Finding the proper bag

Randall Munroe may not be a photographer, but he has the same problems:

xkcd

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Posted by someone who has been procrastinating for over two year to replace a bag with an exterior that is badly worn out and an interior that has been soaked with Muscadet wine(*), but can purchase a lens in less time it takes to reach for a credit card.

(*) by a strange coincidence, a half-bottle (37.5cl) is about the size of my 120-400mm lens(**), which I wasn’t carrying on that day.
(**) no camera or lens has been harmed by this experiment

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This is so funny! I spend a lot of time watching, wait for it, bag reviews on YouTube. And, I’ve even started making reviews myself. Problem is, I can’t seem to make them under half an hour!! I know, I’m obsessed. I love all the details and have to talk about the pros and cons of everything. I just really like backpacks…

I finally found the proper bag for me, a Clik Elite Contrejour, which I had to buy used.

I did the same thing… Then my gf bought me one for Xmas and its fantastic!

I know that feeling. Whenever I am in the market for anything I start researching the topic way too much, until I can pass as an expert in the field, eventually even to real experts (or did anyone of you notice that I am just pretending to know computers and photography?). So sometimes I deliberately choose to not look into something at all and just go and buy the first thing that I find. Knowing that I payed too much for something that isn’t the best.

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The problem is imho that with all the informations at our fingertip only the best of the best is good enough for us now. we no longer settle for “good enough”.

That said … on the bag question … I am quite happy with the peak design messenger bag.

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FWIW, i got a Pacsafe camera bag for xmas and it’s pretty neat. There’s always something wrong with all of them of course, but I think I might be able to keep that one for a while. I like that it’s a backpack: messenger bags hurt my back and I’ll carry a lot of heavy stuff in there. Plus there’s room for a laptop in the back as well, so I can use it for business travel.

My only frustration with it so far is the lack of a waist belt, but so far I’m surviving. And the little foam things inside to make compartments? They’re never quite right. :wink: But no bag is perfect, and I really like that one, almost more than the camera inside it (and that’s no small feat!).

FWIW, here’s a couple of very in depth reviews I made of two of my camera bags.

I have a Lowepro ProTatic 450AW and enjoy it very much. It sits on my back very nicely.

Very recognizable! “But this one hasn’t got a laptop sleeve, and I might want to use it for more than just photography…” Anyway, I recently went from a nice LowePro to the Peak Design Every Day Backpack, and so far I love it. It’s big enough for my trusty D750 and one or two lenses, and a laptop, and some snacks. A clip on water bottle finishes the outfit :slight_smile:

The proper bag is the one you have on your back or shoulder. Same with camera gear. Even if it is :poop:. As with anything, we accumulate possessions over time but end up using only one or two of them.

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