Wanted: Camera bag suggestions!

[UnknownSouljer]

Okay, I've been tirelessly trying to find the right dSLR bag for me in an ocean of bags. Perhaps all of you can help me out.

Requirements:
-Light weight
-Quick Access to Body with lens attached (side access works well, perhaps top access)
-Carry medium amount of equipment (5D Mark II w/ BG-E6 Grip attached, 17-40mm 4.0L, 24-70mm 2.8L, 70-200mm 4.0L, 580 EX II, Filters, Compact Flash Cards, lens cleaning stuff, other odds and ends)
-Must be a backpack, no slings. Convertible from backpack to sling is okay. Sternum and waist straps preferred.
-Laptop carrying is optional. Nice to have, but I have other ways to transport editing tools.
-Straps to carry a tripod is preferable

I'm coming from a Tenba Shootout Medium backpack, and it's just too big, also the lack of quick access to the camera has become a hassle.

So far I've looked at the Lowpro Fastpack 350, Vanguard Adapter 46, and Petrol PD331. Is there better? Do any of you have other suggestions or experience with these bags?

 

[UnknownSouljer]

No one uses camera bags? 40+ views and no nibbles?

 

[ExplodingTaco]

I LOVE my Kata 3in1-22. It should just hold all of your gear.

 

[SilverMK3]

No one uses camera bags? 40+ views and no nibbles?

Started typing something out then accidentally opened another window and lost it :/

Anyway, I loved my Kata 3n1-20, the build quality was excellent, but it might be a touch small for your gear. I don't think my 60D+70-200 f/4L would fit comfortably along with other large lenses. Maybe look into the 3n1-30? It should be large enough with a little bit of room to spare for other accessories.

I kind of gave up on side loading bags and slings and have decided to just go with a large-ish bag for transportation (Lowepro Mini Trekker) and R-straps on the bodies when I'm shooting.

 

[northrop]

No one uses camera bags? 40+ views and no nibbles?

I do, but the ones I have do not meet your requirements at all (ThinkTank AA, and Tamrac Expedition) so I really have nothing to contribute.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

I LOVE my Kata 3in1-22. It should just hold all of your gear.

... I loved my Kata 3n1-20, the build quality was excellent, but it might be a touch small for your gear.

I just looked into this bag after your suggestion(s) and wow two in a row for the same bag! (I realize the 20 doesn't have the netbook space, but other than that it's virtually identical.) This bag could very well be the one.

I don't think my 60D+70-200 f/4L would fit comfortably along with other large lenses. Maybe look into the 3n1-30? It should be large enough with a little bit of room to spare for other accessories.

I looked at some reviews with different load outs in them, and based upon what other people fit in the bag (properly I might add, I don't want to have things jammed in there) I think my gear will just fit. The 30 looks like it has the problem with being too big for what I need. Small and light is definitely the name of the game. If I can't have the 70-200mm attached that isn't a deal breaker.

The only concern I have is if the 3N1-20/22 will fit a full sized body, or in my case a body with a grip attached. It might be a tight fit, and I don't want my camera to distort the shape of the bag as that limits protection and causes stress and excessive wear on the zippers. If someone can comment on whether or not a full sized body fits in the Kata 3N1-20/22 comfortably, I may not need to look further and just pull the trigger on this bag.

I kind of gave up on side loading bags and slings and have decided to just go with a large-ish bag for transportation (Lowepro Mini Trekker) and R-straps on the bodies when I'm shooting.

This bag is supposed to fill a specific purpose. I'm trying to get something that I can use while day hiking either in a jungle or in an urban jungle. The problem with the Tenba is I had to spend too much time dropping the bag un-latching and un-zipping everything and getting my camera out to take a few shots, and then possibly have to load it back in if the next spot was a ways out. I don't want to have to fight my gear, I want it to be easy. As a side note, I currently use a Black Rapid Sport-2, but that gets tiresome after a spell. Hopefully with the new bag, I can leave the strap on, and have the camera in the bag ready to be reattached at any time. Hopefully this explains my requirement and why I want what I want more clearly.

Now in the case of lots of gear through an airport and into an overhead bin, that's different and I would look into an entirely different bag for that. Perhaps something like the Thinktank that northrop mentioned:

I do, but the ones I have do not meet your requirements at all (ThinkTank AA, and Tamrac Expedition) so I really have nothing to contribute.

Thanks for the responses thus far, they've been few, but very helpful!

 

[SilverMK3]

I looked at some reviews with different load outs in them, and based upon what other people fit in the bag (properly I might add, I don't want to have things jammed in there) I think my gear will just fit. The 30 looks like it has the problem with being too big for what I need. Small and light is definitely the name of the game. If I can't have the 70-200mm attached that isn't a deal breaker.

The only concern I have is if the 3N1-20/22 will fit a full sized body, or in my case a body with a grip attached. It might be a tight fit, and I don't want my camera to distort the shape of the bag as that limits protection and causes stress and excessive wear on the zippers. If someone can comment on whether or not a full sized body fits in the Kata 3N1-20/22 comfortably, I may not need to look further and just pull the trigger on this bag.

I actually still have my 3N1-20 in the closet and can confirm that my 60D with 70-200 mounted is about a 1/2" too long. Having the telephoto unmounted might work but it will be awkward to retrieve and limit the positions for your camera body. The battery grip should not cause a problem as you can rotate the body sideways to make it fit. From my experience with this bag, it is handy for a a single body with a short telephoto mounted and two other lenses at the most (you'll probably need to take out a spacer or two to make everything fit). Your flash and other accessories should fit in the top compartment.

