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Travel Bag for Tech Camera and Lenses

vjbelle

Well-known member
Just my 2 cents but if you travel to some far out, or even not so far out, places like I have then your 'SOFT' bag had better be real small. You are completely at the mercy of the gal or guy at the check in counter who just may say you can't carry that on the plane. I don't know about you but checking a soft camera bag with all sorts of camera gear would/could be a nightmare experience. So, small and smaller is best. If I have any doubts then I pack everything into a Pelican 1510. If I have to check it (and I have had to:mad:) then I slap on the two locks and pray..... but at least if it arrives at the destination all will be safe. If it doesn't then memories are the only images I will have. Paid up insurance also helps a lot;).

Victor
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Victor,

I too also use the Pelican 1510 - a very subtle white one :D My Airport ultralight also fits in that case, plus you get a free traveling seat for those times when youre spending hours in a crowded terminal and there's no club lounge to hide in. A great lightweight combo.

P.s. I'm the Imelda Marcos of camera bags. I swear that they breed when I'm away. :D

Wayne - I really didn't need to see another compelling bag option vendor ... I may have to check them out. :rolleyes:
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
I just got my bag from photobackpacker.com,
I really like it for my sinar Artec 3 lenses, db, and magnifier. Works great and what I like about it the most is that it looks like regular back pack, I have the Kelty pack
Steven
Would love to see Pictures:thumbup:
 

kuau

Workshop Member
Wayne,
I will post some pictures of my pack as soon as I get settled, I'm in the process of moving from park city to telluride this weekend.

Steven
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
You guys should look at a Crumpler bag in the 'Celebrity c-list' series.
The medium is 8-9"deep in the lower part. It easily takes my RM3di with DB installed and lens.
The have a small and large as well. Also the interior is a light bright color which helps finding the odd
small item loose in the bag.
Great bag.
Rod
Rod introduced my to the Celebrity C-list backpack when we met here in NY, and for this I'm forever in debt to him. Here's a link: Crumpler C-list celebrity.

As a backpack it's very well designed - it rides securely on your back and I didn't find it a burden to carry for long distances. The straps can be reversed over the front of the pack making a compact package that could be checked. Entry is from the person side of the pack so it the other side the lies in the dirt when you access it. Very flexible, deep interior. I used one on my trip to Africa carrying my alpa, the back, 3 lenses, a gh2 and 3 lenses with a lot of room to spare. (On my outbound trips I try to carry anything I can't do without as carryon - all batteries, chargers, etc. - there was still room to spare). It could also handle my Max or a laptop.

For me it's too big to use as a day bag but I have at least a half dozen other options there.

Empty it's heavier than I prefer, but the tradeoff is very generous padding.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Here's the F-Stop Loka with large ICU. This'll hold the full outfit plus even the STC with spacer & 150mm lens & P40+ on it. The top section has lots of space for all the other junk.

STC, 24XL, 35XL, 47XL, 90HRW, SK150, spacer, Disto, loupe, plus top section holds Think Tank cable tidy bags with all of the other junk like viewfinder attachments, iPhone, blower, cables, CF cards, spare LCC card, meter etc etc and then still lots of room to spare.

 
P

photohagen

Guest
+1 for F-Stop Loka with large ICU. great bag! very well made packed with alpa max, a few lenses and a ton of bits and bobs. i keep db, a lens, viewfinder attached. i have another ICU at the ready packed with my hassy equipment.

rh
 

cly

Member
+1 for F-Stop Loka with large ICU. great bag! very well made packed with alpa max, a few lenses and a ton of bits and bobs.
Just curious: Could you perhaps post a picture of the ICU, packed with the Max and the bits and bobs?

How does the combination Loka/ICU compare to the ThinkTank backpacks?

Currently, I use a ThinkTank Streetwalker Harddrive for the Max, 3 lenses and all the other stuff. It's great but, as soon as it gets heavy, I wouldn't say it's the most comfortable backpack I have used so far.

