[designinme_1976]

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Just trying to get an idea of what many use here as a messenger style bag for travel. I currently own a Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home and it's a great bag ( from my Nikon days ), but as I gradually put together my Pentax Kit, I can tell it's made more for a large camera like a D700 and a couple of large zooms, two large primes and maybe a flash.

I am in the process of switching to an entirely prime setup. I don't shoot much sports. Mostly street photography, portraits, landscapes, and macro. I am looking for a bag that will not only hold the following equipment, but will also make getting to the lenses relatively easy.

The crumpler, is a very deep bag, so toting around 5-6 primes is going to result in the need for stacking them, and that isn't the best way to work with primes. So.. here is my question. What bags do you guys like that are great for carrying around multiple primes and allow for relatively easy retrieval?

My goal is to find something that will..

Hold the following
K-5
15mm Prime
31mm Limited
50mm 1.4
70mm Limited
100mm Macro
300mm F4 ( most likely the older manual focus version )

- Not a stiff material. The crumpler is built very well, but the material is very stiff

- Comfortable shoulder strap that you can wear for hours and not feel like your neck is being ripped off ;-)

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

[wlachan]

Have you considered making an insert for the bag that you like, not necessarily a camera bag.

[Clinton]

My goal is to find something that will..

Hold the following
K-5
15mm Prime
31mm Limited
50mm 1.4
70mm Limited
100mm Macro
300mm F4 ( most likely the older manual focus version )

- Not a stiff material. The crumpler is built very well, but the material is very stiff

- Comfortable shoulder strap that you can wear for hours and not feel like your neck is being ripped off ;-)

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

If you want a a shoulder bag, I really like the Kata KT DC-445. It will hold 5 primes with one more attached to your body, so it should easily fit the ones you mentioned here.

If you want something a little more backpacky, the Kata D-Light Owl is a nice sized backpack.

From there, if you want to hold a lot of lenses, (And I do mean a lot) I love the Kata Bumblebee PL-220

[BigDave]

You may want to check out the M-Rock camera bags. They are modular and have a great assortment. Below is a link to a messenger type of bag (I do not work for them, just have a number of their bags and they are great).

Great Smoky Mountains 673 Messenger Bag

Regards,

[sjwaldron]

A 300mm f4 lens sounds a bit large to fit into a messenger style shoulder bag...

Assuming the manual 300mm f4 is around the same size as the DA* , you would need a bag with a depth of over 7.2 inches (184 mm) tall. The width would need to be more than 3.3 inches (83 mm), which manageable for most messenger bags as long as the depth is enough.

So let's say you wanted a messenger bag that could fit each item next to the other like:
[ lens | lens | ... | camera ]

Yet

1. You would need something solid on the bottom the of the bag to keep things spaced apart. You could add something to any bag, just visit a local home improvement store or something.
2. The bag would need around 25 inches (635 mm) interior length. I kind of doubt a camera bag exists that long and thin.

All that being said, you should be able to find a standard camera bag that has two levels and able to fit everything. It might be pretty large though.

[d3zzzz]

Following up from sjwaldron's comments - without the 300/f4 this might work for you:
DOMKE F-5XC LARGE SHOULDER BAG - BLACK
I use it and the bottom compartment is pretty useful for primes.

[Steinback]

I have a Crumpler 7 Million clone and can carry 5 prime lenses plus one on the body quite comfortably. Normally I carry one or two flashes plus 4 lenses. Something in the 18 to 20cm range would probably be about the longest lens you could fit in the bag, and depending on how you set up dividers the bag works well with small lenses.

[Ratmagiclady]

This makes me think of CourierWare: they're a local outfit (Well, Boston) that makes nice actual messenger bags for actual messengers. (I've still got one that must be, what year is it.. Going on twelve years old by now, still quite fresh.

They've got a line for cameras that might just work well for that kit. Not particularly cheap, but might be neat to try.

