Advice please - new camera backpack

lookup

lookup

Messages
207
Edit My Images
No
Hi all,

I'm off to New York and am taking my new D7000 I sourced on the TP forums with me. My Crumpler Muffin Top doesn't quite fit the bill so I'm looking for a backpack instead. I need a comfortable backpack with enough room to use as a daysack as well (so room for water bottle, sunglasses, maybe a coat etc) but not too big. I don't want anything as big as the laptop bag I use (Swissgear Synergy).

Kit to go in will be (at most, probably only 2 of the lenses):
Nikon D7000
Sigma 17-70
Sigma 10-20
Nikon 50
Battery, cards etc.

Budget: Preferably <£100

I've had a good read of the other threads and found a few options but I know I'm missing many others.

Options looked at so far:
Mantona Rhodolit
Red Snapper CompuCam
I looked at Lowepro, F-stop and Think Tank but I think they're all out of budget maybe.

Can anyone throw a few more options my way? I can go a little over budget if required but it may mean less cheesecake when I get to NY...!

Cheers, Lookup
 
i have the mantona rhodolit and the most I have managed to fit into the bottom compartment is
a gripped 500D
couple of flashes and 4 YN remote triggers
Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6
Tokina 12-24 f4
nifty fifty
Samyang fisheye
rocket blower (was below the body with lens attached to fill the void :p)

and all sorts of accessories like spare cards, batteries cloths were in the top compartment

so i reckon space wise you will be ok with it. as a guide, you will be able to fit a bottle of wine in the side compartment at a squeeze, this was rather useful once :grin:

quality wise the foam is quite strong, doesnt deform much when carrying stuff under full load unless there is something heavy in the top compartment (i had the body up there once to fit another lens (canon 17-85) in the bottom). It does mildly deform and make the side access zips hard to do up if you were trying to take/put back the body+lens through the side.

normally drizzle proof and comes with a decent rain cover that wraps around the whole bag for the heavier rain. just a heads up, the internal dividers are not completely "reversible" (flipping right to left), the position of the internal velcro bits limits it to body+lens has to go in from the right if you swung the bag to around the front (if that makes sense, it is the configuration as pictured on amazon)

It is quite comfortable to carry, it hardly moves around on my back with all the straps done up properly, sometimes i dont even bother with the waist strap if theres not much in it. not tried it in the sling set up nor do i really feel the need to, i always take the bag off my back to change lens etc due to the deformation problem as described above.

the tripod strap sort of works, maybe my tripod was too heavy for it, the strap near the top of the bag kept loosening on its own and the tripod would wobble around/hit me as i walked, i find using the buckle to attach the tripod to the carrying handle instead of the dedicated position helped.

Overall i would recommend it, its cheaper in comparison to Tamrac/Thinktank equivalents at £60 vs £100+ but still does the job for me. a bonus is that it doesnt really look like a camera backpack so it helps when trying to keep a low profile/hide the gear walking around town.

I hope that helps you decide :)
 
Cheers FlyingShrapnel, that's brilliant feedback on the Mantona!
 
Whilst they're rubbish for actually working out of, when I'm carry stackloads of gear, I need a backpack to manage the weight. I've got three at the moment and they're all Think Tank. I've got an Airport Accelerator, A Streetwalker and a Shape Shifter. The Shape Shifter is totally my favourite because I can carry two bodies, two lenses and a flash, with or without a laptop and the weight stays close to my back. When the cameras are out, the whole shemozzle zips zown thin and is way less sticky-outy.

Also (and here I speak from experience) don't carry your cameras and lenses round in a backpack with the lenses mounted. Really - leave the lenses off and the body caps on. The Shape Shifter is designed for this and is all the better for it.
 
Thanks all. I'm not completely discounting Lowepro it's just the ones I thought would be best as a day sack as we'll were all around £125.
 
The bagfinder on the Lowepro website is pretty good- you can put in what body and how many lenses and that you have. I've got 3 Lowepro bags- very happy with them. Seeing as you live in England I'd suggest something showerproof...
Photo hatchback maybe? Not one I have but seems a good fit?
 
Not looked at the hatchback before even though I'd done bag finder, looks nice!
 
