Best camera bag for a travel photographer
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Matt Preston Become a contributor
Whether you’re a professional photographer, semi pro or enthusiastic amateur your camera gear is no doubt very important to you! When you’re planning on taking your gear with you on your travels it’s worth making sure you get the best bag for the job. After all if your equipment is damaged you’ll not be a happy bunny!
We asked travel photographer and blogger Matt Preston how he chose his bag.
“With travel in mind (and lots of it) my choice of camera bag was very important to me. This isn’t just a bag to keep my camera safe, it needed to be something I could happily carry for hours every day in 30C heat. Something that could accommodate everything I’d want to take with me on my travels whilst being comfortable.”
After a fair bit of review reading and scouting around I chose the Tamrac Adventure 9 camera bag.
Ruck-sack style camera bag
I chose a ruck sack rather than a shoulder bag because I want to evenly distribute the weight across my shoulders. Having the weight of a camera plus lenses, etc on one shoulder for hours a day is not a good idea. It can seriously effect your general posture, cause back and shoulder pains. It would also mean a smaller bag so I would be limited to what I could fit in it.
Compartment size
One very important thing for me was being able to fit all my gear in. There’s a wide range of ruck sack style camera bags out there and the size of each compartment varies massively. The Tamrac Adventure 9 has ample space for my Canon 5D Mark II, my 70-200mm F4 and my 24-105 F4. It also has a slot against the back for a 15″ laptop and another compartment for cables, snacks, whatever else you need for the day.
It also has a large number of pouches, zip up areas, and slots to put all manner of accessories in. Memory cards, filters, spare batteries, etc. All of which can fit in the main camera compartment which flips open easily to allow access to everything quickly.
Weather Proofing is important
Having tested it in Monsoon like conditions, I’m confident it’ll keep all my gear dry even in big downpours. All the zips are waterproofed including the more exposed laptop slot zip. Other zips have fold over flaps and the camera compartment has 3 extra straps for tightly fastening down the flap to stop wind lifting it or rain getting in. To be on the safe side I purchased some waterproof plastic bags to put my gear in.
Attaching Extra Gear
The Tamrac Adventure 9 has a whole bunch of straps and fasteners on the outside so if you want to quickly attach something to it for easy access, you can. It also has two net style pouches on either side, perfect for a drinks bottle or a flash if you need easy access. I’ve even put a monopod in there and it’s held it in place no problem.
The bag also has 2 slots underneath it. I purchased some attachment straps and now strap my lightweight tripod to the bottom of my bag easily. Having it horizontally underneath helps spread the weight evenly which is best when carrying.
Very Happy!
All in all I’m very happy with my bag. It wasn’t cheap but it’s very comprehensive in it’s features and abilities. It’s always comfortable to wear. It Does a great job of evenly distributing weight. Has easy access compartments and the extra straps give it more flexibility. When i took the bag on my travels across South East Asia it was even better than I expected! Trekking up and down mountains, through dense rain-forest and on many a train, bus and dodgy taxi. It was comfortable, protected my gear perfectly and gave me confidence to bring my gear to places I wouldn’t trust any other bag! Well worth it.
Worth reading
Check out this great blog on how to pack your camera bag! Very important!
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By Matt Preston
The co-founder and editor of the online magazine and community site, Travel with a mate. Matt is a social media guru, organiser of international travel meetups, web developer for some great travel brands and photographer.
What do you think? Post your comments
Eager Existence says:
Thanks for the tip. I was considering a Lowepro Flipside 300 AW because the zips are all out of reach from lovely pick-pockets.
Do you lock the zippers on the Tamrac? I know vigilance is great, but in a busy and crowded location it can be difficult to enjoy yourself and have to monitor who is going through your pack.
