Bags on the brain!

LauraJ23

LauraJ23

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Laura
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I currently have a lowepro mini trekker aw which is a cracking back pack, but now I have my sigma 50-500, I really need something better, giving me greater comfort levels for carrying.

Currently I have

A gripped 50d
50-500os
200mm 2.8
50mm 1.8
18-55
50-200
70-300
and a pair of binoculars.

I have looked at the Lowepro vertex 200, Tamrac Expedition 7, and the other day I looked at a Kata pl-220 and I really liked it's strap system. But its price is a bit :eek:

Does anyone have these bags? How well have they served you?
 
That's allot of kit to be carrying would you be wanting to carry it all at same time?
I have a kata 123 go which is a very nice bag!
In it I fit my 60d , 150-500, 2 other lenses and a pair of bins and there's still room for more!!
I found YouTube quite helpful for bah reviews!!
 
michael23 said:
I currently have a lowepro mini trekker aw which is a cracking back pack, but now I have my sigma 50-500, I really need something better, giving me greater comfort levels for carrying.

Currently I have

A gripped 50d
50-500os
200mm 2.8
50mm 1.8
18-55
50-200
70-300
and a pair of binoculars.
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Out of six lenses four of them cover the same basic focal range, and the remaining two are also essentially duplicates. Do you really need to carry them all?
 
mjb123 said:
That's allot of kit to be carrying would you be wanting to carry it all at same time?
I have a kata 123 go which is a very nice bag!
In it I fit my 60d , 150-500, 2 other lenses and a pair of bins and there's still room for more!!
I found YouTube quite helpful for bah reviews!!
Click to expand...

Which version have you got? is it the go 30? And does it fit the body and 150-500 attached?

Hotshots said:
ohh you want something like the Lowepro Pro Trekker 300 AW or Bigger,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MZK8hkcn2o
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Arwensarah said:
Oh my wow that's a big bag, :thumbs:
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Nice bag!

Flash In The Pan said:
Out of six lenses four of them cover the same basic focal range, and the remaining two are also essentially duplicates. Do you really need to carry them all?
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Graham, you make a very good point there.It is just one of those things I have always done since I got a back pack.

I don't really use the 70-300 at all now, I might leave that out of the equation and probably even sell it. I want to buy a mirrorless camera and a lens for the wideangle end, which would then allow me to get rid of the 18-55 as well.
 
I use a Kata 3N1-30 for day long trips. The most I carry is a gripped 7D + 70-200 2.8 II fitted, 1.4x and 2x TCs, 2 Sigmas 10-20 & 17-50 and. Gitzo 1542T, and although this is a fair weight it's doable as the Kata is a very comfy bag in backpack config. However it's rare that I would have this much with me as it's normally either the long end or wide to middle depending on what I'm shooting.
 
I bought a lowepro flipside 400 its very big and it opens at the back so feels secure. Off the top of my head this is what I store in it.

Dslr with 35mm lens attached
Film slr with 50mm lens attached
2x olympus trips
5x prime lens
rocket blower
filters
f35mm film case
aa batteries
2x small flash units
possibly a coulple more items I'm not in reach of my bag at the minute

You can also fasten it around your waist and pull it round to the front so you can have accsess to your gear. Saves putting it on the ground.
 
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michael23 said:
Which version have you got? is it the go 30? And does it fit the body and 150-500 attached?

Nice bag!

Graham, you make a very good point there.It is just one of those things I have always done since I got a back pack.

I don't really use the 70-300 at all now, I might leave that out of the equation and probably even sell it. I want to buy a mirrorless camera and a lens for the wideangle end, which would then allow me to get rid of the 18-55 as well.
Click to expand...

