Organized Hoarding: My Search for a Camera Bag
Yes, I know I have issues.
I like to have ALL of my “stuff” with me when I travel. I tend to take far too much.
In order to accommodate that weakness, I have worked hard to become super-organized. I’m constantly searching for new travel accessories and bags that help out.
I am not a professional photographer. I feel like I have a good eye for content but fully understanding filters, aperture and shutter speed will only happen with more practice. Still, if you saw my equipment you may think differently. Through recommendations from friends like Steve Yatomi, Heidi Roth and James Overstreet, I’ve accumulated some high-quality gear. Here are some of the items I carry to places like Mexico and Alaska:
Nikon d3500
AF-P DX 18-55mm
70-300mm Zoom Lens
Filters
GoPro Hero6
Batteries
Chargers
Cords (camera, GoPro, phone)
Extra memory cards
Memory sticks
Business cards
External hard drive
Headphones
Extended battery chargers
I typically also have the following:
Extra mask
Hand sanitizer
SPF lip balm
Lens cleaner and wipes
Small sunblock
Hair ties
Tripod
Water bottle
Passport
Keys
Pen and paper
Laptop
Chargers
Perhaps a snack (need energy to lug this bag around)
To make sure that I could lug all of that all by myself (Pete usually has a carry-on full of tackle) I had to find just the right bag that would hold my other carry-on items as well, including but not limited to my laptop and GoPro.
After many failed purchases and time searching the internet, I finally found the right back to hold all my gear: The Lowepro Fastpack BP 250 AW II - A Travel-Ready Backpack for DSLR and 15" Laptop and Tablet. Here are some of the features that I liked: The Fastpack 250 comes with a CradleFit device compartment and three primary storage areas. The camera area is completely customizable as it comes with padded inserts that attach using Velcro. You can move them around as needed to accommodate your lenses and other camera accessories. The CradleFit compartment is found within the device zone. It’s designed to provide protection for your tablet while your laptop will be well protected with the padding in its pocket. You can easily secure the backpack to a rolling trolley with its compression/chest straps.
Everything has acronyms these days, so it took a little bit of detective work to figure out why they call it the Fastpack 250 “AW.” The AW stands for all weather, meaning there is a built-in all weather cover included with the backpack. It can be used to protect the bag from the environment and I found it keeps the bag waterproof in the rain (I found this out during a 6 mile hike to a glacier in Alaska). It’s located at the bottom of the bag and you will find that it’s easy to pull out and slip over the entire bag. And yes, it easily fits right back in the spot it came from. I know you’re thinking you’ll never get it back in the exact way -- don’t worry, you will. If you carry your bag outdoors, and especially if you fish, this is critical – you don’t want thousands of dollars worth of gear ruined by a leaky bag.
Two features I didn’t think I was going to like but find very useful are the side padded waist straps and the chest straps.
The side padded waist straps keep your bag from bouncing around on your butt while hiking or falling to the side when you bend over.
The chest straps help fasten the bag to your raised luggage handles if you don’t want to wear the Fastpack as a backpack.
My laptop and any magazines I choose to carry fit in the side pocket in the backside of the backpack. They sit flush against my back and I don’t worry about them breaking or warping. This also makes it very convenient to go through airport security if you don’t have TSA pre-check, in which case you’ll have to take your laptop out of your bag to go through the scanner.
Back in June of 2019 I found the best price on Amazon, for $89.95. Making my recommendation even stronger, the price has dropped to $76.40. Even if it goes up to $100.00 I think it’ll still be a bargain.
Another thing that makes it great is that it’s no bigger than your standard backpack. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to handle wearing it as I might topple over (as you know, I am only 5’1 and a half!!) so if it’s good for me, it would be good for the rest of you “normal sized” adults.
As you know, when you fly you get one “carry on” and one “personal item.” Use this as your carry on, and then you can use your reels and soft plastics in your purse or other under-seat item. Then you just have to hope that your checked bag makes it to your final destination. With all that this bag has to offer, you might not even need to check something.
