Yes, fine, rip-proof mesh and weather-proof nylon makes perfect sense for a durable camera bag. But do they all have to look the same?
Like all photographers pro and amateur, I am on the eternal hunt for the perfect camera bag. And like all great eternal hunts, my quarry does not exist in the real world.
Partly this is because your needs change. A bag for an all-day hike to take pictures of a transcendent mountain lake sunset would be substantially different than the bag you’d throw your stuff in to take pictures of your neighbor’s car, and neither may handle air travel very well.But mostly because I’m really picky and skilled at determining what I don’t want without ever quite articulating what I do.
It should be small enough to be convenient as a daily take-to-work bag but include padded compartments for my camera and accessories. It should have pockets for my other assorted doodads — pens, notebooks, ID, extra SD cards, batteries, what-have-you — but not be confusing. It should be durable. And, very important, it should be able to double for a casual backpack or messenger bag, ideally brown or charcoal gray (definitely not “I’m-a-camera-bag-steal me-black”).
My other drawback? Has to be cheap, which knocks out some perfectly good contenders.I’m starting to think the easiest way to satisfy my various needs is to find a really good backpack and just add padded compartments for the camera gear. But that seems like cheating, and frankly I also have trouble deciding on the perfect backpack. Also, quick camera access is usually easier from a dedicated camera bag and you never know what sort of horrific accident, perfect moment of beauty, or spontaneous nude eruption might occur.
At the moment the closest (if still on the pricey side) (from my viewpoint, not compared to most camera bags) are the various offerings from Domke, but I know already that whatever I ultimately purchase will disappoint me in some way. This one appeals to me greatly, for example, but while I could make up for the lack of gadgety pockets with makeshift additions the price is still a sticking point.
There is no perfect camera bag. There is only the quest.
I agree there are no perfect bags, but I think Domke gets about as close as possible. Actually Moose bags are pretty sweet, but hard to swallow the price tag unless you are traveling frequent and far.
I have many more bags than I care to admit, but only five that I use frequently. My Domke F3 is with me at all times. The shoulder strap stays in place. The pockets are plentiful, easy to access and secure, and it isn’t bulky. Mine is drab colored so it’s pretty low key.
My Lowepro toploader zoom is my winter bag for shooting on the slopes. It houses my 100-400 with additional pouches on the sides for a wide angle and 50mm prime.
I use the Lowepro Protrekker as my ‘basecamp’. It’s where all my gear calls home and is kept ready to go for hikes and most shoots. I keep a lightstand and tripod strapped on and enough gear to spend the night outside. Also holds a laptop.
And a Pro Mag2 that I like shooting out of when I need something mobile and have to wear something formal rather than a photo vest. It easily holds two bodies, several lenses and flashes and lots of odds and ends, and offers lots of padded protection.
Probably the cheapest of the bunch is my Timbuk2 messenger bag that I use for school. I have a photo insert in it to hold a camera with lens, flash, and one extra lens.
For me tradeoff is always how much gear the bag can hold and still be low-key and multipurpose. I want to ready for anything, but not have to pack everything…
Have you checked out Crumpler? Not cheap, but they really are great bags. Very durable and weather tight. I feel fine banging it around, no need to baby it to protect whats inside. It is the kind of bag though that you use every available inch of space…which I guess just means that it is well designed 🙂 I always get compliments when I go out with mine.