I have 3 backpacks/rucksacks - Lowepro Rover, Tamrac Adventure and a Kata. No problems with any of them - the one I use the most is probably the Lowepro as it's the biggest and fits the most in. By the way 2 were bought on ebay - (£23.50 delivered for the Lowepro and £18.50 delivered for the Tamrac) used but both in very good condition - so that could be one way to stretch your budget if you are patient. (The Kata was bought brand new but was one of those lightning deal things.)

While it's very rare to find a bargain on ebay, camera bags do seem to be one exception to this rule sometimes, especially if they are listed for example as just 'camera backpack' (without the brand name in the title) they tend to get less bids.

Here is a Tamrac currently at 99p for example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamrac-5549-Adventure-9-Photo-Laptop-backpack-very-good-condition-/161258347662 No idea what it will go for obviously but as a guide the new price is £70. Here is a Lowepro Rover currently at £5: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lowepro-Rover-Plus-AW-camera-backpack-/321358780174 and a Kata at £1: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kata-DR-466i-Camera-Bag-Rucksac-Black-/321358120930 another Lowepro at 99p: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lowepro-Fastpack-Digital-SLR-Camera-Bag-Backpack-/131148558825? etc etc
 
Last edited:
Cheers, will have a look on eBay. All these suggestions are great, giving me lots of options. It's so helpful to get ideas from all the TP'ers who actually use the kit.
 
I've a Lowepro Mini Trekker and it should hold your kit - I can hold plenty in it.

I think the Pro Runner is the new version of it and I seem to remember they do a few different sizes, might be worth a look.

Enjoy your trip :)
 
Thanks again all. Front runners are the Lowepro Hatchback (probably 22L) or the Mantona Rhodolit but I'm still open to the opinions (especially the weekend browsing folk) :)
 
I've got the Lowepro Flipside 400 AW £84 on Park Cameras http://www.parkcameras.com/10067/Lowepro-Flipside-400-Black.html It's great. You access all you gear through the back of the bag so you can keep the waistbelt on and get your gear out without having to take it off and put it on the ground. It works like a little table. It's great for changing lenses. It has a tripod holder which isnt the best ever but I use a strap on the top of the bag thats for something else to give the tripod more support. And it's got more handy compartments than my car. I've had mine nearly 2 years now and it's all still fine. You can get a bigger one too called the Flipside 500 AW
Heres a vid: http://isitetv.com/isitetv_cms/player.php?encoded=89265e7911d89be01a4a8d80871b9768&iprtip=Y

And I found this photo for you so you can see what I mean about not having to put the bag down:
220251423_640.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I looked at the flipside series but I just though it might lack the "non camera gear" space in something like the 300 whilst the 400 looked quite bulky. Not sure what they stock at Jessops but I'll try to get hands on with some over the weekend.
 
lookup said:
Yeah, I looked at the flipside series but I just though it might lack the "non camera gear" space in something like the 300 whilst the 400 looked quite bulky. Not sure what they stock at Jessops but I'll try to get hands on with some over the weekend.
Click to expand...

I dont find it too bulky but then I've never had another bag. It is starting to get heavy as I add more gear, but that's not down to the bag. I bought mine because I took the wife walking on Dartmoor for a break away and found it to be really comfortable. There are pockets on the sides to but water bottles in and even a secure hook to hang your keys on. If you can get a look it would be worth it, but if you want me to post some pics just say
 
EspressoJunkie said:
I have a Lowepro Vertex 100 and it's the best bag I've ever used! Decent amount of room (there are 200 and 300 versions available to), and it's pretty rugged to.
Click to expand...
It's a nice bag but a little too much a camera bag for me if you know what I mean!
 
ahhh found a uk seller.. i have the athena 70 in the silver colour.
http://www.ukdigital.co.uk/nest-camera-bags-backpacks.html?p=2

a few real world pics of mine to give you an idea of size and space ( i got mine on auction on ebay new for £23 too!! )

9132412371_43ed6c6720_c.jpg



9134628294_6d98775937_c.jpg


9132408711_251c77b6d7_c.jpg


canon 60D with 18/135 in there.. plus plenty of room for a 70-300 and 50mm , couple of flashguns, filters and whatnot.. and you also have the top section which will hold alot more including a laptop and all the side pockets.. plus comes with waterproof cover
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top