I've got the go 30 edition it fits my 60d with sigma 150-500 fitted to it!
 
michael23 said:
Thanks Emma. How are you finding the comfort of it? I tried one for a few minutes a little while ago, and wasnt overly pleased with the comfort.
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I find very comfy I've also used a crumpler backpack in the past and found that very comfy too.
 
michael23 said:
I have just been looking at that range. I am just wondering if one of them would take my gripped 50d and 50-500 attached. Is there much space left in the length of the compartment you put your 7d combo in?
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The gripped 7D + 70-200 2.8 II fits perfectly in the 3N1-30. With a Canon 1.4x TC fitted it's a tight fit, but will go. With a 2x fitted the combo is too long to fit in. The 70-200 is 7.8" without the hood, and as I put it in the bag with the hood fitted reversed I reckon your 50-500 at 8.6" will fit ok, as the 1.4TC is longer than the difference between the lenses. I fit the combo transversley and can get a 24-105L + 17-40L in the space below, and the two TCs + either a Sigma 10-20 or 17-50 above. In the top compartment I can fit a 1D MkIII body, the other Sigma, flash and G12. The side pockets take spare batteries and cards. I never carry this much gear, but I've packed the bag like this to take my gear on holiday in the car, decanting into a smaller bag for days out while away.
 
magirus said:
The gripped 7D + 70-200 2.8 II fits perfectly in the 3N1-30. With a Canon 1.4x TC fitted it's a tight fit, but will go. With a 2x fitted the combo is too long to fit in. The 70-200 is 7.8" without the hood, and as I put it in the bag with the hood fitted reversed I reckon your 50-500 at 8.6" will fit ok, as the 1.4TC is longer than the difference between the lenses. I fit the combo transversley and can get a 24-105L + 17-40L in the space below, and the two TCs + either a Sigma 10-20 or 17-50 above. In the top compartment I can fit a 1D MkIII body, the other Sigma, flash and G12. The side pockets take spare batteries and cards. I never carry this much gear, but I've packed the bag like this to take my gear on holiday in the car, decanting into a smaller bag for days out while away.
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Thanks very much for that! That sounds almost ideal. My local camera shop only had the 33 version when my wife asked for me. Looking like this bag could be the ideal range. :thumbs:
 
I just measured the combo, and while the hood fitted reversed doesn't add to the length, I have a Hoya Pro1D filter on the lens which does add a little, and with the lens cap in place the overall length is 11 1/8th inches.
 
michael23 said:
Thanks for that :thumbs: My combo is just over 11.5 inches.
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The 1.4 TC adds slightly over an inch when fitted but it all still goes in, albeit tightly, so I'm pretty confident your combo will fit ok. I just tried opening the zip enough to slide my hand in and there is room in there between the back of the camera and the inside of the bag (that's without the TC on).The pluses for me are being able to carry the bag in backpack config which takes the weight nicely, then convert to sling "on site", negating the need to put the bag down if it's wet/dirty. Once in sling config the bag makes a nice platform for resting elbows on for steady shooting. It's also handy for changing lenses out of the side of the bag, which can be set up for right or left handed use. Hope this all helps, and enjoy the bag if you get one. :)
 
I see you are in derbyshire, Sheffield photographic shop in sheffield stock Kata bags or they used to. Theres also Harrisons cameras they usually stock a lot of bags. Just a thought
 
magirus said:
The 1.4 TC adds slightly over an inch when fitted but it all still goes in, albeit tightly, so I'm pretty confident your combo will fit ok. I just tried opening the zip enough to slide my hand in and there is room in there between the back of the camera and the inside of the bag (that's without the TC on).The pluses for me are being able to carry the bag in backpack config which takes the weight nicely, then convert to sling "on site", negating the need to put the bag down if it's wet/dirty. Once in sling config the bag makes a nice platform for resting elbows on for steady shooting. It's also handy for changing lenses out of the side of the bag, which can be set up for right or left handed use. Hope this all helps, and enjoy the bag if you get one. :)
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That is a great help. Much appreciated.
 
