Who loves their camera bag?

[sfeisen]

We just bought a new DSLR camera (Nikon 3100 with two lenses) . I would like a nice camera bag that would be ideal to carry around the theme parks. We leave in a few weeks.

Is it unrealistic to want to just carry one bag? I would want to carry a few other things (ie. ponchos, snacks, phones etc.) in the bag too. I have 3 teens and a tween, so no strollers to carry stuff this time.

What works for you?

 

[tlcmommyx4]

I have the lowepro sling shot 300 AW and I just love it. It might be a bit big for you, but I have room for everything but the kitchen sink in it. It also has a rain cover in the bottom, because you know that it will rain as least once during a trip to Disney World!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I have two bags that I primarily use. The LowePro Slingshot 200 AW and the Fastpack 200. The Fastpack is a little larger, but does not have the raincover. We have two camera kits, one for me and one for the DW. Because I am the designated packmule, I adapt to each day to what we are carrying for camera gear.

 

[photo_chick]

Right now my favorite bag is my Tamrac Adventure Messenger 4. I use it more as a lens bag, my body is usually out with a walkaround lens on it. It also holds my phone and when necessary a few other things like ponchos, first aid kits, etc.

Don't forget a comfy strap too. IMO it's more important than the bag.

 

[ssanders79]

.....Is it unrealistic to want to just carry one bag? I would want to carry a few other things (ie. ponchos, snacks, phones etc.) in the bag too. I have 3 teens and a tween, so no strollers to carry stuff this time.

What works for you?

I carry a Tamrac Adventure 9. It is a full size laptop/camera bag. It provides more than enough room for my travel tripod, dslr, 3 lenses, accessories, rain gear for DW, DD & myself and some snacks for the day. It also has 2 excellent water bottle holders. My goal was to carry just one bag in the parks for the family. This bag met my needs. The only downside it that it does not have a built in waterproof cover which is why I keep a trash bag in the laptop compartment. I plan on making my own rain cover when I find the right material at a fair price.

There are notes for these pictures on the flickr page.

Tamrac Adventure 9 by ssanders79, on Flickr

Tamrac Adventure 9 | Side View by ssanders79, on Flickr

Tamrac Adventure 9 | Top Compartment by ssanders79, on Flickr

Tamrac Adventure 9 | Main Compartment by ssanders79, on Flickr

 

[traylorc]

I have a Lowepro SlingShot 302 AW and a Tamrac 5585 Expedition 5x. Both bags hold a DSLR and attached lens and have room for 3-5 additional lenses. IMHO the Tamrac holds more stuff, and I love the convenient pockets for smaller things such as memory cards. However, one of the main benefits for the Slingshot is that it is easier to access my camera and lenses due to the design of the bag. The Slingshot simply sits on your should, so one quick tug and your bag goes from being on your back to being in front of you allowing access to your stuff. In order to access my stuff with the Tamrac I have to take the bag off of my back. I believe both bags are weather protected.

At this point I have not decided which bag I am going to take for our trip to WDW in August. I'm leaning towards the Slinghshot because the ability to access or put away my camera without taking the bag off my back is appealing.

 

[C&B Young]

Don't forget a comfy strap too. IMO it's more important than the bag.

This is great advice. You'll pretty much be wearing the camera all day, you want to make sure it's comfortable. We've got Crumpler Industry Disgrace straps on both of our bodies and they did great at WDW. People also like the Rapid straps.

I carry a Tamrac Adventure 9. It is a full size laptop/camera bag. It provides more than enough room for my travel tripod, dslr, 3 lenses, accessories, rain gear for DW, DD & myself and some snacks for the day. It also has 2 excellent water bottle holders. My goal was to carry just one bag in the parks for the family. This bag met my needs.

We've got a smaller model, the Adventure 7 and look forward to using it at the parks. It should be big enough to hold a body, a couple lenses, and all of our other park stuff. We stick the tripod legs in one of the water bottle holder pockets.

 

[Wadecool]

We just bought a new DSLR camera (Nikon 3100 with two lenses) . I would like a nice camera bag that would be ideal to carry around the theme parks. We leave in a few weeks.

Is it unrealistic to want to just carry one bag? I would want to carry a few other things (ie. ponchos, snacks, phones etc.) in the bag too. I have 3 teens and a tween, so no strollers to carry stuff this time.

What works for you?

We bought the D3100 with 2 lenses as well and have the Lowepro Slingshot 102AW. It is perfect for us. It hold our two lenses, extra battery, and other misc items with room to spare. I cannot express how easy and comfortable that bag was to carry on our recent WDW trip. I highly recommend it!

 

[Deus]

I will be going in July. I just went and bought the lowepro photo sport 100.
I looks great, seems compact and the top can expand to hold plenty of adds if desired. if not, it ties down small. I also like that it doesn't look like a camera bag so it will not attract attention. It's also AW

This holds my d7000 with 18-200 & another lens. If I wanted I could also put a flash and another lens in the top(in cases)

I also have a lower 200AW but this one is much better

 

[cmwade77]

I have the lowepro sling shot 300 AW and I just love it. It might be a bit big for you, but I have room for everything but the kitchen sink in it.

