Backpack advice

Will, I use a lowepro computrekker, ( http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/notebook_camera/CompuTrekker_AW.aspx ) I got mine for about $125. It’s great to travel with, and it has a lot of room for documents as well. it’s a little larger than I expected, but not so big it’s cumbersome. I think it’s a great backpack and works like a champ. I fit, 2 body’s, and my leneses in there along w/ my 15.4” lappy, (which barley fits, but I think the backpack was rated for 15” screens) so your 12” would fit no problem. It looks even better once it’s broken in too.

Good luck w/ the search,

Mattd.

My current favorite peice of gear is the “bug out bag”. It’s a heavy duty backpack, designed for personal kit for the military. you can find them in just about any PX. I got one in afghanistan, but I imagine you should be able to find them online or in army-navy stores. they’re not designed with camera gear compartments, but you can definately fit your kit and more, and rig your own protective padding. they make them in two sizes, I got the bigger one, which cost about $50. unlike a lot of backpacks which start to fall apart when you load them with heavy gear, these bags are pretty much indestructible. you can also check out blackhawk industries for other military spec backpacks. I’ve found that most of those specially designed for photographer bags to be flimsy, overpriced, and screaming out to be stolen because they look like camera backpacks.

check out
{http://www.crumplersg.com/productlist.html}

also here:
{http://www.ebags.com/crumpler/camera_bags/category_search/index.cfm?N=2009264}

they might be a little too hip, but they’re solid + well made. also a little pricey at 100-150US
There’s one that’s specifically built for camera + laptop, but I think it’s messenger style. I also agree with teru about going lo-profile. better to do your own padding & get a cheap canvas bag, or bugout as suggested.

Like Matt D., we are all using a military style backpack. Ours are by Blackhawk Industries. They look like a standard pack but are made of heavy denier nylon/cordura. They have a pouch in front of the main compartment that are perfect for the 12in. powerbook in a neoprene sleeve. I carry 2 cameras with lenses on my shoulders but the extra camera gear resides in an assortment of padded belt pouches (most lowepro) in the main compartment. The pack loaded with extras, including battery/computer chargers, rain shell and other personal items fits nicely in an overhead compartment on most planes. When I get to my destination, the pouches are worn on the shoot. Think a lot depends on how you want to work. You could go with one of the smaller lowepros but it won’t work as well for personal clothing, etc.

Heya James,
small world…I didn’t realize when we met on the USS BHR, that we’d already crossed paths here. I guess you weren’t wearing that handsome kevlar lid on the ship.

Hello Mr.”Sensitive Artiste”, guess that’s what they mean by this being a “small community.” Hope they journey worked for you. Disappeared when we got to the Ambassador and I still owe you a beer and a …. you know, for your negotiations to get us home. Route us to your work. I’d like to see how it played out.
As to the original thread, it’s one heck of a “bug out bag” Teru carries, it’s a wonder his legs don’t collapse.
Regards, JLee (James sounds way too formal.)

Hello all, I’m a bit of a bag whore but when it comes to backpacks I have to throw my 2 cents in for the Crumpler Brian’s hot tub. I load this baby up w/almost 40 lbs of gear and it still comfortable. Got mine used from a friend for $140 and I love it. I put 2 digi bodies, 3 lenses, 2 strobes, batts, chargers, 12 inch powerbook and cables, a change of clothes and it doesn’t kill me. Try that w/a LowePro stealth.

A

James—- Which bag did you get from Blackhawk.I was checking out the Phoienix tactical. Any thoughts?

best,

Keith

Angel, seems like the world keep shrinking. Did you coach at Mountain Workshops in Ky a couple of years ago with a presentaton on Cuba?
Keith,
I’m pretty sure mine is the 3-day-assualt pack and it looks like they sell for around $100. It looks like the Phoenix is a bit larger and more expensive but essentially the same design. I’ve noticed some on-line that add the side pouches at a discount. If I were buying one of these myself, I’d go for those as well as in every store I’ve seen them offered for over $20 a piece.
Keep in mind that the pack offers no padding for gear and I already had various pouches for protection. What I like about the military packs is that they’re built sturdy enough for hold some heavy gear without stressing them. However, I’m sure there are plenty of packs that would work at cheaper prices. Teru mentions getting his for about $50 and it’s a MUCH bigger pack. What you probably do want to check is airline restrictions though. I’ve had no problem with mine but fully loaded it can be a tight fit on smaller commuter flights so don’t know how a larger pack would do.
Regards all, JLee

Yeah James that was me. I’m still surprised I was invited to teach/coach. I’m very flattered and humbled by that. Great experience overall.

