Australian Tour - Bag advice please

[Court Jester]

I am lucky enough to be off to Australia for 2 months in October, then meeting up with my wife for a month in California over Christmas (seeing her Brother and family) and New Year. Whilst in Australia the plan is to spend just short of a week in Sydney and Blue Mountains, then 5 weeks or so travelling up the West coast, and an organised tour back through central Australia via the Ayres Rock, then home. Tour in coast is planned to be in a camper van.

The reason for explaining my itinery is that I am also thinking I need a decent bag. At present I have a Lowepro Fastpack 250, which is great in that it holds my Macbook as well, but I am getting a bit tight on space. At present I have a Canon flash, my 40d, a Sigma 18-200mm lens, Nifty Fifty, chargers, batteries, Kenko tubes, and an external HD or two, together with some cleaning cloths, blower, and a tripod beanbag thing! Bit heavy to carry round all day!!!

I am thinking that I would be better having a second bag as a 'day sack' and ideally would like something that will carry the body, 2 existing lenses, and the wide lens, maybe the flash, (or such bits as are required) and spare batteries, but I could leave behind the laptop, chargers and external HD. Ideally however I would like someway of attaching a tripod if possible (my current bag can't do that), and it can fold down flat to go in my luggage to get out there originally (as the existing bag can get the kit out there as hand luggage).

Is there anything like this please that anyone can recommend, and do any of them have a separate section to carry those 'non camera' items eg a sandwich or a pacamac???!

Also (bearing in mind part of the tour is city) am I better with the ‘laptop’ style camera bags over one shoulder, or a traditional back pack in peoples’ experience please?

I have considered that (other than the disadvantage of not being able to carry the tripod, although the tripod does have its own over the shoulder back, or I could get a small travel tripod) I could get a laptop (folds flatter) bag and leave the laptop in that and use the existing back pack. Again any experiences or opinions please?

Thanks

Stuart

 

[Flash In The Pan]

You haven't indicated a budget, but I use (and used for my trip to Australia) a ThinkTank Retrospective 20 which, especially in Pinestone, doesn't really look like a camera bag yet will carry a lot more in it than you're taking, should the need arise. Price is around £125-130

 

[Craikeybaby]

I've ordered an FStop Satori EXP for the backpacking/photo trip I have got lined up for next spring.

 

[Matt.]

I use a normal backpack when travelling. I'd rather use something that i can use to easily carry anything i want, and not something specific to cameras. Half the time the camera will be in your hands anyway!

 

[Court Jester]

Thanks for your comments and advice here. I am still swaying towards a camera specific bag Matt (feels safer somehow, and I don't need a back pack in the traditional sense if I have a camper van, as that can move my other stuff!).

Both those bags look great Graham / Lewis, the ThinkTank is very understated, and looks as if it coould be folded flat when not in use, and the FStop looks beautifully made, although I think it is perhaps a little bit bigger than I really need. I am going to try to find an f-Stop dealer I think so that I can look at some (I see there is a ThinkTank dealer in Sheffield and Jacobs do some so they seem a bit easier to see in 'the flesh').