Convert a rucksack to camera bag?

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Fresherjohn

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I've been thinking about getting a camera rucksack, but already own a perfectly good sack which I like.
Has anyone tried converting a sack to carry their gear safely?
My thought was to include a block of high density foam and store it in a dry bag, but I I'm struggling to find anything similar.
any thoughts?
cheers.
 
I believe you can buy the padded camera bag inserts seperately. I can't remember where from but I'm sure someone will know.

Fabric/craft shops will sell the foam if you go for a more diy approach.
 
I've been thinking about this to surprisingly. I thought of using a sleeping mat from a camping shop. That should be able to be cut into the needed shapes. If I wanted to go for the corners or rounded areas, I was going to use some old foam knee pads. Not sure on how I'd fit it together, and get it to stay together.
 
I take my gear out and about in a normal rucksack these days, just put my lenses and body in the bag in soft cases, inside a dry bag. You can pick them up on fleaBay cheap, something like this...
 
reddeathdrinker said:
I take my gear out and about in a normal rucksack these days, just put my lenses and body in the bag in soft cases, inside a dry bag. You can pick them up on fleaBay cheap, something like this...
Click to expand...

I suppose it depends what you are shooting. Mightn't it take a bit long to get the lenses out quickly if they are in their own protective carry cases inside your bag?? That Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker might get away!! :D
 
fair point. mostly its climbing/biking shots so time to get the kit out isnt an issue and protecting the kit against knocks/mud etc is.
I'll try a craft shop for material and let you know.
 
For a thin and flexible sheet of foam, go to a large Tesco, in the keep fit section they sell a exercise mat roll, which is bright blue soft and easy to cut for under a fiver.
Good luck. A...
 
Went down a similar route to this with one of my hill walking rucksacs. It was a Berghaus model which had a zip entry to a base compartment. I made a prototype camera insert out of upholstery foam and gaffa tape one evening. With a bit of trimming and tweaking it fit the rucksac base perfectly, held my camera and a couple of lenses and could be easily removed as a self contained unit. It never progressed beyond the lash-up though and I continue to carry my camera in the main body of my rucksacs, in a little Lowepro TLZ case - less hassle and more room for walking gear!
 
Here's another one at the stage of modifying a "nermal" rucksack for camera gear duty.

Why bother I hear you affluent bank managers ask?
Well,

  1. My employment situation is, er, fluid, so trips to Je$$ops are off limits.
  2. My existing camera bag carries some, but not all of the kit I might take away for the weekend or out for a forest hike.

So, there being nothing fundamentally wrong the Samsonite shoulder bag, the Cokin filter pouch or the Lowepro 5S lens case all I really need is the facility to carry that combination of gear which is currently not on the camera ( I'd been thinking about neoprene lens pouches but thanks for the reminder about kip mats/the wife's yoga mat:naughty:) The big rucksac I have, complete with zip-access lower part and big tube side pockets.

Hmm. Another result for what the geography textbooks used to describe as "the inventive genius of the Lancashire working man".
 
i did think about the roll mat option but i'm not sure it'll provide the level of safety for the gear. my idea was for the foam to create a supportive block the bag will stand on. more research required i think.
 
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