Carrying/Storage Shoulder Bag/Rucksack

[IanD]

Good morning all,

Apologies for all of my current threads but i'm trying to obtain the gear I like, and also protect it - I appreciate the advice that everyone on here gives me as a lot of you have been through what i'm experiencing.

So, this is personal choice for all, but i'm after thoughts on whether I should get a shoulder bag or a rucksack for my gear.

I may at various points just grab a camera and go, but for storage and general photographic days, I want everything all together and always in one place.

I want to get a bag that I hopefully will not need to replace for a very long time, so want it to fit everything I have and intend to get over the next year or so if lucky enough. Any empty room can be filled by socks, towels or anything, until they are filled by lens.

I will have:
Canon 5D mkIII with 24-70nl lens attached
Canon 70-200mm f/2/8L mkII lens
Canon 16-35mm f/4 or a wider angle lens
Canon 580 mkII Flash and a smaller flash
Room for ND filters and Polarising filters and my battery charger

Apologies, this is not some sort of pretentious list of goodies, but i'm trying to list what will go in the bag, as there will be folk on here that have a similar amount of gear that will know what fits

And the second part of the question - opinions on shoulder bag or rucksack? I can see shoulder bags being a pain if you've had it swinging off of your shoulder all day, but then maybe a rucksack could make you all sweaty backed and as i've never used one for camera kit, i'd be worried if the kits moves about inside the bag?

I am looking for something that takes the kit nice and snugly and the bag not being too large

Again, as always, thanks in advance for your help

 

[Mark twiglet]

I’ve tried shoulder bags and they always fall off and a pain! Always go back to rucksack ! I’ve got two tamrac expedition bags! The 7 to carry most of my kit and a 5 to decant it to when out in car!

 

[Mozthecat]

I personally use both, a shoulder bag for a camera if photography is not the main focus of the day (often with a second lens in the wife’s handbag.....). Or a rucksack with more kit if I have gone out to photograph something specific. I just use a standard rucksack as the moment, but put the camera in the shoulder bag inside to protect it. I am thinking of upgrading to a dedicated rucksack in the near future.

 

[Harlequin565]

I found (Lowepro) camera bags to be useless for a full day out with all my gear giving me back/shoulder pain. They also had no room for a flask, or sandwiches, or any of the other bits & pieces you might need.

In the Landscape forum there is a thread with much more detail, but essentially I went for a Dakine Poacher mountaineering/ski backpack with a Yimidear foam insert. It's rear opening, so you can plop it down off your shoulders and instantly access all your gear without rummaging or getting your back muddy/wet when you put it back on. The ski straps work great for a tripod, the helmet carrier fits a kneeling pad nicely, but importantly, the whole thing is super light and has a wire frame & waist straps, making it sturdy, comfortable and secure when carried. I can throw 2 X-T bodies in there, a full set of Lee filters, a 16-35, 55-200, and an 18-135 and still have room for butties, a waterproof, gloves, keys, phone & 2 1L bottles of whatever. All I need is a Sherpa.

For days when I'm carrying less (1 body with lens + spare lens) I have a Think Tank Retrospective 7 which is my street photography bag. It'll take the camera gear + my phone, e-reader and thermos cup. Different bags for different situations.