Camera/Laptop Bags - Help me choose!

FlipFlop

FlipFlop

FlipFlop

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Hoping you helpful lot can have some input on my search for a decent DSLR camera bag, I also have a 17" laptop so am considering combo options for convenience when travelling although this isn't an absolute necessity since I do have a decent laptop case.

I've spent (wasted) much of Sunday doing general research into what brands people seem to be recommending on other forums and shopping around for various options.

- From Lowepro the Fastpack 350 seems to be highly recommended - http://products.lowepro.com/product/Fastpack-350,2087.htm

- Something pretty stylish from Crumpler which also seem to come highly recommend. Found this on ebay which looks decent - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Crumpler-Zoom...aAccessories_BagsCases_JN&hash=item1c1632eda1

- Kata also came up a lot in my searches and this 3n1 looks pretty decent - http://www.fotosense.co.uk/kata-3n1-20-sling-backpack-medium.html

- Lowerpro do a model called the Slingshot which won't hold a laptop but is functional for accessing your DSLR - http://www.fotosense.co.uk/lowepro-slingshot-302-aw.html

- Finally I came across this by Manfrotto on ebay. I've never heard of this brand however this camera bag holds a laptop AND comes with a tripod which I also need - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Manfrotto-732...cessories_TripodsSupports&hash=item2eb36055c3

The photo on that listing isn't very good so I found a better one on Google images - http://blog.photopoint.ee/wp-content/gallery/manfrotto-kott/07-fotokott-manfrotto-mypack.jpg

Actually makes it look pretty decent, however I did read a review on Amazon where a buyer had commented that the tripod pouch doesn't ever close if it has the tripod in it which seems a bit silly but something I could certainly live with.

Anyone have any input on the above selections or recommendations on better options?

Cheers all - hope you had a good weekend!

Edit: I also found something by Tamrac but it was unclear if it fit a 17" laptop so I left that one out.
 
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Also, have a look at swisstech, I have one of their laptop bags and they are built well. Have also used crumpler, the bags are very
and appear indestructable. Oh, swisstech can be bought at cost co.
 
@PhillyDee

Yes SwissTech are awesome, that is the brand of laptop case I recently bought, it's excellent. I can't seem to find any purpose built camera/laptop bags from them unfortunately - just the laptop rucksacks. Costco website is pretty bad, doesn't seem to have any products on there unfortunately.

South Shields eh - that's where I work :)

@Snapshot

Loving the look of that backpack actually - although it's a bit more than I wanted to pay. Gonna have a closer look at that one for some reviews.

Edit: Found this review - Unfortunately mine is a 17" laptop.

"Comments about National Geographic Earth Explorer Backpack - Medium:

On some web site's it says it takes a 17" computor it does not apart from that it a good well built bag.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend"


Cheers guys.
 
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Yeah, Costco don't sell on the website or advertise products on there. Only way is instore. You may be able to get them elsewhere, but I doubt they would do camera/laptop combos. The one I have has a large gap in the main part, you may be able to custom fit foam in there to accept a camera and equipment.
 
I've got the big-daddy Lowepro bag - Compurover AW. I really like it but it's more for out-doorsy applications and traveling etc than general use; although I use it as myday-to-day bag for uni - I carry a lot of gear around.

The laptop section is massive - oversized even for my 17" laptop.
The tripod support is brilliant, and the intergrated weather shield has come in very handy this year.

Might be a little too large for what you want, but if you want to know more just give me a shout.
 
Yes the Compurover AW is another I looked at. Can you tell me, is the waist belt detachable? It's more of a hiking feature than an everyday feature I'd want.

Cheers for your input everyone! I'm still no closer to finding something but will continue looking.
 
FlipFlop said:
@Snapshot

Loving the look of that backpack actually - although it's a bit more than I wanted to pay. Gonna have a closer look at that one for some reviews.

Edit: Found this review - Unfortunately mine is a 17" laptop.

"Comments about National Geographic Earth Explorer Backpack - Medium:

On some web site's it says it takes a 17" computor it does not apart from that it a good well built bag.

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend"Cheers guys.
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Bugger, I was interested in it as the site I saw it on said it took at 17" lappie. :confused:
 
Timbuk2?
If you don't need specific camera pouches then there is also bags from chrome, knog and osprey to name a few good courier bag manufacturers.

I just got a knog pig dog for general use but I will get a padded insert for sticking my camera and a lens in as well as other stuff when needed.
 
FlipFlop said:
Yes the Compurover AW is another I looked at. Can you tell me, is the waist belt detachable? It's more of a hiking feature than an everyday feature I'd want.

Cheers for your input everyone! I'm still no closer to finding something but will continue looking.
Click to expand...

Hi Sorry, I forgot to check back on this thread.

Yes the waist belt is detachable - it's velcro's in and just slides out (okay, it doesn't just 'slide out' its a little more tricky than that)
 
You haven't said what camera gear you actually want to put in there have you? And what style of bag? A 17" laptop is going to give you a much bigger bag than you would otherwise need I imagine. Personally I have a Billingham Hadley Pro, which fits a D200, 17-55 f/2.8 (bulky lens), 35/1.4 prime (not small) and 70-200 f/2.8 (again bulky) plus all the batteries, memory cards, filters I need for a weekend and my ipad. Still reasonably small, light and size wise wouldn't even hold a 15" laptop. Point being - that's a lot of fairly bulky gear and the footprint of the bag isn't going to support a 15" laptop let alone a 17, so a bag capable of taking a 17" is going to be seriously roomy...depends if you want that.
 
