In light of a potential small trip overseas (5 to 6 days), I’ve been on the lookout for a small backpack that will serve as my only bag during the entire trip. This bag needs to fit under the seat of an airplane 55x40x25cm and also be useful when out and about. The plan is that when I arrive at the destination, all clothing and utilities will stay in the hotel, and I can take the bag around with me to carry water, food, camera gear etc. Gear wise I will only take the X100V, X-T3 with one lens(35f2 or 16f1.4), usb-c charger, two extra batteries, wrist strap, shoulder sling and the think tank mirrorless mover 5.
I was wondering if any of you have been in a similar situation and have suggestions or advice on this idea, and any particular bags that might be of interest.
I was looking at the Osprey Daylite Carry-On Travel Pack 35 and it seems like it does everything I need, but in light of recent(and not so recent) events, I would like to buy a local brand (mostly EU or adjacent if possible) to help strengthen local brands. It’s a small act but what can you do Max price would be 150€ but preferably under 100€
I will be replying in this post as I research more and find some candidates. I am by no means looking for people to do this job for me, merely for those who have had similar experiences to share their knowledge Thanks
After much consideration, I recently bought a Deuter Stroof 5, a very basic 5l sling. It is not overtly branded, very light, has a padded comfortable strap, slides easily from back to front for easy access, and has a useful side strap to keep it on my back while e.g. biking.
Other contenders were the 7l Peak Design Outdoor Sling and the 6l Bellroy Venture Sling, and various other models. But they’re all such complicated things with myriad pouches and straps and dangly bits and floppy parts… I just want a bag. To say nothing of their ludicrous price.
The 5l of the Stroof is actually plenty for an X-M5/27 and X-T5/16-80. That’s not my normal configuration, but probably closest to what you’re envisioning. The X-M5 slides easily into one of the internal pouches, the X-T5 just sits in the main compartment. There’s still plenty of room for a small bottle of water and all the small stuff.
I don’t believe in dedicated photography bags. A good backpack or sling bag can always carry a camera. And a good fit on my back is much more important to me than clever compartmentalization. (I have a Tenba BYOB 9 camera cube insert if I need padded compartments in a backpack). But then I’m also not lugging around a whole arsenal of lenses, but limit myself to one or two. Sounds similar enough to your description that it makes sense to share notes.
This is a good point and makes me wonder if it even makes sense taking the thinktank bag, which can only accommodate the X100V. Maybe a few small inserts will be enough to protect it from other objects when it’s stored in the backpack.
I always just go into Decathlon and grab something generic. My current backpack is the NH Escape 500, I upgrade when the old one wears out and repairs no longer make sense. Then use neoprene pouches for all camera equipment, these last even longer than backpacks. I find photo backpacks overpriced and not too much extra value for small camera kits.
Note that 55x40x20cm is not “under the seat” size, but “overhead compartment”. A 35l backpack is not accepted as “under the seat” (= no extra fee) by most airlines I know.
Thanks, this one looks great. I have some Decathlon products and they have never disappointed me. I agree that dedicated camera bags make little sense compared to regular backpacks or slings.
This makes sense. I was looking only at the specs for TAP hand luggage, which can be stored either overhead or under the seat if it fits. I see that for Ryanair the size is a bit smaller so I will take that into consideration. Since the trip will be to an european country, I will try to fly TAP both ways, if only for the little extra comfort and also noise improvement compared to budget airliners.
I recently bought a Thule Covert 32 liters. The USP is that the camera compartment inside the bag is actually a bag on its own. The smaller photo bag is able to fit my Canon RP + 24-104 f/4 + RF 16mm + RF 100-400 f/5.6-8.0 + spare battery and cleaning equipment.
