a whipper-snapper, but raised old-school

 

[GDub]

I've had a Think Tank Retrospective 10 for a couple of years and LOVE it. I bought the 10 because I was shooting with a T2i at the time. When I bought my 5Dm3 I was worried it might be too small, but it wasn't--I can still carry the same amount of gear.

For a 1DX, you would probably need a 20 or 30, depending on how much extra space you want for stuff other than camera gear.

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/shoulder-bags/retrospective.aspx

 

[Hillsilly]

1 series bodies don't fit into good looking bags. For some reason, bag manufacturers think you'll want to carry every lens you own everywhere you go. If you find a small, good looking bag for a 1Dx and a couple of lenses, please tell me!

I've got a National Geographic medium shoulder bag, which looks ok and which will hold everything you want plus more, but its still a bit on the big side. I'm currently eyeing the Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L as it has a cool looking tripod holder and looks reasonably compact for a backpack (I believe the 1Dx won't fit in the 10L).

 

[paul13walnut5]

If you want a camera bag that doesn't scream camera bag in the way that brands like petrol or lowepro do then check out Jack Wolfskins photo backpack. Not any different really to anything discussed already, but maybe a little less obvious.

 

[Meh]

@distant.star LOL ;D

@Freelance... Pardon? What did you say about my pink shirt? Hugs and kisses.

I also find some of the Kata bags reasonably good looking but still obviously camera bags.

For a body and couple of primes the suggestion of a normal backpack with some kind of insert would work nicely. Good idea.

 

[picturesbyme]

I use a brown tenba messenger for the city but that might not your thing...
http://www.tenba.com/Products/Messenger-Removable-Photo-Insert.aspx
in that case you can just get an insert like the one above and use whatever bag you like.
Go down to your fav. leather store like this http://www.wilsonsleather.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=11530414&cp=2446816.2019559 and pick one.

or just go to ebay and pick one from the endless bags

 

[plasmapunk]

Check out http://www.onabags.com/. They are quite expensive, but the backpack holds alot of equipment. They also don't scream steal me.

 

[Kmccarthy]

I love my crumpler 5 million dollar home. It fits my 5DII with a 24-105L and a 70-300L in the side compartment. It is very functional, looks great and protects the gear well. It also doesn't look like a camera bag.

http://www.crumpler.com/us/Camera-Bags/Camera-Bags/5-Million-Dollar-Home.html?LanguageCode=EN&SKU=MD5002-X01P50

 

[sixlovelylies]

The Think Tank Retrospective lineup has functionality and a bit of fashion. Their new 7 bag can carry an iPad as well.

 

[KurtStevens]

I have the domke j-2 and it looks pretty good. Bigger bag but I think they make a bit smaller one. Shoulder bag with tons of room.

 

[jabbott]

If price is not an issue as you've said, why not commission a designer (or group of designers) to design and fabricate the perfectly aesthetic and functional camera bag? I'm sure you wouldn't be the only customer if the resulting bag were successful at achieving both objectives.

 

[Cannon Man]

Thanks for your Suggestions! I'm suprised how many different ones you guys have found and that i'm not the only one looking for a good bag.
I guess there are good bags out there and the world is not so grim as i thought.

I liked the incase ari marcopoulos the most! I'm pretty sure i'll end up with that.
I also liked Domke F-831 bag, Thinktank retrospective, Crumpler karachi outpost, Tenba small messenger.

 

[Halfrack]

Not sure I want to put it out there, but I have Chrome Niko, and it may match up for you. Only thing is the iPad - it'll fit, but it's not designed to fit in there.

http://www.chromebagsstore.com/bags/utility-bags/niko.html

 

[jVillaPhoto]

The Think Tank Retrospective series are just awesome!

 

[Mikedurg]

This is what you want.
http://fstopgear.com/en/guru

Get a shallow icu and you can lay the 1dx flat with no lens if you don't want the pack to be "boxy"

 

[Bruce Photography]

I know this bag fails the "good looking" test, but I am really in love with this bag the Sling-O-Match 30 sling camera bag. It is one tough bag with industrial type zippers and well thought out straps with heavy padding for long carries as well as various bag handles for easy pick up. I carry a Nikon D800E with vertical grip and L bracket, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 and a 300 with extender. This is the first PRO bag that I really like. Since it is just a simple rectangle, it easily fits in behind the drivers seat. Before you knock it, try one out and look at the detail that went into the design of zippers, flaps, straps and inside multiple level dividers. It may not look good but it is designed for hard service. I forgot - it also can carry a laptop, field monitor, or tablet.

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/sling-bags/sling-o-matic.aspx

 

[myone]

myone, this is exactly the direction I was thinking of going too. What brand of insert do you use. I was thinking either the f-stop medium or the crumpler Haven Lg

bklein61:

I am using the Mountain Smith Kit Cube
http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?productId=290&categoryId=13&subCategoryId=29&subCategory2Id=0
It has a storm cover with drawstring, perfect for double protection from water.

As noted by a forum member earlier, the Guru F-Stop is another great choice but you are paying a lot more money for a heavier 2.6 lb backpack. When traveling, the lighter the better.
http://fstopgear.com/en/guru

I am using the Northface Angstrom 30. This little 33 liter pack has a lot of storage. It is built with very lightweight material, weight 1+ lb and has an internal pouch for TNF water bladder/laptop/ipad, etc. The materials are very durable, sealed zipper for complete water proof. Also the backpack itself is waterproof, and comes with a water resistant jacket in case you need it. My last trip to Asia ran into many days with heavy downpour. I was on waterproof jacket without umbrellas and the backpack was exposed to heavy rain all the time. I did not even have to use the included water proof jacked that is tucked into the side water bottle pouch.
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/equipment-technical-packs/angstrom-30_2.html?from=subCat&variationId=JK3&cm_mmc=Google-_-ProductListingAds-_-Product_Terms-_-The%20North%20Face%20Angstrom%2030%20Pack%20Tnf%20Black%20OS

The backpack is also built with breathable back support material, chest strap to load even the weight, as well as waist straps. One neat thing is that the waist strap can be tucked/hidden inside the back support panel if not needed.

The Mountain Smith insert is wide enough that I can just rest my 40D + 24-70 with hood attached on top of it. The dividers are strong enough to let the camera+lens rest on top of it side way with a good amount of "collapse" to secure it from moving around.

It worked well for my last trip and will be using the pack and insert again this year for my 3 weeks in Asia. This time, I will also bring my Crumpler 6 Million Dollar bag for more city friendly.

 

[friedmud]

I've been using a Burton bag like this one:

http://www.burton.com/mens-focus-pack-%5B30l%5D/280812,default,pd.html?start=22&cgid=mens-packs

Been traveling all over the world with it and I love it. Originally got it for skiing with my camera gear... but now I use it as my main travel bag. It has tons of room. Doesn't look like a photo gear bag. Has tons of padding and fits tightly (because it's made to be worn while snowboarding / skiing). Fits a 15" Macbook Pro with an iPad and is really just a rockin' bag...