Emma1 said:
I see you are in derbyshire, Sheffield photographic shop in sheffield stock Kata bags or they used to. Theres also Harrisons cameras they usually stock a lot of bags. Just a thought
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Thanks Emma. I didnt know about sheffield photographic and had totally forgot about Harrisons.
 
Harrisons is great, the staff are well informed and honest, you could take your kit with you and try the bags out... just a thought
 
I use both a Vertex 300 and Vertex 100 and as a few people have already said they do get heavy when full. I can get my gripped 7D along with Sigma 120-300 in the 100 and have room for bino's and a couple of small lenses. If doing an airshow I will generally use the 300 with 7D and Sigma 120-300 plus 5DMK2 and 70-200 f2.8, bino's extenders and poss 17-40.

The Vertex bags are in my opinion better than the Kata range with regards carrying heavy loads and also accessing kit. I had a Kata 3in1 30 and whilst it looks good, found accessing some of the items difficult due to the main compartment zip not being quite long enough. It means you have to fight the bag to get things in and out rather than just picking them up.
 
I've got a Tamrac Expedition 9x backpack and a Tamrac Super Pro 14 shoulder bag. The shoulder bag is long enough to carry a gripped 5D3 and Sigma 150-500 OS in one side and a gripped 60D with up to an 85 1.8 in the other, together with a Sigma 120-400 OS and a Canon 70-200 2.8 L MkII and a few other lenses and flash guns. It's massive and expensive but it really does the job well.
The Expedition 9x could easily take the 5D3 and 70-200 2.8 and the 60D with a 24-105 f4 L attached, plus everything else apart from the 2 Sigma lenses. Again it's very big and not cheap but both bags are so well made I'd trust them every time.
I did have a Tamrac Ultra Pro 13, which I'm pretty sure would take all of your gear if you packed it well and isn't that expensive (I sold mine on here for £60 a while ago in perfect condition) and is also a shoulder bag.
 
modchild said:
I've got a Tamrac Expedition 9x backpack and a Tamrac Super Pro 14 shoulder bag. The shoulder bag is long enough to carry a gripped 5D3 and Sigma 150-500 OS in one side and a gripped 60D with up to an 85 1.8 in the other, together with a Sigma 120-400 OS and a Canon 70-200 2.8 L MkII and a few other lenses and flash guns. It's massive and expensive but it really does the job well.
The Expedition 9x could easily take the 5D3 and 70-200 2.8 and the 60D with a 24-105 f4 L attached, plus everything else apart from the 2 Sigma lenses. Again it's very big and not cheap but both bags are so well made I'd trust them every time.
I did have a Tamrac Ultra Pro 13, which I'm pretty sure would take all of your gear if you packed it well and isn't that expensive (I sold mine on here for £60 a while ago in perfect condition) and is also a shoulder bag.
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Thanks Stuart, I used to use a shoulder bag, but changed over to a backpack for better comfort levels, I was constantly swapping shoulders due to pain and discomfort.

malla1962 said:
I have had loads of bags, well still have loads and never feel I have the right one lol.
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I know what you mean!
:lol:

I no longer have the 70-300, that's been sold to my Dad. So one step closer to sorting the kit out. Wide angle zoom and change lenses or a buy a small mirrorless with lens to replace the 18-55.
 
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Situation resolved!

I went and had a look at the kata 3n1 33 model, and decided against it. Whilst it is a very nice bag, and my gripped 50d and 50-500 fit in, there were some issues. The worst being I had to "fight" with the bag to get the camera out quickly, and I got frustrated with it with in a couple of minutes. So went through the tamrac bags, looked at the expedition 6x, would have been ideal, but with my 200mm 2.8 and hood, it just pushed the bag outwards and a bit tight, so went with the tamrac expedition 7.

A great piece of kit, excellent padding on the waist straps and bags of room! Fairly large, but worth it.

Thanks again for everyone's input on this. Much appreciated. All I need is a smaller bag for when I take the smaller kit out now, but that should be nice and easy to choose!
 
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