Which bag would you choose?

S

shell_w

Suspended / Banned
Messages
29
Name
Michelle
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

I'm looking for a general bag for my kit that can be used for day hikes, as well as everyday shots in the city.

Ideally it'd hold at least:

Canon 450d
18-55mm IS kit lens
55-250 IS kit lens
Sigma 10-20mm
.... and that's the extent of my kit at the moment - I expect it'll expand soon enough though! :)

It would be good if I could store the camera with the 55-250 lens on.

Also I'll want to carry spare memory cards, batteries, charger etc, plus my lunch, drink, compact camera, phone, spare gloves and other various 'bits'.

I'd like a rucksack as it'll be easier on my back than a shoulder bag. It's going to be a Christmas present, so budget is limited - very maximum is around £80, but I'd rather find one for less than £60.

Options I've seen so far are:


Lowepro Slingshot 202
Storage looks good for what I need, and it's easy access which would be great for hiking. However, I'm a bit concerned that one strap is going to get uncomfortable when out walking for a long day.

Lowepro Fastpack 200
Looks like a great alternative to the slingshot, as it has 2 straps so would be better for long days, so seems perfect in a sense. However, it doesn't have the tripod holder (not got my own yet but I borrow one occasionally and it would be good to take this out), or the rain cover.

Lowepro Pro Runner 200
Front opening means reasonably easy access, and it seems to store a lot. Obvisouly not as easy as slingshot access though.

Lowepro Flipside 300
Storage looks good, and I'll feel safer about town having the opening against my back. However, I haven't seen one of these in person so I don't know what that would mean in terms of access - do you have to put the bag down on the floor to get your gear out?


Any opinions on the above or other suggestions would be very welcome :)
 
Have a look at the Kata bags.

I replaced a Lowepro Slingshot with a Kata 465 and have a similar amount of kit to you. Bag isn't much bigger, but have loads of space and is more comfortable carrying about.
 
Just my 2pence worth but i had a tamrac adventure 6 which was a really nice and comfy bag that would fit your camera, lens, cards and batteries but not a lot of room left over if you bought more in the future.

I ended up changing to a slingshot 100 and a tarmrac adventure 10, both well made but completely diffrent purposes, for general day to day the slingshots great, fit in my camera, 3 lens and a flash. Its so quick and easy to access the camera that you happy to whip it out when ever something catchs your eye.
On the other hand the the tamrac is a big heavy bag and takes a min to take it it off and get access to you camera, however not only can you fit enough camera kit to keep the vast majority of people happy, youve got a very large storage compartment in the top of it, fit your coat, lunch and whatever else you would take out for the day, plus a large compartment that fits my 17" laptop. Even being so big and heavy once its on your bag its very comfterable and i consider the tamrac`s to be well made.

If you happen to be any where near chippen norton id advise popping to morris photography, theyve got ever bag you can imagine and seeing them for yourself will make the choice a lot easier.
 
Last edited:
shell_w said:
Lowepro Slingshot 202
Storage looks good for what I need, and it's easy access which would be great for hiking. However, I'm a bit concerned that one strap is going to get uncomfortable when out walking for a long day.
Click to expand...

with a load up it did pull slightly on one side of my neck/back i found, which is why i went to 2 straps.
 
shell_w said:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a general bag for my kit that can be used for day hikes, as well as everyday shots in the city.

Ideally it'd hold at least:

Canon 450d
18-55mm IS kit lens
55-250 IS kit lens
Sigma 10-20mm
.... and that's the extent of my kit at the moment - I expect it'll expand soon enough though! :)

It would be good if I could store the camera with the 55-250 lens on.

Also I'll want to carry spare memory cards, batteries, charger etc, plus my lunch, drink, compact camera, phone, spare gloves and other various 'bits'.

I'd like a rucksack as it'll be easier on my back than a shoulder bag. It's going to be a Christmas present, so budget is limited - very maximum is around £80, but I'd rather find one for less than £60.

