[Fenwoodian]

.
My wife collects shoes... I collect camera cases; at least until yesterday...

I was on Ebay yesterday and found lots of great USED messenger cases, sling cases, and smallish backpacks for sale.

The ones that are made by LL Bean and Eddy Bauer are very well made (and stylish too). I was surprised at their reasonable prices. I ended up buying 3 of them (see photos of 2 of them), each for less than $30 USD. The cheapest one was only $15. I intend to use them as camera cases.

Do you use non-camera cases to haul your camera gear? If so, 'd love to hear about it.

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Last edited by Fenwoodian; 08-30-2021 at 05:18 PM.

[35mmfilmfan]

You need at least one case per camera.

She needs one shoe per foot.

[sergeremy]

I use one of these - it carries my K-70 with M28 3.5 (in a small padded camera pouch) and a water flask, extra battery/cards and odds in ends in the front pouch. I can carry it as a regular backpack, or as a sling bag by extending one of the straps to maximum length. Perfect fit for me.

Orbit XS Sunday Grey | Backpack | Eastpak | UK

[E-man]

I have three Land's End messenger bags made of heavy canvas with leather reinforcing trim. I don't use them as camera bags but they are darn near indestructible. I prefer camera bags that are padded to protect my gear. I've had good luck finding them at thrift shops for anywhere from about $2-$7. The last brand new ones I bought were from Ritz Camera when they were going out of business about eight years ago and everything was 80-90 percent off.

[stevebrot]

This two-compartment padded and insulated lunch bag sees use sometimes when shooting with my film rangefinder cameras. For scale, the base is 13cm x 17cm and 26cm tall.

Closed...




Bottom part open...



Very discrete. Yes, I did buy it for camera use and yes, I have carried my lunch in it.


Steve

[Fenwoodian]

This two-compartment padded and insulated lunch bag sees use sometimes when shooting with my film rangefinder cameras. For scale, the base is 13cm x 17cm and 26cm tall.

Closed...




Bottom part open...



Very discrete. Yes, I did buy it for camera use and yes, I have carried my lunch in it.



Steve

I really like your idea of using an insulated lunch bag to carry camera gear. Not only does it protect your camera well, but it's also less likely to get stolen (unless of course you are known for eating gourmet food).

[Michail_P]

I don’t carry any camera bag except for the Pentax shoulder case that was included in the kit. I carry my K-70 with a short lens, spare battery and memory cards , wallet, cellphone, hankies, usb stick, a filter, some tools for my tripod.... it’s well made and I don’t think anything else when I wanna go light... in other days I would grab the gear and put it in my regular backpack. Water, tripod, notebook, measuring tools for my outdoor jobs and some other stuff, all go in there.
(I really need a dedicated backpack, tbh, but I’ve spent my life with a backpack, always, no matter the occasion, so I have a bunch of them, all robust and I don’t bother)

[Viking42]

For hiking or mtn. biking with my compact camera, I use a bag that works as either a sling or hip pack. For a slightly larger camera (e.g. my 6x9 folder) I have a sling bag. Neither are padded, but then I never crash ;-), but if I did I'd be worried about breaking more than a cheap old camera.

[photoptimist]

I bought a cheapo knock-off non-camera belt-bag/fanny-pack on a trip to Hong Kong. It has served me well in many hiking & tourist situations where I wanted to carry 2-3 extra lenses. In addition to the main compartment, it's got many zippered side pockets for batteries, SD cards, lenspens, money, ID cards, pocket knife, keys, etc.

[Cerebum]

I have a manfrotto messenger with a slot for a travel tripod and two crumplers most of all though I want a think tank retrospective. I am beginning to understand my wife’s obsession with bags

[aslyfox]

if I want to use them, I have:

back packs

sling bags, both designed for cameras + lenses and those not

multipocketed vest

and my secret weapon

multipocketed scrub top, plenty of room for stuff, especially batteries and " limited " lenses

[hjoseph7]

This two-compartment padded and insulated lunch bag sees use sometimes when shooting with my film rangefinder cameras. For scale, the base is 13cm x 17cm and 26cm tall.

Closed...




Bottom part open...



Very discrete. Yes, I did buy it for camera use and yes, I have carried my lunch in it.


Steve

I also carry my camera in an insulated Lunch Bag this way nobody knows what i got in my bag !

[DWS1]

I use a 30 liter hiking backpack with a padded insert. Can carry all the camera gear I'll need plus some water, food, first aid kit, rain gear, extra clothing, etc.

[Sam_I_am]

My wife has this little bag that holds her spare lense, and can hold her camera as well. I know it was not intended for this use. Her sling bag and backpack, both of which are true camera bags, only get used when we go on some kind of a trip.

[Astro-Baby]

Back in the day I lugged a monster around with me, two bodies and 6 to 8 lenses plus hood, filters, gel bag, mini tripod, maybe a full sized tripod, film rolls, cleaning gear, spare batteries. Flash and flash diffuser. I sometimes wonder how I ever carried it all.

More recently I went through half a dozen bags seeking the best option for longish hikes, bearing in mind UK weather which is apt to be wet.

Tried various slings, messenger bags but eventually settled on a shower proof bag that resembles a latge bum bag / fanny pack. It can be slung as a shoulder bag or as a belt bag. Holds two lenses, SLR body and lens and some space for film and a couple of filters. Normally I only take the body with a lens on it and one additional lens plus a single spare roll and a couple of filters. The bag is a good compromise for me, tough and well padded, easy to sling on and having it on my front give me easy and quick access plus it has zips and a clip lock so I can zip it when the weather is bad and just click lock it when dry.