Chris
 

hcubell

Well-known member
+1 for F-Stop Loka with large ICU. great bag! very well made packed with alpa max, a few lenses and a ton of bits and bobs. i keep db, a lens, viewfinder attached. i have another ICU at the ready packed with my hassy equipment.

rh
I agree about the F-Stop backpacks. (I have the Tilopa with the large ICU.)In contrast to the backpacks offered by the major camera bag makers, the F-Stop backpacks are actually designed to function like real, technical backpacks that distribute the weight on your hips rather than your shoulders. Moreover, compare the weight of an empty F-Stop backpack with the bags made by, for example, Think Tank or Lowepro. I have a Think Tank Airport International that I roll through airports and carry on to the plane with me, but I would not think of using one of their bags in the field.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
How does the combination Loka/ICU compare to the ThinkTank backpacks?

Currently, I use a ThinkTank Streetwalker Harddrive for the Max, 3 lenses and all the other stuff. It's great but, as soon as it gets heavy, I wouldn't say it's the most comfortable backpack I have used so far.

Chris
The ThinkTank bags are ok for short distances but essentially they are camera bags with straps on vs a true technical backpack. I have the Loka and it is a real backpack - light weight, very sturdy construction, distributes the weight extremely comfortably plus it has a shaped back to fit your spine and best of all it opens from the top side so you don't put the side you wear in the mud/dirt. With the ICU options you can use the same bag with different gear - I just ordered another large ICU for my DF outfit. Not that my Alpa kit is heavy but you really don't feel this thing when it's on you. :thumbup:

Btw, I'm also a big fan of the GuraGear bag too. It's not as comfortable as the F-Stop bag but it is an extremely versatile bag with the butterfly configuration. You can put a LOT of stuff in it without it really showing which is great for air travel. I took one of these that weighed nearly 45lbs to Africa with a full Nikon DSLR/long lens outfit in it. Luckily I didn't have it weighed at the gate (I'd have just had to carry on my D3s & 200-400VR over my shoulder before repacking!).

The biggest problem I find these days is that a lot of bags are just plain over padded. Even the Think Tank ones - and I have a herd of these too!
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I don't have an Alpa STC so I've avoided this thread. That said and FWIW, my Arca RM3D with lens and back mounted, grips and foot on, two other lenses, finder, LCC frame, Disto, batteries and charger, cards, cables, bulb blower, misc cleaning stuff, tools and color passport all fit into a Domke J1 shoulder bag. With a wrap, I'm sure I could get one more lens inside as well. It will also all easily fit into a TT Ultralight or Antidote backpack, and will also all fit into the TT Urban Disguise 60 computer bag. Hope that helps!

FWIW only,
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Jack - I'd love to see a picture of how you have that J1 packed.

One of the challenges with the Alpa, for me at least, is that each lens has a square mount which means that they don't pack as efficiently as regular cylindrical lenses. It seems to eat up a lot of space necessitating a bigger bag than you'd expect for the amount of gear, particularly if you don't want to break it all down each time. Nothing new obviously I suppose as this has always been the way with LF lenses and outfits too.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Jack - I'd love to see a picture of how you have that J1 packed.

One of the challenges with the Alpa, for me at least, is that each lens has a square mount which means that they don't pack as efficiently as regular cylindrical lenses. It seems to eat up a lot of space necessitating a bigger bag than you'd expect for the amount of gear, particularly if you don't want to break it all down each time. Nothing new obviously I suppose as this has always been the way with LF lenses and outfits too.
I'll snap it for you this evening when I get home. The square can be problematic. My advice is to do what I did with LF lenses on lensboards -- get rid of the dividers and use color-coded neoprene lens wraps. I also bought white male velcro, wrote the lens on it with sharpie, and then stuck it to the wrap as an identifier. Not a big issue with three lenses, but I often carried 5 or 6 lenses in my LF days and there were not that many distinct wrap colors.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Victor,

