Looking for a bag for my first SLR

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MattW

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Hello wonderful people.

Tomorrow I get my hands on a friend's EOS 350D which he doesn't want anymore and is selling me for a very good price. It's kit lens only, but I shall be getting some more in due time.

What I need is a nice bag to keep it in. The options available are rather bewildering - and some of them are horrendously expensive. My ideal bag would:

* Be a backpack or sling bag. I can't do shoulder bags for very long.
* Have room for the 350D body, kit lens, bigger zoom lens (something-300 is likely), and quite possibly a 50mm wide aperture job, all kept nice and safe
* Have space for a water bottle or two when I'm out and about. Space for maps and energy snacks would be useful too
* Have ample space for a 15" widescreen laptop (my laptop's rather chunky due to its oversized battery) and power supply. I won't always be carrying my laptop, but it'll happen often enough to need to fit it in the same bag.
* Not be too ridiculously expensive.
* Preferably be valid carry-on luggage for flying.

I know this is a pretty tall order, which is why I need to ask. I thought the Crumpler Schrinkle was a good choice, but it seems they don't actually make it anymore, and the new ones don't match up on features. There are a few different sizes from Tamrac which might do I think.

Help!
 
My back pack of choice for a light kit is the Lowe Pro Mini Trekker AW.

If I needed to carry my laptop, I'd opt for the slightly bigger computrekker as that has a dedicated laptop pocket.

The Minitrekker fits on a plane with no problems, the insides of all Lowe Pro bags is configurable by way of movable dividers that can be added, removed or repositioned as your kit grows.
 
I think the Lowepro Orion might fit the bill, i have one, in the camera part i can fit my body with lens stuck on, then 2 more lenses and my filters are in there too, then in the top part you can stick whatever you want, there's azip up compartment in it too for spare battery / memory cards etc, and it's quite a budget bag too for about £40

never saw the bit about the laptop, might not be fine then, sorry
 
I'd opt for the Computrekker one. I believe it is pretty much like the Orion Trekker (cracking bag), but with space for a latop.

I have the Orion Trekker 2, which is a roomy, comfortable bag with enough room for all you have listed. The Computrekker one will take all this and your laptop.

Anth.
 
Lots of good ones (and expensive ones!) on the market. For a first camera bag I would suggest not overspending and try a Jessops own to start with and spend the saving on kit perhaps. At this stage developing your photography is probably more important, and a top of the range bag is unlikely to improve it.;)
 
Thanks.

I know a bag's not likely to improve my photography, but I travel by train a lot and I need to know my camera and my laptop are both safely cocooned when I'm doing so.
 
Sorry Matt, I was in one those silly moods last night. I've no doubt you have good reason, sometimes I see people spending heaps on kit they don't often need with the aim of improving their photos when it's a technique thing.
As said above, I've used a Jessops own brand one for around 10 years now and it really is a great bag.
 
Nice to see you posting Matt! (FYI I've 'known' Matt for a number of years when we met on another forum many years ago)

As for the bag, I think it largely depends on cost.
The Orion Trekker II can be had for 37.99 from Warehouse Express (plus delivery).

For your photographic kit, it seems ideal. Enough space for your kit to be nicely stowed away in.
The bottom part is the bit for your camera equipment, and the 'top half' where you could store your laptop (although Im not sure if this is padded like the camera section thought), I think this bit would be more like a normal rucksack.

If you want a dedicated laptop section, then I think you're looking at the Compuday Pack, which is 84.99 at Warehouse Express.

I haven't looked at others, but these are just what I know of in the current Lowepro range.

As you can see the price difference between the two is quite a bit (£50ish), so it really does depend on what you want to spend on one. :)
 
Well it was never exactly going to be a cheap bag which could fulfil my pernickety requirements. Without a dedicated laptop compartment I'd need some sort of laptop sleeve to keep it suitably comfortable on the train, and they're not cheap, so I might as well spend the money on the bag. Some good suggestions here. I shall ponder a bit and place my order, as I get my hands on the camera tonight and am liable to want to take it somewhere.

And what do you mean, Marcel, when you say 'known' in little quotes? We did meet in the real world once, and I didn't break your camera. What more could you ask for?
 
the only thing i would mention (because i'm in this situation myself) is, i currently use a lowepro orion trekker 1, same as the 2 but different design, i have my 30D with kit lens, my 75-300 and a 35-80, and i'm out of space, i bought a 70-200 F4 L and it won't fit in the padded section alone with my 30D, let alone with the other stuff too, so i'm finding i need to upgrade my bad to something like the mini trekker AW so i can protect my new 'big' lens. The mini trekker can be had for £69 but again doesn't have a laptop compartment, but it gives you scope for when you upgrade and buy bigger better lenses.
 
Hi Matt, just wondered if you did find an alternative for the Schrinkle. I'm in the same situation, wanting a backpack that will do everything and still be a manageable size. I can't find another brand that has the security features that the crumpler offers. Thanks.
 
Tamrac Cyberpac 9:thumbs: All my gear listed below lives in it complete with spare batterys, chargers, cables cleaning gear ect and it's still got room for a laptop in it's own compartment;)

I can't lift it mind:lol::help:
 
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