Gear Bags for your RF system

[SolaresLarrave]

Just wondering... which kind of gear bag do you use to store/carry your precious <sounding like LOTR's Smeagol> rangefinders?

I have a Tamrac Superlight 2, model 5402, in which I store and carry stuff for my Nikon SLR, and I'm thinking about getting another one for the Leica gear. Dimensions, something like 8.75 X 9 X 6 (WHD). Any suggestions about carrying an extra body and lens?

[back alley]

years ago i bought an insert for a real camera bag. it's small but will hold my 2 mamiya 6 bodies w/ lenses attached.
i put the insert into an old bookbag i bought at the university bookstore. it does not look like a camera bag at all.
i have another bag i use, with the same insert (can't remember where i bought it) that's newer and nicer looking but still does not look like a camera bag. it's a bit sturdier than the old canvas bookbag and has a couple more pockets.

joe

[lars]

I use some foam rubber, a padded campstove bag, and then an army surplus medic's bag.

Here's the foam rubber I glued together to hole my Bessa R with Jupiter 8, a 75/2.5, and a 35/2.5.

[lars]

Here's the camp stove bag. It's padded and designed to hold small, one-burner stoves. In this pic, the foam rubber and camera & lenses are inside. Sorry for the pics, they were taken under available light with my video cam's CCD.

[lars]

And finally, here's the army bag.

[lars]

And here's our lovely model showing off the bag. I've attached my courier bag's shoulder strap to it. That's how I carried the RF kit when I was travelling. I also had room for my wallet, PDA, and some odds and ends.

Back at home, I carry my junk in a black Cordura courier bag. The RF stuff gets carried every day, I just moved the camp stove bag into my courier bag. Books, wallet, PDA, cell phone, extra film, jacket, etc all fit in there w/o problems.

[taffer]

You know Francisco, I use to travel light on my daily "adventures". A small simple shoulder bag, with some kind of inner minimal foam protection, and which holds a RF (from a tiny Ricoh to a bigger 7s) with lens, gossen pilot-2, some film, mobile phone, keys, wallet and a small book.

More or less something like this (sorry, there are no scale indicators, but it's very portable). It's good when camera bags don't look like camera bags, I once read about somebody who used a "mother's" bag, the ones used to carry spare diapers and things like that. Sure nobody would think you're carrying your preciouss Leica there

Speaking of preciouss, can't wait to arrive home to be with my beautiesss again

[rover]

Well I have adapted a manly "diaper bag." Actually, I felt it necessary to have a manly diaper bag, so I bought an LL Bean Wide Mouth Duffel, size small. It is big enough to put my stuff, Sammy's stuff and a camera. OK, in reality, as manly as it is, it is my purse.

The Adorama Slinger bag is nice too, I got one of those and like it quite a bit.

[SolaresLarrave]

lars, you're not supposed to close your eyes when you shoot! Keep one open!!

Now... I've put a bid on a camera bag in eBay. Let's see what happens. If not, there's a Tenba bag in Adorama which I like. I'll keep you posted!

[Alexander]

Francisco,

Just curious as to what Tenba bag you are looking at buying.

Yes, I must admit to being a bag junky. I don’t own too many but rather just seem to look at them a lot. I have a Tenba Traveler (415) that doubles as a business/computer bag when necessary (It looks like an every day business satchel). I like it because it can be expanded to hold a couple of bodies and lenses or zipped up it does just fine for one camera and my regular business totes. I got this one after reading a good review from Kepplar (sp?) in Popular Photography a few years back.

I also have another bag, a Tamrac 750 daypack that I keep most of my camera gear in for various treks. I just rearrange between the two bags for whatever type of excursion I plan on taking. I like the daypack for times when I will be away from the vehicle or just out hiking.

Regards…Andrew

[SolaresLarrave]

It's a relatively cheap Tenba P106i for a camera body plus assorted stuff. It'll be roomy enough to carry my two or three lenses in (out of their pouches), the SF20 flash (in pouch), 35mm and 120 film. Maybe a couple of filters somewhere... And perhaps a meter and my trusty Zeiss Ikon Nettar to boot!

This is just a back up, in case my eBay bid on a larger (and more expensive) Crumpler bag falls through.

I was interested in a Domke F-5XB, which probably would have been the ideal size, but it seems Domke went for Chapter 11, so Tiffen items will be hard to come by, according to the guy I talked to in Helix Camera.

[dll927]

I keep my Leica and its three lenses in a non-descript bag that came years ago with a subscription to a LIFE book series. It's light gray in color with a black shoulder strap, and does not scream ANY brand name on the outside. BTW, it didn't cost me a dime, at least not in addition to the book series. I keep the lenses in soft bags with tie-strings.

[MP Guy]

I am having a hard time finding a bag which will hold one mamiya 7 and one leica which I can attach to a back pcack or on my back. I do a lot of hiking and a regular bag just wont cut it. It needs to be integral with my backpack. I currently just throw everything in with my cloth into the backpack and its an ordeal whenever I need to get the gear out for a shot.