Options I've seen so far are:


Lowepro Slingshot 202
Storage looks good for what I need, and it's easy access which would be great for hiking. However, I'm a bit concerned that one strap is going to get uncomfortable when out walking for a long day.

Lowepro Fastpack 200
Looks like a great alternative to the slingshot, as it has 2 straps so would be better for long days, so seems perfect in a sense. However, it doesn't have the tripod holder (not got my own yet but I borrow one occasionally and it would be good to take this out), or the rain cover.

Lowepro Pro Runner 200
Front opening means reasonably easy access, and it seems to store a lot. Obvisouly not as easy as slingshot access though.

Lowepro Flipside 300
Storage looks good, and I'll feel safer about town having the opening against my back. However, I haven't seen one of these in person so I don't know what that would mean in terms of access - do you have to put the bag down on the floor to get your gear out?


Any opinions on the above or other suggestions would be very welcome :)
Click to expand...

Flipside is great - you dont have to take it off - you keep the waist belt on, remove arms from shoulder straps, swing it round your waist, and open from the back. Very safe and quick. I use the 400 and find it very useful for just about any medium weight use.

I looked at and owned various Thinktank and Kata options including slings, backpacks and hybrids. Slingbags end up killing your shoulder, hybrids are fiddly, and regular backpacks need to be put down on the padding side to get your gear out (which makes them wet and dirty against your back) so I def. recommend the Flipside for what you are needing to do.
 
Last edited:
What about the 3N1 series from Kata :shrug:

I've the 3N1-30 which holds all of my crap sorry gear with plenty of room to spare... Maybe the 3N1-10 or 3N1-20 maybe - although you may have to look at 2nd habd or on the bay for your budget thou...
 
hey there
was in the same position as yourself. i would skip the pro runner 200 and go for the pro runner 300. the 200 is tiny and looks like something a kid would use. also you would fill the 200 before you know it. the 300 is around £40 on amazon. seems to be the less fussy and equipment is well organized. that would be my choice :thumbs:
 
Thanks for all the responses, some really good suggestions – this forum is so useful.

The list has now changed but not narrowed down unfortunately! It’s now out of:

Kata 465
Tamrac Adventure 6
Lowepro Fastpack
Lowepro Flipside
Kata 3N1-10


I’ve decided against the Slingshot as I think it would end up hurting my neck and back (I’m a midget and very weak! :) ). I’ve also decided against the Pro Runner as I managed to look at one yesterday, and it looked really good in terms of keeping gear, but not so good in storing all the other girly crap I carry around :) And you were right Scaryrob – the 200 was teeny!


There’s a Jessops in town that I’m going to tomorrow, and they have Fastpacks and Flipsides in so I can try them - but I’ve not found anywhere yet that I’ll be able to see the Kata or Tamrac.

The Fastpack seems perfect in terms of size and space, but it was just the AW cover and tripod holder that were the issue. I have a separate raincover that I use for my hiking rucksack that I could use if necessary so that’s OK, but then it’s just the tripod. Has anyone found anything that you can attach to bags to hook your tripod on??
 
shell_w said:
Thanks for all the responses, some really good suggestions – this forum is so useful.

The list has now changed but not narrowed down unfortunately! It’s now out of:

Kata 465
Tamrac Adventure 6
Lowepro Fastpack
Lowepro Flipside
Kata 3N1-10


I’ve decided against the Slingshot as I think it would end up hurting my neck and back (I’m a midget and very weak! :) ). I’ve also decided against the Pro Runner as I managed to look at one yesterday, and it looked really good in terms of keeping gear, but not so good in storing all the other girly crap I carry around :) And you were right Scaryrob – the 200 was teeny!


There’s a Jessops in town that I’m going to tomorrow, and they have Fastpacks and Flipsides in so I can try them - but I’ve not found anywhere yet that I’ll be able to see the Kata or Tamrac.

