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My Futile Search for the Ideal Camera Bag

I need a camera bag. Here are my criteria:

  • It needs to be big enough to store my Nikon D70 with standard lens plus one (smallish) zoom lens.
  • It should be a shoulder bag, as opposed to a backpack.
  • At first glance, it shouldn’t look like a camera bag. So, black with lots of zippered pockets is out. I’d prefer something in a courier-type satchel. It doesn’t have to be a camera bag at all. Any satchel with appropriate padding and compartments would do.
  • I’d like to be able to actually touch it before buying it.
  • Bonus points if it’s cool.

Locally, my only option seems to be Lowepro, which isn’t floating my boat. Several people have told me about Crumpler (insanely useless website ahead). I really dig the style, but I’ve been warned that the fit for the D70 is pretty tight. Also, there’s no local vendor, so I can’t try before I buy.

Does anybody have any suggestions for viable alternatives? Any experience with Crumpler? This site seems to reflect the ‘Crumpler bags are smaller than you expect’ sentiment. Are there really no other major camera bag players?

This entry was posted in:Photography
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Published by dbarefoot

Darren Barefoot is an author, speaker and digital strategist. He’s the co-founder of Capulet Communications, and co-author of “Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook”.

23 comments

  1. beau photo on west 6th has crumpler bags in stock. it’s where i got mine (the 7 million dollar home – to hold my iBook and D70). you might actually like the 6 million dollar home. it’s just about the right size for a dSLR and a lens or two.

  3. really! actually, i’d ordered a crumpler through ebags.com about a year ago and after receiving it and having to send it back because it wasn’t suitable (read: too small) i vowed never to buy a camera bag i hadn’t seen first-hand again. i was very pleasantly surprised to be informed beau photo had them in stock.

  4. No recommendations here, but I’d be happy for the info too! I have a backpack case for my D70 now, and while it’s great for storage and taking on airplanes, it’s too much for daily trundling around.

  5. I have a big Crumpler bag. It is smaller than the comparable LowePro, and also a more expensive, but because it just looks like a backpack and it doesn’t scream ‘expensive stuff right here’ I think it’s worth it. Oh, and it’s extremely comfortable. With my Hasselblad digital and a few lenses, cables, lunch, shade, etc, etc, I can have it on my back for hours, no problems.
    I bought it from Beau. Definitely try before you buy, though.

  6. I have nine Crumpler bags in various sizes. Yes, you may assume I love crumpler. The quality is really good, very sturdy, very comfortable, with padding for the innards.

    Avoid the insanely annoying crumpler web site. People buy crumpler DESPITE the insanely annoying web site, not because of it. Use google; lots of places carry crumpler and have normal descriptions and pictures. I got some of my crumpler from ebags.com (they no longer carry it) and the rest from REI.

  7. Crumpler seemed to only show up in Irish shops in the last year so the same may apply in Canada. Like all camera bags they come in all sizes from uselessly small to stupidly big so you should be able to find something in between 🙂 The bags in the shops do seem pretty good quality, study, well padded. If I was looking for another bag then I would seriously consider them.

    I bought a LowePro Orion Trekker bag a couple of years ago and while I only have a cheap Sigma 35mm SLR in it I have managed to put it through several rough knocks without damage to the camera or lenses. I have the camera body, two lenses, a few rolls of film and a couple of filters in the camera compartment. The upper part makes a handy general use backpack. However it does take too long to get the camera out of the bag. That may not seem like a big concern but you do miss some shots from time to time.

  8. Crumpler seemed to only show up in Irish shops in the last year so the same may apply in Canada. Like all camera bags they come in all sizes from uselessly small to stupidly big so you should be able to find something in between 🙂 The bags in the shops do seem pretty good quality, study, well padded. If I was looking for another bag then I would seriously consider them.

    I bought a LowePro Orion Trekker bag a couple of years ago and while I only have a cheap Sigma 35mm SLR in it I have managed to put it through several rough knocks without damage to the camera or lenses. I have the camera body, two lenses, a few rolls of film and a couple of filters in the camera compartment. The upper part makes a handy general use backpack. However it does take too long to get the camera out of the bag. That may not seem like a big concern but you do miss some shots from time to time.

  9. woops, sorry about the double comment please delete the first anonymous one, I hadnt realised my name had been blanked when I clicked post

  10. I went through this exact dilemma a year ago, but managed to find the ‘perfect’ bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag. My feelings on the Crumpler bags was they were over-padded. I ended up with this brilliant NaneuPro bag and never looked back. I carry my 20D with a 28-135 lens and a 24mm lens. It’s snappy looking, has good adjustable/removable padding and extra pockets. Love it, but I don’t think you could touch it before you buy – here’s the link: http://www.bagsforme.com/bags/NP-LIMA

  12. I’m currently look for my ‘camera bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag’ (which by the way, this site is #1 in google for).

    The Crumpler bags are really my thing … and I checked out http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/retail/catalog.htm?categoryId=45 as listed in a previous post, but that doesn’t have any padding in it. So, again I am lost for a bag for my 20D. If I find anything spectacular I’ll leave a link 🙂

  13. This is my quest too! It’s driving me crazy! I’ve really considered buying one of those bean-shaped healthy back bags and sewing in my own dividers (b and h photography has lots). I think that’s impractical (because I can’t sew) and expensive. I’m currently looking at the crumpler too. There’s just nothing else. And…my D50 is tired of being homeless.

  15. Hey. It’s so odd that there are many of us looking for a camera bag that doesn’t cry camera bag yet the solutions are few and far in between. I’ve been looking at the courierware (www.courierwareusa.com) product and think it might work. Ideally, I could get something that would hold a Macbook and my dSLR camera safely together.

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  18. Any luck in your search? Ideally I’d like to have something that would hold both my Macbook and my D50, possibly with an extra lense. However, that doesn’t seem likely based on current options.

    I debated between Crumpler and Lowepro for a while, bought a Lowepro 100, which is way to small, and not as functional as people said it was, at least not for me.

    Now I’m stuck. I have $100 credit at Amazon.com, so trying to decide on what to get. I’m returning my Lowepro 100, it’s just not what I need.

  19. I’ve seen the Crumpler bags at my local store, but they seem a bit chunky. I heard a couple of people say they use a Timbuk2 bag with Domke inserts for padding. I like the Timbuk2 bags. I’ll probably go this route as soon as I decide which inserts to get.

  21. oh sorry… should have mentioned that the bags made on etsy would probably work better for hobby people more so than pros with tons of gear, etc.

  22. I have recently been in this situation and have now decided to make a removable insert to my existing leather messenger bag. If all goes well I will look to offering a custom insert service. Watch this space…!

  23. HI
    IF YOU HAVEN’T FOUND YOUR IDEAL BAG YET.
    Try the Think Tank Retrospective pinestone 20. It should fit your gear, doesn’t look like a camera bag and is great to shoot out of.
    Ralph

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