Aside from the size issue it's a great bag. Not sure if the 22 offers any more space than the 20.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

I actually still have my 3N1-20 in the closet and can confirm that my 60D with 70-200 mounted is about a 1/2" too long. Having the telephoto unmounted might work but it will be awkward to retrieve and limit the positions for your camera body. The battery grip should not cause a problem as you can rotate the body sideways to make it fit. From my experience with this bag, it is handy for a a single body with a short telephoto mounted and two other lenses at the most (you'll probably need to take out a spacer or two to make everything fit). Your flash and other accessories should fit in the top compartment.

Aside from the size issue it's a great bag. Not sure if the 22 offers any more space than the 20.

Hrmm, you're making me re-think the 70-200mm situation. I've confirmed you are correct on not being able to keep it mounted while stowed. I guess it's back to looking at more solutions. If I can't find anything better, I may have to settle with this compromise.

 

[ExplodingTaco]

Why do you want, and especially need a grip for jungle and urban jungle day trips?

Also I fit my Nikon D700 with 3 primes, a 70-210 f4 lens (the long lens is not attached) and a flash. This leaves the top 3 pockets all empty for other things.

 

[UnknownSouljer]

Why do you want, and especially need a grip for jungle and urban jungle day trips?

To be sure, not having a grip is lighter and smaller, but I do a fair bit of vertical shots, I like having my two batteries in place (rather than swapping, 2 batteries is more than enough for a day of shooting), and I have a RRS L-plate that is designed with the grip attached. I suppose I could buy another plate, but that isn't what I want to do. I use the L-plate frequently because I've been doing more HDR, landscape, and architecture work as of late.

If for no other reason, it's just a preference.

Also I fit my Nikon D700 with 3 primes, a 70-210 f4 lens (the long lens is not attached) and a flash. This leaves the top 3 pockets all empty for other things.

I have no doubt that all the gear I have will fit. It's just a matter now of how important it will be to have the 70-200mm attached. The Lowpro Fastpack 250 might be a better option for me as it's marginally bigger than the 3N1-20, large enough to swallow the 5D mk II with 70-200mm attached. However anecdotal evidence suggests that the Kata is built better. This is frustrating as I'm sure the Kata can't do it by a measurement in centimeters.

 

[ExplodingTaco]

However anecdotal evidence suggests that the Kata is built better.

This is for sure. The kata's build quality is best I have seen in a backpack. The only thing I have seen that is close is the ThinkTank Retrospective in Pinestone. So I bought that one too .

 

[SilverMK3]

Crumpler bags are well built too and deceivingly small, might wanna take a look there

 

[UnknownSouljer]

This is for sure. The kata's build quality is best I have seen in a backpack. The only thing I have seen that is close is the ThinkTank Retrospective in Pinestone. So I bought that one too .

Nice! Although I think if I wanted a classy shoulder bag, I would go with the Classic Billingham Hadley Pro.

Crumpler bags are well built too and deceivingly small, might wanna take a look there

I just took a look, they make some nice gear, but they don't have quick access. Additionally, Crumpler comes at a high premium.

Thanks for all the help guys, I know I'm being difficult, but after cycling through bags, I don't want another one that won't fit my workflow.

 

[SilverMK3]

I know the feeling, I have a pile of them in the closet that I should probably just throw on Craigslist or something.

Let us know what you end up with!

 

[UnknownSouljer]

I'm looking at the 3N1-30. It's only 3 inches wider than the 20. I've decided against the laptop models as they add 3 inches of depth. I'm still checking the vanguard as well. Still open to hear options as they come.

 

[SilverMK3]

The 30 is a great bag. I know of a fact that it will hold a 5DMk2 body with a 70-200 f/2.8L attached, a 7D body, a 17-40L, and a 24-70L. Plus a couple of speedlites, pocket wizards, and random bits of gear. I assisted a pair of local Pros on a wedding shoot a couple of weekends ago and that's the bag I carried for one of them.

 

[EEB]

Think Tank Photo is the only brand of bags I use anymore

 

[UnknownSouljer]

Think Tank Photo is the only brand of bags I use anymore

I won't lie, I have brand loyalty towards a lot of products, but that isn't something I can afford in a bag. The name tag is meaningless if it doesn't carry what I want to carry and deploy what I want it to deploy. I think Think Tank's are great for large amounts of gear (in general) and moving through air ports in particular.

Their backpacks simply don't do what I want them to do. If I needed to carry singular super telephotos or 5-9 primes, then they'd be great.
http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/camera-backpacks.aspx?page=1
For mobility, not so much.

 

[northrop]

^Fully agree with this. I love Think Tank too, and I get a lot of millage out of the modular system, and their backpacks are great for air travel like you mentioned (part of the reason why I picked up Airport Acceleration in the first place), but they don't meet every requirement.

 

[EEB]

I have used tamrac and lowpro in the past and just like how I can organize my stuff in the Think Tank bags. If I'm traveling or taking everything with me I use my airport acceleration. Most of the time when doing events I just use the speed belt with a few bags on it.

 

[P-UNIT]

I have the lowepro you mentioned.. I absolutely love it. I've never had a bad experience with lowepro