This topic will have tons of opinions! Here’s my two cents and it comes from a guy that has no less than 20 camera bags in his current possession. This is a huge rabbit hole! Tread lightly!
Back in the day when I first started out I only had one camera and one lens. I did not need much and my Dad gave me one of his old “smaller bags.” I had room for lots more gear in that bag, but I did not have the gear to fill it. YET!
Like all Photographers out there I thought I needed all this specialized equipment in order to “get good” at Photography. My Father had donated his “old Nikon F series 35mm camera”… When I turned 18. Boy was I proud of that puppy! Back in the day you were really something if you had a Nikon camera.
The Photography Gear Acquisition Syndrome really took off after that. And so did big bag syndrome. The women that follow me know all about big bag syndrome… That’s where you get this big bag and fill it up with everything but the kitchen sink.
I own this bag. It holds one camera with lens and two additional lenses with the option of waist carry like a fanny pack! This bag now holds my third body, a Panasonic Gh4 converted to full spectrum light, along with all of the lenses, filters, batteries, etc. for that camera.
Then Comes Bag #2
Yup! You filled up one bag with camera gear, now ya need another one. Oh wait a minute! I need a bag to carry my big glass. What about my lights? I should have a bag for those too! You know? I need some bags within bags to organize my filters. Oh yeah my cords and batteries need to be organized as well!
Wait a minute! I need a spare camera! What happens if I’m on a job and a Camera fails? If I can’t get pictures, then I won’t get paid either! Oh wow! Now my spare camera and the lenses that go with that need their own bag too!
I Now Own About Twenty Camera Bags
Are all of those bags the same? Nope! Different sizes and different configurations for all of them. Are any one of those bags the perfect camera bag? Nope not a one of them. That’s because over the years my needs changed and so did those camera bags!
Did I ever have a camera bag fail on me? Yes! Because I crammed it so full of gear the zippers broke! Thank Yoda I was not carrying that bag full of gear when this happened! Guess what else is a problem? Most of those bags are black!
I HATE black now as a color for a lot of my stuff. I can’t find anything! It’s all black. It blends in with everything else that’s black. What do I tell my assistants? Oh yeah, it’s in that black bag over there… They look at me in this totally cornfused look! (yup! cornfused… it’s spelled wrong on purpose) ‘Cuz that describes the look on their face perfectly!
Yes I own the bag above. It holds two good size lenses or a camera with a lens and a spare lens. It also holds 4 bottles of water, instead of the other items.
You Really Only Need Two Bags…
First things first here… number one you do not need all the gear! I see people spend thousands of dollars on camera gear every year. Gear they really don’t need. I’ve also seen a lot of people buy that really cool new 10,000 pixel Camera… only to find that their digital darkroom now chokes and smokes on those new bigger files.
Seven Thousand dollars for a new Camera! Yet balk big time on spending a tenth of that on education to learn to use that new tool’s awesome capabilities…. Confusing! Is that shiny new Camera just introduced nice? Yes it is. Do you need it? Most of the time no. How’s about that new lens? Is it necessary?
Not usually, no. I have a really nice 135mm f/1.8 lens. A while back Nikon introduced a totally awesome 105mm f/1.4! The fastest 105mm lens on the market at the time. Announced in July of 2016. Did I want that lens? Oh baby yes I did! Bad! 2200.00 worth of pure pleasure!
Did I need it? Nope! I had a very good 135mm f1.8 and I still have that lens. Do I need the new awesome 105? No not really. Recently I asked more than one Photographer what currently inspires them. Mind you these Photographers study the masters of the past all the time. They know all of their names and their work. What was their current inspiration? A new lens… More confusion…
So now I’ve downsized a LOT of my gear. I really only need two bags. After decades of being a Professional Photographer I’ve finally learned that I never needed most of the gear I’ve purchased through the years… But I’ve also learned that most every dollar I ever spent on education was well worth the investment. (with two exceptions, but I spent far more on unnecessary gear!)
I Need One Big Bag With Rollers – Think Tank Airport Advantage
That one bag that holds all of your gear? At least most of it… needs to have rollers and a handle with it. Yes… even if your gear is mirrorless. If you’ll notice as soon as you have a full frame mirrorless camera and good glass, you’re not that much lighter than a DSLR with glass. The lightest of all systems is micro four thirds… but that system is very limiting when it comes to big prints.
The images below show Think Tanks very good Airport International V3.0… I do not fly, but having a versatile bag that holds a lot of gear in varying configurations, with wheels? Is the best! Also? Don’t forget to extend the handle that helps you roll the bag down the way… In my case? It better be tall enough or I’ll be kicking that bag every other step.
As you can see the bag above will hold plenty of gear! The image top center even shows a drone loaded in the bottom row. However! After years of experience? I know the bag above weighs a shit ton! So the rolling capability is awesome! Also totally necessary!
Also? My bag has a handle with gel inserted for additional comfort if you do need to pick it up! One thing to note here though… this bag is pricy at $460.00. I got lucky and bought mine off of a Photographer that didn’t like theirs in like new condition for $75.00. ^_^ (if you follow my blog closely you’ll notice I buy most of my gear used, that’s experience talking!)
My Other Bag of Choice Now is The Lowepro Video Pack 350 AW
This bag holds a handy configuration for me of my main camera with a 24×70 mounted, and three additional lenses… a 14-24, a 135mm, and my 300mm… in addition to my Infrared converted camera and it’s 16-35mm lens attached.
Since I shoot two Nikon D-850’s one standard light and one converted to infrared, all batteries, cards, and lenses are totally interchangeable! I must admit here… that was pretty good thinking and planning on my part. Did I buy both Cameras new? Nope!
One was used. Three of those lenses were also used! I might add… the Nikon 300mmPF lens was both a great deal at half price used in excellent condition, AND it weighs less than the NIkon 24-70! It’s the same length too!
