I’ve reached a milestone!
For years I’ve carried all of my gear around in multiple bags. I hated it, but was just so accustomed to doing so that I continued to do so. I had one bag (a really old but well structured case my dad used decades ago) – it housed my main camera, a flash, 2 lenses, CF cards and odds and ends. A second bag held my back up camera bodies. My 70-200 lens had its own bag. Then I had pocket wizards in a fourth bag. My tripod couldn’t be attached to any of my bags, so I had to carry it separately. And if I needed lighting equipment, it was one more very large bag. You get the point. Too many bags.
Last week, that changed. While in Vegas for WPPI, I bought a rolling camera bag and now all my main camera gear fits into one bag.
I’ve been looking for an all-in-one bag for months. After a couple good photographer friends showed me their’s, I went on the hunt. I knew it’d be an investment, so I figured out what I wanted the bag to do, and the researched to find the bags that fit.
My criteria
- The bag had to be large enough to hold all my gear.
- The bag had to be small enough to carryon to domestic and international flights. (if you check your camera gear you’re crazy)
- It had to roll. (camera gear is heavy stuff)
- There had to be lots of pockets for misc things.
- A laptop sleeve was a want, but not a deal breaker.
- Other photographers had to have good things to say about it.
The bags
After too many hours searching online, I’d narrowed it down to two bags:
The Wait
But here’s thing, I wanted to see the bags, in person. Test them out. Get a feel for them in person.
So I waited. I waited almost 6 months.
Until WPPI, where I knew vendors would have both bags for me to see.
Showdown
- First I went to one of the store vendors and asked to see both bags – so I could flip and compare both at the same time.
- Then I went to the ThinkTank booth and the LowePro booth and asked the pro’s to demonstrate their bag for me. I asked questions, took notes, and asked questions. As each bag was being demonstrated, other photographers at the show walked up and raved about each bag.
- I also grabbed quotes for show pricing on the two bags from every camera store booth we walked past.
Here’s a picture I snapped of the ThinkTank on the left and the LowePro on the right.
The winner
Both bags met most of my criteria. They also both come with lifetime warranties (say what?!).
But the Lowepro won.
It has a sturdy/padded laptop sleeve (the ThinkTank does not).
It converts to a backpack incase any airline gives you crap about the size.
And it opens on the long edge instead of the short edge (just a personal preference).
I couldn’t be happier with my new bag. Everything is in one place, no more searching around my office and closet for the other bag or missing item. No more looking like a fool and tripping over myself with 5 bags drapped across my body. Just one easy to transport bag.
In a few weeks I’ll show you what’s in my camera bag!
