Choosing a photography bag that suits you is not an easy task with all the choice out there. What suits me might not suit you. I spent a few days trying to find the photography bag for me as i was going on a family holiday to Northern Ireland for some motorcycle racing and i wanted a bag that would hold all of my photography equipment and a laptop in one place. The bag i ended up going for was the
Tamrac Expedtion 7.
What i was looking for was a bag that could:
1) Safely and securely hold all of my equipment with a bit of room for for more equipment in the future.
(My equipment), Canon 400D, Canon 100-400 L IS USM, Sigma 28-70mm, Canon 18-55mm, Wide angel attachment lens, JVC Everio video camera, wireless remote shutter
2) Hold my laptop which i take everywhere with me for work and for editing photos
3) Be comfortable enough to carry for long periods
4) Quick access to accessories
5) Weather resistant
6) Tripod attachement
After a lot of searching i decided to go for the
Tamrac Expedtion 7. , this is the second largest of the Expedtion series backpacks. This backpack seemed to have all the features i was looking for.
One i recived the backpack i went straight at it and pulled all of the compartment out and set about putting my photography equipment in the places i thought best. The bag easily holds my equipment with a lot of room for future purchases. (photos to follow).
Laptop
The laptop compartment is fully padded giving protection from bumps, trust me you will bang into things while wearing such large backpacks until you get a grip for the extra width added to your body. The waterproof zip is very good its been out in light rain but nothing to major yet. I would recommend when accessing the camera bag remember if you the laptop is in and the bag is vertical the weight of the laptop will bring the front of the bag forward quickly. I have a couple of laptops a large 17" beast of a machine i use while traveling for work to do my photo editing work on and a smaller Acer i use for personal but is still powerful enough to do the image editing but screen size can be a problem. I was happy to go for the this bag as i knew the laptop i would be using more often, this is somthing to consider before you purchase. The
Tamrac Expedtion 8. takes up to 17" screens, if i was to put my camera equipment in with my 17" laptop i think i would have to be in the SAS to walk with it on as the laptop weights nearly 5kg without the mains and then ad the weight of the photography equipment.
Wing Accessory Pockets
This is a feature i really liked on the bag, generally when im out shooting with my camera i tend to take out the accessories i need and store in my pockets but that can become uncomfortable and pain having spare batteries in one pocket and memory cards in another. I found that when out with the bag i would load all the accessories i need into these wing pockets and just place the bag infront of me while shooting and get quick access to what i needed. It saves a lot of time instead of oppening the whole bag up to get a memory card or a spare battery.
Inside the backpack
Inside the photography side of the bag i found more than plenty of room for my equipment. The bag is seperated into compartments using velcro dividers, you can detach them and then create the amount of compartments you need and change the dimensions om them, this comes in handy as when i went on holiday i put my video camera in the bag as well. Depending on what equipment you have you can easily change the layout of the bag to suit your needs.
The harness
This has to be one of the most important features in a good backpack, if the the harness does not hold the weight in the right places then you can end up having a great but highly uncomfortable backpack which is no use. I am a broad person and found this harness to be very comfortable, and really supprised while hand carrying the bag how heavy it is then putting on your back it does support very well. The harness straps are very well padded so you would feel anything uncomfortable poking you in the back.
Tripod Attachment
I have not really been using a tripod that much outdoors but i did put it on the bag and carried it for a small journey to see how it would be. I found it very quick and easy to fit, due to the tripod being in the centre of the bag they weight is not one sided like some other bags on the market. I am currently looking a range of tripods and trying to narrow down the best one for myself and i think its becoming more and more essential to the photography i am doing.
Conclusion
This is a great bag if you need to carry a lot of equipment and if you prefer the backpack style rather than shoulder bags.
However i found myself using this bag more for transporting a lot of equipment to locations then taking out what i needed due to the weight factor. I really like the idea of being able to take all of your equipment in one bag and for me this does the job perfectly and i am happy with my purchase.
Pros
Carry a lot of equipment in one bag
Laptop compatabile
Quick access to accessories
Comfortable harness
Cons
Weight factor
Bulky
Images
Envy!!
Linear Mode
