- This topic has 2 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
What are some recommendations for a good camera backpack?
I’m looking for something that can hold an DSLR body, 2-3 lenses, extra batteries/cards/etc, and a 13in laptop. The largest lens is 200mm that measures about 5 in long.
I was leaning towards a backpack (vs sling) because this will be for travel/hiking, but I’m interested in what other people have used, recommended brands (Lowepro seems popular), pros/cons, etc.
Thanks!I use an fstop lotus http://shop.fstopgear.com/us/product/mountain/lotus.html
Kind of expensive, but totally worth it. I’ve hiked with it, flown with it, loaded it down with more weight than it’s supposed to hold… It’s water resistant, you can get a rain cover for it, modular straps for tripod/camping gear, you can change the ICU inserts for different lens/camera combinations, or take the ICU out completely and just use it as a backpack. It also has rear-panel access to the camera compartment, which means if you dump it off on the muddy ground to get your camera out, your back stays nice and dry when you put it back on.
It’s got an internal frame, and a good waist strap which, if you are going to be hiking with anything more than 15-20lbs of camera gear I would highly recommend. The difference between the Fstop and the Lowepro Fastpack I upgraded from is that the Fstop seems to have actually been made with carrying decent amount of gear while hiking in mind – with the Fastpack, with the 30-35lbs of gear I usually haul when I’m on a trip (4 lenses, 1 camera, 13″ laptop, batteries, change of clothes, snacks, water, etc.) my shoulders would tend to get *really* sore while hiking. Not so with the Lotus. The only downside is the price…but if you think you’ll be mostly using it for travel and hiking, you really can’t do better.
Hey @everettchu, what did you end up buying?
For business shoots, I use this (the 20L): https://www.peakdesign.com/product/bags/everyday-backpack
When it comes do a day hike, I’m torn between two bags. The Tamrac Evolution (similar to this one: https://www.tamrac.com/products/evolution-8) carries everything I need beyond camera gear, but it’s hard to take on and off all the time, and doesn’t sling from front to back very well. The waist strap was also made for thicker people. 🙂 Canon’s Deluxe bag (https://www.adorama.com/cagb10eg.html) is awesome because it swings from back to from very easily and doesn’t take much to open/close. I sometimes even wear a small backpack at the same time to hold non-photography things. I usually go for the Canon bag.
I’ve been enjoying fiddling around with a camera holster system recently, wearing everything on a heavy duty belt. It’s good for events, but it’s difficult to protect gear when doing hiking or outdoor photography. I can get you more details/links on this if you want. It’s sort of a mix and match setup right now.
I haven’t tried very many other camera bags, but I do know that when it comes to backcountry or overnight hiking where I need a ton of stuff beyond camera gear, I use a regular 80L backpack and then throw in the bare necessities on the holster system. This allows me to still take pictures after hiking out long distances.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.