That feature is really nice and on my last holiday trip, I used both styles: the smaller bag for short tours and the larger one when I also had the tripod with me and to pack drinks, jacket etc…
The only downside of that particular bag is its weight. If I would use it solely for flying, a bit lighter bag would be nice. However, I took it on a plane without problems (Next to all my camera gear, I had a tablet, powerbank, cables, earphones, bottle and a lightweight jacket in there)
I also have the Thule EnRoute 25l which I use as my daily laptop bag. The good thing is that you can remove the camera compartment here as well. Downside of that model is the missing hip strap. Otherwise I find it also a good bag - even for shorter trips. However, you will have to decide if you want to pack some clothing or a second lens…
Frankly, I would take Ryanair and Wizzair over “conventional” airlines any day. I find them transparent — you get what you pay for — and they streamlined the whole experience, you interact with an app, but the app is good.
In contrast, I was recently flying Lufthansa and had a bad experience. Our seat was reassigned at the gate “as a courtesy”, to the very front of economy class which had a wall in front of me — no legroom, no backpack under the seat, please put it in the overhead compartment sir, thank you. And I paid for the original seat. I was furious. And then I realized that in my country they have no phone customer service. You interact with a dumb bot who cannot help with anything, or write them a letter.
Then a while ago I was flyign KLM, and the agent found that too many people had extra carry on bags. Which were allowed, but the laws of physics got the better of them: they realized not everyone could carry theirs onboard. So they went around four times pleading with people to put theirs in the hold, but could not convince enough people. Then people started to congregate near the gate: everyone wanted to be first so that their bag would get carried on. This was a joke compared to budget airlines, where you pay for the second bag, and they there is no hassle, the market sorts it out.
But I digress… In any case, I usually use one of these as a second carry on when I travel for more than 3–4 days:
(sorry, did not dig out an English link). With the small one, this enough for me for 10–12 days, with fresh socks, underwear and T-shirt every day (oh, the luxury )
That makes sense, I agree that having all cards on the table from the start is the best bet. Thankfully TAP is portuguese and it has offices right on the airport where I’m taking off from, so not a big worry on that particular aspect. On the return trip I will consider a budget airliner
Yes, that’s more or less the plan Plus an extra pair of jeans just in case of any emergency.
This looks like a nice bag as well. I’m gonna look around the Thule shop to see their other offerings, it looks like quite a good brand. This is more of a regular trip than photo trip so gear will be at a minimum I’m only taking two cameras since I will travel with a family member and I want them to have a camera as well, if not I would only take the X100V
Yes, I like that bag very much! You can even put a tripod on the side (an umbrella fits the compartment as an alternative). There is another negative point besides the missing hip strap: The bag is not really water proof or water resistant. A little rain is okay, but for hiking in the rain you must use a raincover.
I’ve been lusting after the Wandrd PRVKE, probably the 31L, for some time, but I think they’re an American brand, so that’d be a no-go. But its a lovely bag.
That one looks nice! Similar to the Thule EnRoute but with a - apparenty - more durable fabric.
It’s a neat idea that they sell the bag and the photography kit separately.
I previously had the “lite” version of the bag, which is like 15L and has the photo bits built in. I ended up not having a use for it, so I sold it, but the bag was really nice, and I think the fact I still want a larger one speaks for itself.
However I often fall into the trap of “just get the biggest bag an hold ALL YOUR GEAR.” … however now that I have both the Z 100-400mm and the 100mm macro, I don’t know if there is as backpack large enough to hold all my gear and be comfortable.
I had a Kata Revolver 8PL which would also hold a rather large lense and was very comfortable. However, I sold it in the meantime because I have the two Thule
Kata makes really nice gear IMHO!
I personally found a general backpack that had suitable compartments and pockets to keep my camera, clothing, water, phone, and everything else in a convenient carry on bag for planes that I put in the overhead compartment. I have had no regrets. This bag replaced my overpriced photography backpack when its zipper broke.
Same here. I have an Osprey Hikelite 32 (for hiking) and an Osprey Fairview 40 (for general purpose). Both are carry-on compatible. I just wrap my photo stuff in something soft. As always you need to remember not to put your bag down with too much force (if the camera is at the bottom). Sometimes I even put my Peak Design 2L Sling inside of a backpack if I think extra protection is necessary.
I often use a jumper, jacket or raincoat for the dual purpose of protection of the camera in the bag or myself if the weather turns nasty. I also have some offcuts of foam lining the base of the bag.