[SolaresLarrave]

The bag I'm after has no photo logo or any indication about its contents. I must admit I'm drawn to those thing, but the thought of having my stuff ripped off really makes me reconsider.

I wonder... Nah! Nothing worth wondering. Thanks a lot for the advice! I'll keep you posted about my progress (?).

[fcg]

i have over the years used about 6 bags. im in a urban environment; where keeping your gear unnoticed and ready is a challenge.
one favorite sleeper is the std open canvas carryall- used by most teachers to schlep their paperwork about. a second is a rumpled paper bag; in which the camera is placed- that canbe either a grocery type or lunch size/
i rework the interior with packing tape untill its solidly seems good.
i often use a variety of domkes- black+ totally worn- the 3x;the sachels;etc
these are super; and quiet.i redo almost every interior compartment with thinner packing; etc.
i found a great japan made ; olive; sachel for cameras or computers-this was for computers; its really well made;and was at a yard sale-so cheap youd have to buy it.
i use a grey woven leather womans bag;it just looks abit like im carrying my wifes bag.
i use several waist packs- leather or cordura; these work well but i feel fat.
i use a variety of those workmens- plastic lunch carriers- these are super; and often at yard sales.
i use a grey samsonite womans makeup case- these are tough and you can carry a lot.
& if it dosnt have a strap i make one up;usually climbing strap and a caribiner for a clip.
you need to have some fun+ get into hiding the gear in somthing totally unbelieveable.
fcg

[taffer]

I wonder... Nah! Nothing worth wondering

Hmmm... Francisco, this is the best way to be inquired about that wondering !

[lars]

Originally posted by fcg
i use a grey woven leather womans bag;it just looks abit like im carrying my wifes bag.
i use several waist packs- leather or cordura; these work well but i feel fat.
i use a variety of those workmens- plastic lunch carriers- these are super; and often at yard sales.
i use a grey samsonite womans makeup case- these are tough and you can carry a lot.
& if it dosnt have a strap i make one up;usually climbing strap and a caribiner for a clip.
you need to have some fun+ get into hiding the gear in somthing totally unbelieveable.
fcg

Um, you're not into this for the cameras, are you?

;-)

...lars

[SolaresLarrave]

Well, I didn't go for the Tenba bag; a series of clicks on the B&H website got me a Lowepro Nova 3 AW in green, roomy enough for my two bodies (with lenses on), a third "eye", flash, filters and some film. It does say "Lowepro" but then... it has a zipper and a flap, and a waterproof cover tucked under a hidden pocket!

Thought you'd like to know. It seems to be a good fit for the gear, but I'll tell you later how it works in the field.

[GeneW]

Francisco, I like the Lowepro bags myself. I have a Nova 2 and Nova 3 (non-AW) for when I'm travelling light or slightly heavier.

The Nova 3 is roomy enough to carry my Canon 300D with kit lens, 70-300mm Sigma for the Canon, a Leica CL with 40mm attached, a CV 21 and CV 90, plus a Sekonic meter. And doodads of course.

Gene

[Stu :)]

For my Bessa R I've been looking at the Crumpler bags. They seem very well made, water proof (the guy in the local camera store poured a litre a water over the bag to prove this point), comfortable (I'm yet to own a 'proper' camera bag that's comfortable to wear) and best of all they are "Urban Camouflaged". The colours aren't the normal blacks, greys, drab blues and greens that scream- "Look! Camera Bag!” And the style isn't your normal camera bag style either.
A friend of mine keeps his Mamiya TLR in one, when I first saw the bag I didn't believe him.

Stu

[Hawkeye34]

If you are looking for an efficient system for carrying RF gear, look at the Kinesis website. http://www.kinesisgear.com. This has several small bags that attach to a really comfortable waistbelt, and which can be fixed on the outside of a rucksack too. I use the now discontinued 512 bag with an UPstrap (www.upstrap.com) non-slip -really ! - bag strap. This holds two Contax 11a bodies and three lenses plus the meter and film. You don't have to buy the belt - each bag has loops on the back. I am not connected to the company in any way, but I use this system to chop and change according to what I want to carry when walking and hiking. Rich Stum, who makes this kit, is a working PJ and knows what he is doing.
My dos centimos on belt systems !

Hawkeye

[LCL]

I understand that Cartier Bresson had a cloak of invisibility. Certainly he was an innocous guy that nobody seemed to notice. In that spirit I too try to keep my camera and gear low key. The bag is an old airline type. Inside my M7 and lenses are wrapped in old well- washed t-shirts. I even have black electrical tape over the red logo and white engraving.

But I can't resist wearing a black beret.

[back alley]

beret, hhmmm, i wonder where i put that thing...

joe

[furcafe]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...ead.php?t=5159

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...ead.php?t=2249

[BJ Bignell]

I'm also looking at the Crumpler bags, for the "I'm not a camera bag" factor. I need a bag to hold the R with three lenses, film, and a small lunch.