How To Find the Best Camera Bag for Your Needs

How many camera bags are too many? I’m not one to talk because I fully admit that I have a problem. I’m Darlene, and I am a camera bag addict.

But in all seriousness, how do you find the best camera bag for your own needs? In this article, I’ll give you some tips on finding the elusive perfect bag, what to look for, and which bags I have and use personally.

Determine your needs

First you have to figure out what kind of bag you need. The reality is that in all likelihood you’ll probably end up with more than one bag. Camera bags serve specific needs and depending on different photography situations you may find yourself in – your needs will change.

So ask yourself the following questions and make notes:

How much gear do you have? List it all out including camera bodies, lenses, flashes, batteries, cards, tripod, accessories, etc. Then consider if you always need to carry all of it with you. Or do you often just take a pared down kit? If you have a lot of gear you may want one large bag that holds all of it, and another one or two smaller ones as day bags.

How is your strength and back health? Shoulder and sling bags that go over one side can cause back issues if they are loaded to the hilt so you need to know your own limits. A backpack can be a good option but make sure it’s comfortable on your body.

Avoid overly large bags that are super heavy when filled. If you can’t carry it, or doing so tires you out, your photography outing won’t be so much fun.

Do you like to travel? If so, you may want to consider either a good backpack that can hold everything you want to take with you, or even a roller bag that’s airport carry-on size. Either way, you’ll also want to consider a smaller day back or backpack to use once you arrive at your destination. This is what I do.

Do you need to attach a tripod or bring a laptop? Check to see if the bags you’re considering can accommodate either or both of those things if you need those options.

How about a water bottle and other personal items? For traveling, any day bag you choose should have a space for both of those things. Always have room for a water bottle and way to attach it or put it on the bag. Likewise for a snack, jacket, rain gear, etc.

Is safety and security an issue? Again for travel photography or if you’re out and about on your own, you may want to consider a bag that has enhanced security features. One with the main zipper opening against your back when you have the bag on is really good.

Some bags also feature locking zippers or a way to add a lock. So if these things are a concern for you, make sure you look for these additional options.

Types of camera bags

There are as many different types and brands of camera bags as there are cameras and lenses on the market. The choices can be overwhelming, making it hard to choose.

But remember, your goal here is not to find that ONE perfect camera bag, because such an enigma doesn’t really exist. Rather, go on a quest for the best pairing for you. Perhaps you’ll need two or even three bags to fill all your needs.

These are the common styles of camera bags, each serves a different purpose:

• Backpack (very functional and comfortable for walking or hiking)
• Shoulder bag (hold a lot of gear, great for location photoshoots, not great for walking around with or going long distances)
• Sling bag (hold less gear, over one shoulder, handy as a day bag)
• Waist bag (a good option if you have back issues, hold only the essentials)
• Roller bag (hold a ton of gear, can be airport friendly, will be quite heavy when fully packed, great for locations where you can easily wheel a bag)

In my closet I have one of each of those kinds, with the exception of the roller bag which is on my wish list. Here are the bags in my collection.

ThinkTank Shape Shifter 17 V2.0 Backpack

This is my go-to bag, the ThinkTank Shape Shifter 17 V2.0, it is the one I use most often. It comes with me when I travel because it can hold everything I need including my laptop and accessories. But it also collapses down smaller if I want to take less gear with me for the day.

What I love about all of the ThinkTank products is that they are really well-made, high quality bags. They have a ton of pockets and are really great for organizing. In addition to this bag I also have the following ThinkTank accessories which I cannot live without!

Lowepro Magnum Shoulder Bag

They don’t even make the bag I have anymore, that’s how long I’ve had it. But it’s the big sister to this one – the Lowepro Magnum 400AW Shoulder Bag. I think mine is the 650AW, it holds a lot of gear.

If you do a lot of location photoshoots where you have to haul a lot of lenses and gear, a bag like this might be what you need. Tamrac and Tenba both make some really nice shoulder bags.

Sling bag – Lowepro Passport Sling II Bag

This sling bag is my favorite to take along as a day bag. When I’m traveling I’ll stuff it full of clothes and pack it inside my suitcase so I can use it when I get where I’m going.