A

Hey Teru, I had a question about this bug out bag you are carrying around. I thought a bug out bag was any kind of bag you had ready to go with all the survival gear you might need at a moment´s notice - so what is this particular bag you got, because it sounds perfect for me, with enuf space for photo and computer equipment, plus some for a bit of clothing. Do you know what they call it at the PX - is it like an Alice Pack or Patrol pack?

hope all is well in Thailand.

jon

Heya Jon,
I think the manufacturer is called “Piper”.
In the PX stores, it’s called “the bug-out bag” - it’s generally used for personal kit. The Alice pack is the classic GI daypack, (I think now it’s been replaced by the “Molly pack”), with all the straps and webbing and bulging pockets and modular add-ons…basically real good on the trail, not so great for airports,etc…I especially like the bug-out bag because it’s so clean and streamlined - shoulder straps and waistbest all hide-away, and the bag has expansion zippers and compression straps, so the same bag ranges from pretty small to pretty big. I saw one on a contractor at the bangkok airport yesterday.

Sounds very very good, just what I am looking for, streamlined and expandable as needed. Thanks Teru for taking the time to fire that off. how is thailand treating you, getting some good food I bet. Hmm boy.

back in sri lanka actually havent been able to update location yet. food’s not bad here either.

Food is very very good in Sri Lanka too. Curry of any type is always welcome. I love Latin America, but for good food, nothing beats covering Asia. Por Dios! Still havent found the bug out bag, but I will keep looking, meanwhile I stumbled on a very good bag called Icon 2 at Paragon, and it is also a great bag, but a little more expensive. The Blackhawk bags are nice too, especially the Raptor3, but it makes me uncomfortable to deal with those guys. May the gods of light and shadow bless your lens!

Teru—Can you recommend a place to stay in Columbo?

heya -
i’ve only stayed at the 4 star hotels in columbo - they’re all in the same part of town. continental, galatari, etc.
I never actually paid for a room, but I think they run between $80-100.

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level4c.tam?xax=22109&pagenumber%2Eptx=1&M5COPY%2Ectx=27483&M5%2Ectx=27483&M2%5FDESC%2Ectx=Travel%20Gear%20%2D%20Backpacks%2C%20Luggage&level3%2Ectx=level3c%2Etam&BC3%2Ectx=Military%20Field%20Gear%2C%20Backpacking%2C%20Travel%20Bags&BC4%2Ectx=Travel%20Gear%20%2D%20Backpacks%2C%20Luggage&backto=%2Fagcatalog%2Flevel3c%2Etam

it may not be padded enough for your likes but any bag made by Jansport has a 100% lifetime guarantee against any defect, including busted stitching or zipper problems.

they are so good about it, you just send the old bag in with a note (no receipt) and a few weeks later you get a brand new one in the mail.  you can even request a color change

and if you express your dependency on the pack the even speed up the turn arround time.  the bags are rugged, well built, affordable and best of all dont look like they

have cameras and laptops in them.  ive been using them since i was in grade school.

I Love the Bugout Bag, however if you plan to work in a nasty-type place and spend any time NOT embedded with the military, you really don’t want people to think you’re a spy-guy. At least that’s what my Centurion guys say. I think it’s a great bag.

Keith/Teru
I recommend staying at Parisare guesthouse when your in Colombo.
That is if your paying for it. otherwise the hotels are better for amenities.
97/1 Rosmead place.
269 4749

I am with MattD on the Computrekker AW. It is conspicously a camera bag but it is really comfortable and can handle quite a bit of stuff (I hauled a digi body, a 35mm body,
2 lenses for those, a bronica sq with prism, 3 lenses for that, a few filters, 200 rolls of film, a 14 inch ibook, and an external hard drive. It barely fit in the over head compartment,
but carrying it on my back was made easier by the comfy sushioned straps and back padding.) I was under the impression that there was a smaller one made for the 12” but I may
be mistaken. The 14/15” runs $129 at B&H.
It has the adjustable velcro dividers and is comfy but to anyone who knows anything it looks like a camera bag.