[sjwaldron]

This makes me think of CourierWare: they're a local outfit (Well, Boston) that makes nice actual messenger bags for actual messengers. (I've still got one that must be, what year is it.. Going on twelve years old by now, still quite fresh.

They've got a line for cameras that might just work well for that kit. Not particularly cheap, but might be neat to try.

Their stuff looks pretty nice. I like the ability to customize the bag.

If this isn't big enough, I don't know what could be:
Courierware Messenger Bags - Carry-on Travel Bag w/Custom Features

EDIT: http://courierbags.com/objects/20.itml/icOid/20
The camera bag has multiple sized I didn't notice.

It would be cheaper to buy a simple duffel bag and stick padding in it at that point though.

[designinme_1976]

Thanks for all of the responses. I think I have come to realize that what I am looking for is a messenger style bag that is thin, and wider than it is tall. The crumplers are very tall (deep), so I think it would be less useful for multiples primes.

I did find this. I think this looks great and wanted to post it here for others to look at. I think the small size would be good for me.. maybe require me to drop one lens... but otherwise quite nice. And I love the tripod straps. You don't see many messenger style bags with tripod straps.

I will post a link just in case others would like to see.
Thanks for all of the feedback.

Timbuk2 Snoop

You Tube

You Tube

[Ratmagiclady]

Their stuff looks pretty nice. I like the ability to customize the bag.

If this isn't big enough:
Courierware Messenger Bags - Carry-on Travel Bag w/Custom Features

EDIT: Courierware-Camera Bag with Custom Features & Options
The camera bag has multiple sized I didn't notice.

I don't know what could be!!!

It would be cheaper to buy a simple duffel bag and stick padding in it at that point though.

True enough. Actually, I saw an interesting insert on Ebay that someone showed us last year that I could just stick in my existing bag, I wonder if they're still there.. I should peek.

[steve1307]

True enough. Actually, I saw an interesting insert on Ebay that someone showed us last year that I could just stick in my existing bag, I wonder if they're still there.. I should peek.

This insert ?
FOSSOUX items - Get great deals on Camera Accessories items on eBay.com!


mentioned from this thread?
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-camera-field-accessories/87053-mes...tml#post963919

[Ratmagiclady]

This insert ?
FOSSOUX items - Get great deals on Camera Accessories items on eBay.com!


mentioned from this thread?
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-camera-field-accessories/87053-mes...tml#post963919

So indeed, there we are, if that's the big puffy orange one. I've been thinking I might actually grab one for actual riding with my big bag, actually. I don't normally go in for excessive padding, but in that case it seems like it could be really useful.

[naht]

My main camera bag (also daily bag, and was my university bag) is a Timbuk2 Originals bag. Originals means waxed canvas and metal buckles. It also sports padded laptop compartment.
If I use it for photo gear, I just stick in a cheap camera insert I bought for ~20€, not unlike the orange ebay one, but plain grey.

I found a picture via google, but if you're interested, I can make some shots with the insert.
hxxp://media.rei.com/media/pp/9bca47d6-13b2-40ab-bf74-118d51c5f766.jpg


It's quite sturdy, actually I got run over by a car while I wore this, and my laptop still works. Ok, the canvas has a few holes, but who cares?
And no, I don't work for them.

[Wormtographer]

For your particular need, a non-photography bag maybe a better solution.

Look at regulator (Scuba) bags--Sports Chalet, etc. or online. Those are thin (usually 2.5-4 in) and made of all velcro iscrubby material nside. Then it's just a matter of selecting spare foam separators that may be found at any camera store.

Like this one: Buy Akona Regulator Bag AKB607 with reviews at scuba.com

Otherwise there are reel fishing cases, that are quite nice for hauling a bunch of primes, but those bags tend to be expensive--and the 300 may be hard to fit.

Like this one: Fishpond Stowaway Reel Case, Fishing Reel Cases, Rod & Reel Storage, Fishing : Cabelas.com

Good luck...I've been known to carry 5 or 6 primes in a shipping tube with a jury-rigged piece of string as a handle.

-W