If I’m photographing an event like a powwow, parade, festival, or something where I’m out all day I’ll take this bag. It holds a water bottle and personal items nicely, an extra lens or flash, and a few accessories. It’s also expandable so you can stuff a jacket or shirt in the large end, which is really handy.

Waist bag – Lowepro M-Trekker

As one option for a day bag I sometimes use this waist one made by Lowepro. It can hold a smaller camera body with one lens mounted, and one extra lens, a few batteries and cards.

There is also a place for your wallet or credit/debit cards in a zipper section against your waist so it’s nice and secure. When you have the camera out using it, you’ll barely even know you have the bag on. It can also be carried as a sling bag if you wish, as shown below.

Roller bag – Airport Advantage XT

This is the bag I want to get before my next trip, ThinkThank’s Airport Advantage XT. I used their roller bag comparison chart to make my choice. There are only two that will accommodate my 16″ MacBook Pro and only the Advantage XT meets international carry-on requirements.

Carrying my backpack fully loaded through airports gets to be a lot really quickly and I arrive already tired. So my plan is to buy this roller bag and use it as my carry-on, then I’ll stuff my backpack or a day bag into my suitcase. The Shape Shifter is perfect for that because it folds down almost flat.

Other bags in my collection

Those are not the only bags I own. Here are a few more of the ones in my collection.

• ThinkTank My 2nd Brain 15 – sadly they don’t make this one anymore but it’s my favorite laptop bag. The laptop is inserted vertically, so it’s really narrow to carry. Works better for me than big everyday bags.
• Kelly Moore ladies camera bag – this one looks like a leather purse and I use it a lot as a day bag at local events where I just need an extra lens and batteries. Another one that’s not available anymore.

• Lowepro 200AW Sport – It is not available in the orange color anymore, but the updated version is just as nice. I originally liked this bag because of its color (the new one is called PhotoSport BP 24L AW III and it’s blue/black) and the fact that it doesn’t look like a camera bag! That makes you less of a target for would-be thieves.
• Lowepro Flipside 200 AW II – I bought this bag when I went to Barcelona, Spain because it is the pickpocket capital of the world. So the main feature of this bag is security. It makes it harder for a thief to access your gear because the only zipper is against your back when you are carrying the bag. It served me well but I rarely use it anymore because it doesn’t hold that much gear. I may sell it or give it away.

I’ve also given away or sold a few others including:

• The Peak Design Everyday bag – I wanted to like it, but I just did not. I found the padding insufficient and my laptop didn’t fit properly (the corners were not protected, so I was risking damage if I banged the bag or I was bumped).
• Lowepro Fastpack 350 backpack – It was the first backpack I think I bought to hold my Canon 35mm film camera gear believe it or not! That’s how far back this bag goes, I’m thinking 1990s! It was a great bag but it was bulky and couldn’t compete with the newer lighter, more efficient bags made now.

NOTE: Ask Rob about this bag sometime if you join one of our livestreams! It had a side opening to access lenses and I had taken one out and we were about to go walk somewhere. He picked up the bag and flung it over his shoulder, not realizing I hadn’t zipped it up! Ask him what happened? Go ahead, LOL.

Want to see more camera bags?

There are so many other great bag manufacturers on the market. There are even camera bags made by or in collaboration with photographers including the McKinnon collection in the NOMATIC line-up (made for Peter McKinnon). Then there are f-stop, Mindshift, Shimoda, PGYTECH, Thule, and other great brands.

CLICK HERE or on the Kit link below to browse a curated collection of some of the best bags on the market, carefully selected just for you.

If you want to see a few of these bags live, check out the video below.

WARNING: I know Chase Reeves personally and he’s very funny and entertaining but you need to know that he does tend to drop a few f-bombs and he does curse sometimes in his videos. So if you find that kind of language offensive, consider yourself fore-warned, and you may want to pass on this one.

Conclusion

Interestingly enough, in the process of writing this article I’ve decided to give away or sell two more bags that are just sitting in my closet. The Flipside which is just too small and the orange Sport bag that also doesn’t hold that much actual camera gear, but it’s so cute I can’t get rid of it.

But getting two bags out of my closet does make room for the new roller bag on my list, so . . . we’ll see how it plays out.

Cheers,