Let me preface this post by the disclaimer I sort hate those ~~other~~ forums where someone posts a new thread and asks a question like "what do you think of the blue sky" which seems more of an exercise of playing schoolyard kid looking to get some attention. Or, more realistically, "what lens should I use when I travel to Italy?" I don't know and I don't care. LOL

But, for any of us that have a fair amount of camera gear I am interested to hear which bags work best for your day-to-day efforts. Most of my freelance stuff and travels do not require lots of lighting etc, and the little LowePro Photohatchback has really been pretty good for a couple of years. Lowepro's stuff is built pretty well and a much lower price point than much of the other guys.

I went to a Messenger bag and that now seems to satisfy as a daily driver but I bought the larger Mindshift for my recent trip to Florida. Today, I just bought a new Lowepro messenger bag after seeing a sexy pre-buy for the new Manfrotto Norig series at 2x+ the price.

I know the Thinktank bag system is very popular for alot of folks. Their pricing is much higher but they are feature rich. Maybe I am just a cheap bastard. Just curious if there was a bag that you would consider as your primary wing-man when loaded and ready to shoot?

what type of camera? lol
I use the F-802 Reporter's Messenger Bag
I am fuji mirrorless with 3-4 small lenses, battery charger, 13" laptop & ipad, filters, caps, phone charger stuff and notebook stuffed in without issue. I use smaller padded camera lense inserts that make it much easier to manage in an open drop top type back like this.https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/16033-REG/Domke_701_82S_F_802_Reporter_s_Satchel_Shoulder.html

yea, Domke makes great bags and they have been around forever

Even as a part time working pro you need multiple bags.
I've been through my fair share of bags. I have three I use regularly now.
Pelican for travel.
ThinkTank Retrospective 50 for local jobs.
80s Tamrac shoulder bag.

The Tamrac is my absolute favorite walk around bag ever. Mine is old and beat up. I shoot mirrorless these days and that bag is pretty deep and sits close to the body.

I however cannot recommend the ThinkTank bag. I'm currently looking for a bag to replace it.

It's got plenty room and pockets, the bag is too bulky. The over flap is too big. The worst part though, the shoulder strap isn't detachable. It also bunches up where it attaches to the bag.

Bags are just so personal, I think they are as fun as they are important. The hunt for a good bag continues.

I like most photographers would say it depends. My daily going to Shutterfest 2019 bag will be Peak Design’s Large Everyday Messenger 💼. https://goo.gl/images/nBkfGL

I guess what I’m trying to say is it really depends on what I’m doing that day because I can’t use my Mamiya RB67 kit with the Everyday Messenger.

While I’m in the confessional, might as admit that I have bag lust. It’s hard for me to pass up a functional prospect 😎.

Mindshift bags are really clever but very pricey.

Domke bags are great but don't offer much padding. Based on experience, Think Tank bags feel to me like Domke 2.0 bags. There's a very similar aesthetic & practicality but Think Tank continues to evolve & they pad their bags well.

I'm a big guy & switched from a Peak Design 20L Everyday Backpack to the 30L version. I know these bags are trendy but I live in San Francisco & have multiple friends who work at Peak. I still have a Peak Everyday Messenger for sale.

These new Manfrotto bags look good: https://www.dpreview.com/news/8913923708/manfrotto-noreg-series-launches-with-backpack-30-and-messenger-30-bags

Thanks for confirming that a simple camera bag is personal. That is the way I feel but it sort sounds silly out loud.

What's a "Messager" ? :D

Personally, I lean towards bags that give me some way to swing the bag around in front of me to drop crap into as I switch things around. I use a kata 3-n-1 33 for my dslr, and a lowepro backpack similar to the hatchback 22L for my mirrorless.

Another thread oughta be the kind of tripod heads you play with and for what...and the retention systems you use to keep the camera at-the-ready on your body, and not crashing on the ground.

"Another thread oughta be the kind of tripod heads you play with and for
what...and the retention systems you use to keep the camera at-the-ready
on your body, and not crashing on the ground."

+1 - Tripods are very personal to me as well....and, I have spent some $$ on some arranged marriages that did not work out that well. hahhahahhahah

My name is Dan and I am a bag hoarder.

Yeah, It does. I just won't jump into a camera bag purchase. I prefer not to buy them online anymore. A bag is personal, it's also a tool that helps you do your job the way you want to do it.

I view bags as several different sets of tools - the bags I use to transport gear - particularly in modern jet airplanes - are distinctly different from the bags, back packs I prefer to use to carry gear when in the field or workshop. I wish I could use the same bag in both situations, but long experience has taught me otherwise.

