Camera bag advice

[taxboy]

Just to add to the advice party, have a look at the WANDRD PRVKE 21. Really well thought out bag and with the photography pack covers pretty much all the bases. RRP can be a little steep but seems to often be on offer.

I might be wrong but it looks suitable for around town and short use but for longer hikes I don't think it would be that comfortable - no waist belt for example. However happy to be proved wrong if anyone is using it for hiking

 

[stumac]

I would buy a proper backpack(osprey) and buy a padded insert for the camera gear from the likes of Amazon

 

[Sniffer]

I might be wrong but it looks suitable for around town and short use but for longer hikes I don't think it would be that comfortable - no waist belt for example. However happy to be proved wrong if anyone is using it for hiking

Not sure my long walks count as hiking! .However the photography pack that I referred to adds a removable waist belt so with the chest strap you get the benefits of a snug fit for walking. The fact that you can strip it down a touch also makes it good for around town use as you correctly identified.

 

[Dave Semmens]

That's a shame as the Kamber was on my short list. There aren't that many back opening hiking bags (actually ski backpacks) - the Deuter Freerider Pro being another I came across.

I'm currently using a Lowepro Flipside 400 and whilst I like the rear opening meaning you can put your bag down and your back doesn't get dirty. However it's not the most comfortable for me and once you've got your gear in there's very little space for anything else.

I hope the Shimoda works out for you but it would be interesting if you could please share your thoughts when it arrives

The Osprey Soelden 32 may be worth a look - It will not have the faff around opening the bag up as it has no extra straps at the top to get in the way. It is the newer version of the Kamber I believe.

I didn't try the Soelden as I could not get it in a colour I liked - they are very thin on the ground. I am also not convinced that the top tripod strap would be any better than I mentioned for the Kamber - it looks like it may not stretch around the bag but I have only seen photos and am not 100%. I have only seen it in one size as well - so may be too short???

Dave.

 

[Dave Semmens]

That's a shame as the Kamber was on my short list. There aren't that many back opening hiking bags (actually ski backpacks) - the Deuter Freerider Pro being another I came across.

I'm currently using a Lowepro Flipside 400 and whilst I like the rear opening meaning you can put your bag down and your back doesn't get dirty. However it's not the most comfortable for me and once you've got your gear in there's very little space for anything else.

I hope the Shimoda works out for you but it would be interesting if you could please share your thoughts when it arrives

The Shimoda arrived today.

It will take a while to fully test it but first impressions are that is fits really, really well. The best way to describe the feel is that the bag is hugging you. The straps widen out lower down and feel great.

Height of straps can be adjusted to 3 levels so getting the hip belt in the right place was fine.

It was amazingly expensive though - but it will be carrying kit worth well over £7k so probably best not to skimp on it

Dave.

 

[LeeRatters]

The Osprey Soelden 32 may be worth a look - It will not have the faff around opening the bag up as it has no extra straps at the top to get in the way. It is the newer version of the Kamber I believe.

I didn't try the Soelden as I could not get it in a colour I liked - they are very thin on the ground. I am also not convinced that the top tripod strap would be any better than I mentioned for the Kamber - it looks like it may not stretch around the bag but I have only seen photos and am not 100%. I have only seen it in one size as well - so may be too short???

Dave.

I did sew the top strap so it 'separated' it into two as such. Otherwise, yes, I can see it squashing the whole bag if it isn't rammed full of stuff.