For those of you using the Bugout or Blackhawk bags, are you using them for your camera gear in the field as well? How easy is it to store/access camera gear such as lenses? I like the idea of going low profile as I’ll be traveling through SE Asia for a few weeks, but I don’t want my stuff to get damaged due to everything being tossed together in the same compartment. I assume you’re all using some sort of padding or lens wraps?

Terence, I have a blackhawk 3 day assault which I believe is overpriced for what it is. However, it’s a nice heavy weight, low profile, pack that is highly customizeable. I’m now primarily using the Lightware Digital Backpack that I bought off ebay (for about the same price as the blackhawk) to pack my gear on most of my trips. I like Jack Gruber, of USAToday’s method and have modeled my packing after his on his site. Go to www.jackgruber.com and click on his “everything else” link. It looks like a standard backpack but has hanging dividers for camera bodies and dividers for lenses. Padding is limited but the gear is not banging against itself. Best is that it’ll stand on it’s own to pull the laptop out at the airport and it fits perfectly in overheads. My personal items I check but I ALWAYS make sure I have all I need to charge, shoot and transmit in the Lightware. In Iraq, that included a BGAN in the computer department with my computer stacked on top of it..
That said, when I was using my blackhawk, I used a variety of lens and camera cases from domke, newswear and lowepro from my “bag closet” to protect the gear. When I got to my assignment I’d pull out the pieces I needed, hang the cameras from my shoulders and work out of a small bag or waist belt. Essentially, the same as I do now. In fact, I’m just about to unpack the Lightware and put everything I need for tomorrow on my newest Think Tank belt. A lot depends on how much you’ll be carrying. Good luck, and if you ever find the “perfect systerm” let us know. I’d love to empty my bag closet but I keep finding uses for every one of them. Best, JLee

Should have read the whole thread – It seems I said essentially the same thing 10 months ago. Must be getting old. Getting CRS….

I like the look of this one:

http://www.c4i.org/mib-bag.html

The guy designed it to spec.

i love a lowepro model called stealth AwII. its very low key and it holds a lot of gear in a relative small space. it opens up like a sandwich so its really easy to grab anything while in airports or on location. and it has a sleave for the lap top that comes off.
http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/allWeather/Stealth_AW_II.aspx 200 USd on B&H. at once i was able to fit two 1d, 70 -200, 16-35, 24 1.4, 50 1.4,flash,bgan and a small solar panel. and a bunch of accs. its always cool becouse its my carry on on flights and the thing finishes weghing 40 pounds. but nobody would ever guess that such a bag could way so much.

I use the Tamrac Cyber 8. 

It holds everything I need to carry for shooting of all kinds. Its heavy when loaded but the padding and straps are top notch so its always comfortable. 

Inside is: 2 Full size DSLRS with lens attached, one with a 28-70 f/2.8 and the other with a 80-200 f/2.8, also a 300 f/4 also 28 f/1.4 along with 2-SB800 Flashes, 6 Nikon Batteries, Flash Meter, and so much other stuff its crazy. 

I have set my eyes on this one. http://www.tenbagear.com/products/2000_01_pb17c.asp

The thing I always missed with photobackpacks is the possibiity to have quick access to lenses. This backpack has zippers on the sides to access the lens compartments without opening the frontsleeve. Love that feature!!

I met a gentleman today at the Sniper Competition at Ft. Benning who has a side business and vendor license to sell many brands of miltary backpacks. MSgt. Cecil W. Lay discussed packs with me during a break and I found him knowledgeable and friendly. He asked me to pass along his information in case fellow (photo) shooters are interested and says to mention that you’re a photog from LS and he’ll work discounts. We didn’t discuss pricing details but he knew what he was talking about and seemed to have many brands available. One of the packs he showed me was the Camelback BFM that he described as a 3 Day Pack. It had a plethora of pouches, good divider’s and seemed like it would be a good fit for many of us. Many of the Snipers were lugging their spotting scopes, etc. in them. I’m happy with my current pack but thought I’d pass this along. He can be reached at clay762@comcast.net. Good Shootin’, JLee
The CamalBak pack can be seen here: http://www.camelbak.com/mil/cb_prod.cfm?catid=6&product_id=240

as for as ive seen manyy military assault packs look cool but are really heavy and not really made for fotogs. i trated a sec ops 100 USD model for a camel back back pack and i found that they make really nice stuff. so i bought at a PX another bigger one for 150 USd and its really nice.