Camera bag for hot countries??

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Cheng

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I'm travelling to Tijuana,Mexico in June for 2 weeks, then spending a week in California. I reckon it's going to get ridiculously hot when I'm there, so I'm looking for a bag that will not get my back all hot and sweaty! I've currently got a Lowepro slingshot 200, the weight distribution is terrible and leaves me with achey shoulders! On a previous trip to NY I thought I would travel light with just a JanSport backpack (taking D70+18-200) and food etc. but as they fully cover your back I was sweating like mad, and now I've got a lot more kit to take. My friend however had a Berghaus freeflow and has a ventilation system that pushes off your back, leaving it lovely and dry, and was really supportive!


This year I'm taking D200/18-200/10-20 Sigma and maybe SB600, but will be my only bag I will be taking so will also need to carry any supplies whilst I'm out..food and drink etc! Not massive amounts though! Was considering the same Berghaus backpack, but not sure how appropriate it is with more gear, compared to last time where I had just 1 camera with a do it all lens..

So requirements would be:


  • Very comfortable. Two straps considered a must.
  • Ventilation system.
  • Camera capacity - only needs space for 1 extra lens and 1 flash. But mem cards/batts storage would be welcomed too.
  • General capacity - for anything you would need when going about mexico/usa during the day. Probably just a bottle of water, bit of food etc.

What do people reckon then?
 
Forgot to add, security might be a consideration too, especially in mexico??
 
Would have thought the equipment forum would have at least 1 person with some ideas?!
 
Hi,

Sorry, not interested in trading the bag! Might put it up for sale later, but ideally just looking for any recommended bags right now for with some sort of ventilation system??
 
My Crumpler laptop backpack has raised foam on the back, might be worth having a look at them.

You're probably better off getting a proper rucksack and then finding/making protective cases for your gear. I went on a long hiking/canoeing trip with my D300, lenses, tripod, accessories and 6 days food and supplies, wrapped everything up in soft clothes and it was fine.
 
Blapto said:
My Crumpler laptop backpack has raised foam on the back, might be worth having a look at them.

You're probably better off getting a proper rucksack and then finding/making protective cases for your gear. I went on a long hiking/canoeing trip with my D300, lenses, tripod, accessories and 6 days food and supplies, wrapped everything up in soft clothes and it was fine.
Click to expand...

Quick access/changing lenses is going to be a royal pain in the ass though! Had an idea...might look into sewing some velcro compatible material to the sides and use my dividers...?! :nuts: How many lenses did you bring?
 
June is a very cool month in the Tijuana and San Diego areas. In fact it is cool just about anywhere along the upper West Coast of Baja California and anywhere along the West Coast of California (inland temperatures are often considerably warmer).

There are some June months when you will not experience sunny weather at all along the ocean to 10-20 miles inland. However, most often, the sun will peak through the clouds for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

We cal this "June Gloom" and it is often surprising to visitors from out of this area. May can be even cooler and grayer. In fact, we call this "May Gray".

The average high temperatures in May and June are 20.2 and 21.6 degrees celsius respectively and the lows are 13.1 and 15.1 C. respectively.

Take a lightweight jacket. You should not have any precipitation problems. The average rainfall during May and June is 5.1 and 2.3 mm.

Your biggest problem might be the active war that is being waged in Northern Mexico by the drug cartels for the control of the lucrative drug trade. There were 843 killings in Tijuana alone in 2008 and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. While many of the killings were of rival gang members, there have been many-many instances of innocent bystanders being caught in automatic weapons fire.

These days few Southern Californians will go down to T.J. because of the safety (or lack of safety) concerns.
 
Frankly, the war scares the hell out of me! :( Read about there being a lot of killings...but I guess you just gotta be careful?! I will be volunteering in a clinic 10 days there, and spending 4-5 days touring about....so hopefully that will keep me out of trouble! I'm going the end of June until the middle of July, hopefully the weather gets a bit better then?
 
Cheng said:
Quick access/changing lenses is going to be a royal pain in the ass though! Had an idea...might look into sewing some velcro compatible material to the sides and use my dividers...?! :nuts: How many lenses did you bring?
Click to expand...

There was no quick access for me, it was entirely landscape shots.
Err... D300, 10-20, 35mm, 50mm, 305mm f/4.5 and that was it, I think! Also a Gitzo 1325 tripod and RRS BH-55, release cable, 2 batteries, 3 memory cards and perhaps a lens cloth or two.

I don't know about you, but for me weight was certainly an issue. You probably won't have to have 6 days worth of "I'm not seeing civilisation for another week" with you though, if you're lucky.
 
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