The bottom compartment holds the camera with a 24-70 lens mounted, and the three additional lenses, the top compartment holds the converted Infrared camera with lens mounted in addition to some filters, batteries and cards. This bag will also hold a lap top or an iPad as well, but I don’t carry those in the bag. I carry model releases in that section instead.
This bag weighs 25 lbs loaded that way. That might not seem very heavy… until you’ve walked with it a bit. Trust me… you do not wish to go hike with that kind of weight.
Now when I go hiking I’m using walking sticks. Those sticks are awesome! I should have started using them years ago! However this introduced another bag requirement. Now when I hike I need a bag to hold the two cameras I usually take slung over my shoulder.
Walking sticks now hit those cameras more often than I like. So? I simply take the bag above and unload all the stuff I don’t need and leave that behind, carrying only one regular light camera, and one Infrared camera, both with their respective lenses, and attach my Carbon Fiber Tripod (Slik Pro CF 834) to the outside with a bottle of water. Pretty light weight!
Sadly this bag seems to be no longer available. So two of those twenty bags I have are brand new ones like this that I have in reserve, for when the one I’m using now, wears out. Yup! I bought ’em brand new for cheap as discontinued items.
Other Bags I’ve Had to Add
When I travel in my RV, I travel with two computers, and a slew of Portable Hard Drives. One computer is my 2019 iMac 27″ which travels in a custom molded SKB rolling case pictured below…
The other computer is a 2018 Mac Mini… Yes I said 2018! If you’ll notice you DO NOT need the latest and greatest computers either! The 2019 iMac, and the 2018 Mac mini are the last two computers made by Apple that are totally upgradeable after purchase! Yes, they both have Ferrari engines in them not Volkswagens.
This means I can add ram or bigger hard drives, etc. Now a days? Everything is soldered to the motherboard so if you need to repair or upgrade? You get to buy a new computer!
You might remember me telling you about the MiniStax STX Thunderbolt Hard Drives. These drives are exactly the same size as the Mac Mini. So? the Mac Mini and three MiniStax take up the same footprint on my desk.
An added benefit? A Mac Mini and a MiniStax are the same dimensions as the new Mac Studio. So? The Mac Mini and one MiniStax fit in one case, the other two MiniStax in another, complete with all of their cords!
The outside dimensions of the case above are 15 x 12 x 5.5 deep… the MiniStax? All contain a 4tb Samsung 990 M2 SSD chip and a Toshiba N300 14tb Sata Hard Drive with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. What’s that mean? Speed baby! And yes, I run a huge Lightroom Catalogue off of those MiniStax with zero issues.
No I did not buy them all at once! I bought one then added others when they were on sale. I did the same with the SSD’s and Hard Drives. Black Friday is awesome! On that day, I get outside where I can get an internet signal. I buy what I might want or need before 9:00am and spend the rest of the day shooting.
My 27″ BenQ Adobe 1998 RGB Monitor rides on the bed face down when traveling. Pair all of this together with a couple more 4tb 990 M2 SSd’s in portable Acasis Enclosures that require zero power? I’m golden. If anything at all screws up it’s replaceable! Back up security, unlike my days of Drobo.
The Acasis Enclosures are pictured above. I have them both. The silver one has no fan, the dark grey one has an internal fan. These enclosures are tool free for easy assembly, made very well, and loaded with the Samsung 990 SSD’s? Lightning fast!
Small bags for those as well. But those bags were free from friends that drink Crown Royal. ^_*
I can’t say much for their choice in whiskey… but awesome soft bags for free!
Why All The Speed Garrett?
Simple my friends and followers… when moving terabytes of data back and forth, speed is very necessary. Our Cameras and the data that they can produce are NOT getting any smaller. The more advanced our Cameras become? The more information in that digital file and the more computing speed and storage space you will need.
Now this blog post is technically about Camera Bags. Yes, I’ve thrown in a few other tidbits of “wisdom”… (my “wisdom” is subjective, just like my Photography ^_* ) Some of you might be thinking Damn Garrett! You’ve got a lot of stuff! No, not really… I simply have a lot of time in the industry.
Also when I buy, I always try and do extensive research and I only wish to buy it ONCE! In other-words I like to invest in things that last. I also trade up to things coming on the market with what I’ve considered good timing.
I Drive An Old Truck, And My Travel Trailer Is Old As Well
A new Truck like mine costs $110,000.00. A new travel trailer like the one I have lists at over $80,000.00… My Truck has 320,000 miles on it. I like it! It takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’! My Travel Trailer is rated as the top four season unit on the market and has had that rating for many years.
Many of my bags are old too. And ya know what? I’m an old bag of bones as well! There’s a saying out there about Price, Quality, and Time… You can get only two of those ingredients but not all three. I try and buy at fair prices for high quality… because none of us can buy any more time!
I’m also trying to give you the benefit of my time and experience, in order to pass that on and pay it forward. You don’t need all the gear you think you do… I don’t really “need” all of mine. After all I can only shoot one camera at a time… (don’t believe that one!) so I’ll keep it and continue to enjoy the purchases, which will actually make them cheaper!
I have whittled down my extensive gear list from the past. Honestly? I could pair down even more and convert my standard light D-850 to full spectrum and only carry one camera with a passel of filters… but I could not shoot more than one type of light at the same time like I can now.
So you see, I don’t spend my money on big fancy houses or new vehicles. I choose to feed my Photography and Computer habit. (the digital darkroom) Yet still, I’m pretty frugal. I’d rather have my Photography travels and memories any day over some big fancy House or Car.
You DO need all the education you can muster!… and you should not waste any time, because you can not buy any more of it. I hope you consider the time spent reading my two cents, worth the investment…