Snapshot said:
The National Geographic Earth Explorer Medium Backpack (5162) looks interesting.
Click to expand...

Loving the look of it myself. From the pictures and descriptions online it looks like exactly what I'm after for my next bag. Only have a cheap Lowepro shoulder bag at the moment, and it can't hold anymore than the 2 lenses and couple of filters I have now.

Not too bothered about the laptop pocket, although it is a nice feature and would probably get used sometimes. As most of my photography is outside (not that I've managed to do as much as I'd hoped) and rucksack with space for a jacket and a few odds & ends is a must. And so far all the rucksack camera bags I've seen tend not to have much space for extras.

If anyone has any other suggestions it'd be great.

Currently have a D7000, 50mm 1.4G, 18-105mm kit lense, polarising filter, and cokin filter kit (only 1 filter so far) and a basic tripod. I plan on adding a couple of spare batteries & memory cards, a 70-300mm and a 35mm prime as well as a few more cokin filters, over the next year or so. So any bag would need space for all that as well as a waterproof jacket/fleece, water bottle, 1 meal + snack as well as a map/compass etc.
 
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bigredshark said:
You haven't said what camera gear you actually want to put in there have you? And what style of bag? A 17" laptop is going to give you a much bigger bag than you would otherwise need I imagine. Personally I have a Billingham Hadley Pro, which fits a D200, 17-55 f/2.8 (bulky lens), 35/1.4 prime (not small) and 70-200 f/2.8 (again bulky) plus all the batteries, memory cards, filters I need for a weekend and my ipad. Still reasonably small, light and size wise wouldn't even hold a 15" laptop. Point being - that's a lot of fairly bulky gear and the footprint of the bag isn't going to support a 15" laptop let alone a 17, so a bag capable of taking a 17" is going to be seriously roomy...depends if you want that.
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You are quite right, whilst looking online I came to realise that a bag that will hold a 17" laptop will be much too big for my needs. Mainly looking for something to take out on a walk and maybe to a footy match. The laptop was a secondary consideration for when I travel but I've decided to leave that out for now.

So to answer your question I'm after a shoulder/messenger bag with easy access to the camera and room for my D3100 with kit 18-55mm lens, my Nikon prime 50mm and also the 55-300mm I will be adding soon. I've seen a few backpacks that looked like they had good access, a Fastpack which had a side access so I'm not ruling that out either.

I've seen a few nice looking bags from Crumpler which don't look like camera bags but they weren't particularly easy access and I was concerned that the lid of the bag didn't look too secure, just two clips and it seemed gear could fall out.

So I'm also considering typical camera bag styles such as the Tamrac Express 7 although I do want something with extra space for phones, ipods, sunglasses and so on which is why I was veering more towards the messenger bag style. Something which will hold the camera gear in proper compartments with room for other things too.

I only want to be carrying one thing when I'm out and about really which is why this whole process is proving to be so difficult.
 
FlipFlop said:
- Kata also came up a lot in my searches and this 3n1 looks pretty decent - http://www.fotosense.co.uk/kata-3n1-20-sling-backpack-medium.html
Click to expand...

I have one of these, and it is pretty much is the perfect bag as far as I'm concerned. The ability to switch it from a rucksack/shoulder bag to a sling type is invaluable, and really useful when traveling: if it's in sling mode it also gives you a nice platform for changing lenses without having to put the bag down etc.

Mine holds a gripped Pentax K7 with 17-70 attached, plus a DA* 60-250, my flashgun, 50mm, rocket blower etc in the lower compartment leaving the top compartment free for the odds an ends I want to carry as well. There are side pockets for filters/memory cards etc, and I also have the optional tripod holder which straps on the back and doesn't impede access to the camera etc.

It's extremely well made - I've dragged mine around for two years (without much care :D) and there isn't a fault on it. The camera compartment is very well padded and comes with a decent set of dividers etc. It's not waterproof (there is a separate cover that comes with it) but I'm pretty sure that unless you get caught in a torrential downpour it isn't worth the hassle - I've had it out in drizzle and light rain without any ingress at all.
 
Tamrac Aero Speed Pack 85?

Will hold a laptop up to 17", has easy side and front access, very comfortable to wear, will hold all your kit no problem and has a separate section for your own bits.
Not too expensive either.

ps, I own the 75 model and am very pleased with it.
 
How about a Messenger style bag such as the Crumpler Delhi 210 (or whole range for that matter). Cheapest I found was around £55. I think it caters for both laptops and camera gear, and the camera compartment can be removed if you don't need it.
 
IF you want a messenger and aren't too bothered about cost check out the Billingham Hadley options, I'm utterly in love with mine. Really well thought out and made, they've obviously paid attention to how it sits too, which seems increasingly rare, too many bags don't and do stuff like cantilever out when they're on your shoulder which makes them less comfortable to carry. Not cheap though.
 
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