Must Love Travel: The hunt for the perfect camera bag

Nearly every traveling photographer I know lusts after the ‘perfect’ camera bag. I am, perhaps, the biggest romantic of them all. No matter how many alternatives fill my closets and clutter my office shelves, the dream of finding that ‘perfect’ multi-purpose bag remains alluring. 

Problem is, I ask a lot of a camera bag, especially for air travel. It needs to provide travel-tough protection, be carry-on sized and not only transport a full arsenal of camera bodies, lenses and digital accessories, but a laptop too. 

Enter the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D650 AW. Created for photojournalists and news photographers, the Stealth fits all that I need for a professional photoshoot or trip: 1 DSLR with 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached; 1 additional body; 2 lenses; and 15” Macbook Pro; plus, up to 12 memory cards; flash; chargers and cords.

Built to go the distance, the Stealth delivers typical Lowepro quality; it’s sturdy, well-thought out with plenty of room and cushioning, and has pockets for everything. 

Favorite feature: The convenient quick-access zip top is brilliant. Unlike a backpack or standard shoulder bag, everything I need is only a zip away. 

Not-so-favorite feature: I wish the Stealth had a top grab handle in addition to the sturdy shoulder strap.

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Picture Perfect: jill-e Designer Camera Bags

Just because you’re a Gadget Girl, doesn’t mean you lack sophistication. Being stylish and techie are not mutually exclusive. If only more manufacturers understood that.

Well, thanks to  jill-e designs, a company both owned and operated by women, I no longer have to show up for a shoot schlepping a bag built for boys.

Fellow photog Christie Parker turned me onto these bags and it was love at first sight. There’s just something not right about strolling down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées or the streets of Manhattan with a clunky, chunky camera bag. Until jill-e, there wasn’t much to do about it.

I’m headed to Madrid next week and you can bet my weatherproof medium chocolate suede camera bag jill-e is going with me.  

While a jill-e may look pretty, it’s built to play rough. And it’s no powder puff as a camera bag either. All the essentials a pro expects are there - padded protection, adjustable Velcro dividers, netted pockets for memory cards, batteries and business cards, and plenty of exterior pockets for convenient access to the tools of the trade - notepad, model releases, cleaning cloth, etc.

Favorite feature: The innovative top zip allows me to access a flash, a second camera body and other equipment (see photo below) quickly and easily. Also, the tethered interior pouch is handy for storing hotel key cards and other small personal items.

Not-so-favorite feature: The nylon detachable shoulder strap is kinda cheesy looking compared to the elegance of the bag. I hope they’ll improve that oversight in the future.

Bottom line: Perfect for stylish gadget girls who value fashion and flair in addition to function.

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PacSafe Camera Bag

Listen as Ellen shares the pros, cons and novel uses of the new thief-thwarting PacSafe camera bag in her most recent podcast.

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Pelican 1510 Carry-on Case with Lid Organizer

In the pre-9/11 pre-digital photography days, I could carry my photography equipment in a Lowepro shoulder bag that fit under the seat in front of me. I’d sling it over a carry-on sized roll aboard packed with clothing and I was good to go.

Not any more.

Today, I could find myself forced to check all baggage without warning due to a terrorist threat. No way would I put thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment in a canvas bag through checked baggage. Nor can my kit fit into a shoulder bag any longer, thanks mainly to the power cords, electronic adapters, battery chargers, cables, back-up hard drives and laptop computer, and the various other accessories digital photography requires.

Enter the Pelican 1510, a hard-sided, fully padded, waterproof case that could (and has) survived checked baggage when  security personnel leave me no other choice. In addition, when push comes to shove, I can even fit my laptop (snuggly protected in its Built cargo sleeve) in the Pelican for extra protection. It’s the perfect travel solution for transporting and protecting my equipment when flying commercially.

And, so that the case doesn’t catch the eye of an unscrupulous baggage attendant who might recognize it as something valuable, I shove it into an ordinary looking large Eagle Creek duffle bag I carry for just such an occasion (or overflow shopping) and hope its mistaken for the luggage of any shoestring traveler.

Happy trails,

Ellen