Bummer, I was hoping to see a recommendation for one that I could being home one as a souvenir from Beache's and Creme

 

[klmall]

I think I now have 4 or 5 camera bags/backpack type bags. Perhaps you will find as many of us did that you will start with 1 bag you think you will like and then move on to another and so on depending upon the situations you use your camera in.

Take my list here knowing my needs and cameras (listed below). I travel by car and plane with my laptop and camp sometimes and often hike, sometimes in rough terrain.

I have a couple fanny pack style bags which work surprisingly well even with my dSLR and one or two lenses so don't rule those out if they appeal to you or your spouse. Look at the Kata line. I owned a similar one and still use it.

For a combo shoulder and fanny pack that doesn't look like a fanny pack Mountainsmith makes a good pack that holds everything a family would need for a day plus all your camera gear. I use it for day hiking and even hook a tripod to it.

I also have a Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW. This is a great bag but I found it somewhat uncomfortable riding on only one shoulder for more than a hour or so. It was easy to swing it around and pull my camera out etc. and I even fit two extra lenses and some snacks etc. in as well as my wallet and a small water bottle.

But I recently discovered the Dakine line of bags; several of which have features I really like such as built in all-weather, attached covers that pull-over the bag and a camera-bag within the pack itself that you can detach and carry separately if you wish; and a built in tripod holder. And the one I just bought will be my carry-on the plane to Canada this fall with my laptop and all my camera gear. I can then hike all day with it when I get there.

But the best advice I can give for camera bag buying is go to a camera store and try on different camera bags. With the sling-type try moving it around to see how it feels. I think it's all about comfort and convenience.
If you have a type of bag you like taking to the parks now, find a similar camera bag.

 

[photo_chick]

This is great advice. You'll pretty much be wearing the camera all day, you want to make sure it's comfortable. We've got Crumpler Industry Disgrace straps on both of our bodies and they did great at WDW. People also like the Rapid straps.

I've got the Crumpler Industry Disgrace as well. I've tried a lot of straps and it's by far my favorite. But everyone is different so find the right fit for you.

 

[mytripsandraces]

I use the PacSafe CamSafe 100: http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=93. I can fit more than just my camera in it and I especially like the outer pocket that lets me keep my Annual Pass and fastpasses handy!

 

[sfeisen]

Thanks for all the great advice!

We ended up ordering the lowepro slingshot 202AW. A little larger than we need right now, but we anticipate buying more lenses in the future, and can use the extra room for things that we want to take into the parks. It also has a place to strap your tripod on the side if needed.

We liked the fact that you could swing it around to the front for easy access to the camera. We also like the raincover, as it will most likely rain every day we will be there this summer.

It was $84.99 on Amazon plus free shipping.

 

[DPK400]

I've got three different bags from F-Stop that I love. I will be buying a 4th soon as my WDW bag most likely. It seems like we buy more bags than anything else. I don't know a photographer with less than a closet full of them.

 

[Deus]

Thanks for all the great advice!

We ended up ordering the lowepro slingshot 202AW. A little larger than we need right now, but we anticipate buying more lenses in the future, and can use the extra room for things that we want to take into the parks. It also has a place to strap your tripod on the side if needed.

We liked the fact that you could swing it around to the front for easy access to the camera. We also like the raincover, as it will most likely rain every day we will be there this summer.

It was $84.99 on Amazon plus free shipping.

I have this bag but thought it would be a little too big to fit on rides. Can someone chime in if they have brought this on rides with them?

 

[AMickeyG]

I love my bag and was great for walking around Disney. It's the Lowepro Passport Sling. It has room for a camera body with attached lens and one other lens. It has a pouch for souvenirs and there is a zipper on the outside that makes it about 30% more roomy. There is also some other little velcro close pouches inside. There are 3 open pockets on the outside that will hold a water bottle and other odd things. I bought the black which has a green interior that makes seeing the stuff in your bag easier. There is no rain cover but i always kept a disposable poncho in it just in case. It was available at Best Buy for around $60 but you can get it on ebay for $42 with priority shipping making it a great deal. There is a little video about it here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d90NWhuLffc

And if you are looking for a comfortable strap I like the OPTECH pro loop strap. It is a weight reduction strap and so much more comfortable than the strap that comes with the camera. I think it was $20.

EDIT: I read all the posts and realized you already bought yours, so I'll just leave this as info for others!

 

[ssanders79]

I have this bag but thought it would be a little too big to fit on rides. Can someone chime in if they have brought this on rides with them?

I've taken this bag on Space Mountain with a different tripod attached to the outside. It measures 13 W x 11 D x 20 H.


Tamrac Adventure 9 by ssanders79, on Flickr

 

[Ben Miller]

I've got a black backpack I bought years ago from B&H... It's great. Fits my 5D Mark ii, a flash, and 3-4 lenses. If I were you, I'd pick which lenses you want to use before you go... it gets HEAVY!