Travel bags, for me at least, neede to be able to carry 2 or three bodies and 3-5 lenses( one of which may be a large tele) + filters, + maybe a speedlight and radio transmittter to trigger the speedlite, + a reflector or a diffuser of some type. This is more gear than I will probably need for a specific task during the day ( typically about 45 pounds ) , so I prefer to use a smaller back pack to just carry the bare minimum of what I need during the day - but not large enough for international travel.

I have tried to resolve this conflict many, many times over the years, and find I keep coming back to this conclusion - I need a travel bag and a lighter shooting backpack or messenger bag.

I would prefer a roller bag to travel with, but since I frequently end up in smaller commuter jets, I need a bag that will fit in the smaller overhead bins and I don't want to gate check my gear ever. So I wear it or carry it, rather than roll it.

For air travel I usually use a Gura Gear 25 liter or 30 liter Kibokobag - I have many others I have used over the years, but I keep returning to the kiboko for travel. It is deep enough for a 1Series body, not too heavy empty, very well made, almost indestructable, and well padded. Mine has travelled a lot.

For a day bag I usually throw a few items into a medium sized Osprey backback - nothing about the Osprey screams camera gear, it is durable and sturdy and fits well with a good belt if needed. If I am going to be in a Zodiac or around water, I may simply use a medium sized dry bag to carry a camera and lens or two. I usually also bring a Kinesis camera bag - a very water resistant, padded, zips shut bag for a DSLR body + mounted lens.

I use lens wraps in the Osprey to help protect gear.

About tripods - I always say I want the smallest, lightest possible tripod to pack around and then when I get ready to photograph stars or moving water or whatever, I want the largest, heaviest, most sturdy, strongest, most stable platform I can afford. Needless to say, I cannot get everything I want in a single tripod - so I have several, for different tasks. Heavier is better all things considered, except carrying. You can always hire a porter.

So, I got the Lowepro bag. Nice enough for sure. But, it ain't it. Like many of the helpful comments, buying a bag online is difficult. The Lowepro has great pockets and it is well thought out but a little too wide off the hip for cocktail parties, etc.

So, I reviewed the specs of the Tenba bag that I like functionality-wise and determined the dimensions.

I went back to Amazon and found a great looking and reviewed leather messenger bag that is about 1/2 inch bigger all around than the Tenba and I will just throw my Tenba camera inserts into this bag.

I also realize no one cares personally, but, just sharing the journey for illumination. Below is a quick snag taken of the compartments on the new Lowepro. I will probably use this bag for roadtrips to put on the floor of passenger side that will allow me to pull from as needed.

I use a variety of setups given what the activity and goal is!

Hiking: dedicated lowepro protactic 450aw with a d610 w/70-200 on it. Peak design capture clip connected to the d810 w/ 35 f1.4 or 14-24 hanging from the front strap. Super easy to get both out in seconds to take shots, totally out of the way when you're moving.

Events: Either two peak design slide straps with the above bodies+lenses with one on each strap, or a peak design messenger bag with one body in it and the other on my neck with the slide.

Street: same messenger as above, or just a single body in the messenger so it stays small and out of the way.

This is expensive in terms of bags and gear (around $550 or something on ebay) but it means I always have my camera gear in easy-to-handle and accessible ways. I have another time-intensive job (Phd student) and I still take a ton of pictures.

let me know if you have any questions!

I love LowePro bags, and I will probably buy another one to replace that horrible thinktank bag for days I need to carry a lot of gear. But I need a nice everyday street bag just big enough to carry an A7 or an X-T1 with a couple of lenses.

Camera bags have become a means of transporting my gear from location to location rather than a tool to carry my gear in the field.

I do video work professionally. We often shoot in long shifts of 10-12 hours, and my camera rig is always in my hands. The base of the rig is usually a MOVI M5 with a mirrorless or RED at the center. Sometimes I'm lugging around a drone too. I've never found a truly comfortable camera bag for all day situations. The backpack part of most camera bags seems to be an afterthought.

I use true outdoor adventuring backpacks to carry my gear in the field. My Osprey Kode 30 is my favorite. It has proper back support with good ventilation. The hip belts are comfortable. It holds a 3-liter camelback. Plenty of space for all my gear.

I have an f-stop Satori Exp that I use to transport my gear in transit. It's not comfortable to wear all day so it gets left in the car or hotel.

This bag is very tempting to me. I also backed the Peak Design bag as well as the Errant https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990568293/errant-the-ultimate-everyday-backpack?ref=user_menu but I'm deciding which one I want to keep.

I hadn't seen the Errant. Looks pretty cool! I'm tempted, but the last thing I need is another everyday carry bag... 😬💸

Boom! I have found my daily bag! I will do a photoshoot and walkaround next week...but, these guys offer a bunch of variations...great reviews, low cost. Of course I was suspicious. I slid my divider thingey in from my Tenba and it fits great as it should have . Many, many features I really like about this bag...but, this is what I was looking for. I am sure that is not what Bono was singing about...but, whatev. AMAZON LINK