Unfortunately the downside is that F-Stop gear is arguably harder to get than Leica lenses at the moment although the internal ICU storage bags are currently in stock today other than the extra large.
You are so right...... There are no Loka bags anywhere:mad:

Victor
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Here is the J1 as loaded per above:



Main compartment is the bucket with the dividers removed and has the RM3D with back, mounted lens, one-shot cable release all mounted, plus underneath it are a pair of gloves and a buff for colder weather and extra base padding. The outer bag itself is padded, so I remove the rear -- or side that rests against my body -- foam piece from the bucket to give a little more room inside the bucket -- this makes inserting and removing the assembled camera easier. The front and side bucket foams leaves the back well protected with two layers of foam, but could be removed for more room. The bucket dividers are then used to make the other compartments. Lens 1 is one lens, but with a wrap or spacer pad, I could stack and get two medium or smaller lenses in that slot. Ditto Lens 2, so theoretically I could get up to 5 lenses total in this bag. However, the 120 and longer Arca lenses also include a square extension adapter for the back, and those take up the top area space for one or possibly two lenses. Disto or finder can ride in the mid smaller compartment, LCC panel rides in the slot space between the main and lens compartments. All of these compartments are well padded and protected. Left pocket contains bulb blower, cleaning solution, pec pads, e-wipes and small charger plus 12V car cord. Right pocket contains ND and Polarizer filters and finder (or Disto). Left and Right pockets have removable, padded inserts, so good for lenses or fragile items with the inserts in place, or have a LOT more room for non-fragile items if the inserts are removed. Frt L (unpadded) contains cards, spare 2-shot cable for Phase, lens cloth and small brush, Frt R contains Passport Wht Bal, lenscaps and 3 spare Phase batteries. There is a top padded flap compartment on this bag and my small tool kit fits inside. Finally there is a rear unpadded slot compartment to this bag which will hold a book, papers, iPad or even my MacBook Air in a padded slip. Believe it or not, this all rides quite comfortably on my shoulder and is easy to work out of off the ground when in the field. If I were hiking more than a mile from the car, I probably use my TT Ultralight backpack or at least the optional Domke back-pack harness for this bag.

NOTE: I am hoping the hood will collapse enough to ride mounted on the camera in the main slot.

PS: I just flew international to the EU with this bag in this configuration, and it was considered a "personal item" and not a carry-on :thumbs:

Hope this helps!
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
Here's the Crumpler Celebrity C-List loaded with my Alpa tech kit ready for travel. Note the Alpa Max in the computer sleeve in the cover. The TC, back and a lens are stored together. I take the finder off for travel, but it actually fits fine if I'm using the pack for quick access (from a car!). The pack has a keeper that wraps around the back so it doesn't flop around in transit. I keep all of the Alpa and tech small bits and pieces in a separate small bag that stuffed in the lower left of the main compartment. This is the kit (ex 120 and Max) that I traveled with very comfortably in Africa.

The color of the interior is at least part of the appeal to me.

 

cly

Member
Thank you for the picture, Woody!

Is this the Celebrity M or is it the L? And is it really as heavy as they say on the webpage? (3.45 kg / 7.6 lbs for the M, 4.4 kg / 9.7 lbs for the L).

Chris
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
Thank you for the picture, Woody!

Is this the Celebrity M or is it the L? And is it really as heavy as they say on the webpage? (3.45 kg / 7.6 lbs for the M, 4.4 kg / 9.7 lbs for the L).

Chris
Medium. Yes it's heavy. In the past in shopping for backpacks I've looked for something closer to 3.5 lbs than 3.5 kg. What you get for the weight is excellent padding, a semi-rigid back that is contoured to the shape of my back, and a very capable system os straps. In other words it really works as a backpack. At least for me. It's also relatively expensive.
 
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