Matt and Debz says:
I don’t believe padlocks are a good idea. It’s a bag not a safe. If someone wants to get to the contents they can even if there’s a padlock on your bag. All a padlock does is show would-be thieves that there’s something valuable inside. Without the padlocks for all they know there could be a week’s dirty laundry in there!! Ignorance can sometimes be safer than locks! Also I’ve never been in a situation where i felt unsafe with my bag and I’ve been to numerous countries with it. You can usually read the environment you’re in pretty well. If you don’t feel comfortable why are you there anyway?
I always go with insurance for my camera. I’m fully prepared to have it stolen so if the worst does happen I’m ready.
Gearu says:
I was wondering what other gear you took with you while you were travelling through asia? Was this the only bag you took?
If not what did you do with the rest of your gear when you were out exploring? We are heading to north vietnam later this year and we will be spending some time in the city and also some time in the hill tribes. We will travel light, but will still need to take a pack for clothing and personal effects. the bags with clothing etc would be safe to leave in the hotels, but camera gear and valueables will be carried with us at all times. I hear that the hotels are not very safe to leave valueables in.
Matt and Debz says:
I actually took a huge backpack that had a detachable day pack on it so basically 3 bags! Thankfully the big bag has wheels and a handle (it’s still a backpack though) so i could carry my camera bag on my bag and have the two other bags behind me on wheels. This worked absolutely fine for most trips. Sometimes we left the big bag at home. The great thing about the Tamrac Adventure 9 is that it’s got a decent sized top container area so i could fit enough clothes and stuff in there for a whole weekend. Perfect for trekking for a couple of days. As for security in hotels, where did you hear that? We had absolutely no problem in any of the hotels and hostels we stayed in. We had private rooms most of the time to be fair but they were absolutely fine. We even left the laptop behind on a number of occasions as there’s no need for it when you’re trekking up a mountain! Just make sure you have backups and insurance.
Adam @ Sit Down Disco says:
I agree that a good camera bag is essential when travelling with a DSLR. My Lowepro Fastpack 250 is one of the best purchases I have ever made. It makes travelling with heavy, cumbersome camera gear a breeze!
Vicky says:
I’ve been using Tamrack Aero Speed Pack 75 for a year now. It looks like the Adventure 9. This bag can really give you the protection you need to your camera and still has space for 2-3 lenses more. I heard that Kata KT DR-467 is also good. I’ve visited some websites like http://www.dslrbagstore.com/ to have some professional opinion on what to buy. Can you suggest me any? BTW, great review. Thanks!
PPusa says:
Adventure 9 is good for carrying the gear but very unpractical when photographing.
Aero 85 is pretty similar except that quick lens changes are possible thanks to a side door and the possibility to quickly swing the bag in front of you.
Travel with a mate says:
Not sure what you mean by photographing. I’ve carried that bag all over the place on all kinds of shoots. All kinds of weather too. So far it’s the only camera bag I’ve really trusted to carry and protect all my essential camera gear. Surprisingly comfy too!
I’ve never liked quick side doors. Too many access panels means more chance of water leaking in from rain. More chance of being stolen too.
PPusa says:
In order to change lenses I have to put Adventure 9 down (and find a place where to put it down which is not always even possible) and because of this I’ve missed several shots that I would have been able to take with Aero 85.
Since the changing of lenses is so much easier with Aero 85, I also change lenses a lot more often and end up with better photos. I usually travel with Canon 5D2 + 16-35, 24-105 and 70-200/300.
Weatherproofing is not as important to me as it is to you. Against thieves I don’t see the Aero 85 sidedoor as much of a problem as the main door that is easier to open than in Adventure 9.
Matt Preston says:
I guess the lesson here is it depends what you carry and how you use it. I definitely learnt that owning the right lenses not only for the photos you want to take but for the environment you’ll need to change them in are both very important factors.
I definitely felt comfortable with what I had, trusted in the bag and the lenses I had. It’s important to trust your gear when you’re trekking, outdoors a lot, in wet conditions, etc. Whatever it takes to make you feel that way is what’s worth investing in.