The Fastpack seems perfect in terms of size and space, but it was just the AW cover and tripod holder that were the issue. I have a separate raincover that I use for my hiking rucksack that I could use if necessary so that’s OK, but then it’s just the tripod. Has anyone found anything that you can attach to bags to hook your tripod on??
Click to expand...

Just for information, I never got on with "side access" bags like the fastpack or others listed. You can get you camera and attached lens in and out no problem, but to change lenses or access the top compartment you still have to put it on the ground and open the main flaps and then half the time you have to rearrange the internal dividers.

If there is a tripod holder in front, then forget that as well. You have to remove the tripod. Sorry to anyone that has one, but it my opinion they are a PITA and you may as well get a proper backpack which is a lot more flexible.

At least with the Flipside, when rotated and open in front of you, you have access to all your gear and can change lenses easily without losing anything or placing the bag on the ground (you have to hold the flap under your chin, but hey). Moreover you dont have to remove the tripod. The Flipside will also take a pretty big camera/lens too, so room to upgrade as well.

Heres a good review site with some (variable quality) videos, the latter being the official Lowepro one. Note, you have a large bottle holder on the side, and on the shoulder straps there are loops for attaching pouches etc. My waterproofs actually roll up inside a large lens case which I bought for a few quid second hand in my local camera store and this attaches to one of these straps.

You are right about one-sided solutions. I'm 6' and no lightweight and had to attend physio once a week for a year for frozen shoulder and back pain. The cause? Using shoulder bags for 20 years according to my physio. The damage to my left shoulder is permanent and I personally think these things should have a health warning!
 
Last edited:
I used to use the Fastpack 250 and found it okay to get along with, very sturdy and did me proud in sub zero conditions getting soaked. I found it very comfortable and felt safe but the annoying thing was getting into it, with cold hands it was hard to unclip the buckles sometimes but the daypack section in the top was very useful for keeping things separate. I had to upgrade along with kit changes but have it all packed up once again to travel tomorrow. It's not a bad bag but think about the future, especially as the Fastpack 200 is slightly smaller in size.
 
Bought a fastpack 350, loads of room for lenses and any future purchases, compartment for lunch box etc
£39 in Jessops at min
 
crazy badger said:
Have a look at the Kata bags.

I replaced a Lowepro Slingshot with a Kata 465 and have a similar amount of kit to you. Bag isn't much bigger, but have loads of space and is more comfortable carrying about.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Kata make great bags, I have a DR465 that's my day bag when I'm not shooting pro. Comfy as hell, waterproof, great build, spacious enough for the kit you have and they look better than the cheap lower ones too. Think I paid £50 for mine
 
specialman said:
Agreed. Kata make great bags, I have a DR465 that's my day bag when I'm not shooting pro. Comfy as hell, waterproof, great build, spacious enough for the kit you have and they look better than the cheap lower ones too. Think I paid £50 for mine
Click to expand...

That sounds great, thanks - just need to find one to look at now.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone - I've just been in Jessops and had a look at the bags they stock (although the only brand they seemed to have was Lowepro and their own).

I really liked the size and fit of the Flipside, and it seemed really good in terms of how much gear you could fit in for the size. However, there wasn’t really space to fit anything non-camera related in, so I don’t think it would really suit me as I’d like a bag that could fit both camera and personal items in.

I really liked the Fastpack – and yes, I’d definitely need the 250 size. The 350 looked really spacious, but I think it was just slightly too big for me.

Now I just need to find somewhere in Manchester that stocks Kata and Tamrac for me to look at. Failing that, I’ll go for a Fastpack 250 as that seemed alright.

In addition, I’ve decided to get another bag since I started looking at them all! I just want a shoulder one that can just fit my camera with 55-250mm lens on, so that I can throw it in for walking around town. Reckon I’ll go for a Toploader if I can find a suitable size (the 50AW only seems to fit the standard 18-55 kit lens).

Expensive hobby this!
 
Just had a look on Jessops website, showing fastpack 350 now at £45, i would also look at warehouse express website for comparison prices
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top